Capítulo 16: Chapter 16

Michael

It's been four days since Orlando came to my home and collected his daughter.

Four days of torturing my mind with images of Whitney hitting the punching bag with force as she blurted out some of her deepest secrets.

Four days of not showering so that I could keep the smell of her when I held in her in my arms.

My work on the Geraldo case, the one of the missing nine year old girl, has been insufficient to say the least. Penny, Lamino, hell even the girl who has gotten my order down to a science at the local coffee chop has noticed by divergent attitude.

I'm out of focus, wondering half the time if I should just man up and go and see her, or listen to Orlando and stay away from his daughter. Her broken and shattered spirit weigh heavy on my mind as I recall the look of distrust that flew across her face when her father revealed to her what her bracelet from him truly meant.

I'm torn between going to see her, even if it's against her father's wishes, and staying away from her, knowing I will just hurt her in the process.

A knock at my door snaps me out of my gaze and I watch as Penny strolls in with the files I had requested from her a few moments ago.

"I found the files you needed Mr. Taylor." She states as the door closes quietly behind her.

"Good, thank you Penny. Would you please sit, and we can go over everything that I'll need?" Penny sits, pulling up her tablet she hates using. Penny is what she calls 'old school' and would prefer to write everything down, and then hand it over. However the first few weeks of my being here, we quickly realized I couldn't read her writing or understand her notes. The tablet serves as a middleman between the two of us.

"I've got the files but haven't yet called the family." She states, leaving me shocked.

"You haven't?" I ask, my tone becoming more severe.

"No, it's been a long week and with my daughter needing me to babysit my youngest grandson while she"

"Penny, I don't care what the reason for your work duties failing are. They need to be called before I even start the process, you know that. I have been working on this for a little over a week and they don't even know?" My anger is in full force, but it's directed at the wrong person. Penny is not the end result, more like the easy exit. My real anger is at myself, for getting attached, for letting her down, for lying to her.

Whitney.

"Mike"

"No Penny. What the hell were you thinking?" I stand, ignoring when my chair goes flying back into my bookshelf. The look of surprise and hurt flash cross her face and I look down with shame. I went off on her, made her feel horrible, all because I can't quite get my feelings and emotions under control. "Penny, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have"

"No you shouldn't have" She says angrily, then gives me a look of pity. "Sit down Mike." I sit knowing I am going right into a lecture. "I know it's been eating at you, this Whitney Donaldson case. Your crossing the boundaries, the ones that are put in place for this very reason. You're too close."

"And you think I should stop." I finish her thoughts.

"No, I don't." I look up from my hands and look at Penny with surprise. "Mike, this girl was hurt and abused each and every day. She was taken away from everything she knew and brainwashed into believing none of those things love her anymore. She was raped and beaten and everything in between, but there is nothing like escaping that and coming back to the life you no longer believe you are good enough for. Her parents, school friends, anyone who knew her, looks at her as the girls that survived, the girl that was a sex slave. Everyone except you. You only see Whitney, and right now, that's exactly what she needs. So be there for her. Be there for the girl that needs you more than you will ever know."

My heart yearns to burst, to allow myself to fall at Penny's knees and thank her for her kind words. She's right, Whitney doesn't need someone that is going to treat her like a survivor, she needs someone that is going to see the woman she is now, not the girl they all lost.

"Thank you Penny." I says sincerely. I know I have been a total dick to her these past few days. It's nice to know I have someone so loyal in my corner. Even if I don't entirely deserve it.

"Anytime. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a family to call." She says standing and winking at me before leaving the office.

After Penny leaves, I call Deek, hoping he can get me some intel on this new case. Before the phone could fully give out one annoying ring, he answers, sounding panicked.

"Mike?"

"Deek, hey, thanks for"

"We've got a problem." I sit up in my chair, suddenly alarmed by his hysteria. "Malcom's cell phone, the one that had been Whitney's at one point, has been completely turned off. I'm not quite sure what happened, but I kept tabs on it as a just in case, and now it's no longer active. In fact the last location I had on it before it went dead, was in Poland."

"Poland?"

"Yes, and that's not the only bad news I'm afraid. It looks like intel lost their paper trail on Phillipe. He's gone Mike, we have no idea where he is, but the shit part about it is the last paper trail they have on him, is in Poland."

"Shit." I whisper, rubbing my temple with my free hand while the other clutches the phone tightly to my ear.

"Not sure what we can do from here, but CIA is trying to gather some more intelligence. Unfortunately, because we have other cases piling on."

"Yeah, I know, they have to put this one on the side until he pops back up." Which means we won't find Petrov, not even a sign of him until he has either has gotten more girls and we get lucky, or he comes after everyone that fucked him over.

"I'm sorry Mike." Shaking my head from the dreaded thoughts of him going after Whitney, I speak with Deek a few more minutes, asking him to gather new intel on the new case I'm working on. After hanging up, I dial Cobi's number.

"Yo."

"Need your location brother."

"Take it you heard about Petrov?"

"Tell me you can still go after him."

"Afraid not. Got orders to leave him be until they can gather enough shit to nail him. Don't suppose your girl could positively ID him if he we got him? Oh wait, I forgot, you told them all that he was fucking dead."

Closing my eyes, I rub my head, trying to rid the impending headache away. "Don't give me shit right now Cobi."

"I shouldn't just be giving you shit on that, mom called me, said you were an ass to her the other day."

"Mom said ass?" I ask sarcastically, knowing damn well Lisa Taylor would never use such words.

"You know what I mean dickhead."

"Mom and I made up asshole, so don't worry you can retract your kitty claws."

"Good. Now about Petrov, we'll get him Mike. It may not happen as fast as we would like, but you know how that is. Give it some time. In the meantime, I've got a question for you."

"Shoot."

"Amelia, you know what happened to her?" My eyes narrow, not quite understanding his question. Cobi had a thing for Amelia. A blind man could see that from ten miles away. But, he was the one that dropped her off back home in England. Why is he asking me where she is now?

"What do you mean? Thought she was home in England." A beep comes through my other line and I lift it up to see Victoria calling me. Pressing ignore, I place the phone back on my ear in time to hear Cobi announce Amelia's whereabouts are now status as missing.

"She was staying with her mom and dad, but I think something happened. They called me, freaking out about her running away from home and how they can't find her. Was hoping she would have at least tried to call your girl."

"She ain't my girl." I say hating that the words sound foreign.

"Right." Cobi says sarcastically, clicking his tongue in disagreement.

"Tell you what, you don't call her my girl, and I'll ignore the fact that gave your number to the parents of a girl you helped rescue."

"Touché mother fucker."

"I'll have Deek see if he can find anything. Stay by your phone."

"Thanks bro. I'll be visiting in the next few days. Mom says she wants us both over."

"Can't."

"Might want to wait for me to tell you the day before you blow off your family Mike. See you soon." He chuckles then hangs up. Placing the phone down I stand frustrated with the fact that I can't seem to get any work done and head for the exit.

Walking right across the street to the local café, I order my second cup of the day, followed by the chocolate muffin I can't seem to stop craving. When I come back to the office, I spot Orlando Donaldson standing beside my desk, starring at my awards loitered across the walls of my room. I had told Penny not to put up any of the medals or awards I had received from the city, but she was adamant about it. Now that I have the man that could very potentially sperate me from the girl I can't get out of my head, I'm grateful to have something showing my decency.

"Mr. Donaldson." I clear my throat and let myself be known. "What can I do for you?"

Orlando turns, giving me a tired look. His eyes are puffy and his body weak and fragile. Sleep has obviously eluded him, and I can tell he slept in the clothes he is now wearing.

"She needs you Mike." Standing rooted in my spot I narrow my eyes on him, my knees nearly buckling at his words.

"Whitney? Is she alright?"

Please God let her be alright.

"Yes, yes. She's fine physically." I relax, blowing out a breath of much needed air then walk further into my office, sitting in my chair and gesturing for Orlando to do the same. "It's her mental state I am worried about. She's..she's more withdrawn, quieter and sad. I mean, she was always like that since we brought her home, but ever since I brought her home from your place, she is worse."

"Mr. Donal"

"Please Mike. I know I shouldn't be asking this, and after the way I treated the both of you, I don't deserve"

"Orlando, listen, I don't blame you for being upset with me that afternoon. I should have called or text you to let you know what was going on. After everything you and your wife have been through with her it's normal to feel a bit overprotective. I don't necessarily condone the bracelet tracking device, but I do get the need to protect her."

Orlando smiles softly then takes his glasses off, looking down as he cleans them with his gray shirt. "Sometimes I forget you're so young Mr. Taylor. When I saw you with her, I immediately wanted to protect her from you, but I have to remember she isn't seventeen anymore, and that you are both adults. I guess it's just taking me some time to get used to the fact that four years really did pass."

My mind reels with his words. What he and his wife must have went through after she disappeared is unimaginable. They spent their life savings looking for her and after four long years she's back, but only a small glimpse of her. I didn't know Whitney before her disappearance, but I can tell by her photos and by speaking with her family, that she was a kind and happy go luck sort of girl. A small portion of the shell she currently carries around her, masking itself as Whitney Donaldson shows through, but I know deep down she's in there.

"Orlando, I want to help you, I want to be there for her and be everything I think she could need. If you're right and you say she needs me, then I'll help her, anyway I can."

Relief covers over his features and I smile when he stands and extends his hand to shake with mine.

"When can I expect you?" He says wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"Tomorrow morning. Tell her to dress in something she can work out in.

comentario 0 comentario

Votar

ENVIAR REGALO

next chapter

Load failed, please RETRY