The next morning was groggy and depressing. It was raining outside and a storm was on its way.
The arm that was around my waist tightened as I shifted.
I remembered what happened last night and turned carefully to face Landon.
He was watching the rain.
I gently touched his chin. He looked down at me and we were quiet.
The rain outside got louder and soon the power went out.
A few moments later the emergency generators kicked on and the power came back.
I carefully put my head in his neck and he smoothed the back of my wrinkled shirt.
"I'm sorry about last night." he whispered. I pulled my face back and nodded.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
I shook my head. "No."
His phone started ringing.
"Your phone bill must be expensive. It rings every ten minutes." I said and tried and failed pathetically to smile.
He smiled and pulled it out of his pocket. "Hello?" pause "Yeah." pause pause "Okay." he closed the phone and looked down at me. "Valencio wants to see you."
I looked away and nodded.
He slid out of the bed and held a hand out to me.
I took it and let him pull me to the closet. He handed me a fresh pair of clothes and left so I could dress.
I put on a pair of sweat pants that cinched under my knee and a long sleeve shirt.
I walked into the bathroom and stared at my reflection. My eyes were puffy and red from crying, my hair was in a knot, and I felt exactly like I looked: horrible.
After I yanked a hairbrush through my hair and brushed my teeth, I walked to the waiting car outside.
Landon drove off and I leaned back into the seat. We were in a different car; still black, same model, but definitely a different car.
After a few minutes, I broke the silence.
"Landon?" I whispered.
"Hmm?" he asked and glanced over at me.
"Thanks."
He smiled and nodded.
The rest of the car ride was quiet.
A house came into view and Landon rolled down his window to punch in some numbers at the keypad. The large black gates opened and he drove up the driveway and parked beside an expensive looking red car.
Valencio's house was pretty big and Victorian looking. The front yard was huge and kept well. He had a fountain in the middle of it and the backyard must be spectacular.
Landon got out of the car and I followed him. He opened the garage door and led me through another door.
We walked to what looked like a living room and up a set of stairs. The inside of the house was just a s beautiful or even more, than the outside.
The halls were deep mahogany and brilliant reds and golds.
He stopped at a large door and knocked.
It opened and a bodyguard glanced at me and moved aside so we could walk in.
The room was an office that was the size of a large master bedroom. Two of the walls were filled with bookshelves that touched the ceilings. The other two were filled with pictures: old and new.
Valencio was seated at the large desk talking to someone sternly on the phone. Once he saw us, he waved for us to sit at the chairs in front of the desk and the bodyguard to leave the room. He hung up the phone as we sat down.
"Good morning." he said.
"Morning." Landon said and rubbed his face.
Valencio looked at me and his face softened. I looked down at my lap and pulled my hair to the side and out of my face.
"Landon, why don't you go wait in the kitchen, lunch is almost ready." Valencio said dismissively.
I looked up at Landon and he winked at me before leaving the room. I looked back at Valencio and he smiled.
"You have become quiet a commodity back at your home." he said and handed me a newspaper.
I took it and stared at the front page.
Local Girl Still Missing.
Amanda Murphy, 19 years of age,
is still missing. 3 weeks ago she was on
her way to an administrator to her police
division. After an alleged altercation with
her ex-boyfriend, Keith Wilson, she was
supposed to grab some papers and go
to her mother's house. When she didn't
go to the family's dinner her mother,
Diane Murphy, went to Amanda's home
and Amanda was no where to be found.
After a few cell phone voicemails from
the mother and a few days of waiting,
Amanda was reported missing.
The police have been investigating
the situation and there has been no leads.
Only a mysterious phone call, which the
police were unable to track, from Amanda
herself have been the only sign she is okay.
The search is still on for the 19 year old
and the police have not given up. If anyone
had any leads on the case please do not
hesitate to call the local police station with
the information.
My hands were shaking and tears were falling onto the paper when I finished reading.
The paper was gently taken from my hands and I swallowed back the tears and looked up.
Valencio was walking back to his desk and he sat down then looked at me. "Police division?" he raised an eyebrow.
I nodded unsteadily and wiped my face.
"Do you know what this means?" he asked gently.
I shook my head no.
"It means you can't go home because you are now a liability." he folded the paper and stood up to walk over to the small table against one of the pictured walls. He opened a bottle of brandy and poured a little into two small glasses.
He brought them over to me and handed me one.
I took it and swallowed it back. The burn in my throat was welcomed.
He drank his and I set the glass on the edge of the desk. "You may have compromised my whole business and everyone's around you."
I looked away and my lip trembled.
"You can either work for me and forget your old life or have to be killed." he said and turned my face back to him. "Your choice."
I sighed deeply and cleared the lump from my throat. I don't want to forget my old life. I want to go back home but on the other hand I don't want to be killed. "I'll stay."
He nodded and motioned for me to stand. "I'm sorry."
I shrugged. "Could you do two things for me?"
He hesitated at first but nodded.
"Don't tell anyone about this and I want to know what happened to Harley."
His face was filled with pain and sadness but he looked away, at one of the pictures on the wall, and nodded slowly. "Not today."
I nodded. "Soon."
He called his bodyguard into the room and told him his plans for the rest of the day. The bodyguard escorted me to the dining room and I sat across the table from Landon.
Jamie moved to sit by me and she rubbed my arm comfortingly. Landon was watching me but I just kept my eyes down on the table.
Valencio came into the room and everyone, except me, greeted him. He sat down at the head of the table and said something to someone.
The food was served and everyone began eating. I stared at the food. It smelled delicious but I just stared at it and tried not to cry.
I miss my mother so badly. I can't ever go back. If someone here sees that newspaper, I could be killed, and not by Valencio. So many things have been going wrong in the past year.
I hate myself right now and I just don't want to live anymore.