The Man Waiting

Rheya’s POV

The invisible clock in my head is ticking. It’s taken me ten minutes to try to calm my nerves down from what just went down outside. Although I am feeling better since the police car took that criminal away, I can’t seem to get that look on his face off my mind.

It has made me even more curious who this little girl is. All I can tell so far is that she is very important to whoever was trying to grab her off the street. A part of me is telling me I should have taken her to the police station, but I’ve watched enough true crime documentaries where the first mistake was involving too many people.

It’s just a hunch. I do need to get this little girl talking. From what I have seen so far, she displays all the signs of nonverbal autism. Of course, I’m not trying to diagnose her, but she is very nervous around people, sensitive to touch, and has nervous body language.

Which is why I feel there must have been a really compelling situation that made her want to run away from home. I need to tread lightly and get more information out of her.

“Hi, baby girl,” I said, smiling at her. “Did you enjoy your food?”

She nodded, giving a brief little smile. She is such a pretty little girl. She looks really smart too.

“You know, when I was younger, I used to run away from home too."

She raised her head and peaked at me with curious eyes, as if begging me to tell her why. Jackpot! If I open up, maybe she will too.

“Let’s just say I was lonely and misunderstood. Do you know what that feels like?”

Her head nod was more energetic, and a little sound came from her. Poor little girl, I know the feeling.

“Is that why you ran away?” I asked, trying to be gentle with my questions.

She nodded again. I reached out for her hand, and she held it.

“I know how that feels, my sweet girl, but the city is not a safe place to run to. There’s so much traffic, and bad men like the one we met outside. You don’t want bad men to find you, right?”

She shook her head violently, and with the cutest stank face, I couldn’t help but let out a giggle. Her eyes glistened with delight at seeing me laugh at her.

“So, you have to promise me, the next time you decide on coming into the city, you bring an adult with you,” I said, this time a bit more sternly. 

She let go of my hand. Oh my, too soon? I thought I was making progress with her, but she has already retreated. What should I do? She reached into her backpack and pulled out a tablet. She unlocked it and wrote on the screen.

“Can you be the adult?". I read the words and my heart immediately sank. After the events that happened today with my best friend, I don’t even think I want to live in the city anymore. It used to be our dream together, and now I feel like I need a reset.

“I’m sorry, sweetie, but I might be leaving the city soon,” I told her. She looked crushed. “How about when I take you home, you can take my number, and we can be friends?” I asked, trying to soften the blow.

“Pinky swear on it?” I teased, holding out my pinky finger. We pinky swore, then she wrote her address on the tablet. 

I had no idea the kind of man waiting for us at that address…

Luke’s home

Luke swung the glass at Miss Parkett. She screamed as she barely managed to dodge the glass. The glass shattered loudly, making all the maids and bodyguards shudder. They all faced the floor, hands together muttering prayers under their breaths.

Little Miss Kendra was missing. No one knew where she had gone, and no one knew when she had even left. Kendra was the boss’ bottom line, his biggest priority. He never played about his daughter, and they all regretted not checking in on her sooner.

Kendra was a quiet and sometimes temperamental girl, but she had never run away. Luke’s veins looked like they were about to pop out. He paced up and down, as if to stop himself from ripping Miss Parkett to pieces.

“You mean to tell me that you have not seen my daughter for hours?” he asked. Miss Parkett stood shaking nervously, quietly. This aggravated him even more. “Answer me!” he roared, the echo of his voice filling the entire villa. 

"Yes", she whimpered, “Yes, Mr Raygan."

Luke reached into his pocket to check Kendra’s location. He smirked, a low chuckle escaping him. He didn't know whether to be infuriated or impressed. "Disabled location on all Apple devices."

He sat down, picked up his glass and took a sip. He scanned all the faces in the room. He didn’t say a word, just stared at them, as if decoding their darkest secrets…or how to deal with them. The air in the room was stiff. The silence deafening, everyone afraid to even breathe. 

“If anything happens to my daughter, I won’t fire you; I will end you," he said, his voice not loud but carrying enough conviction to tell them he meant every word. 

He gestured his dismissal, and the staff scurried out of the living room in a hurried fashion, grateful to have been spared but still not feeling off the hook (after all, little miss has not returned). 

The guards stayed to receive instructions for the search. Just then the butler ran into the house, relief on his face and even a joyous skip in his step. “Boss, good news!” he exclaimed.

Luke stared at him with the most annoyed expression. The audacity of him to mention the word “good”. The butler gulped when he noticed Luke’s expression and quickly blurted the news out, afraid that any more suspense could cost him. 

“Little Miss is back. A kind lady brought her home."

Luke immediately stood up. He was happy she was back, but kind lady?

“Bring them both in,” he instructed.

“Kind,” he repeated quietly. 

He didn’t trust kindness.

Especially not around his daughter.