Page 22 of The Union
The hiss of the latte machine as the barista frothed the milk rattled my nerves. “I don’t have her number, and she probably wouldn’t answer my call anyway. Besides, I want to gauge her body language. Do you have her home address?” It didn’t matter where I talked to her or Jack Jr. Or Junior, as we called him.
“No,” Jordyn bit out. “I’ll text you her number. Again, where are you?”
Glancing past the car stopped at the red light, I bent my head slightly and scanned the windows of Intech as far up as I could from where I sat. Lights were on in several offices.
“I’m sitting at a Starbucks for a quick bite before I go into Intech.”
“You won’t get past security.”
“Then what are you worried about?” I asked.
“I don’t know. That place gave me the creeps when I interviewed with them. Well, their head of security is scary.”
“What’s his name again?” I remembered her telling me about him.
“Fred Emery,” she said in abrasive tone. “He’s maybe five foot ten. He has military-cut brown hair and brown eyes. The eerie part of him is he has a scar that starts from his left ear and ends near his mouth. If you see him, get out of there.”
A chill gripped me just from her description.
“Layla, you need to listen to Webb and Steven. Theywillfind Sam.”
The blonde barista came over and set the apple turnover and my soy latte on the table. “Enjoy.” Then she checked on the businessman.
I pressed my lips into a thin line. “I understand you’re worried. But this isn’t just about Sam. We’re dealing with our family. Carly might have answers on where Rianne is. Junior might too. Or Noah could. It’s not like I won’t come out alive.” A shiver racked my body.
“You are so like Dad, and dare I say, Uncle Jack too,” she said. “But I would do the same,” Jordyn added, finally acquiescing. “It would be nice to know what our sister is up to. I wish I could be there with you.”
A yellow cab pulled up to the curb in front of Intech, and an older lady climbed out. When the taxi sped off, the lady tossed a look over her shoulder in my direction.
I squinted. It couldn’t be. The short reddish-gray hairstyle and gold-rimmed glasses on the woman reminded me of someone closely related to me.
“Um… Jordyn. Where is Grandma Aberdeen? Is she still in Fiji?” My pulse pounded in my ears.
The older woman stood on the sidewalk, her gaze lingering in my direction.
I gulped in the caffeine-laden air.
“What?” Jordyn asked. “Why are you asking about Granny?”
That nauseous feeling multiplied. “I think she’s standing outside Intech.” I couldn’t exactly see that well. The light inside Starbucks was bright, and the streets were still somewhat dark, which made it difficult to see from this distance. Plus, I remembered my grandmother with black-rimmed glasses, not gold.
“No way,” Jordyn rushed out.
A nervous laugh hurtled out, my head on a collision course with a brick wall. “I’m fairly sure Harriet Aberdeen is about to walk into Intech.”
“She’s probably there to see Junior or Carly.” Jordyn sounded as though she was trying to convince herself. “Maybe Carly and Junior are working.”
My grandmother, if that was her, scanned the area one last time before heading into Intech.
“Maybe you’re right.” Junior worked as a security guard for the company, and I was at Carly’s place of employment to see her too. Suddenly, something dark and twisted squeezed my insides. “What if Granny is working with Noah and Ray?”
Jordyn choked. “Where did that come from?”
Silence stretched over the line as I noodled on my own idea, and I knew Jordyn was too.
“You know, with what’s been happening, that might not be off the mark,” Jordyn finally said.
I gnawed on my bottom lip. “Plus, Granny wouldn’t jet back to the States unless something was amiss.” Things had just taken a weird turn. “More than ever, I have to go in, sis.” My curiosity would probably bite me in the ass, but knowledge was power, and the old saying “keep your friends close and enemies closer” was singing in my head. Or rather, keep my family closer.
