Book Two: Chapter Seven


    “Mister Prescott.”


    Ss was in a hurry but paused as one of his subordinates rushed to catch up. It had been two days


    since Thomas was sent to locate the maid and he was beginning to lose patience. Try as he might to


    keep it contained he felt his control slowly slipping. But he couldn’t afford to lose his temper at work.


    For now he had to keep up appearances that there was nothing out of the ordinary going on.


    “Sir…I was wondering if you contacted DaLair about Tomlinson?”


    “I have. He assured me they aren’t interested Tomlinson Tech.”


    “Then that should drastically reducepetition for the acquisition.”


    Ss nodded uninterested in specting further. While any acquisition could grow his ownpany


    into new markets Tomlinson was ultimately a small gain if they seeded. And he had bigger


    concerns. When would Thomas hurry up and find the maid? He had to know the truth. Was it Ava in


    that bedroom? Were the kids really his?


    “Mister Prescott.”


    Ss turned to see Thomas approach. Sidling close Thomas whispered, “She’s here.”


    “Excuse me,” Ss dismissed his first solicitor and followed after Thomas without another word.


    Thomas led him to his office which had the blinds drawn for privacy. He ushered Ss in where a


    slightly heavyset woman sat on one of the couches. She wore a gray maid’s uniform. Her long, straight


    ck hair was tied behind her head andy down her back. Fidgeting in her seat she kept ncing at


    the man standing beside the couch. On the surface he appeared to be there for her convenience


    should she require anything but he was actually guarding her preventing her from leaving before her


    interview with their employer.


    Ss’s brow furrowed. His memory from ten years ago was admittedly fuzzy but he was certain the


    woman in his bed had wavy brown hair. Or was his mind ying tricks on him because he wanted it to


    be so? ncing at Thomas he strode forward making his way to the sitting area. The guard stiffened at


    attention nodding to him. The maid twisted in her seat to nervously watch his approach.


    Ss sat across from her studying his guest. She kept her eyes averted obviously used to being


    ignored and ufortable under scrutiny. Her skin was softly tan and as her name suggested she was


    of Hispanic descent. None of this mattered to Ss as he quietlypared her to his memory. They


    were about the right height but that was it. No matter how he looked at her she just didn’t match the


    woman in his memory.


    “Miss Lopez,” Ss said causing her to flinch. “Do you have any idea why you are here?”


    “No,” she shook her head. She spoke in clear English with no hint of an ent. With that he was safe


    in assuming she was not a recent immigrant. Possibly even second or third generation citizen if he


    wanted to guess.


    “Ten years ago you worked at the Conrad. Remember it?”


    “I worked at many hotels.”


    This was neither a brag nor evasion. It was the simple truth of any serving or retail position that one’s


    ce was constantly at threat. One customerint, whether warranted or not, could mean the end


    of their job and subject them to the dangers of unemployment. People with clear ethnic features were


    often targets of overly-entitled customers and Natalie was no different so her resume tended to be long.


    She couldn’t say she was never at fault but it wasn’t easy meeting expectations of people who set them


    with no regard to reality and what was impossible.


    “I’m only interest in one. Let me refresh your memory,” Ss said as Thomas ced a folder in his


    hand and pulled out a photocopy of the check he had written. “Ten years ago you cashed this.


    Remember where you got it?”


    Natalie swallowed hard saying, “I’m very sorry. My mother was sick. We needed the money. I—I found


    it in the room…no one seemed to miss it.”


    “Slow down. You found it in the room?” Ss asked. He was already on the edge of his seat.


    “Yes. I was cleaning. And a woman rushed out of the room. She was in tears. I went in after she left


    and found the check. I held onto it but no one asked for it…and we needed the money. I—I will pay you


    back.”


    “That isn’t necessary.” Ss shook his head. Somehow he wasn’t surprised by this news but it left him


    feeling empty because that meant… “I don’t care about the money. I would like to know about the


    woman. Do you remember anything about her?”


    “…I never saw her face clearly,” Natalie answered. “She was petite. Brown hair. My mother would say


    she had the good hair. I think…she was pretty.”


    “Would you be able to identify her if you saw a picture?”


    “…Maybe? I’m not sure. I only saw her for a moment.”


    “Then what about these?”


    Ss spread out four pictures Thomas had prepared. One featured Ava and the other three were


    random woman with simr features. All were candid street shots. Natalie leaned forward biting her lip.


    She shook her head as she debated with herself. Finally she separated two photos and studied them


    more carefully.


    “I think…maybe this one?” She selected a photo.


    Ss tried to hide his reaction as he saw her pick: Ava. Despite her hesitant choice he couldn’t help but


    take it as confirmation of his suspicions. A hollow pit opened in his stomach. What had he done?


    “James will take you back,” Ss finally said.


    “Thank you.” She stood clearly confused and he didn’t me her. It certainly wasn’t every day


    someone simply forgave a $100,000 debt.


    “Oh, Miss Lopez…how is your mother now?” Ss asked.


    “She is good.”


    “Good. James.”


    The man who had been guarding her politely escorted her out. Ss sat back in his chair trying to


    control the rapid beating of his heart. Ava…It was Ava all along…The woman he had longed for,


    searched for…and he had sent her away with his own words.


    “I don’t know if she could be considered a reliable witness…but at least we know she wasn’t the one in


    the room,” Thomas said watching him close.


    “…It was Ava…” Ss whispered. “…Dear god, it was Ava all along…”


    “It’s odd she never tried to contact you,” Thomasmented. “It can’t be easy raising three kids alone


    especially when one hasplex medical needs.”


    “She wouldn’t…not after what I said to her,” Ss stood pacing to the window overlooking the


    cityscape. He ran his hand through his hair.


    He was a father…a father of three. He had spent ten years looking for the woman of his dreams and


    she had been under his nose the entire time and, worse, he was the one who banished her. How did he


    not recognize her? Ava!


    “Ss? Ss!” Thomas struggled to get his attention. “What do you want to do?”


    “Are our men still watching her?”


    “Yeah. I put a unit on her and one on the kids.”


    “Keep them in ce.”


    “Right.”


    Ss clenched his hands desperately wanting to punch something but he had no one to me but


    himself. This was all his fault.


    Ten years ago Avalynn Carlisle simply disappeared. There were rumors and gossip she had been


    caught in the middle of a scandal but Ss immediately dismissed them. Ava simply wasn’t that kind of


    woman…her sister maybe…but not Ava. Despite all of Marilynn’s indiscretions she continued to be


    Carlisle’s cherished daughter. Why then had Ava been disowned? None of it made sense.


    It never urred to him she would change her name and try to make it on her own with three kids. But


    that is what she had done. She was out there right now, less than a mile from him and he hadn’t known


    it. Ava.


    “What was the eye condition Alexis suffers from?”


    “…She didn’t say. I don’t think she was born that way so it’s most likely a degenerative condition that


    worsens over time,” Thomas said though that was just a guess. Medical records were private so they


    wouldn’t have ess unless Ss imed his custody rights…at least legally speaking.


    “It’s a ce to start. Look into it. If there is a way to bring back my daughter’s sight I want to know


    about it.”


    “We don’t even have a paternity test in hand…you sure it’s wise to im them?”


    “You doubt they are mine?”


    “Aside from the fact the boys look just like you…that girl…she’s definitely your daughter with that


    attitude of hers. No, I don’t doubt it.”


    “I need to bring them home…but how? What can I even say to her or them that will make up for what I


    did?”


    * * *


    Ss sighed sinking into the chair of his home office and loosened his tie. If he was a drinking man he


    would certainly have one now. He still couldn’t believe it, was afraid to believe it. He finally found Ava.


    But she wasn’t alone. She was a mother of three…and he was the father. It didn’t seem possible.


    Ten years. He had missed ten years of their lives. Ten years he hadn’t been there. Ava raised them


    alone without support and without financial aid. His hands trembled at the mere thought of her plight.


    He should have been there to take care of her. He couldn’t imagine how scared she must have been


    and yet she refused to seek his help. She did it all on her own but she deserved better. He would do


    whatever it took to earn her forgiveness.


    Hisputer chimed alerting him to a new message. Ss raised a brow. Thinking it might be Thomas


    with news about Alexis’s condition he leaned forward to select the message without looking at the


    sender. The message was short but he leapt to his feet in rage. Grabbing his phone he dialed


    Thomas’s number waiting impatiently for his answer.


    “Yeah Si?” Thomas sighed. If he was referring to him by his nickname than it was safe to assume he


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    was alone.


    “My condo, now!”


    “What…” Thomas’s answer was cut off as Ss hung up staring at the message willing it to change.


    Whoever sent it had a death wish if they thought they could threaten his children and get away with it.


    Agonizing minutes past before Thomas finally arrived. He only lived a few floors down but his damp


    hair suggested he had been in the shower when he had been called. Entering the disturbingly empty


    condo he called, “Ss?”


    “In here.”


    Thomas followed the sound to the study. There he found Ss on his feet radiating rage he seldom felt


    from his long time friend. Ss turned a cold, hard gaze on him as if not seeing him for several


    moments.


    “Exin this!”


    Thomas flinched before approaching. He leaned over the desk and read the message disyed


    saying, “What the hell is this?”


    “That’s what I want to know,” Ss said. “Who the hell sent this?”


    Thomas nced at the sender. It wasn’t a long string of numbers as he might have suspected but the


    domain name made him pause. He was no expert but if he didn’t know better he would say it had been


    sent from inside the office. Did that mean someone in thepany knew about the kids? Did they


    honestly think they could threaten their boss? Why would they only ask for $500,000? Gossip papers


    would pay three times that much for this kind of scoop.


    “It looks like it came from thepany’s email,” Thomas finally said. “We’ve been careful but it’s not


    out of the realm of possibility someone noticed…especially when we brought in Miss Lopez.”


    Ss sucked in a breath. He had left the matter entirely to Thomaspletely trusting his discretion.


    Had someone else noticed? Were they stalking Ava and the kids even now?


    “They are only asking for 500K. Whatever they think they know I don’t think they know everything.”


    Ss slowly rxed. Perhaps they thought Miss Lopez was a person of interest in which case they


    wouldn’t know anything about Ava. Even if the maid spoke to someone she didn’t know Ava’s name or


    anything about the kids. A clever person would assume Ss was looking into the mystery woman and


    perhaps they might guess the reason why but they didn’t have any names and no reason to even


    suspect Avalynn Carlisle.


    “So what do you want to do?” Thomas asked. “Should we ignore it? Call their bluff?”


    “…No. I want to meet them and find out what they know. If $500,000 is all they need to keep silent then


    it’s worth it.”


    “All right. I’ll get the money ready.”


    Ss nodded. He still couldn’t rxpletely. Even if this person didn’t know about the kids directly


    he was far from the only person who attended the musicpetition. Someone else could easily make


    the connection from Alexis to Ava. Their resemnce was uncanny and their ying too distinct. He


    had to find some way to protect them.