Nothing Ordinary, M J Marlow [ebook and pdf reader .TXT] 📗

she found the knife and fork and asked the waitress to put his plate in front of her. “Mommy,” Karl smiled at her and held his fork out to her. “Want pancake?” She opened her mouth and he put the food in her mouth and giggled. He was so sweet to her that she had to struggle not to cry. She thanked him for helping her and then told him to eat his breakfast. Then she excused herself and got up from her chair. “No,” she shook her head as James got up to go with her. “I need to be alone a minute, darling. Stay with our son, please.” James watched her go and then sat down to encourage Karl to eat. Annie made her way out of the restaurant. She remembered that the elevators were to the left and she felt kept her fingertips on the wall as she made her way to them. She had a room key and their room was directly in front of the elevators. “Anneke,” Eliza’s voice sounded as she got on the elevator. Annie heard the door being stopped and smelled perfume as Eliza got on board. “What a surprise to see you here. Is your handsome husband with you?” “I have a feeling you already know the answer to that, Eliza,” Annie replied. The doors closed and she felt the way to the top button and pressed it. “Why are you here?” “Because I needed to talk to you, cousin,” Eliza replied, as if it were self-evident. The doors opened and she pulled Annie back. “Not your floor, dear,” she said kindly. Annie didn’t see her pressing another button. “This is your floor,” she said as she guided Annie onto the floor she had chosen. “This isn’t my floor,” Annie cried in dismay as she was led off to the left. “Eliza, what are you doing?” She heard the sound of the door opening and she was led in. “Where are we?” “I didn’t want anyone disturbing us, darling,” Eliza said. She saw the uncertainty on her cousin’s face and wished she cared enough to feel bad about what she had done. She led Annie to the phone and picked up the receiver. “Could you call Major Owens to the phone please?” she asked as she grabbed Annie by the wrist and pulled her over. “Sit down, Annie.” Annie did as she was told. “James, darling,” Eliza purred into the phone. “This is Eliza Bayer, Anneke’s cousin?” She held the receiver to Annie’s head. “Say hello, darling.” “James,” Annie said. “I don’t know what she wants from me but she is a verhasstes weibchen!” “I don’t think that was a compliment, Major,” Eliza snapped as she pulled the phone away, “but I really don’t care what my pretty cousin thinks of me. Not as long as she does what she’s told. I just wanted you to know she will be fine and she has not been abducted.” She looked at Annie and saw her anger. “She is coming with me of her own free will to deal with some family inheritance issues.” She hung up the phone and Annie heard a knock on the door. Eliza went to answer it and smiled as a man Annie would have recognized if she could see walked into the room. Annie jumped as a hand touched her cheek. “Hello, Mrs. Owens,” Gregory smiled as he met her eyes. “It’s good to see you again. Sorry you can’t say the same.” “Did you bring the papers, Gregory?” Eliza snapped as she saw the look on his face. “In the briefcase, my avaricious little bitch,” Gregory laughed as he let his hand move slowly down Annie’s arm. She slapped him and he laughed in delight. “I see you remember me quite well, little lady.” “Take your hands off of me!” Annie hissed and tried to get up. He sat her back down. “Eliza, if you want me to cooperate, you will tell this bastard to leave me alone!” “You heard her, Gregory,” Eliza said tightly. “Until she signs these papers, you will keep your hands off of her.” “No problem,” Gregory replied and stepped away. “I can wait.” He opened the briefcase and pulled out one sheet of paper. “Tomlinson says all she has to do is sign this one document and you inherit everything.” “You risked kidnapping charges just to get me to sign a piece of paper?” Annie snapped. “Eliza, you’re as crazy as your father!” Eliza glared at her cousin and then remembered she was blind. “I was going to let you have your sight back, Anneke,” she said coldly, “as a thank you for doing this for me.” She saw the hope in Annie’s eyes and laughed to herself. Let the little fool think she was being given her sight back. She helped Annie to her feet and took her to the desk, guiding her hand. “Just one little signature, darling,” she purred in Anneke’s ear, “and you get your sight back.” Annie froze as she sensed something. She put the pen down and shook her head. “You give me my sight back first, Eliza,” she said softly, “and I will do what you want. Not before.” “You don’t trust me?” Eliza looked wounded. She didn’t know why she bothered. Annie couldn’t see. “You’ve developed some intelligence since you were Father’s guest, Anneke.” She grabbed Annie’s hair and shoved Annie’s head into the desk hard. “How about this, little cousin. You sign this document for me and I will let you go back to your husband and son. You don’t and I will let Gregory have you.” “Gehen Sie zur Hölle, Weibchen!” Annie hissed and tried to get up. Eliza shoved her head down into the desk again and Annie was seeing stars. “If you hurt me, I can’t sign this.” Eliza cried out in frustration and slapped her across the face. Then she turned and saw the dress bag hanging in the closet. She got it out and laid it on the bed, a nasty smile on her face. “I think it’s time we moved this to another venue, Gregory,” Eliza said. “She’s too close to her family to understand she has no choice. What are you doing?” she exclaimed as she saw the gun in his hand. “I have a different idea, Eliza my dear,” Gregory replied. He pulled out his credentials and she hissed. “You’re under arrest for the abduction of Anneke Owens. You have the right to remain silent,” he continued to read the Miranda rights as he cuffed Eliza. Then he went to the phone and called the restaurant. “Major Owens, please.” He met Eliza’s hate-filled eyes. “Major,” Gregory said. “My name is Gregory Masters, FBI. I have arrested Eliza Bayer and we are in Room 324 with your wife.” “You unholy bastard!” Eliza screamed and tried to get out of the cuffs. “You set me up?” “It was rather easy,” Gregory smiled at her. “Now you just sit quiet while I help Mrs. Owens with her eyes.” He took Anneke to the vanity area outside the bathroom. “Tilt you head back,” he instructed her. Annie felt the drops hit her eyes. “You need to use the drops every four hours for the next couple days,” he told her, “until all trace of the lenses is washed away.” “Thank you, Agent Masters,” Annie smiled in the direction of the darker shape in the gray haze she now saw. “I thought you were a monster,” “I am, Mrs. Owens,” Gregory told her firmly. “That is my cover. It’s how I get to bring people like this little bitch to justice.” “Why was she so determined for me to sign that document?” Annie asked him as she put the drops in the pocket of her jeans. “She didn’t tell you?” Gregory looked over at Eliza coldly. “It seems your mother inherited 75% of her father’s estate. When she died, it passed on to you. Your uncle, and then your cousin, wanted it.” “Is that why they were angry with each other?” Annie asked her cousin. “This has all been about money? I have gone through this living hell because you wanted this inheritance I had no knowledge of?” “That about sums it up, Mrs. Owens,” Gregory nodded. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll call my handler.” He stepped out of the room. “I would have signed that document,” Annie said to Eliza, “if your father had just asked.” She shook her head in disbelief. “So many people have died because of this, Eliza! It wasn’t necessary!” “Then sign it,” Eliza said eagerly, “and let me go.” For a moment Annie was tempted to do just that. But her uncle and cousin had destroyed people’s lives with their greed. She would not dishonor their memories by letting this continue. There was a reason why they did not want her controlling her own inheritance, so that meant it was important for her to do so. She shook her head and heard Eliza screech in anger. “Sorry, cousin,” Annie said softly. “It’s time for you to learn that people are more important than your selfish needs. I am pressing charges against you for kidnapping and extortion.” “You little bitch!” Eliza hissed as Gregory came back in and took her away. “You think you’ve been hurt before? This past year will seem like a sunny day in heaven before we’re done with you!” “I’m a bitch?” Annie laughed. She felt her way to the desk and found the paper. She picked it up and ripped it in half, then let it fall. “If I am, Eliza,” she finished, “then I learned it from your father and you!” She turned away then and leaned on the desk as she began to shiver. She felt someone’s arms go around her and knew it was James. “So many people died because of them, James. We have to make it right!” “We will, darling,” James soothed her. “We will.” He held her a moment later and then took her hand in his. “Now come back downstairs. Our son won’t eat until you come back to the table.” Annie nodded and went with him happily. For now the nightmare was over. She wondered if Eliza’s threat had been fact of if it was just idle words. At this moment, she was happy and she was with the people she loved. She would worry about the future when it came. “Monster,” she heard Jeffrey’s annoyed voice as she entered the restaurant. “This was my best uniform!” Annie laughed and he turned to see the joy in her eyes. “Annie, I swear,” he said to her as he rose, “if you don’t teach this monster how to behave, I am going to paddle him.” “Try it, Jeffrey,” Annie said in mock warning, “and I will paddle you.” “Mommy paddle Unca Jeffy!” Karl giggled and bounced up and down. “Mommy come eat now.” “Mommy’s coming, darling boy,” Annie smiled and hurried to one of the men she loved. “Mommy’s coming.” Imprint