This Changes Everything, page 9
He didn’t see what was so incredible about a project that had gotten him a C even when she helped him sketch out his introduction and theories. He didn’t understand half of what she said. But he saw her enthusiasm and knew he could use that to his advantage. He wasn’t surprised when she quickly said ‘yes’ when he suggested they should submit the proposal as a team since they shared the same professor. He wasn’t surprised that over the next two semesters she didn’t mind doing all the heavy lifting for their project as long as he told her he was impressed. A woman like Karen lived on compliments and Marshall could flatter the mane off a lion.
But she turned their project into something more—something beyond the solid B that they got. She turned it into a business.
“I’m not great with ideas, but I know how to make things happen,” she told him when she encouraged him to form a professional business and he agreed to partner with her. That was no lie. To him she spun wheat into gold. Before he knew it he was the CEO of a booming business that steadily continued to grow. His father was impressed and complimented him about having the family genes.
Seven years later he should be happy. But he was scared because that serious, foreign looking kid had grown up into a man and that man hadn’t said anything. Probably didn’t even recognize Marshall. But Marshall recognized him. Akibu had a manner and dark, penetrating gaze one didn't forget. Marshall kept waiting for him to storm into his office and accuse him of stealing his idea.
He was ready for a lawsuit. Successful people always faced such possibilities. He wasn’t worried about that. He kept his lawyers well informed. He knew his argument. You can’t copyright ideas. There was no proof. There were plenty of kids who’d come up with ideas. He wasn’t the first to think of it. He expected a fight.
It’s what he didn’t expect that truly bothered him. Akibu did nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Nothing at all.
Except try to undermine him. Slowly, patiently.
That’s why he wanted—no needed—him gone. He asked their employees how they felt around him and most didn’t have much of an opinion except for one guy who had a distinct dislike for anybody with a pulse. They only kept him because he was brilliant and worked from home most times. However, Marshall knew that Akibu’s performance review would make dismissing him easy. There were enough areas where Akibu showed marked weakness and no one would know it was personal.
Then Karen had to ruin his perfect plan.
Marshall rubbed a hand over his face. He’d gotten cold sitting in the parked car, but the cold felt good.
Where the hell had a baby come from? And who cared? A guy like Akibu could get another job. But she’d been adamant and now she wanted to completely restructure the performance review process. Where had things gone so wrong? And he hadn’t been able to change her mind with flattery and food. It used to always work.
Until now. Until Akibu. Until his damn ideas.
Marshall rubbed his forehead, feeling the tension at his temple.
He had to shake her up before it was too late. Remind her that they needed each other. That she needed him.
He’d made a grave mistake by giving her an ultimatum. He only now realized how arrogant he’d been to force her hand. Having her work with Akibu was a mistake. Those two would be too powerful together. It was better that he keep them apart and behind him.
A leader knew what generals to hire. He had upset her and needed to regain her trust and he needed to keep Akibu close just in case he tried anything. Loyalty had to be his weapon not force. He had to find a way to change her mind, to rattle her to let her start taking him seriously.
Chapter 15
She’d never felt so alive.
Karen walked the empty halls of the 3R building feeling revived.
She twirled in the hall. She finally understood why Marshall had gotten bored of her mentioning the past. She no longer had to hold onto him that way. The present and the future were what mattered now. Joshua had shown her that.
He had helped her to break out of a stupor. She’d been so busy managing and making sure Marshall was happy that she’d lost track of what was truly important. What they had built together. Marshall could get lost in the weeds sometimes too. Just as she had before, she had to be strong enough for both of them.
Everybody knows.
Karen felt her face burn at the memory of Joshua’s words. She pressed her hands to her cheeks. Had she really been that obvious? She let her hands fall to her sides and sighed. She wouldn’t be ashamed of her feelings. It was so nice of Joshua to say Marshall was an idiot for not noticing her. Of course that wasn’t true. Marshall was far from an idiot and he didn’t notice her because he’d gotten used to her. However, this was her chance. She’d shaken him up today. She could see it in his eyes. She’d continue on this journey and help Joshua see her as she really was.
Marshall. She meant to say Marshall. Why had she said Joshua instead? Karen shook her head. It was getting late and it had been a busy day. Plus she’d had such an interesting conversation with him today, that’s why he had been on her mind. It was nothing more than that.
But as Karen walked to her car, for the first time she didn’t think of what Marshall was doing or who he was doing it with. Instead she was wondering whether a stuffed teddy bear had made a baby smile.
Chapter 16
Frank had money.
Frank never had money.
The hundred dollar bill was the first sign to Tilly that something was wrong.
“What’s going on?” she asked him, staring at the money he held out to her as if it were a dead snake. Looking after Olivia had been easier than she’d imagined. She’d at first thought that having to stay at Joshua’s place would have proved a nuisance and suggested she pick up Olivia so she could work from home. But he’d told her he’d taken special care to child proof the place and didn’t want the baby to stay anywhere else until he was ready to take her to CPS in January.
She’d had a good day thinking that the extra money she was getting from Joshua was worth it when she’d returned to her apartment to find her brother lounged out on the couch wearing new jeans with a grin and waving money at her.
“What do you mean?” Frank said.
“You know what I mean. First you treat me to dinner and now you’re giving me a hundred dollars.”
“Because I owe you.”
“Answer my question.”
“I got another job.”
Tilly folded her arms. “Doing what?”
“Why do you have to be so suspicious?”
“Unless you tell me where you got the money I’m not taking it.”
“Helped a friend move some stuff, that’s all.”
“Put it away. It makes me nervous.”
“Fine. Your loss. When are you picking Mom up tomorrow?”
“What do you mean...” She pulled out her cell phone and looked at her calendar. She’d scheduled to take her mother to a doctor’s appointment? She didn’t remember scheduling that. But it was too late to cancel. “Damn! I forgot.”
“When are you heading over to Joshua’s tomorrow?”
She doubted that Joshua would feel comfortable with her taking Olivia with her to the appointment and she didn’t want to have to explain to her mother why she was looking after a baby. She’d ask too many questions like ‘Whose baby is it?’ ‘What friend of yours had a baby?’ and so on. “I can’t do both.” She scrolled for his number to call him. “ Maybe I can call him and say—”
Frank took the cell phone from her. “Let me look after Olivia. You look after Mom.”
Although it was a logical solution, she still hesitated.
“It’s just one day,” he said. “What could go wrong?”
Her mother’s appointment wouldn’t last all day. Just a couple hours and then she could switch with him. He was right, what could go wrong? Joshua’s place was very organized and he left instructions. “Make sure—”
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
Frank left the apartment whistling.
He didn’t feel hurt that Tilly wouldn’t take the money. She could be too proud sometimes, but when she didn’t have to worry about rent anymore and could relax she would get a little more humble.
It hadn’t been a mistake that their mother’s appointment overlapped on the same day. He’d adjusted her schedule and called their mother to make sure to remind her in case she forgot. With his sister out of the picture everything was set.
He’d never taken a half-day before but Karen had insisted and Joshua wasn’t one to argue with an opportunity. They’d had a productive discussion about their project and he was eager to get to think about the different aspects of what they needed to do.
He knew Tilly would be happy for the reprieve.
The first thing he noticed when he entered his apartment was the silence. Was Tilly taking a nap?
He crept to his bedroom and peeked inside. It was empty.
Had Tilly gone out to run an errand? He’d thought he’d put enough food in the fridge so Tilly wouldn’t have to leave. He really preferred she stayed home as much as possible.
He sent her a text. Where are you?
With Mom. Didn’t Frank tell you?
Why would Frank tell me?
Isn’t he there?
No.
Don’t worry, I'll call him.
Joshua stared at the text knowing he couldn’t do what she asked. He would worry because he had a sneaking suspicion something was very, very wrong.
Chapter 17
It was the bright green jacket that first caught Karen’s eye. Among the bare brown and white trees and muted grasses it stood out like a spring flower. The park lay empty of visitors who found it too cold to enjoy its expertly designed layout. She’d gone out to get herself coffee at the local cafe and decided to cross through the park as a shortcut to get to back to her office, when she saw the jacket. The design, size and color reminded her of Olivia, but the man hurrying into the park didn’t look anything like Joshua.
He was a tall, reed-thin, good looking man but something about the way he kept looking over his shoulder made her sharpen her gaze. Was he in trouble? Did he need help? She saw him stumble and something fell out of the bag slung over his shoulder. When she went to pick it up she saw it was a teddy bear with the name Olivia across it. The exact same bear she’d given to Joshua!
She looked up and didn’t see the man. She hurried along the path frantically looking around for them when she saw the man sitting on a bench. Another larger man sat beside him. She walked up behind the men ready to return the dropped bear when she overheard the bigger man say, “You didn’t tell me she had a birthmark.”
“It’s small. Is that a problem?”
“It may affect the value.”
“But I have papers. That should make things easier for you.”
Karen darted behind a tree unable to grasp what she’d just heard. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She was certain the baby was Olivia now. If not for the coat or the bear, then definitely the birthmark on her right temple. Who was this man? What was he doing with her?
“Shifting merchandise is always a risk,” the bigger man said.
“There’s no worry with this one. She’s already been tossed once. Let someone else’s trash be your treasure.”
“Yes, indeed.”
Karen covered her mouth. It couldn’t be. He couldn’t be selling her?
She had her worst suspicions realized when the larger man handed the skinny man an envelope. She had to do something! She darted out from behind the tree, grabbed the baby and ran.
Which wasn’t easy. The baby was heavier than she looked. She puffed her way through the park wishing she’d done more cardio workouts and was near the exit of the park when someone grabbed the collar of her coat and spun her around. She felt his nails bite into her neck.
“What the hell are you doing?” the skinny man said.
“Fire!” She called out but there was no one around to hear her and she was so winded her voice barely came out as a squeak.
He briefly squeezed her throat before he covered her mouth with his hands. “Shut up and I won’t hurt you.”
Olivia started to cry.
Karen glared at him. She tried to knee him but he moved too quickly. Fortunately, he didn’t expect her to head butt him. They both stumbled back from the force of the blow, she briefly seeing stars, but the surprise attack gave her enough time to dart across the street and inside a building. She ducked into the ladies’ room and waited a few minutes, as Olivia continued to cry, before she left and dashed to her car. She took a deep breath before she pulled out her cell phone and called her friend and said, “Trisha, I need your help.”
Chapter 18
Shock turned to anger then fear.
Joshua stood in the middle of his living room unable to believe what he was hearing. “What?”
“I lost her,” Frank told him over the phone. “I-I went out for a little walk and some crazy bitch stole her from me. Maybe the mother changed her mind.”
“I told Tilly I didn’t want her taken out.”
“It was just for a couple minutes. I thought it would be good for her.”
Joshua took a deep, steadying breath. “What did this woman look like?”
“Crazy.”
His voice turned hard. “That is not a helpful description.”
“I didn’t get a good look at her. She was black, medium height, dark hair.”
“Well done. You’ve successfully excluded a few million people.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think this would happen.”
Joshua squeezed his eyes shut. He had to think and be rational. Getting angry at Frank wouldn’t help Olivia. “It’s not your fault. I’ll contact the police—”
Frank’s voice rose in panic. “Why would you do that?”
“I can’t have a baby snatcher go free. If she’s as crazy as you say Olivia might be in danger.”
“I don’t think so. Maybe this is for the best. You wanted to get rid of her anyway.”
“Not like this.”
“Don’t call the police.”
“Where were you?”
“I told you. At the park.”
“There may be cameras at the entrance or exit.”
Frank’s voice cracked. “Cameras?”
“Yes, perhaps the police can get an image and—”
“Don’t call the police. You could get in trouble too.”
“Why would I get in trouble?”
He stumbled over his words. “B-because the kid’s not yours.”
“That doesn’t matter right now.”
“Wait. Don’t do anything. I'll be there.”
Joshua didn’t want to wait for him, but he knew he couldn’t be reckless either, although fear gripped him like a vise.
How could this have happened? He didn’t want to think of poor Olivia crying and scared. Had she been fed? Had she been changed? Was she cold? Would they hurt her? No, he couldn’t think about that. He would find a way to get her back. This was his punishment for using someone’s life for his gain. He shouldn’t have kept her. He should have dropped her off at a hospital or gone to another police station that wasn’t as busy. But now he would do anything to get her back safely. He didn’t care what it would cost him.
Someone knocked on the door.
He froze.
Frank had said he was at the park, he didn’t know of a park close by. How had he gotten to his apartment so soon? Joshua swung the door open ready to release his anger and frustration no matter how useless it would be, but any angry words died on his lips when he saw Karen.
Karen?
He blinked twice to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. When he realized he wasn’t, he shook his head. If she wanted to work on the project she was going to be disappointed. “This isn’t a good time.”
“I know,” she said in a gentle voice. “It’s okay. She’s safe.” She held up Olivia’s teddy bear.
He stared at the dirty stuffed animal. Why did she have Olivia’s teddy bear? “What?”
Karen turned the bear to face her and brushed off some of the dirt and grass. “Sorry, I dropped it. I had to go back and get it later and was so happy it was still there.”
She wasn’t making any sense. “I don’t understand.”
“Sit down and I’ll tell you. Do you want some tea?”
Joshua closed the door confused. He didn’t want to sit down. Why was she acting like he was the guest in his own home? “No.”
“You’re handling it well, but I know you’re upset. You’re worried about Olivia, right?”
“Yes,” he admitted in a tight voice. “I just got a call from someone I'd hired to look after her.” He sighed and shook his head. He didn’t know how much to tell her but he had to tell someone. “But he lost sight of her and now I don’t know where she is.”
“She’s with me.”
“I’m sorry?”
“This is going to take a lot of explaining. It’s a crazy story. I can still hardly believe it myself. I tried to call you, but couldn’t get through. I have a trusted friend looking after her so you don’t need to worry.”
He frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Olivia is safe. She’s with me.” She held up the teddy bear again. “That’s why I brought this as proof.”
Joshua stood motionless then let the words sink in. Safe. Olivia. Safe. Trusted Friend. Safe. She was safe. Olivia was safe.
The relief that filled him nearly made his legs give way. It was the only thing to explain what he did next. Why he pulled Karen into his arms and hugged her.
Tight.
He wanted to thank her, but his throat closed instead and for a moment he was afraid his emotions would get the better of him. What surprised him more was when he felt her arms encircle him and she hugged him back. “It’s going to be okay,” she said in a voice that made him believe her and he rarely believed anyone.
