Page 66 of Degrees of Acceptance
“Tonight, though, I have you all to myself, Baby,” he says.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The vista of pink andblue hues glowing around the rising sun is stunning as we lift off over the lake and toward the country house. “I need to patch into a call from my study but I won’t be too long,” Chase says as we land and walk toward the house.
“That’s okay. I need to call Jenny and see how she’s doing. I didn’t want to call too early,” I say.
“Speaking of,” Chase says, glancing down at his phone. “Text from Matt. She’s up and moving around.”
“I’m pretty sure she must have a terrible headache after all the wine she drank last night. I think I’ll give her a little time to eat and get a run in before I call,” I say.
“Did you let the security team know?” Chase asks.
“What, they didn’t alert you?” I counter, feigning my sweetest smile.
“Careful Baby, I could cancel my meeting just as easy and it would be a much more pleasurable morning,” he says.
“I’ll take a rain check,” I say, kissing him on the lips before heading upstairs to change.
Chase is at the table when I return from my run. He has his laptop and coffee in front of him and looks grim. “What’s the matter?” I ask, seeing the consternation on his face.
“Baby, sit down, we need to talk,” he says, pouring a cup of coffee from the carafe into the cup in front of me.
“Your mother did not make the plane trip,” he says. He is watchful, pensive almost, taking in my response.
“Did she change her mind?” I ask, fearful as I note the twitching of his jaw and darkness in his eyes.
“Baby, I wish I could tell you, but we don’t know yet. We sent a driver to pick her up and take her to the airport, and she didn’t answer the door. She put an end to the round the clock security early last week saying she wanted her privacy back. The driver called in for backup and when they went in her suitcase was half packed and lying on the floor. They found a travel bag filled with makeup left open in the bathroom, suggesting that she planned to make the trip today. Her car is still in the garage, and there were no signs of forced entry or scuffle in the home, Katarina. We are tracking her email accounts and phone records and are contacting all the cab and shuttle companies in the area, Baby,” he says.
“Oh, my God. My mom’s worst nightmare is coming true. She was petrified that once someone learned of our existence, they would come after her. This is my fault,” I say, registering the gravity of the situation.
“Baby, don’t. I know what’s running through your head. I have a call into Carlos, and he’s already on his way from New York. He told me he has not spoken to anyone about you or your mom, but he has been on the phone with her for hours since you gave her his number. It’s possible that someone could have had his phone tapped and learned about her that way, Katarina. It’s also a very real possibility that she ran, again. Carlos said they argued last night when they talked about announcing you both to the family,” he says.
“Chase, she would not leave me. Something bad has happened to my mother,” I say, dismissing the possibility immediately.
“We’ll get to the bottom of it, Katarina. In the meantime, get something to eat while I make a few phone calls. Your dad will be here shortly. I had the jet flown in for him in case someone is monitoring his corporate flight plans,” he says.
“Did you call the police?” I ask, although in my heart I already know the answer.
“Katarina, we’ll report it once I know a little more. Right now our team is in the house sweeping for fingerprints and taps,” he says. His eyes are dark, probing and gauging my reaction.
I silently will myself to appear calm, but my heart is racing. If I had listened to my mom, she’d still be here. Why in the world would she have taps in her house?
Chase folds me into his arms. “Baby, you’re trembling. We will find her,” he says trying to comfort me, but the dam suddenly bursts, and I am inconsolable. The tears flood down my face and I can’t stop shaking. He lifts me into his arms and carries me into our bedroom and lays down beside me. “Baby, we are going to find her,” he says, rocking me as he pulls me close to his body and draws the comforter over the top of us. Even fully clothed I am frozen and unable to control my trembling.
“I love you, more than anything, Baby,” he whispers, and that’s the last thing I hear as I fall into a deeply troubled sleep.
When I wake he is still lying next to me but is working on his Mac and his phone is by his side.
“Any word?” I ask quietly.
“Not yet Baby,” he says, pushing the hair out of my eyes and leaning down to kiss me. “Your dad landed a short while ago and is on his way here with Jay,” he says.
The housekeeper announces Carlos and his eyes capture mine the minute my dad walks through the door. “Chase, it’s good to see you and I appreciate you sending the jet,” he says to Chase, but his eyes never leave mine. “Katarina, I want you to know I told absolutely no one about your mother, but if someone was tapped in, it’s a possibility they could have learned of her existence. We will find her, Katarina,” he says, his eyes filled with resolve.
“Carlos, I’m glad you could make it, and I understand how much Karissa and now Katarina must mean to you, but I need to be sure that your family was not involved in the disappearance of Katarina’s mother,” Chase says.
“Chase, I know where you are going with this. I’ve already contacted the family. We are meeting in New York tomorrow evening which will allow my nephews time to fly back into the country. They are leaving this afternoon,” he says.
