When Past & Present Collide: WP&PC (7 page)

Chapter Six

Day One – HELL

Ella

    
The light tapping of my door had brought me out of my trance. I ran my left thumb and ring finger over my eyebrows and placed my papers down.

I had been so wrapped up in this company takeover
; I can’t even remember how long the knocking had persisted for. All I know is someone had the nerve to disturb me after I had repeatedly told my secretary not to knock unless the world was ending or the police were at my door. Little did I know both these things were happening today.

“Come in!
” I shouted with an irritated voice; just to pre warn them I wasn’t happy with the disturbance.

Kirsty
, my secretary slowly opened the door with a blank face, I couldn’t even begin to acknowledge. She looked distraught, as if she was petrified that I would dismiss her, which I did promise I would do if I was disturbed for something stupid. So in all honesty, I could understand the trepidation in her stance.

“Erm
, Miss Jamison there are a couple of police officers here to see you. They said they need to speak to you urgently. You know I would never disturb you otherwise.” I smiled towards her so she knew she wouldn’t be in trouble. “It’s okay Kirsty, I did say to disturb me if the world was ending or the police came knocking.”

She laughed nervously and headed to the door, “should I
show them to conference room one?” I smiled “yes, and tell them I will be two minutes.” I looked down and quickly finished my notes.

I’m telling you now
, if that twat thinks he’s getting one over on me by sending his buddies over, he can think again. How embarrassing! Having them come to my place of work. I already had enough gossip going on behind my back over that silent auction that Uncle Frank thought would help me and the pregnancy scandal, trust me I don’t need anymore.

Hell
, I know I could sack them all when their contracts end and get new people in but truth be told they would all just do the same. Everyone talks about the boss or hates them to some extent. Honestly, I know I have over the years, so why shouldn’t they? Okay, yes I’m a good boss if you don’t piss me off; I smile to them and try to remember all their names on my floor, even the young apprentices that are getting paid next to nothing.

To be honest
, I know from experience they probably do the most demeaning work and never get the credit, so I like to acknowledge them and let them know that they are a part of the team and are just as important to the daily running of my company.

I stand up and gather my bag as I
need to go and grab some tea after I see to this rubbish. I’m hungry this afternoon as I was in a rush and only grabbed a banana on my way to work. I’ve not managed to stop all day as this takeover paper work needs to be ready to drop off, once the shareholders at Stones inform me that it’s all going to plan.

Sammy was up early and I make sure I get up the same time as h
e does. He wanted to play cars with his garage this morning so I spent an hour pretending to be a fire engine, putting out fires in his big garage while he was the shoppers, all running from their cars. Where do toddlers get their imaginations?

Seriously
, I love the imagination of an innocent child. It’s so refreshing after spending the day with so many annoying tight arse gits. Boy, are some rich people so fucking stuck up their own arses.

“
Fuck that,” I swear aloud.

I swear, I belch and
I have a good old fart because I’m me, and I won’t change for anyone.

I head on over to the conference room
, ready to see what that dick has said. Fuck, I knew this meeting was happening today whether he liked it or not. And by the end of play, I will own Stones industries completely. Dick’s not getting out of all the work I’ve been putting in for the last year and a half.

I want
my fucking revenge and hell hath no fury, I’m fucking getting it!

I open the door and notice straight away four police officers standing there. They stop talking and all look over towards me. I walk over towards them and shake
their hands. Each one of them shakes my hand, but something feels wrong with their handshake, their mannerisms are all off.

My gut is telling me something isn’t right and they don’t
want to be here, but this must be serious as the look on their faces. Fuck, I can’t even describe the wary look they are giving me.

I glance a nervous look at the female officer
, and the vacant look in her eyes tells me all I need to know. My body starts to quiver and the tears start to flow freely. I gulp back the breath I was holding as I whisper the one word I know will cripple me forever. “Jacob.”

I notice she closes her eyes
and shakes her head. My entire body is shaking. An eerie feeling has formed over my whole body and I can’t even feel my heart beat now as dread is etching in.

A fear like
I have never felt before is ripping through me. I can’t swallow and as realisation finally sinks in, I thought I heard the word kidnap but I know I’m wrong. I glance around at the other officers as the tears are now flowing and then it finally hits me with a sledge hammer, full force and it knocks me to my knees. I feel myself buckle and fall to the floor. The cry rips out of my chest as my hands claw down my face.

I can’t move and I can feel the bile rise up my throat.
My entire world has just ended and the utter shock I can feel is consuming me. The female officer is down on her knees next to me, trying to comfort me to no avail as my screech is still roaring from my lungs. I stumble to pick myself up as I stagger to the bathroom at the end of the conference room. I vomit like I’ve never vomited before.

*****

Jacob

    
There is a hive of activity going on outside my office, honestly this better be good, I’m dying to get home and get changed as tonight Ella and I are going out on our monthly date. I love the way she has decided we should court like a proper couple. To be honest, we never did all this at the beginning and truthfully, I’m loving every last minute of it.

She’s
changed over the last few years. Her determination is stronger than ever but her romantic and loving side is all new. She acts like we’re teenagers in love and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I stand up and fix my tie as I don’t fancy a client seeing me with it half way down my chest. My father always taught me that we shoul
d look our best to the clients. Before I had even had the chance to stand, Taylor was in my room and the look on his face nearly knocked me off my arse.

“Shit
, Jacob the cops are outside demanding to speak to you now, I told them you were busy but they said it was important.” I looked at my watch. Yep, six pm. Ella would still be at work, which only leaves Mum and Dad. Damn, I hope they’ve not been in an accident. “Send them in, Taylor and smile when you do it please.” Taylor just looked at me like I had two heads. Have I completely missed something?

Two officers walked in and shook my hand. Their body language was sending me mixed signals. Trust me
, I could read people well and the vibes I was receiving from them weren’t great. I sat down opposite them and crossed my fingers praying that all was okay.

“
Mr Green, we are sorry to have to inform you but we think Samuel Jamison, your son, has been kidnapped.”

I loosened my tie back down as I felt like I was choking, I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs as I glanced at the two officers.

“Ella?” I whispered.

They shook their head
s, “No, Ella is okay. She is on her way home now with some police officers and a family liaison officer.”

“How long?
” I said in disbelief.

“An hour
maybe, two tops. The nanny rang us the instant she couldn’t find him.” I nodded.

“From home?
” They shook their head. “No, she had taken him to the park.”

“What
!?” I shouted, so loud one of them jumped back. I was now standing, leaning over my desk looking at them. “He’s not allowed off the property whilst he is with the nanny. She knows that.”

They shook their heads. “We know and she will be question
ed straightaway, we understand she has been taking him there every Monday for the last year.”

The wind had been knocked out of me.  Why would the nanny go behind Ella’s wishe
s and take him off the property? And why didn’t Ella know? I know her place has cameras, did she not check them?

Jesus Christ I need to get to her house
. Now.

*****

Ella
             

    
I needed to clean. I needed to do anything to take my mind off it. They assured me he would be back at the end of the day. They had their best men working on it. They better had, as I would give my last penny to make sure of it.

Clean, clean, clean was a
ll my entire mind could process. I ran upstairs and changed into my black yoga pants and a sports t-shirt, threw my hair into a messy bun and then my cleaning could begin.

I heard the door swing open as I stood at the top of the stairs. Jacob walked in escorted by some police officers. His face looked like thunder. I just couldn’t go there
, I couldn’t look. I walked down stairs and as I passed him he grabbed on to my arm, I stopped and turned around but the look on his face nearly killed me.

“Did
you check every day?” That was all he could say.

I nodded
, as I had. Nothing was out of place, every day she followed a routine and each Monday was identical to the last. It was cooking day and they would make cakes.

He gripped me tighter, “
I’m not joking, Ella. Did you check every day?”

I pulled his
arm from mine and glared at him. “I checked, Jacob. What do you take me for?”

He shook his head in defeat, “
I’m sorry sweetheart, it’s just…” He choked back a tear. I couldn’t look and I couldn’t wait for his answer. I had my promise and now cleaning needed to be done.

I wiped my brow and looked at the clock
, nine pm. It had been two hours since I started cleaning and no one had approached me. Tim was standing by the door, keeping his distance. He was here to help apparently. Help? Who was he kidding? He knew sod all. He was a nervous idiot who they thought they could pawn me off with. Fucking hell, if I didn’t expect him home soon, I would have asked for someone more qualified.

But they
had assured me. Hadn’t they?

It was
completely pitch black out and my jitters had finally come in. My whole body started to tremble as realisation was setting in that he wouldn’t be home tonight.

I flung the cloth down and headed into the lounge, everyone
stopped as I entered and looked at me. I turned to Tim. “I want answers now. No more crap and get that prick who lied to me back in my house. Now!” Tim trembled and so did some of his staff. “I will call him now, Ella.”

I shook my head. “
It’s, Miss Jamison to you. You have not earned the right to call me Ella.”

He stepped back and pulled his phone out and made
a few calls. Before I knew it the top police officers were sitting in my lounge. DC Finn was his name. I hated him already. We all sat down as one big family, waiting for him to talk.

DC
Finn looked from Frank to me; I could tell he was intimidated. I couldn’t take the silence any longer.

I pointed my finger.

“You lied,” was all I said.                                              

He shook his head. “No
, Miss Jamison. I didn’t.”

I could feel my blood boiling as I looked to him. How dare he? How fucking dare he t
ell me that he never lied? When I had heard him my fucking self. Can he not see with his own two fucking eyes that it’s pitch black out there.

“We are doing all we can
, Miss Jamison. I promise.” I laughed as I had heard his promises before.