She Left Me Breathless

Trin Denise

Ragz Books (2012)

Sydney Welsh is a self-made millionaire. She is successful, confident, and seems to have the world at her feet but something is missing. Her life is a catastrophic mess and the reality of her situation sets in when she arrives home from a business trip and finds her lover in bed with a female executive from her company. She realizes that the only woman she has ever loved was Rachel Ashburn and that ended thirteen years ago when Rachel made a choice, a life-changing choice that did not include Sydney. Sydney knew she could compete with another woman, or even a man for Rachel’s love, but how can anyone compete with God. Now with more money than she knows what to do with, she puts an elaborate plan in motion to bring Rachel back into her life. She tells herself that she is doing it for revenge, and hiring business wiz-kid Caitlyn—Rachel’s nineteen-year-old daughter for an internship with her company is a key part of that plan. She learns that it’s okay to make plans as long as you don’t plan the outcome and when an embezzler is suspected inside her company, she makes several miscalculations and unknowingly puts Rachel and Caitlyn’s lives in danger. As with all best laid plans, things can go wrong and once again, Sydney finds herself falling head over heels in love with Rachel, the only woman who had the power to leave her breathless.

About the Author

Trin Denise lives with a house full of rescue pets, which all happen to be physically challenged. She is a huge advocate against bullying, especially when it comes to physically challenged children and she also writes children’s novels under the name T. Denise Robinson. Her writing career began eight years ago when her love of movies led her to write her first screenplay. Since that time, she has become an award winning and produced screenwriter and multi-published author.

She Left Me Breathless

Trin Denise

RAGZ BOOKS

Sydney Welsh is a self-made millionaire. She is successful, confident, and seems to have the world at her feet but something is missing. Her life is a catastrophic mess and the reality of her situation sets in when she arrives home from a business trip and finds her lover in bed with a female executive from her company.

She realizes that the only woman she has ever loved was Rachel Ashburn and that ended thirteen years ago when Rachel made a choice, a life-changing choice that did not include Sydney. Sydney knew she could compete with another woman, or even a man for Rachel’s love, but how can anyone compete with God.

Now with more money than she knows what to do with, she puts an elaborate plan in motion to bring Rachel back into her life. She tells herself that she is doing it for revenge, and hiring business wiz-kid, Caitlyn—Rachel’s nineteen-year-old daughter for an internship with her company is a key part of that plan.

She learns that it’s okay to make plans as long as you don’t plan the outcome when an embezzler is suspected inside her company. She makes several miscalculations and unknowingly puts Rachel and Caitlyn’s lives in danger when Caitlyn is kidnapped.

As with all best laid plans, things can go wrong and once again, Sydney finds herself falling head over heels in love with Rachel, the only woman who had the power to leave her breathless.

Chapter 1

After taking the red-eye flight, Sydney was happy to be home although she hated Ohio winters. They could be downright brutal and today was no exception. All throughout the week, she had kept a close eye on the weather channel. The forecasters stopped short of calling the snowstorm blanketing Ohio a blizzard. Sydney begged to differ. Four-feet of snow falling in less than thirty-six hours, a thirteen-degree temperature, and winds of 37 mph were definitely a blizzard in her book.

When her assistant first suggested December would be an ideal time for her to wrap up a long overdue business engagement in Florida, she had protested rather strongly. However, once the sweltering heat of Miami hit her in the face, she was glad she was there. After six days of non-stop negotiations, lasting from sunrise to sunset, she had finally accomplished what she set out to do, and she was one day ahead of schedule. She glanced at the briefcase lying on the seat beside her. In it were signed documents, declaring her the new owner of seventy-five acres of prime real estate, which included a fifty-thousand square-foot warehouse.

Driving from the Greater Dayton Airport in Vandalia would be a long, time-consuming adventure. For the first time all year, she used the 4-wheel drive option on her Ford 350 crew cab truck. She expertly maneuvered around a snowplow to keep from having her truck sprayed with a mixture of salt and sand. It was amazing that the roads were as clear as they were considering the amount of snow on the ground.

As was the case every winter in Ohio, slick roads were not the main problem, Ohio drivers were. For some reason, Sydney swore they went brain-dead during the first snowfall. It was as if they had never seen nor driven on snow in their entire life.

A trip that normally took her thirty minutes had now reached the hour and a half mark. She turned off Mad River Road onto Hempridge Drive. Her house was the last on the block and sat at the end of the street. At least her driveway did.

Frankie would be getting an extra nice Christmas bonus this year, Sydney thought as she easily wove her way up and around the winding lane. Frankie had plowed the drive so clean that all you could see was blacktop. If it weren’t for the six-foot high snowdrifts on both sides of the drive, a person would have no idea that it had been covered in snow just a short time ago.

As Sydney made her way around the circular drive, she recognized Meredith’s green Jaguar parked near the front of the house. What she did not recognize was the red car sitting next to it. From the look of both cars and the amount of snow covering them, they had been there for quite awhile. She circled the large fountain that sat in the middle of the drive, pulled her truck up next to the Jaguar, and shut off the engine. She would take her things in first, unpack, and then put the truck in the garage.

With her briefcase in one hand and a suitcase in the other, she walked over to the red car. She might not know whom it belonged to but she knew damn well what kind of car it was. It was the new German made Mercedes Maybach. She also knew there were only twenty in existence. She had come within a hairs inch of buying one for herself but the price tag stopped her. She didn’t care how much money she had, she could not justify spending $350,000.00 on a car that looked more like a Buick sedan than a Mercedes. She glanced at her truck and smiled. She could buy eight new Ford trucks for the cost of one Maybach and be happy as hell.

She fished her keys out of her coat pocket and headed up the steps with her luggage. She glanced back at the cars, finding it slightly odd that Frankie had not cleaned them off when she plowed the driveway. She wedged her briefcase under the same arm that was holding her luggage and unlocked the front door, then pushed it open with her knee.

She let out a sigh of relief as she stepped into the brightly lit two-story foyer. It felt good to be home. She looked down at the freshly polished travertine marble floor. She kicked off her shoes and set them off to the side. Edna would not be too happy with her if she tracked snow and salt everywhere. She might own the house, but anything cleanable, Edna took personal ownership of and that included the floors.

With a smile on her face, she took a running step and then slid across the slick marble in her socks, stopping just before her toes hit the bottom step on the left side of a spiraling dual staircase that framed the entry into the expansive family room. She dropped her luggage on the carpeted step and slid back across the floor to the entryway table. She caught her reflection in the twelve-foot, ornately decorated mirror that hung on the wall above the table. Her cheeks were still a little flushed from the biting cold. She ran her fingers through her hair, brushing the long black tresses back from her face. She laid the briefcase along with her keys on the table and pulled open the top drawer. She glanced toward the family room and wondered where Meredith was.

The house was too quiet. There was always someone around, yet it felt and sounded empty. Thinking that Meredith was probably in her office, she turned her attention back to the huge stack of mail lying in the drawer. She picked up the tightly bound bundle and removed the rubber band. Bills, bills, junk mail, and more bills, she thought as she thumbed through the stack of envelopes. She stopped at the sound of laughter.

She laid the mail on the table and slowly made her way toward the staircase that led to the second floor bedrooms. She hesitated for a second and then climbed the stairs. She stopped approximately ten steps from the top. Her heart pounded in her chest as her brain registered what her eyes were seeing. She bent down and picked up a lacy hot-pink bra. She took several more steps and found the matching panties. She knew immediately that neither one belonged to Meredith. Meredith hated pink. Sydney looked at the lingerie as she continued up the steps. When she reached the landing, she had to wait a few seconds to gain control of herself.

For some reason, she was finding it terribly difficult to contain her emotions. She covered her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing. What is wrong with me, she thought as she made her way toward the second floor master bedroom, the room she shared with Meredith.

She stopped in front of the closed door and took a deep breath. Okay, here goes, she thought as she placed her hand on the doorknob. “Hi, honey, I’m home,” she yelled, flinging the door open with a bang.

“Sydney! What the hell are you doing here?” Meredith shrieked and grabbed the sheet. She quickly pulled it over the head of the naked woman crouched down between her legs.

Sydney smiled as she walked over to the bed. “I finished my meetings a little earlier than expected sweetheart and thought I would surprise you. I can see that I was successful by the look on your face.” Before Meredith could reply, Sydney reached down, grabbed the edge of the sheet, and flung it back.

Sydney instantly recognized the close-cropped blonde head. The woman between Meredith’s legs slowly turned her head to look up at Sydney.

“I think these belong to you,” Sydney said, tossing the lingerie on top of Meredith’s stomach. “It’s good to see you, Anne. You come here often?” Sydney laughed at the irony in her question.

“I ... I um, don’t know what to say, Sydney. Um, it’s not what it looks like,” Anne muttered, grabbing her bra and panties. She quickly slipped them on and climbed off the bed.

“Not what it looks like? You are joking, right. Please tell me that was a fucking joke, right, Anne?” Sydney’s look was incredulous. She watched with enjoyment as Anne nervously fumbled around for the rest of her clothing.

Meredith leaned back against the headboard and crossed her arms over her breast. She opened her mouth to speak but the warning look from Sydney made her reconsider.

“I think you can show yourself out,” Sydney said, after Anne finished dressing.

Anne picked her purse up off the dresser. She ran a trembling hand through her hair. She started through the doorway and stopped. She turned to face Sydney. “I’m sorry, Sydney.”

Sydney shook her head in disbelief. “Actually, Anne, what I believe is that you are just like everyone else who gets caught with their proverbial panties down. You aren’t sorry you were sleeping with my lover, you’re sorry I caught you.” Sydney looked first at Meredith and then at Anne. “How long has this little fling been going on? Never mind, don’t answer that because I really don’t give a damn.”

Anne opened her mouth to speak but Sydney held her hand up to stop her. “Out of curiosity, how much do you make in a year?”

Anne’s brow furrowed into a frown. “What?” she asked.

“Come on, it’s not a hard question. How much is your yearly salary?”

The color of Meredith’s cheeks was nearly the same flaming red color of her hair. “Sydney, what the hell are you doing?” she asked.

Sydney turned and looked at Meredith. “I don’t think I was talking to you and if you have any sense whatsoever, you will sit there and keep your mouth shut.”

“Around $250,000.00,” Anne said, pulling her car keys from her purse.

“If memory serves me correctly, I think your bonus last year was somewhere around a hundred grand.” Sydney smiled at Anne. “I guess what I really want to know is, was she worth it? Was fucking my girlfriend’s ears off worth more than a quarter million dollars a year?”

Meredith slid off the bed and wrapped the sheet tightly around her body. “Come on, babe, don’t do this,” she said, coming around the side of the bed to stand next to Sydney. She laid her hand on Sydney’s arm.

“Don’t touch me!” Sydney said, emphasizing each word as she shrugged Meredith’s hand away. She looked at Anne. “As for you, you’re fired! Don’t bother going to work tomorrow. I will have Maureen pack your stuff and send it by courier. Now get the hell out of my house!”

Without a backward glance, Anne quietly left the room.

Meredith was livid. She stomped her foot on the floor. “You can’t do this, Sydney!” she yelled.

Sydney whirled around to face Meredith. Her light brown eyes were almost black as she glared at the woman who had shared a bed with her for the last ten years. Meredith, seeing just how angry Sydney was, took a nervous step back.

Sydney jabbed her finger at Meredith’s face. “Now it’s your turn, you, you cold, calculating, ungrateful bitch! You’re fired and I want you out of my house, out of my sight, and out of my life.”

Meredith began to sob. “Where am I supposed to go?” she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

Sydney wasn’t buying it. “I don’t give a shit where you go and you can knock off the fake tears. You forget that I know you better than you know yourself. You have one hour to get your shit packed and get out.”

Meredith’s whole demeanor changed. Not a single tear ran down her cheek. She looked at Sydney with pure contempt. “I need at least three weeks to find another job. Can you at least give me that?”

“You have one week, Meredith, and that’s final.”

“Can I stay here tonight? I promise to make other arrangements tomorrow?”

“I want you out of my house today. There are plenty of hotels you can choose from or better yet, have one of your gal pals put you up for the night.”

“Fine,” Meredith said, grabbing a pair of slacks from the closet. “Would you mind giving me a little privacy?” she asked sarcastically.

“Why? It’s not like you have anything I haven’t seen before.”

“If you paid more attention to me, I wouldn’t have to spread my legs for other women.”

Sydney couldn’t help but laugh. “How stupid do you think I am? Do you think that I don’t know you’ve been spreading your legs for every Tom, Dick, and Harriet that comes along? I know exactly whom you’ve been sleeping with. I also know when you slept with them and how many times. I didn’t get to where I am by sticking my head up my ass.”

“If you knew, why didn’t you say or do anything about it?”

Sydney shrugged. “Because you just weren’t worth the hassle and as long as someone else was servicing you, I no longer had to.”

“I can’t believe you just said that,” Meredith said, shaking her head.

“Do you know what the difference between a whore and a prostitute is, Meredith?” When Meredith didn’t answer, Sydney said, “A prostitute is at least smart enough to charge for a piece of ass. Just think about it, if you charged, you’d be a millionaire by now.”

“You are one heartless bitch,” Meredith said through clenched teeth.

Sydney laughed. “Maybe I am but I’m not your bitch anymore.” She stopped in the doorway and turned to look at Meredith. “You have one hour to get your things packed. I want you gone as soon as possible and if you think I’m joking, try me. I won’t hesitate to call the police and have you physically removed.”

Meredith snorted. “I’m surprised you don’t have your goons do it for you.”

“That’s something you don’t need to worry your pretty little head about. What I do or don’t do is no longer any of your concern,” Sydney said, slamming the door shut so hard that the chandelier hanging in the foyer rocked back and forth.

Sydney stood outside the door for several minutes while she gained some semblance of control over her frayed nerves. She was relieved that it was finally over between her and Meredith and she was grateful to Anne for giving her an excuse to do what she had wanted to do for a long, long time, what she should have done years ago.

Her thoughts turned to Frankie, Maureen, and Caitlyn. They were the only ones who knew she would be coming home a day early. She also knew Frankie well enough to know that the big bear of a woman had intentionally left the snow on the two cars for Sydney to see.

Sydney took the steps two at a time in an almost giddy sort of manner. She practically floated over the family room floor. She went behind the wet bar, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and then retrieved the stack of mail from the foyer table. A glance at her watch told her it was almost 9:00 A.M. and Jackie wouldn’t be there for another hour. Sydney hoped that Meredith would be gone by the time she arrived. She was eager to see what new information Jackie had for her and whatever it was, it had to be good, otherwise Jackie would have waited until their usual appointment on Friday to come over.

She dropped into an oversized recliner and kicked the footrest up. She tossed the stack of mail on the coffee table, took a long swig from the bottle, and glanced up at the ceiling. The sound of slamming drawers and stomping feet made her smile. Meredith was thoroughly pissed and Sydney couldn’t be happier.

Meredith glanced at her reflection in the mirror. I’m an attractive woman. I have a fantastic body for a woman in her forties, she thought as she tucked several, long strands of red hair behind her ears. Her green eyes flashed with anger. “Who the hell does she think she is?” she asked herself. She grabbed a handful of clothes and slung them into the suitcase sitting on the edge of the bed. It took everything inside of her to fight back the tears that threatened to spill onto her cheeks. She would not give Sydney the satisfaction by shedding one tear.

“No one dumps me and gets away with it,” she muttered under her breath. She stomped over to the closet and yanked several suits from their hangers. She looked around the room. Sydney was crazy if she thought she could take everything she owned right now. She would have to send someone to fetch the rest of her things and Sydney would just have to deal with it. There was just no way to pack ten years worth of stuff in less than an hour.

I can’t believe she’s doing this to me, she thought as she flung several pairs of panties and a handful of silk bras into the case. So what if she had a fling or two or three or fifty over the course of their relationship. Personally, she thought it helped to keep things fresh, at least on her part and if Sydney had tried to spruce things up a little more, maybe she would not have been so apt to look at anything wearing a skirt. Ah, who the hell am I kidding, she laughed at her own thoughts. Of all the relationships she had been in, not one single woman had been able to keep her eyes and most importantly, her hands from wandering.

Meredith tossed the smaller of two jewelry boxes into the suitcase and zipped the lid shut. She grabbed the luggage handle and turned toward the door. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and smiled. If Sydney thought she could just kick her to the curb with no repercussions, she had another think coming. No one dumps Meredith Lansing and gets away with it. Not even the great, Sydney Welsh.

Sydney looked up at the sound of the door opening. She watched Meredith come down the stairs.

Meredith sat the suitcase on the floor next to the couch. “Are you sure about this, Sydney?” she asked. “Once I walk out of here, I’m not coming back.”

“Yes, Meredith, I’m sure. You and I have known for awhile that this was coming.”

“How can you just end it like this? Do all the years we spent together mean nothing to you?”

“You have got to be kidding me. I just caught you in bed with one of my executives and you have the nerve to turn this around on me,” Sidney said calmly.

“Well, I’m not giving up that easily. If you think you can just toss me out like yesterday’s garbage I’ve got news for you and—”

“That’s why I’m giving you this,” Sydney interrupted. She reached down and picked her checkbook up off the coffee table. “I want you out of my life for good, Meredith. No more games.” She ripped off the check and shoved it in Meredith’s hand.

Meredith looked at the check and frowned. “$500,000.00? What in the hell am I supposed to do with this? How can you expect me to live on such a measly amount?” she asked sarcastically.

“If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back,” Sydney said, reaching for the check.

Meredith pulled it back and crammed it in her pocket. “I guess I’ll just have to make do. I wouldn’t want to put you out or anything.”

Sydney resisted the urge to shoot another dinger at Meredith regarding who’s doing all the putting out. She felt her temper flare again. “You’re lucky I’m giving you that much. If you remember correctly, the good citizens of Ohio voted down the gay marriage proposal, so by law, I don’t have to give you a penny and—” Sydney stopped in mid-sentence and stood up from the chair. She threw her hands up in the air. “You know what, Meredith? I am so over this. I just want you gone.”

“Come on, Sydney. Please don’t do this,” Meredith practically begged as she followed Sydney into the foyer.

Sydney jerked the front door open and stood off to the side.

Meredith, dragging her luggage behind her, stomped unceremoniously through the doorway. She turned to look at Sydney, her eyes full of contempt. “I meant what I said. If you think I’m just going to go away quietly without a fight, you’re sadly mistaken, Sydney.”

“Goodbye, Meredith.”

“I’ll send someone over tomorrow to collect the rest of my things,” Meredith yelled over her shoulder just before Sydney slammed the door shut in her face.

Sydney closed her eyes and fell back against the door. Feeling the coolness of the wood permeate through her blouse, she took a deep breath, and forced herself to relax. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes. She glanced at her watch. Jackie would be...

The doorbell rang before she had a chance to finish her thought. “Damn it, Meredith,” she swore as she jerked the door open.

Jackie Christopher, a behemoth of a woman with short sandy brown hair, smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, Syd, it’s just me.”

“I’m sorry, Jackie, please come in,” Sydney said, stepping back to allow her through the doorway.

Jackie walked into the family room and took a seat on the couch. She took off her sunglasses and laid them on the coffee table next to the file folder she had brought with her. She was silent as she watched Sydney go over to the wet bar.

“Kinda early to be hitting the sauce, huh?” Jackie asked, her eyebrow rising slightly as she looked at Sydney.

“You know what they say, it’s five o’clock somewhere. Care to join me?”

“Oh what the hell, you only live once, right?” Jackie laughed.

“So they say,” Sydney said, grabbing two bottles of beer from the fridge.

Jackie took the beer Sydney offered and twisted off the cap. She took a long swig from the bottle. “So, you wanna tell me what’s going on or do you want me to guess?” she asked.

“Meredith and I broke up,” Sydney sighed.

Jackie snorted. “There’s a real shocker.”

“You aren’t the least bit surprised?” Sydney asked, cocking her head to look at Jackie.

“As far as I’m concerned the two of you should have split a long time ago,” Jackie answered, shaking her head.

“You aren’t the first person in my life to point that out,” Sydney laughed.

Jackie looked down at the bottle of beer in her hands. She tore a piece of the label off the bottle. She studied Sydney for several seconds. “Are you okay?” she asked thoughtfully.

“Yeah, actually I am,” Sydney said, answering honestly.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what happened?”

“I just caught her in bed with Anne.”

“You’re shitn’ me,” Jackie said, barely managing to choke out the words as she spit a mouthful of beer on the coffee table. She quickly wiped the liquid off the file folder and turned to look at Sydney.

“I shit you not,” Sydney said with a shake of her head.

“Anne Burbank?”

Sydney nodded.

“Wow just damn wow,” Jackie said with a completely dumbfounded look on her face.

“And I caught them in my bed.” Sydney glanced at her watch and added, “About an hour ago.”

“And Meredith just left?”

Sydney shook her head. “Not without giving me a little crap.”

“Just a little? I would have thought she’d go ballistic,” Jackie said.

Jackie picked up the file folder. She pulled out several documents and laid them on her lap.

“I think Meredith may look for a way to cause me trouble,” Sydney said.

“Well, whatever she does, I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it.”

Sydney nodded at the papers on Jackie’s lap. “What do you have for me?”

“Before I give these to you, are you one-hundred percent sure this is what you want to do?”

Sydney nodded. “I think right now, this is the only thing in my life that I am sure about,” she said, reaching for the documents. She looked at Jackie. “How’s she doing at EMCOR?”

“Very well actually and as a matter of fact, two days ago she was promoted to Senior Designer.”

“That doesn’t surprise me a bit. She always wanted to be an architect,” Sydney said as she looked at the documents.

They were both silent for several minutes as Sydney digested the information and with each passing minute, the color in her cheeks grew redder. Finally, she raised her head to look at Jackie. “How long has this been going on?” she asked.

“From what I can tell, it seems to have started right after they were married,” Jackie answered. She had been dreading Sydney’s reaction from the minute she discovered these new details. She pushed several pictures across the table toward Sydney.

“Why didn’t we know about this before now?” Sydney asked, trying hard to keep the irritation out of her voice.

Jackie shrugged. “I never had a reason to check hospital records. I only did so after noticing the small bruise on her cheek when I saw those pictures.”

Sydney looked at the attractive blonde-haired woman in the photo. The bright blue eyes sparkled in spite of the large purple and green bruise covering the woman’s right cheek. Her eyes were still as beautiful as Sydney remembered yet she looked different. The thirty-seven-year old face staring back at her looked sad, haunted, not the bubbling, happy, “I’m grateful to be alive” woman she used to know.

Jackie pulled out several documents stapled together from the file folder and slid it across the coffee table to Sydney. “This is a little more detailed and gives the so-called reasons for her injuries.”

Sydney looked at the first entry on the paper. “This happened less than a month after they were married.”

“Yeah, says she slipped and fell while getting out of the car. She just so happened to break her arm in the process.”

Sydney used her finger to scan down the list of entries. “She was treated for a concussion four months later when she accidentally fell down the basement stairs.” Sydney shook her head. “She was pregnant when these things happened.”

“She’s been to the hospital fourteen times in the last eight years but none in the past year, which seems odd since most abusers don’t just stop.”

“Stitches, concussions, broken bones, cracked ribs, fractured wrist, you name it, and she’s had it. Why in the hell would she stay with a man like that?”

“You know as well I do that some women come up with all sorts of reasons to justify the abuse and somehow it’s always their fault. His supper was late or she forgot to renew his newspaper subscription. You know the drill.”

Sydney shook her head again. “It has to be more than that. He must have something on her. The woman I knew would never put up with this.”

“You haven’t seen her for almost thirteen years. People change.”

Sydney’s anger was almost to the boiling point. “That son of a bitch. I’d like to see him do that to me,” she said, tossing the photos on the coffee table. Her thoughts turned to Rachel’s two daughters. Both girls were technically defined as prodigies and Rachel’s youngest, Alyssa, was just eight-years-old, yet she was already in the seventh grade. “What about Caitlyn and Alyssa?” she asked.

“From what I can tell, he doesn’t lay a hand on the girls, just their mother.”

“He’s not Caitlyn’s biological father, he died before she was born but I think if Edward was abusing her I would have seen the signs.”

“Not necessarily. There are more ways to inflict abuse on a person besides physical. He’s definitely a real piece of work. Take a look at this,” Jackie said and handed Sydney two documents.

Sydney scanned the documents. “I don’t understand, what is this?” she asked.

“Well, after I found the hospital records, I had a friend of mine in D.C. do a little deep digging for me. Seems that Mr. Eddie Ashburn isn’t who he claims to be.”

“Do tell,” Sydney said with a smile.

“Edward Ashburn, born June 16th, 1964 in Scottsdale, Arizona died at childbirth.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Nope,” Jackie said.

Sydney looked at the documents again. One was a copy of a death certificate; the other was the birth certificate for Edward Ashburn, infant son of Martha and Samuel Ashburn. “Then who the hell is he and why is hiding out under an assumed name?”

Jackie shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine but I intend to find out.”

“I want you to make this priority number one and the minute you find out what Mr. Ashburn is hiding, I want to know,” Sydney said as she gave the documents back to Jackie and stood up. “Whatever he’s hiding has to be pretty damn big.”

“My thoughts exactly. Most people who change their identity are on the run. We just need to find out what or whom, he’s running from. It would make my job a little easier if I could get my hands on a set of his prints,” Jackie said as she put the documents back into the file folder and followed Sydney over to the door.

“I’ll see what I can do about getting those for you.” Sydney laid her hand on Jackie’s shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze. “Thank you. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

“That’s why you pay me the big bucks,” Jackie laughed.

Sydney playfully pushed Jackie through the open doorway. “You know it’s much more than that.”

“You’re right. I do,” Jackie laughed again as she stepped off the porch. She stopped and turned to look at Sydney. “I should know something in the morning and I’ll call as soon as I do but before I go any further, I need to ask you one more time. Are you really sure, I mean one hundred percent sure you want to go through with this crazy scheme of yours?”

Now it was Sydney’s turn to laugh. “We’ve been following their lives for almost ten years now. So yes, for the umpteenth time, I am sure and before you say anything else, let me assure you that I know what I’m doing.”

Jackie shook her head and grinned. “Famous last words.” Jackie looked at her for a moment. “Can I ask you one more thing?”

Sydney laughed. “Sure, not sure I will answer though.”

“I’ve never questioned anything you’ve asked me to do and I’ve never asked about Rachel but what is it about this woman? Why her?”

“Out of all the women I’ve known in my life, she’s the only one who ever left me breathless and … she broke my heart. Crushed it actually,” Sydney answered without hesitation. She intentionally left out the part that her actions were now fueled by revenge. Rachel Ashburn had ended their relationship without a second thought. It was bad enough that Rachel had decided she didn’t want to share the rest of her life with her. She could have dealt with that but it was the reasons behind Rachel’s decision that Sydney just couldn’t accept and no matter how hard she tried, she could not get the woman out of her head. People say that time heals all wounds but it doesn’t. Time may lessen the pain but it never goes away, not completely. She wanted Rachel to feel just one iota of the pain she had felt all those years ago. The physical abuse that Edward inflicted wouldn’t come close to the emotional havoc she was about to unleash on Rachel Ashburn.

Jackie knew exactly what Sydney meant. “Remind me to never get on your bad side,” she chuckled. Although she said it more as a joke, she knew that Sydney Welsh was the last person she would ever want to cross paths with unless they were fighting on the same side. She herself knew that the wrath of a woman scorned didn’t compare to a lonely woman with a cold broken heart.

“Now get out of here before you convince me I’m crazy,” Sydney said with a wink.

She watched Jackie back out of the driveway and waited until her car disappeared down the drive before turning to go back in the house. She had just closed the door when her cell phone rang. She raced into the family room and snatched the phone off the coffee table. “Hello,” she said into the receiver.

“Hey, Syd, it’s me. Sorry to bother you at home,” Caitlyn said through the phone. “But this is really important,” she added before Sydney could respond.

“It’s okay, Caitlyn, what’s going on?” Sydney asked, sensing that something was wrong.

“You know how I’ve been working on updating our main computer system?” Caitlyn asked.

Sydney nodded although Caitlyn couldn’t see her. “Yes,” she answered.

“Well, I’ve found some major discrepancies. I went over it several times and each time I came to the same conclusion. I should have had some idea that this was going on.”

“Spit it out, Caitlyn,” Sydney laughed.

“Ninety percent of our client accounts show monetary discrepancies.” Caitlyn inhaled deeply and then added, “A substantial amount of money is missing.”

“How substantial?” Sydney asked, not completely sure she wanted to know the answer. Caitlyn became so quiet, Sydney thought she was no longer on the line. “You still there, Caitlyn?” she asked just to be sure.

“Um, yeah. I’m still here.”

“How much?” Sydney asked.

Caitlyn took a deep and then said, “Close to four and a half million dollars.”

Sydney’s jaw almost dropped to the floor. There must be a mistake. She cleared her throat. “Did I hear you right?” she asked, wanting Caitlyn to repeat it just to be sure.

“I’m afraid so,” Caitlyn answered.

“And you’re sure that it should be there?” Sydney asked, still not believing what she was hearing.

“Yes, Syd, I’m sure. I checked, checked it twice, and then crosschecked my checks. The money is missing, gone, vanished, vamoosed, history.”

“Am I right to guess that you might have an idea where it went?” Sydney asked, a small grin forming at the corners of her mouth.

“Do you really need to ask me that question?”

“Nah, just testing you,” Sydney chuckled.

“I do have a few ideas that I would like to run by you but I don’t think we should discuss it over the phone. Will you be coming into the office today?” Caitlyn asked.

“I hadn’t planned on it but if this can’t wait, I’ll be in,” Sydney said.

“I don’t think one more day will make much difference. So, I guess I will see you in the morning then.”

Sydney smiled. “Thank you for taking good care of me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sydney said.

Chapter 2

Sydney shook her head, tossed the phone on the couch, and headed upstairs. She hoped that Caitlyn was wrong but something in her gut was telling her different. She went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She stripped off her clothes and grabbed a fresh towel out of the linen closet. I don’t think this day can get much worse, she thought as she stepped under the hot water.

Fifteen minutes later, she came out of the bathroom wearing a fluffy, light blue, terrycloth robe, and feeling fully refreshed. She pulled open her dresser drawer. A loud thud against the side of the house caused her to jump nearly an inch off the floor. She went over to the window and pulled the curtain back. A blood-curdling scream pierced her ears. It took her mind a good three seconds to realize that the scream came from her throat. A grey-haired old man, perched atop a ladder with a string of Christmas lights in his hand stared at her through the window. His lips curved upward, revealing a toothy smile.

Sydney raised the window and poked her head out.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean ta startle ya,” the man said with a southern accent as thick as road tar.

“And I don’t mean to be rude but who are you exactly?” Sydney asked, not recognizing the man.

“My name is Jedidiah Saunders,” he answered. He let go of the ladder to extend his hand to her and in the process lost his balance.

Sydney reached out and grabbed his arm just in time to keep him from falling to the ground below. “Maybe you should keep both hands on the ladder,” she suggested.

“I’m thinkin’ the same thing,” he said, a flustered look on his face.

“What are you doing out there?” Sydney asked, frowning.

“Replacing this here string of lights, ma’am. When I came by ta check out my handiwork last evenin’, I noticed that this’n here string was deader than a doorknob.”

Sydney laughed. “A dead doorknob, huh?

He grinned at her. “Yes, ma’am. I reckon a doorknob is pretty darn dead.”

“Yes, I suppose it is,” Sydney said, grinning. “Well, Mr. Saunders, it’s very cold out there, so why don’t you finish hanging the lights and come on inside to warm up for a few minutes. Have a cup of coffee.”

“Thank ya, ma’am. I just might’n take ya up on the offer when I’m done.”

Sydney looked down at the front yard. Christmas decorations were everywhere. She shut the window and closed the curtain. When she arrived home earlier, she had been so curious about the car sitting next to Meredith’s Jag, she hadn’t noticed any of the decorations on the house, nor did she notice the ones scattered around the front yard and bushes.

The sound of voices caught her attention. She tossed her robe on the bed, grabbed an old pair of grey sweats and a t-shirt, and quickly got dressed. She made her way over to the upstairs rail and looked down into the family room. Her house was a flurry of activity with moving bodies. Everywhere she looked there seemed to be a person. Several were in the process of hanging decorations around the windows, while others were busy wrapping garland and lights around the oak rails that surrounded both staircases in the foyer.

A young man and woman carefully slid a fifteen-foot blue spruce tree across the floor. They positioned it so that it sat directly in the middle of the large oval picture windows that overlooked the large lake near the back of the property. Two men dressed in overalls brought several boxes over to the couple. While the young man began wrapping the tree with lights, the young woman began the tedious task of sorting ornaments.

Sydney couldn’t believe it. In the short time it took her to take a shower and talk with Mr. Saunders, her house had become organized chaos. The front door opened and a line of men and women dressed in white caterer uniforms marched through the foyer and down the main hallway toward the kitchen.

She slowly walked over to the spiral staircase that ran down into the family room. She took the steps two at a time and stepped onto the landing.

“You’re home,” Edna shrieked, her voice full of excitement. Before Sydney could respond, the older woman rambled over and threw her arms around Sydney’s waist, wrapping her in a big bear hug. “Let me look at you,” Edna said, holding Sydney at arm’s length.

Edna, I’ve only been gone six days,” Sydney laughed.

“I know, I know, but six days is an awful long time.”

Sydney leaned forward and kissed Edna on the cheek. “Well, it’s good to see you, too,” she said and meant it. Edna had been her housekeeper for the past eight years but she was more than that to Sydney. She was like a second mother. In fact, she was more of a mother to Sydney than her own was. Sydney smiled at the way Edna looked. She was wearing a white apron over a red velvet dress that hung just above her knees. The sleeves and hemline of the dress were trimmed with white fur. She laughed at Edna’s red booties, complete with two furry red balls where they laced up. Edna had pulled her grey hair up in a bun and pinned it to the top of her head. Sydney thought the short, rotund woman looked like Mrs. Claus and she was unable to control the giggles that escaped her throat.

Edna placed her hands on her hips, pretending to pout. “Are you making fun of me?” she asked.

“Um, no, I think you look adorable, Mrs. Claus.”

“Well, thank you, that means I’m in good company,” Edna grinned, making her blue eyes twinkle.

Sydney made a sweeping gesture toward the family room with her hands. “What’s with all the decorations?”

Edna placed her hands on her hips again. “Sydney Welsh, I swear I don’t know about you sometimes,” she said with a shake of her head.

“What?” Sydney asked, frowning.

“Do you know what today is?”

“Thursday the sixteenth,” Sydney answered.

“And what is tomorrow?”

Sydney’s right eyebrow shot upward. “Uh, Friday.”

“And what are we doing on Friday?” Edna patiently prodded.

“I’m going to work, coming home, having dinner, same as any other Friday.”

“I’m talking about tomorrow night,” Edna said, stomping her foot.

Sydney thought about it for a moment and then it dawned on her. “Crap, I forgot all about it.”

“I don’t know how. It’s only the biggest and best Christmas party ever,” Edna teased.

“Aw, you’re too kind, Mrs. Claus,” Sydney teased back.

“Yes I am. I’d love to stand here and chat but I have a house to get decorated and I need to check on Fred Rick,” Edna said, turning toward the kitchen.

“Say hi to Mr. Claus for me,” Sydney laughed.

Edna stopped and looked over her shoulder. “I sure will,” she said with a wink before disappearing behind the closed door.

Sydney dodged several workers as she cut across the floor to grab the stack of mail from the coffee table. Tomorrow was the seventeenth, the day she chose for her annual Christmas party. With everything that had been going on, it had completely slipped her mind. A glance around the expansive family room made it clear that Edna and the rest of the staff had everything under control.

Jedidiah Saunders walked into the family room. Sydney threw the mail down on the table and walked over to him. “All done, Mr. Saunders?” she asked.

He took off his hat and gloves. “Why yes, ma’am I am,” he answered.

“Please call me Sydney.”

“Well then, call me Jed and I’m pleased to meet’cha,” he said, holding out his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Jed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before,” Sydney said, taking the man’s large hand in hers. He gave it a rigorous shake before releasing it.

“That petite little red-head hired me.” Jed scratched his head. “Ya know, I been decorating outside yer house fer the last five years and I never been invited in before.”

Damn Meredith, Sydney thought. She was not in the least bit surprised that Meredith had not invited Jed in. One look at his bibbed overalls would have turned Meredith off instantly. Jedidiah Saunders would be deemed a peasant to Meredith and a peasant was way below her standards.

She and Meredith had way too many conversations or better yet, arguments regarding the staff and the way Sydney interacted with them. Meredith thought the hired staff should be treated like lower class servants, not people with actual feelings. Sydney didn’t agree and the more Meredith protested, the more Sydney did just the opposite of what Meredith wanted. Sydney never regarded anyone on her payroll as servants. She believed that Edna was just as important and valuable as the Vice President of Marketing at Welsh who handled multimillion-dollar accounts and as such, Edna deserved to be treated with the same amount of respect, and sometimes more than her company execs.

“Ya have a beautiful house, Sydney. My better half’s eyes would plum bug outta her head if she were here,” Jed said, interrupting Sydney’s thoughts.

“Thank you, Jed. I kinda like it.”

“Well, I best be goin’ now. Thanks fer lettin’ me warm up my fingers and toes. That was awful nice of ya.”

Sydney walked Jed to the door. “Do you have any plans tomorrow night?”

Jed turned to look at her. “Gerty, that’s my better half, she has some shoppin’ at the Krogers and that’s about it, I’m thinkin’. Is there somethin’ more you’d like me ta do?”

Sydney grinned. Meredith would have a field day with the way Jed pronounced his words. His diction would drive her crazy. Sydney liked it. She thought the older man standing in front of her was quite charming. “No, Jed. I have nothing else that needs done. I was asking because I would like to invite you and your better half to my Christmas party tomorrow night. That is, if you don’t already have plans.”

Jed’s eyes lit up. “Yer not pullin’ my leg?”

Sydney smiled and shook her head. “Nope, I’m not pulling your leg. Party starts at seven and there will be plenty of food and drinks. All you need to bring is yourself and Gerty.”

“Well, thank ya, Sydney. Gerty’ll just be beside herself when she sees yer beautiful home. I’ll see ya tomorrow then.”

Sydney closed the door behind him and decided to go to the kitchen to see what Fred Rick had planned for tomorrow night’s menu. Knowing her flamboyant chef, she had no doubt that a few of the menu items would be hard to pronounce. As long as he had lobster, stuffed mushrooms, and the wonderful chocolate mousse concoction he made, he could fix whatever his heart desired.

After Jed left, Sydney had gone to the kitchen to talk with Fred Rick. She had wanted to make sure he as well as everyone else in the house had what they needed for the Christmas party. Satisfied that everything was under control, she had gone up to the bedroom she had once shared with Meredith. In less than an hour’s time, she had moved all of her belongings to the first floor master bedroom.

Meredith couldn’t understand why Sydney had designed a house where the master bedroom was located at the front of the house and to make matters worse, Meredith had argued that no one in their right mind would have the entrance to the bedroom directly off the foyer. Sydney had countered by saying that it was not directly off the foyer because you had to walk through a small hallway to get to it.

To prove her point further, Sydney had asked Meredith what was the very first thing she did when she came home from work. Meredith made Sydney’s case for her by saying that when she got home, she wanted out of her work clothes. Exactly, Sydney had said triumphantly. Her decisions in the design were based on logic.

After a tiring day at work, she did not want to walk all the way across the house and up the stairs to change her clothes, so it made perfect sense to have her bedroom next to the office because she usually had a briefcase and laptop in tow. Meredith however, refused to see reason and after much arguing, Sydney had finally given in and moved to the upstairs master bedroom.

Chapter 3

Sydney got up at 6:00 A.M. on the dot, it was the first time she had ever slept in the downstairs master bedroom, and not once had she woken in the middle of the night. When she finally opened her eyes, she had felt completely rested. It had been the best night of sleep she’d had in years. She had showered, dressed and went down to the kitchen to have her breakfast with the rest of the staff. Today was omelet, sausage, biscuits, and gravy day. Once breakfast was over, she had gone to the office, grabbed her briefcase, and headed out the door to her waiting truck.

Her drive had been non-eventful and in no time, she turned onto Monarch Lane and drove the short distance to the Welsh Enterprise driveway.

Situated on the outskirts of Miamisburg on Route 725, Welsh’s Corporate Headquarters building sat just a stone’s throw away from the Avery Dennison building, formerly known as the Paxar Corporation. Avery, a multibillion dollar a year company, which is known worldwide for their office and self-adhesive products, pulled off quite a coup in 2007 when they acquired one of their biggest competitors along with its merchandise security tagging divisions for a mere $1.3 billion dollars. If you ever wondered where those fancy little security alarm tags affixed to the clothing you buy at a department store come from, chances are they were purchased from Avery’s Paxar Group.

Welsh also did business with the company, using their self-adhesive labels on the Laptop and Desktop computers manufactured under the Welsh logo. Welsh wasn’t as big as Avery but the company was on its way. With sales hitting an all time high of $2.8 billion last year, projections for this year were doubled and as of last week, they were on pace to beat that projection as well.

Sydney waved to one of the security guards as she pulled into her reserved parking space. She shut off the engine and grabbed her briefcase. Oh great, she thought as she climbed down out of the cab.

Allen Carmichael, Assistant Vice President of Computer Logistics swaggered over to her. “Welcome back, Sydney,” he smiled, showing a mouthful of teeth that were too perfect and too white to be his own.

“Thanks, Allen. It’s good to be back,” Sydney said.

“Everything is running as smooth as when you left. I took extra care to make sure there were no hitches,” he said, falling into step beside her on the sidewalk.

“That’s good to know. I have no doubt that Welsh was in capable hands,” she said. The man reeked of arrogance. Everything about him was perfect. From his grey custom tailored pinstriped suit, to his $800 chiseled haircut. He was more suited to be on the cover of GQ and she would have preferred that to having him in her boardroom.

“I also took the liberty and had the main conference room set up for your meeting with Bill Amos at 9:00.”

“Thank you, Allen, that wasn’t necessary but I appreciate it,” Sydney said, sliding her badge in front of the security door reader. “Karen would have taken care of everything.”

“Here, let me get that for you,” he said, holding the door open. “I know it’s not my job and I’m sure that Karen is very capable but I didn’t want to take the chance of anything going wrong. I know how important this meeting is to you,” he said with a smug look of satisfaction on his face.

He was right about that. This meeting was important to her. In fact, this meeting was the catalyst that would set the stage in order for her to carry out a much larger plan. The plan she had been working on for the last two years now. The same plan that centered on the work Jackie had privately been doing for her.

Allen followed Sydney across the lobby to Karen’s desk. Sydney couldn’t help but smile when she saw Karen. The woman’s state of dress never ceased to amaze her. Today, the twenty-seven year-old redhead was wearing a black studded dog collar around her neck with matching studded earrings. Her face was paler than usual, making her ruby red lipstick stand out against her white complexion. Sydney noticed immediately that Karen had recently cut her hair. The red two-inch strands of hair stuck up all over Karen’s head and Sydney liked it. It was so Karen. Based on the black fishnet top covering Karen’s white checked blouse, Sydney guessed that Karen was back to her Goth kick. She would have also been willing to bet that Karen was wearing a leather miniskirt and six-inch high-heeled boots that stopped just below the knee.

Sydney watched Karen as she spoke animatedly into her headset. Her hands were flailing around in the air as she tried to make a point to whoever was on the other end of the phone. Finally satisfied that the caller understood what she was saying, she disconnected the line. Karen glanced up. Her eyes went wide and a big smile crossed her face when she saw Sydney.

“Well, would’ya look at what the vampire’s drug in,” Karen said, standing to lean over the desk to hug Sydney.

“I swear you people act like I’ve been gone for months. It was less than a week.”

Karen’s facial expression turned serious. “Oh glorious one who holds domain over this wonderful establishment we call Welsh, we missed you so, so much.”

Sydney laughed. “I swear you’re not right.”

“I think she looks as beautiful as ever. The Florida sun did wonders for her tan, don’t you agree, Karen,” Allen said, from behind Sydney.

“She always looks great, Allen,” Karen said, with a tinge of annoyance in her voice. The smart retort was not surprisingly, lost on Allen.

“I will see you two ladies later. I have reports to run and we all know those little sheets of paper will not run without my help and guidance.”

Karen and Sydney watched Allen disappear inside the elevator.

“Pardon me while I puke,” Karen said, putting her finger in her mouth and pretending to make gagging sounds.

“Oh he’s not that bad, Karen,” Sydney chided although she felt like puking herself.

“Not that bad? Surely, you jest wonderful employer of mine. If he bent his head down any further to kiss your ass, his neck would have snapped.”

“Yeah, I guess he was pretty bad,” Sydney chuckled.

“Be it far from me to ever question authority but—”

“Since when?” Sydney teasingly interrupted.

Karen ignored her. “As I was saying … I still can’t understand how such a pompous ass like him was ever hired to begin with.”

“I’m not the one who hired him, Meredith did.”

“That explains it, ‘nough said.” Karen twisted her red lips into a smirk. “The Florida sun did wonders for her tan,” she sarcastically mimicked what Allen had said. “How could he not know that you have dark skin all year round? In fact I think you are the only person I know who can get a tan sitting in the shade unlike my white albino ass.”

“Maybe he’s not as perceptive as you are and maybe he was just trying to make small talk.”

Karen cleared her throat. “I bet that’s not the only small thing about him.”

Sydney lost it. She was laughing so hard that tears were in her eyes. Out of all the employees she had personally hired, Karen was one of the best. No matter what was going on in her life, Karen always had a way of making her laugh.

“Seriously though, I am so glad to see you. Have you spoken with Caitlyn yet this morning?”

“No, I was planning on going to see her next.”

“Here, I want to show you something.” Karen came out from behind her desk to stand beside Sydney. She pointed at the carpet in front of the desk. “See that spot right there?”

Sydney nodded and Karen kneeled down on her knees. She made a sweeping gesture with her hand over a two-foot section of carpet. “Can you see how the carpet is worn down in this here area?” She stood up and pulled down the edges of her skirt.

“Those marks are from your protégé. She has driven me absolutely freaking bonkers this morning. Since six am, she has shown up at my desk every fifteen minutes asking if you have arrived yet. Those indentations you see, they’re from her pacing. For the love of God woman, will you please go see her before I have to get new carpet installed?”

Sydney laughed. “I promise as soon as I drop off my briefcase, the first thing I will do is go to her office.”

“Thank you sweet Jesus of vast mother earth,” Karen said with a mock salute.

“By the way, I love the new haircut. The skull and crossbones on your boots are a nice touch, too,” Sydney said over her shoulder as she stepped into the elevator and punched the button for the fifth floor.

“Oh great payer of paychecks, that compliment means more to me than you’ll ever know,” Karen yelled just as the elevator door closed.

Sydney laughed at Karen’s over the top theatrics. She had been right about the leather miniskirt and boots. Karen Lauder was something else. She had been the main receptionist at Welsh for the last seven years and attended college in the evenings. She only had one semester left before she received her B.A.S. in Computer Programming with a minor in Business Management. Sydney’s gift to her would be a promotion to high-level management on the day she graduated.

The elevator door opened and Sydney stepped out onto plush burgundy colored carpet. She glanced up and down the empty hallway that Karen had so lovingly nicknamed Executive Boulevard. She called it that because the fifth floor was filled with spacious conference rooms and offices that housed all of the Welsh Executives and their assistants.

Her office sat at the far end with a conference room on one side and Maureen, her assistant’s office on the other. With luck, she would make it to her office without being accosted by an executive who thought their problems required her immediate attention. Her first order of business of the day would be with Caitlyn, followed by her meeting with Bill Amos. Depending on how her meetings went, she just might take the rest of the day off.

She walked into her office and kicked the door shut with her foot. She let out a sigh of relief and tossed her briefcase on the desk. She took off her black leather jacket, slung it over the back of her chair, and pushed the sleeves up on her sweater.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee hung in the air. She silently thanked Maureen for having the coffee ready. She poured herself a cup, added four packs of sugar, some cream, and took it back to her desk. She dropped down onto her chair with a thud. She glanced at the stack of messages piled up near the phone and decided to look at them later. They couldn’t be too important or Maureen would have said something when Sydney had called to have her pack Anne’s things.

She glanced around the festive looking room. Maureen always decorated her office for the holidays. It didn’t matter whether it was Halloween or Easter and Christmas was no different. Maureen had placed Poinsettia plants on either side of the gas fireplace at the far corner of the room. Christmas lights were strung around the floor to ceiling bookcases and lighted candles had been placed on all four windowsills.

Sydney took a sip of coffee and leaned back in her chair. Her thoughts turned to Caitlyn Ashburn, her protégé as Karen had called her. Caitlyn was only nineteen years old and made almost as much money as her executives. Sydney knew that it had ticked off certain employees when Caitlyn came to work at Welsh but she didn’t care. Caitlyn was a prodigy and had more intelligence than all of her executives combined.

When Caitlyn walked into Welsh Enterprises, it was the first time Sydney had seen her in thirteen years. The last time was when Caitlyn was just six-years-old. She had been a little concerned given Caitlyn’s level of intelligence that she might have remembered her. When it was apparent that she hadn’t, Sydney was more than relieved.

Since the age of eight, Sydney had kept an eye on Caitlyn and received weekly updates on the girl’s progress. By the age of ten, it was obvious that Caitlyn possessed the intelligence of a graduate student. By the age of fifteen, she had graduated from high school and by the age of seventeen, she had completed her Masters degree in Computer Science as well as a Masters degree in Business Management. In less than three months, she would have her Doctorate.

It was at the age of seventeen that Sydney had sent two of her top executives to approach Caitlyn and her parents with a job offer. She would be assigned to work in the IT department and would be reporting directly to Welsh’s CEO.

Caitlyn of course was thrilled, as was her adopted stepfather, Edward Ashburn who Sydney suspected only saw dollar signs. Caitlyn’s mother however, had some reservations.

Although Caitlyn was above intelligence, to her mother, she was still her little girl. In the end, Rachel had conceded and Caitlyn had joined Welsh much to Sydney’s relief. Having Caitlyn work at Welsh was an integral part to the success of Sydney’s grand plan. Without Caitlyn, there would have been no plan at all.

Sydney pushed away from the desk. She refilled her coffee, grabbed a pen and notebook, and left the office. She didn’t have to go far. Caitlyn’s office sat directly across the hall from hers. She rapped lightly on the door with her knuckles, pushed it open, and poked her head in.

Caitlyn had been oblivious to the knock on the door and Sydney watched for several minutes as the young woman continued to tap away on her keyboard. No matter how many times Sydney saw Caitlyn; she was taken aback by the young woman’s beauty. To say she looked like her mother would be an understatement. Caitlyn was the spitting image of Rachel. The two women looked more like sisters than mother and daughter. Rachel was slightly taller and Caitlyn wore her hair a little longer but they had the same strong jaw line, same shaped face, and bright blue penetrating eyes that sparkled when they laughed.

Caitlyn looked up. Her face instantly lit up at seeing Sydney.

“Good morning. Hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Sydney smiled.

“And good morning to you, too,” Caitlyn grinned. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you.”

Sydney stepped into the office and shut the door. “I think I do,” she laughed.

Caitlyn frowned. “How long were you standing there?”

Sydney grabbed a chair and slid it over next to the desk by Caitlyn. “Not long,” she answered, dropping down into the chair. She laid the pen and notebook on the edge of the desk. “You looked so intent. I didn’t wanna bother you.”

“You are the only person besides my mom who I would never classify as a bother.”

“I think that may have been a compliment,” Sydney said with a chuckle.

“It was.”

For the first time since Sydney came into Caitlyn’s office, she took notice of the young woman’s attire. The Bob Marley t-shirt, faded jeans, and sneakers were in stark contrast to Caitlyn’s normally ultra conservative three-piece suit and heels. On rare occasions, Sydney would see her in pleated slacks and a blazer. “Uh, Caitlyn … how long have you been here?”

“It will be two years in February. Why do you ask?”

Sydney laughed. “I don’t mean your hire date. I meant the last twenty-four hours,” Sydney said, nodding at Caitlyn’s clothes.

“Oh,” Caitlyn said, glancing down at her t-shirt and jeans. It was obvious that Caitlyn had been so preoccupied with what she was working on that she hadn’t realized how she was dressed. “Since nine … um, yesterday evening,” she said almost apologetically. “I went home but I couldn’t stop thinking about the software code so I decided to come back in. I guess I didn’t realize how long I had been here. I can go change. I keep extra clothes in the closet.”

“That’s not necessary. You look fine dressed the way you are and besides, I like Bob Marley,” Sydney laughed.

“It used to be my mom’s.”

Visions of Rachel’s firm breasts straining against the t-shirt flashed through Sydney’s mind. She shook her head to dispel the image. “Okay, tell me what’s going on.”

“This missing money has got me stumped,” Caitlyn sighed. “Well, actually that’s not true. I’m not stumped. I know how they did it but I’m having trouble figuring out who did it and it’s making me a little more than nuts.”

Sydney knew by the furrowing of Caitlyn’s brows that she was frustrated and that was something that did not happen often, actually, it never happened. She couldn’t think of one instance where she had seen Caitlyn unnerved or upset. It just did not happen. “Okay, why don’t you start from the beginning and tell me exactly what you’ve found, how you found it, and then we can go from there.”

“What do you know about the Salami Technique?”

Sydney didn’t know what she expected Caitlyn to say first but salami fit nowhere in the equation. She pretended to think about it for a few seconds and then said, “I like mine on a hoagie bun with provolone, tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, and lightly baked.”

Caitlyn laughed a deep belly laugh, showing straight white teeth. “That’s not the salami I’m talking about.”

“I kinda figured that,” Sydney said with a wink.

“Okay, how about I give you a little history first and then I will explain how it’s being used to embezzle money from our client accounts.”

Sydney leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs at the ankle, and smiled. “I’m all ears,” she said, lacing her fingers behind her head.

“It all started with the banking industry and the advent of computers. When the banks went from manual bookkeeping and converted to computerized systems they unwittingly opened a very large door to a form of embezzlement that beforehand had been impossible to pull off, which is now known as the Salami Technique.”

Caitlyn got up from her chair and walked over to the coffee maker sitting on a small table in the corner. She poured herself a cup and turned to Sydney. “Would you like a warm up?” she asked.

“Since when did you start drinking coffee, and yes I would like a warm up, thank you.”

Caitlyn glanced at her wristwatch. “Almost six days ago,” she said as she poured coffee into Sydney’s mug.

“See what happens? I go out of town for six days, everything falls apart, and you become a java junkie,” Sydney said, grinning as she took a sip of the steaming liquid.

“Just means you are too valuable to leave us,” Caitlyn laughed as she sat back down in her chair. “So the Salami Technique got its name after a bank employee who also happened to be a computer programmer accumulated a large amount of money. He averted any suspicion by not taking large amounts of money at one time; instead, he sliced off thin quantities of cash from thousands of customer accounts. He then redirected that cash into an account that he had full control over. The analogy is that he shaved money from customer accounts like a butcher would shave pieces of salami to make a sandwich.”

“Okay, I’m with you so far. How did he do it?”

“He wrote a program that would randomly transfer thirty to forty cents from several thousand customers’ checking accounts into the account he controlled. Over a couple of years, you can imagine how much money he had stockpiled. I think by the time he was caught it was estimated that he had stolen over three-million dollars.

“Why did it take so long to catch him?” Sydney asked.

“No one complained. The amounts he took were so small that most customers never bothered to report that they had thirty to forty cent discrepancies on their statements. He had also been smart enough to never take money out of a customer’s account more than three times a year.”

“That’s unbelievable,” Sydney said, shaking her head.

“Well think about it. Would you go into your bank and make a fuss if you were missing thirty cents?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Sydney admitted.

“And that’s what made him successful. He was banking on that exact assumption.”

“So, how did he get caught then?”

Caitlyn smiled. “Well it seems there was one old man who had grown up during the great depression and he was not happy that the bank had cheated him out of seventy cents over the course of one year. He went into the bank and threw what one would describe as a temper tantrum until the bank was forced to look at it.”

“And that’s how they caught the guy?”

“Yep and the old man got his seventy cents back as well as free checking for the rest of his life.”

Sydney chuckled. “How common is this problem?” she asked.

“More common than you would think. Several movies have been made about it. You’ve probably heard of them, Superman III, Hackers, and Office Space just to name a few.”

Sydney nodded. “I have seen all of those movies but I had no idea that what they were doing actually had a name for it.”

“I will give you an example of how easy it is to pull something off like this if you know what you are doing. Between 2007 and 2008, a 22 year-old Plumas Lake, California man named Michael Largent used the Salami Technique to accrue $50,000 in funds from the two brokering houses, E-trade and Charles Schwab and Co. He then used it to get another $8,000 from Google checkout.

“How is that possible?”

“When you open an account with any of those companies, you have to provide your checking account number as well as the banks routing number. The companies then make a small monetary deposit into your account. It can be as little as one penny and as high as two-dollars. You the customer, then have to go back to the company’s web site and enter the amount deposited into your account in order to verify yourself and open an account with them. PayPal is another company who has the same verification process using a debit or credit card.

Sydney got up from her chair and refilled her coffee cup. She brought the pot over and topped off Caitlyn’s cup.

“Thank you,” Caitlyn said, taking a sip. “So, in order to pull it off, Largent took advantage of a logic flaw in the computer programming. He designed an automated script program that set up 58,000 fake accounts and when the companies like E-trade deposited the funds, Largent then transferred the money into his own account.”

“How’d he get caught?” Sydney asked.

“The brokerage houses discovered it and contacted the authorities and that’s when the United States Secret Service and the FBI got involved. Now the kicker here is that Largent did not do anything illegal, at least not in theory by setting up the accounts. None of the companies involved specified any limitations on how many accounts a customer could open but the Department of Justice ended up charging him with fraud.”

Sydney frowned. “Okay, if what he did wasn’t illegal then how could they charge him for a crime?”

“The Assistant United States Attorney, Matthew D. Segal, who is a prosecutor in the office’s Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property unit or what’s known as C.H.I.P., claimed Largent used false names, driver’s license, etc. and that constituted fraud. I personally think his arrogance was his undoing. You see, some of the names he used were cartoon characters and comic book heroes.”

“Bugs Bunny opening an account would definitely raise a red flag,” Sydney laughed.

“In 2009 he pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and was sentenced to fifteen months in prison and ordered to pay $200,000 in restitution.”

“Did he say why he did it?”

“He wanted to pay off his credit card debt and he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong, legally he wasn’t, but morally and ethically he was.”

“If he was that talented why would he waste his time doing something illegal?”

“That is the same question the judge asked before sentencing him. My guess is that it was an adrenaline rush, like pulling one over on big brother. If he had used real names, it’s hard to say how long he could have gotten away with it. Probably years, maybe forever.”

Sydney sat up in her chair, resting her elbows on her knees. “Okay, I think I have a pretty good idea now of what and how the Salami Technique works, so how does it all pertain to us?”

“I found the problem when I ran a beta test on the upgraded billing system program. When I loaded the programs, I created a mirror image of both systems so I could run them simultaneously for a step-by-step comparison. What I found was a discrepancy between the amount billed to our customer’s invoice and the amount our customer’s actually paid to Welsh.”

“If you’re telling me that our customer’s were charged more than they should have been due to embezzlement, this could be a public relations nightmare. Our stock will go into the toilet,” Sydney said, shaking her head. This is the last thing she needed to deal with right now.

“The invoices that our customers received showed the correct amount they owed.”

“I don’t understand,” Sydney said, her brows furrowing.

“Someone with highly sophisticated programming skills accessed our billing system software and used a backdoor in the program to rewrite several lines of code. They set up several logic algorithms so that when a customer sent in their payment for the invoice and our customer service representative marked it as paid in the system, the program would kick in and round down to the nearest dollar. The change that was left over was then transferred into a separate account and the invoice billed in the system was automatically changed to reflect that amount. What they did, I mean the way they rewrote the program, is quite ingenious actually. I’ve never seen logic used in this fashion.”

“Probably because you don’t think like a thief,” Sydney teased. “Okay, just so I understand what you’re saying, let me give you an example and you tell me if I’m on the same page as you.”

“Shoot,” Caitlyn said, leaning back in her chair.

Sydney stood up from the chair. She paced slowly back and forth in front of Caitlyn’s desk. It was something she did whenever she was deep in thought. She stopped to look at Caitlyn. “I know we have different ways for customers to pay their invoices. Some do it over the phone and some have terms, and some send in checks, etcetera. For this example let’s say I’m Joe Blow and I get an invoice in the mail for $2,921.26. I call up Welsh to pay my bill over the phone with a credit card. Once the customer rep takes the payment and marks the invoice as paid, this rewritten program code kicks in and removes the twenty-six cents, changes the invoice in the system to reflect the amount as if the twenty-six cents never existed. The missing twenty-six cents is then rerouted into an unknown bank account. Is that correct?”

“You got it. That’s exactly how it works. Slicing off pennies like you slice salami to make a sandwich,” Caitlyn smiled. “That’s also why this doesn’t have to be a public relations nightmare for us as you say. Our customers don’t need to know anything about it because they were invoiced the correct amount and they paid the correct amount. The money is being stolen from Welsh, not our customers.”

“How did you figure this out?”

“I told you that I made a mirror image of the system. On one side, I had our old system records and on the other was the new program. It just so happened that several customers happened to pay their invoices in between the time it took me to load up the new software.”

Sydney grinned from ear to ear. “You compared the same invoices from the old and new software?”

Caitlyn smiled with satisfaction. “That is exactly what I did. I had to make sure that all the data fields on the invoices were the same and they were except for the invoice amount. Do you know why that is?” Caitlyn asked.

“Testing me again, aren’t you?” Sydney chuckled.

“Just want to see how your logic is doing, that’s all,” Caitlyn teased.

“It wasn’t the same because the new software you loaded does not have the same logic code to change the values,” Sydney answered triumphantly.

Caitlyn clapped her hands together and smiled at Sydney. “Bravo, bravo. You are correct and you just won a new Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner.”

“Why a Dirt Devil?” Sydney asked, frowning.

“Because they suck better,” Caitlyn said, her expression serious.

“I’m gonna ask although I probably shouldn’t. How do you know they suck better?”

“It’s a matter of creating the correct formula in order to make calculations based on the pull of gravity, how quickly what’s being sucked in is pulled into the hose, and how many inches it travels over time once it’s entered into—”

Sydney held her hand up to stop Caitlyn’s explanation. She shook her head and smiled. “I knew I was gonna regret asking.”

Caitlyn laughed. “What’s the problem? I was explaining it in very simple terms.”

“Okay then ... how about we forget I asked and in that case, I would like one in candy-apple red please,” Sydney said with a laugh.

Caitlyn chuckled. “I’ll get right on that.”

“Now that we’ve got the vacuum settled, do you have an estimate on how long this code has been active in our system?”

“Around seven years.”

“Holy shit. You have any thoughts on the person or persons who would be able to do this?” Sydney asked.

“Yes ... but you’re not going to like it,” Caitlyn said, shaking her head.

“Try me.”

“It has to be someone here at Welsh and I say that because whoever has done this had to have access to our system, our password protected system.”

“Executives are the only ones with that type of authorization,” Sydney said, thinking of the implications.

“Exactly, and to narrow it down further, this person has to have programming abilities, which means it could be anyone on the executive floor.” Caitlyn smiled. “I took the liberty to pull all of the executive’s résumés and eighty percent of them have programming experience although that is not their primary job function here at Welsh. Most have secondary Computer Science degrees, even the Marketing VP.”

“Eighty percent, huh? That’s leaves us with what, six, seven people?”

Caitlyn nodded in agreement.

“How many people know about this?” Sydney asked.

“No one except for you and me,” Caitlyn said with a shake of her head.

“Good. For two reasons I would like to keep it that way. The first is that if it is someone here, we don’t want them to know we are onto what they’ve been doing, otherwise they may stop, and we’ll never catch them. The second reason is that this is dangerous as hell. We’re talking millions of dollars and people have killed for much less.”

“And since no one but the two of us know I’ve been testing out this new system billing program, I think we should keep that to ourselves as well.”

“I agree. Do you have any idea where the money is going or how we can catch whoever is doing this?”

“I’m working on that. I have spent the last twenty-four hours trying to find the account where the funds have been dumped but it’s too tedious to do by hand seeing that we have over two million customers worldwide,” Caitlyn said, massaging the sides of her temples with her fingertips. “I decided to write a new logic program where I can input the monies that have been rounded down from several invoices and have the system search for an account or accounts that match a deposit for those amounts. It shouldn’t take long once I finish writing the code.”

Sydney leaned against the corner of the desk. “What about catching them?”

Caitlyn smiled. “I have in my possession several pages of code written by all the programmers at Welsh. I will compare those samples with the code in our system. Programmer codes can be like fingerprints and all programmers have their own nuances, kind of like their own signatures in the way they write the code.”

“Interesting, I didn’t know that,” Sydney said, thinking that every time she was around Caitlyn, she learned something new.

Caitlyn shrugged. “It’s a long shot considering that the person may not directly be in a position where they have written code for Welsh. There is also a chance that they have changed their programming fingerprint to throw anyone off the trail just in case the code is discovered.”

“It’s better than nothing at this point,” Sydney said.

“I did something else as well. Last night when no one else was in the building, I loaded spyware as well as keystroke logging software on all of the executive’s desktops. I need to get my hands on their laptops as well.”

“Very sneaky! I like it,” Sydney laughed. “I have a meeting to attend when I’m done here. Several of the execs on your list will be in that meeting and it might be a good time for you to try to load your software onto their laptops.”

“I’m not sure they would be happy if they knew. I hate doing those kinds of things but I’m also not keen on knowing that someone I work with has a problem with ethics,” Caitlyn said, frowning.

“I agree but when you use company equipment, you’re fair game and it clearly states that in fine print on the application for employment. Will they have any idea that the software is running?”

“No, only you and I will know and I will be able to see and track everything they do from my computer, Caitlyn said, shaking her head.”

Sydney glanced at her watch and stood up. “I need to get ready for the meeting. Please keep me updated on your progress.”

Caitlyn nodded. “You will be the first to know.”

“Are you coming to my Christmas party tonight?”

Caitlyn shrugged and said, “I don’t know. I really haven’t given it much thought.”

“Ah, come on. It’ll do you some good. You spend too many hours here as it is,” Sydney said and it was true. Next to her, Caitlyn put in almost as many hours as she did.

“I don’t have a date,” Caitlyn frowned.

“You don’t need one.” Sydney saw the hesitation on Caitlyn’s face and said, “Why don’t you bring your parents along.”

Caitlyn thought about it for a second or two. “I don’t think you’ve ever met my mom,” she said.

“I don’t believe I have either,” Sydney agreed with a shake of her head as butterflies began to dance around in her stomach.

Caitlyn snorted. “You’re not missing much with my stepdad.”

“You two don’t get along?” Sydney asked.

“He’s a class-A jerk,” Caitlyn said and did not elaborate and Sydney did not ask.

“I insist you take the time off and come to my party tonight. I’m sure my house is big enough that you might only see your stepfather once or twice in passing,” Sydney said with a smile.

Caitlyn sighed. “Is that an order?

Sydney grinned at her. “Yes it is.”

“Dress or casual?” Caitlyn asked in resignation.

“Dress or casual, whatever feels most comfortable to you. You can come in jeans if you like,” Sydney smiled. “By the way, after I’m done with my meeting, I will be taking the rest of the day off. Party starts at seven. Maureen can give you the address if you don’t have it. I’ll chat with you later tonight.”

Caitlyn smiled. “I’ll see you later then.”

Sydney went back to her office and closed the door behind her. She had a few minutes until the big meeting. She pulled open her desk drawer and grabbed the file folder marked William Amos. She didn’t bother to look up at the knock on her door. “Come in,” she said, pulling out several sheets from the folder.

“Good morning,” Meredith said.

Sydney looked at Meredith and wondered how she could have ever been in love with the woman. “Good morning, Meredith. How are you?” she asked, then realized that maybe the feelings she’d had for Meredith bordered more on lust than love.

Meredith was definitely pulling out all the stops. She was wearing a fiery red skirt suit, black silk stockings, and a sexy pair of black stilettos. The ensemble just so happened to be one of Sydney’s favorites and Meredith knew it. She looked fantastic.

Meredith sashayed over to Sydney’s desk. “I was scheduled to be in the meeting with Bill Amos this morning and in lieu of what has happened between us, I wanted to know if you still required my attendance?”

“Yes, Meredith,” Sydney sighed. “I haven’t told anyone about our breakup and I would appreciate it if you did the same. We don’t need any more gossip floating around here than what already does,” Sydney said, trying like hell to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

Meredith’s cheeks flushed red. “Don’t you think they will fucking know when I’m no longer working here? Don’t you think people will start talking as soon as they see me packing up my office?”

Sydney shot Meredith a look that said she had just about had enough of her attitude. “Keep your voice down for crying out loud. I thought by doing it this way, you could at least save some face when you left and you can pack your things in the evening when everyone else is gone,” Sydney said through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry, babe, I didn’t mean to snap at you,” Meredith said, her voice softening.

Just like Jekyll and Hyde, Sydney thought as she picked up the file folder. “Since you will only be here for one more week, I want you to tie up all your loose ends. That means I want a list on my desk by end of day detailing all the projects you’ve been working on.”

Meredith put her hands on her hips. “Fine. You’ll have the list. What about the Computer Logistics Vice President position that’s still open in the IT department?”

“What about it?” Sydney asked, thinking it really wasn’t any of Meredith’s business.

“Thomas Sosia has been gone for almost three weeks now, Sydney. I’ve been interviewing personnel for it but I assume you will take over that job now. Do you have any idea who you’re going to hire for the position?”

She brushed past Meredith. “Not that it’s any of your concern, but yes I do. I’ve already interviewed several people and have a candidate in mind for the job. I will be making the announcement soon. We have a meeting to attend,” she said over her shoulder and went out the door. Meredith, with her mouth gaping open stared at Sydney’s back. After a few seconds, she regained her composure and followed suit.

Sydney walked the short distance to the conference room. She could hear the buzzing sound of multiple conversations coming through the door. She pushed the door open and the room went silent. “Can you close the door, please?” she asked Meredith who came in a few seconds behind her.

She waited for Meredith to close the door then took her place at the end of the long table. Bill Amos sat in a chair to her right. He looked considerably older than Sydney remembered. His hair seemed whiter, his eyes were not as lively, and it was obvious that he had lost a considerable amount of weight based on the way his suit jacket hung loosely around his shoulders. The stress of his fledgling company had taken its toll on him. Andrew Amos, Bill’s grandson sat on her left, directly across from his grandfather.

“Ms. Welsh,” the older Amos said as he stood. His hand shook as he took her hand in his.

“Mr. Amos,” Sydney nodded then turned to shake Andrews’s hand. “Please be seated,” she said as she laid the file folder on the table. She picked up a carafe, and poured herself a cup of coffee. “Mr. Amos, can I get you something to drink?” she asked, offering the carafe.

“I’m good, thank you,” he said, shaking his head.

She looked at his grandson, who declined her offer with a shake of his head as well. Sydney pulled out the chair and sat down. She glanced around the table. Allen Carmichael, the Assistant VP of Computer Logistics sat at the far end of the table, Virgil Parsons, VP of Acquisitions sat directly to his left, Kenneth Worthington, the Computer Design Manufacturing Manager sat on his right. Robert VanDersmote, the Sr. Manager over Computer Manufacturing sat next to Andrew with Meredith directly on his left.

The conference room door opened. “Good morning, sorry I’m late,” Bev Andrews, VP of Marketing, said apologetically as she took the empty seat next to Meredith.

“Good morning, Bev, no biggie, we’re just getting started,” Sydney said, flipping open the file folder. “If everyone’s ready, let’s begin,” she said, looking at Bill Amos and then his grandson.

Bill Amos cleared his throat. “With all due respect, Ms. Welsh, I think your behavior is reprehensible concerning my company.”

He certainly doesn’t beat around the bush, Sydney thought as she met the older man’s steely gaze. “With all due respect, Mr. Amos, I find it just as appalling that your company has basically been run into the ground.”

Andrew Amos stood up from his chair. He glared at Sydney. “How dare you speak to my grandfather with such disrespect? He built that company from the ground up with his own two hands.”

“It’s okay, Andrew,” Bill said soothingly to his grandson.

“I do not owe either of you an explanation. I only called this meeting out of courtesy. Welsh Enterprises has done nothing wrong. Your shareholders sold their stock freely.”

Andrew’s look was incredulous. “What did you expect they would do when you offered them twice as much as the stock was worth?”

“Greed can make the most honest person think irrationally,” Sydney said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“If your actions were above board, then why did you use separate Welsh holding companies to secure the stock?” Bill Amos asked.

Sydney looked at Virgil Parsons. “I’ll let our VP of acquisitions answer that question for you.”

The grey-headed older man pushed his glasses up on his nose. His voice shook slightly as he spoke. “Um, well yes, it’s true. We did use three of our smaller holding companies to purchase the stock but that is a regular practice of ours. Depending on where the company we are interested in acquiring is located, we decide which of our holding companies offer the best tax incentives in those areas.”

Bill Amos shook his head. “I don’t care how you try to justify it, Ms. Welsh. You went beneath the radar to secure the majority share of my company’s stock.”

“We’re not even sure that buying up your stock is in the best interest of Welsh. At least I’m not,” Allen said from the end of the table.

“I tend to agree with Allen,” Robert offered, adding his two cents.

Sydney looked at Robert and then at Allen. She could not believe what she was hearing. She would put both of them in their place later. How dare they undermine her decisions. She looked at Bev. “Have you had time to review the financials I sent you?” she asked.

“I sure have,” Bev said with a smile and pulled out several documents.

“What do you think about it, Bev? Your honest opinion,” Sydney said, knowing that Bev would support whatever decisions she made. If she had a problem, she would talk to Sydney privately about her concerns. She would never undermine Sydney’s decisions as Allen and Robert had just done.

“I think it’s a wise investment. Coupled with our manufacturing division, a computer oriented design firm that specializes in office renovations and custom architecture design offers Welsh a large market share that we would never have been able to get otherwise. We will be a one-stop shopping avenue for our business customer division.”

“Thanks, Bev. I understand that you have an important meeting yourself so if you have nothing else to add, you’re free to go.”

Bev stood and gathered her things. “No, I’m good,” she said and left the room.

Sydney looked at Kenneth, who had been quiet the whole time. “What are your thoughts, Kenneth?” Sydney knew what his answer would be before she even asked. Kenneth was a follower, a man who could not think on his own, and a man who had never had an original thought in his life.

Kenneth looked at Allen before turning to look at Sydney. “I hate to say it, Sydney, but I’m not sure how I will fit office design into our business model,” Kenneth answered, confirming Sydney’s opinion about him.

Sydney looked at Meredith who immediately averted her eyes. Sydney had told Meredith that she thought she was making a mistake when she had hired Allen, Robert, and Kenneth. Their comments today only cemented what Sydney already knew. “You can be excused,” she said finally, when Meredith looked at her. “I want the documents we discussed earlier on my desk before you leave for the day.”

Without a word, Meredith gathered her things and left the room.

Sydney felt the heat rise up her neck all the way to her ears. “Can someone please explain to me how I can be in a room that’s overflowing with male testosterone, yet I’m the only one who has any God damn balls?” she asked, her voice rising several octaves.

She glanced at her executives and then turned in her seat to look Bill Amos directly in the eye. “Here’s the deal, Bill. I own Welsh Enterprises and the buck always stops with me. As the majority owner of Welsh, I also control ninety-five percent of your company. I don’t give a rat’s ass if you built EMCOR from the ground up. If you had done your job, I would have never been able to get my foot in your door. Therefore, I’m now going to give you two options. Number one, you will sell your remaining stock to me at three times what it’s worth or number two, I will slowly and systematically disassemble your entire company down to the nuts and bolts, and then I will fire every single employee.” She looked at Andrew Amos. “And I’ll start with your grandson first.” She turned back to Bill and looked at him with eyes so dark they looked black. She smiled and shrugged. “It’s just business, Bill, nothing personal.”

Bill Amos looked as if he were going to have a heart attack. He slammed his fist down on the table so hard that it knocked the carafe over. “How dare you threaten me, you ruthless, heartless bitch,” he yelled, sending spittle across the table.

Sydney leaned back in her chair and laughed. “It’s not a threat. It’s a promise.” She opened her file folder and pulled out a piece of paper. She slid it across the table.

Bill Amos picked it up. His eyes quickly scanned the document. He tossed it back down on the table.

“You know what the real kicker is? If I had been a man and just pulled off this deal, all of you,” she looked at each man in the room, “would have been patting me on the back for pulling off such a coup. Instead, I’m relegated to the title of heartless bitch and for that, I thank you. I will wear it proud.” She stood up and pushed the chair back with her legs, sending it into the wall behind her with a loud bang. “I expect to have that document signed and on my desk by the end of business today. I trust the two of you can show yourselves out and the rest of you have work to do,” she said and with that, she took her file folder and left the room.

Sydney was still fuming two hours later when Maureen tapped lightly on the door. “Come in,” she said a little too gruffly.

“Hey, Syd, rough morning?” Maureen, Sydney’s trusted assistant hesitantly asked.

Sydney shook her head. “Nah, sorry, just some rough moments.”

“Well, I have something that might cheer you up.”

Sydney finally noticed that the giddy green-eyed blonde was bouncing on the balls of her feet and that her hands were hidden behind her back.

“I could definitely use a pick me up right about now.”

Maureen handed her the document. Sydney looked at the paper. “All right, yes,” she said, adding a fist pump in the air. Her day just got better and another piece of the puzzle just fell into place.

“It arrived a few minutes ago by courier.”

“You just made my day,” Sydney said with a grin as she looked at Bill Amos’s signature.

“I need your signature on these two documents as well so I can add my Jane Hancock and get them mailed,” Maureen said, handing Sydney the papers and a pen. Sydney signed them and handed them back to her.

She watched Maureen as she added her signature. “That looks so uncomfortable,” she said.

“What does?” Maureen asked, as she picked the papers up.

“Writing with your left hand because I swear it looks like you write upside down.”

Maureen shrugged. “You know what they say about us southpaw’s.”

“What’s that?” Sydney asked.

“We’re the only ones in our right mind and the rest of you are left out,” Maureen laughed.

“Whatever,” Sydney chuckled.

With red painted manicured fingers, Maureen smoothed the front of her suit jacket.

Sydney could tell that her assistant wanted to say something. “Spit it out, Maureen.”

“Um, I heard about you and Meredith and I wanted to say I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

Sydney frowned. “Who told you?” she asked, thinking damn it Meredith. She specifically told her not to say anything. She should have known that Meredith couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

“You know how it is around here, Syd. Nothing stays secret for very long.”

“Especially when you’re head of the gossip machine, huh,” Sydney grinned.

“Hey, I can’t help it if we have a lot of little birdies flying around.”

Sydney stood up and grabbed her jacket. “Whatever,” she said, shrugging her arms into the sleeves. “Can you do me one more favor?”

“Sure.”

“Please call Bill Amos. I want him to arrange a company meeting at EMCOR with all of his people for 9:00 a.m. on Monday morning. Can you also order pastries and have a caterer set up a breakfast buffet in the main conference room at EMCOR prior to the meeting?”

“You got it.”

“I’m taking the rest of the day off but if you need to get ahold of me, call me at home.”

“I think I’m gonna take off a little early too if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, you are coming to my party tonight, right?” Sydney asked although it was more of a statement.

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“See you tonight then.”

Chapter 4

When Sydney left Welsh, she had decided to do some Christmas shopping. She usually spent the holiday at her mother’s house and enjoyed the day playing around with her twin twelve-year-old niece and nephew, Sara and Seth. For hours, they would sit and test out the latest and greatest new toys on the market because that is what Sydney usually bought them. The two kids had everything, her sister saw to that, so it was a challenge at Christmas and birthdays to find something they did not have. Last year, she had bought them the Wii game system along with twenty to thirty games and all the external gadgets that went along with the system. Seth loved the Wii skateboard while Sara was partial to the boxing gloves. Her sister, Liz was none too happy when Sara announced that she wanted to be a boxer like Mohammed Ali’s daughter, Alia.

After several trips up and down the aisles of Toys “R” Us, Sydney had settled on two electric rocket motorcycles. The twins would love them; she wasn’t so sure about Liz. Aunts were supposed to buy a toy that the parents hated, that was one of the fun things about being an aunt. It was almost like a golden rule with Sydney.

The one thing she was not looking forward to on Christmas day was spending six continuous hours with her mother, Deidre. It wasn’t that she disliked her mother or anything like that. It had to do with the endless badgering and constant barrage of negative comments that came from her mother. No matter what Sydney did, it never seemed to be good enough in her mother’s eyes. If her hair was short, her mother claimed it needed to be longer. If her hair was long then her mother said she needed a haircut.

Over the years, Sydney had become accustomed to her mother’s criticisms. The baffling part was that her mother treated Liz as if the sun rose and set in Sydney’s baby sister and because of that, Liz usually ended up becoming the referee when the discussions became a little too heated. Sydney swore to Liz that her mother hated her because she looked just like her father whereas Liz, with blonde hair and blue eyes looked like their mother. Liz told her she was imagining things but later changed her mind when she overheard their mother tell Sydney that she was stubborn as a mule and took after her father unlike Liz who was levelheaded and laid back like her. From that day on Liz always came to Sydney’s defense whenever Deidre started in on her eldest daughter.

Sydney had just finished wrapping gifts when the first slew of guests began to arrive. By the time she took a shower and changed her clothes, the party was already in full swing. She stepped into the family room and glanced around. The live band that Edna hired was singing the chorus line of Jingle Bells. Her stomach twisted in knots as she scanned the crowd for Caitlyn and her parents and when she didn’t see them, she was somewhat relieved, yet disappointed at the same time.

She grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. She scanned the crowd again looking for her staff. One of her rules was that if she had any type of party, the staff was to hire temporary replacements and the staff was to join in the festivities. At first, some of them had protested but when they saw that she would not budge on the rule, they had finally caved in. It was now to the point that her staff looked forward to the parties more than she did.

Edna came racing across the floor. She threw her arms around Sydney’s neck and hugged her.

“The house looks fantastic, Edna. You’ve really outdone yourself this year. Thank you for everything.”

Edna smiled warmly. “Thank you and you are most welcome.”

“Oh, there you are love,” Fred Rick yelled as he made his way across the floor toward the two women. He leaned in and planted fake kisses on Sydney’s cheeks.

Sydney smiled and shook her head. “Fred Rick, the food selection this year is over the top. You are definitely the best chef in the world.”

“I do try, my dear,” Fred Rick said, flipping his hand flamboyantly in the air. He pretended to brush his hair back away from his face. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I see a handsome young man across the room and I can tell that he is just dying to meet me.”

Sydney couldn’t help but shake her head as Fred Rick disappeared amongst a crowd of bodies who were dancing near the band’s stage. Sydney excused herself from Edna when she saw Jackie come in.

On the far side of the room near the Christmas tree, Allen, Kenneth, and Robert stood huddled together with their wives. The women were a bit overdressed for a Christmas party and were more suited to be at the president’s inauguration. The three men extricated themselves and headed off toward the dining room.

“Where do you suppose they are going?” Danielle VanDersmote, Robert’s wife asked.

“I’m sure their talking business, you know how dedicated our husbands are, Danielle dear,” Victoria Carmichael cooed.

“By the way, I love your dress, Victoria. Is it Vera?” Carmen Worthington, Kenneth’s wife asked.

“Heavens no, darling, It’s Versace’. I would not be caught dead in a Wang dress,” Victoria corrected as if Carmen had insulted her. “Look at her,” Victoria said with a nod of her head.

The two women looked in the direction Victoria had indicated. Sydney and Jackie stood next to the doorway that led into the foyer, talking.

“What about her?” Carmen asked.

“I just cannot believe she flaunts her lesbian sexuality around in the open for all to see. What do two women do together anyway? For the life of me, I cannot understand how they have sex. Do you think she straps one on or what?”

Carmen and Danielle laughed.

“If you don’t know how two women can have sex with each other, Victoria, that tells me one thing. You’ve never had an orgasm in your entire miserable life and when Allen’s dry humping your ass like a dog, you become nothing more than a human waste disposal, you know, like a fuck dump for all of his deformed little swimmers,” Karen said from behind the women.

The three women whirled around, their faces registering shock as they stared at Karen. It was obvious that they could not believe anyone, let alone someone like Karen would speak to them in such a manner. Victoria’s eyes took in Karen’s red, green, and black Goth outfit. She made no attempt to hide the smirk on her face as she looked Karen up and down from head to toe.

“Like anyone would ever take anything you had to say seriously,” Victoria said with as much dignity as she could muster.

“Like anyone in their right mind would ever wanna fuck you,” Karen said and then laughed as the women’s mouths dropped open. “By the way, I’m orgasmically endowed, how about you?” Karen said with a wink before walking away from the women.

Sydney smiled as Karen approached. She grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and handed one to Karen. “I saw you talking with the triplets, learn anything interesting?” she asked.

“More like the Hounds of Baskerville,” Karen laughed. “Those bleach blonde-haired hoity toity bitches don’t have an interesting bone in their bodies. They don’t understand that without their “husbands” so called upper status at Welsh they wouldn’t be shit,” Karen said, making a finger quote her with hand.

Jackie looked at Karen and laughed.

“I think you may be right. Hear, hear,” Sydney said, laughingly as the two of them clinked their glasses together. “Oh great,” Sydney sighed.

“What?” Karen asked, turning to see what Sydney was talking about.

Meredith walked in with a hot little petite blonde by her side. She ignored Sydney and crossed the room.

“I’m not even going to ask,” Karen said with a shake of her head.

This is a really nice party, Syd,” Jackie said and then took a sip of her champagne.

“So this is where we’re congregating,” Maureen smiled as she walked up to the group of women.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it,” Sydney teased.

Maureen shook her head. “I told you I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Sydney looked at Jackie and then at Maureen. “I don’t think you two have met.”

The two women looked at each other and shook their heads.

“Well then, Jackie Christopher, I’d like you to meet Maureen Olsen. Maureen I’d like you to meet Jackie.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Maureen,” Jackie said. “Have you worked at Welsh for long?” she asked, taking Maureen’s hand in hers. Damn this woman is hot, Jackie thought as her eyes unabashedly took in the luscious curves of Maureen’s body.

“It’s nice to meet you, too and it will be ten years next month,” Maureen grinned.

“If you’ll excuse me, I see someone I’d like to say hello, too,” Sydney said, turning toward the foyer. She felt instant butterflies as she watched Caitlyn step into the foyer, followed by her stepfather and Rachel.

Caitlyn’s eyes lit up when she saw Sydney.

“Hi, Caitlyn, I’m glad you could make it, Merry Christmas,” Sydney said.

“Merry Christmas to you also,” Caitlyn said as she took her parents jackets and gave them to the young woman doing coat checks. “Thank you,” she said to the woman before turning back to Sydney. “I would like you to meet my mom and stepdad.”

Sydney looked first at Edward Ashburn and then at Rachel. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest, the sound echoing so loud in her ears that she was convinced the others could hear it. She swallowed a lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.

Rachel was far more beautiful than she remembered. The photos didn’t do her justice at all. She wore a midnight blue ankle length gown that fit snuggly against the curve of her hips. On each side of the gown, a three-inch wide, thigh high slit ran down to her ankles, exposing long, and tan, shapely legs. Sydney’s eyes continued to travel up the length of Rachel’s body. Her eyes stopped at the plunging neckline and ample cleavage. The figure-hugging gown left little to the imagination. When her eyes locked with Rachel’s, she saw a cloud of confusion behind the long blonde lashes.

She forced herself to look at Edward. He looked exactly like she had pictured. Dressed in a black tuxedo, he stood approximately six-foot-tall and was ruggedly handsome with dark chestnut colored hair and blue eyes. Sydney thought she could describe him in two words—conceited bastard.

“Mom, I would like for you to meet my boss, Sydney Welsh,” Caitlyn said, pulling Sydney from her thoughts.

Sydney held out her hand. “I’m pleased to meet you,” she said, looking Rachel in the eye.

To say Rachel was shocked would be the understatement of the year. Rachel’s eyes were full of questions as she held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Welsh,” she said, taking Sydney’s outstretched hand. “Caitlyn talks about you non-stop.”

Sydney smiled. “It’s all good I hope and please call me Sydney.”

“Of course it’s all good,” Caitlyn beamed and then said, “This is my stepdad, Edward.”

“I’m pleased to meet you as well,” Sydney said, taking the man’s hand in hers.

“Caitlyn never said a word about how beautiful you are. You’re quite the looker and I swear to God if I didn’t have a wife—”

“But you do,” Sydney said, cutting him off before he could finish the sentence.

Edward whistled loudly as he looked around the foyer. “This is some place you got here. What is it, six, seven thousand square feet?”

“Twenty-five-hundred, sixty feet,” Sydney said, thinking that the man reeked of arrogance and alcohol.

“Only two-thousand, five-hundred, and sixty feet, huh, that’s not as big as I thought. Sure looks a lot bigger. My house is just a little under five thousand. That’s definitely bigger than yours,” he said, smugly.

His house? What a total jackass, Sydney thought. The only thing he owned was his 1996 Toyota Camry. Everything else was in Rachel’s name and that included the house. His name isn’t on the deed and she hadn’t given it a second thought when she had seen a copy of the loan papers. Now she understood why, because his name wasn’t really Edward Ashburn. A loan would have raised all sorts of questions, like credit scores, past job experience, references, etcetera, but why wouldn’t Rachel have questioned him on this? Did she know that her husband wasn’t who he claimed to be? Even if she did, she couldn’t see Rachel involved in anything shady.

He had to have told her one helluva story and the plot continues to thicken, she thought as she looked at Edward and shook her head. “I think you misunderstood me. It’s not twenty-five hundred, it’s twenty-five thousand, six-hundred square feet,” she said, grinning with satisfaction at the shocked expression on his face as the figures finally sunk into his tiny little brain.

“You’re not supposed to ask questions like that. It’s rude, Edward,” Rachel said, looking apologetically at Sydney.

“What’s something like this cost, three, four million?” he asked, undeterred by his wife’s admonishment.

Caitlyn and Rachel looked as if they wanted the floor to open up and swallow them. Sydney glanced at Caitlyn. She winked at her protégé before turning back to Edward. “Eighteen-million dollars,” she said and then added, “Cash.”

Sydney had caught Edward off-guard. If she had any reservations about the man before now, he had quickly solidified her opinion of him and her opinion was lower than she had initially thought.

“You got anything stronger than sissy-ass champagne?” he asked as a server passed by.

Sydney nodded toward the foyer doorway that led into the family room. “There’s a wet bar through there. Help yourself.”

Edward didn’t wait for a second invitation. Without a word to Rachel or Caitlyn, he left the foyer. No doubt on his way to get a drink, as if he needed one, Sydney thought as she turned to Caitlyn. “I need to go speak with someone. Why don’t you show your mother around? Get something to eat and drink. Have a little fun.”

Caitlyn looked at Sydney and mouthed a silent thank you. Sydney gave her a “you’re welcome” smile before turning to look at Rachel. “It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Ashburn, please excuse me,” she said and left the foyer. She had to put some distance between herself and Rachel. She had been waiting for this moment for so long that she had not given a second thought on how it would affect her when the time finally came. Her emotions were in overdrive. She grabbed a glass of champagne from a server’s tray and was not surprised to see that her hand was shaking.

She walked back into the family room and looked around. This had to be the largest Christmas party yet. The place was jam packed with bodies and from what she could tell; most Welsh employees were in attendance. She waved to the Mayor of Miamisburg who seemed to be having an animated discussion with Edna and Allen. What a combination, she thought.

“Well howdy, Sydney. Merry Christmas ta ya,” a voice said just over her shoulder.

She didn’t need to guess at whom the voice belonged to. She turned to see the smiling face of Jedidiah Saunders. “Hello, Jed. I’m glad to see you could make it and Merry Christmas to you,” she said. “This must be your lovely wife, Gerty.”

Jed smiled at the portly grey-haired, older woman standing beside him. “Yes it tis.”

“I am so pleased to meet you, Ms. Welsh. Thank you so much for inviting us. You have a very beautiful home,” Gerty said as she took Sydney’s hand and shook it soundly.

“Please call me Sydney. Ms. Welsh sounds so formal,” Sydney said, marveling at the strength of the woman’s grip on her hand. “Are you two having a good time?”

“Oh yes,” Gerty said, releasing Sydney’s hand.

Sydney looked at Jed and smiled. “I’ve been thinking about you.”

“Really? Why you wanna go waste your thoughts on that?” he grinned.

“Yep,” Sydney said and nodded. “I was wondering if you had a full-time job?”

“No ma’am, I don’t. I been retired from General Motors now goin’ on five years I reckon.”

“Would you like a job? I need someone who’s handy to look after things around here but I don’t want you up on any ladders.”

Jed scratched his head as he thought about the offer. “Well, Gerty here’s been tryin’ to get me outta her hair for some time now, says I’m always under foot.”

“Cause you are,” Gerty said, playfully shoving her husband.

Sydney couldn’t help but smile at them. They made a cute couple. “Why don’t you come by Monday evening and we can discuss the particulars.”

“I sure will,” he said, his mouth curving into a smile.

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, why don’t you go ahead and show Gerty the rest of the house, after all, starting Monday, you’ll need to know the lay of the land too, and don’t forget to check out the dining room. We have a full buffet set up. Make sure you try the stuffed lobster, it’s to die for,” Sydney said to Gerty.

“I love seafood,” Gerty chuckled.

“I love seafood, too. When I see food, I eat it,” Jed said over his shoulder as he and Gerty headed off toward the dining room.

Sydney laughed and shook her head. She couldn’t help but like Jed. Her gut told her that he was a good man and in many ways, he reminded her of her own dad. Her eyes systematically searched the room looking for Rachel. She found her standing next to Edward, who was standing next to the wet bar with a drink in both hands. Their eyes met and Sydney felt heat rise from the bottoms of her feet and settle in her groin. She forced herself to look away.

Well now is as good a time as any, she thought as she made her way to the stage. She leaned over and said something to the lead singer who promptly directed the band to stop playing.

Sydney took the microphone and walked over to the staircase. She climbed high enough that she could look out over the entire family room.

“May I have everyone’s attention please,” she said into the microphone. When the crowd quieted, she continued. “First of all, I would like to thank everyone for coming and I hope that you are all having a good time.” She smiled at the whistles and oh yeahs coming from the crowd.

“As all of you who work at Welsh know, we have had an awesome year.” The crowd erupted with a clap of hands. She held her hand up to quiet them. “And since we have had such a fantastic year, everyone’s Christmas bonus will be doubled to thirty-percent your salary instead of the usual fifteen.” The crowd went nuts at the announcement. “In addition to the bonus, which by the way will be reflected in next week’s checks, just in time for some last minute shopping, I have also decided to give everyone two additional days off before Christmas and none of you are to return to work until the third of January. I also know that some of you are workaholics and will still show up to work on those extra days I’ve given you off so you will be paid double-time.”

She scanned the crowd looking for the few people she was specifically talking about. “Karen, Allen, Virgil, you all are hearing this right?” Sydney laughed.

“Those extra days are with pay?” someone yelled from the back of the room.

“Yes, that’s with pay,” Sydney laughed again as the crowd erupted in applause. She again held her hand up to quiet them. “I have one more announcement to make,” she said as her eyes scanned the crowd for Meredith. She found her and the clingy blonde standing near the triplets.

“Some of you know that I have been in the process of interviewing candidates for the position vacated by our former VP of Computer Logistics, Tom Sosia. Well I’m happy to say that I have found the right person for the job. I would like for all of you to help me in congratulating our newest VP, Caitlyn Ashburn.”

For several seconds, you could have heard a pin drop. Sydney looked at Meredith, whose mouth was hanging open. Sydney grinned with satisfaction as she watched Meredith grab her date by the arm and storm out of the room.

“Way to go, Caitlyn, that’s my girl,” a drunken Edward yelled out from the back of the room. That’s all it took to get the rest of the crowd on board as claps and cheers rang out. At least some of them were clapping. Sydney’s eyes searched the crowd. She found Caitlyn standing next to Rachel. Both women had shocked expressions on their face. She then scanned the room for Allen. She found him huddled together with Robert, Kenneth, and their wives. The look on Allen’s face told Sydney that she had made the right decision. Allen said something to Victoria, then turned and left the room with Robert and Kenneth on his heels.

Sydney handed the microphone back to the bandleader who then promptly directed his band to start playing.

“I have to hand it to you, Sydney, I didn’t see that one coming,” Karen chuckled over Sydney’s shoulder.

Sydney turned and smiled. “Yeah, I’d say it caught more than a few people off guard.”

“Brilliant, absolutely fucking brilliant,” Karen laughed. “Did you see the look on the Hounds of Baskerville’s face and their husbands? It was priceless, absolutely fucking priceless! You don’t need to give me a Christmas bonus, what you just did was payment enough.”

“Girl, you are so not right,” Sydney laughed. She looked around the room, her eyes scanning the crowd. “Have you seen Jackie?”

“Nah, but I really haven’t been looking for her.”

“Damn, I was hoping to talk to her before she left.”

“I’m sure she’s around here somewhere.” Karen grinned. “You check the buffet table?”

Sydney put her hands on her hips. “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, my sweetest, dearest employer,” Karen said, feigning complete ignorance with a smile. She winked at Sydney. “I just thought maybe she might be a little hungry.”

“Uh huh, I’m sure that’s exactly what you thought.”

“Maybe she’s at the chocolate fondue table,” Karen snorted.

Sydney shook her finger at Karen. “You need to behave yourself missy.”

Karen frowned. “Now where’s the fun in that?” she asked and grabbed two glasses of champagne from a server. She offered one to Sydney.

Sydney shook her head. “I’m kinda champagned out and I need to visit the little girl’s room.”

“Suit yourself,” Karen said as she moseyed across the room. She snuck up behind the triplets and leaned in so she could eavesdrop on their conversation.

Danielle laid a hand on Victoria’s shoulder. “I am so sorry, Victoria, I know how much Allen wanted that promotion,” she said, sympathetically.

“I cannot believe that woman gave a snotty little nineteen-year-old know-it-all, a position of such importance,” Carmen chimed in.

“She has no business making more money than our husbands,” Danielle said, shaking her head.

“Just look at them over there,” Victoria snorted. “I cannot believe Sydney fraternizes with her servants the way she does.” She made a sweeping gesture with her hand toward the staircase where Fred Rick, his part-time boyfriend Carlos and Edna, along with Jed and his wife were talking with the Mayor of Miamisburg.

“They mingle with the guests as if they were our equals,” Carmen said in agreement.

Karen had heard enough. She came around to stand directly in front of the three women. “Sydney treats everyone the same, Carmen, whether she employs them or not. It’s called being human, you should try it sometime.” She looked at Victoria. “As for your husband getting the promotion, that’ll be the day. Caitlyn might only be nineteen but she has more brains in her little pinky than the three of your sorry ass husbands put together. You three miserable uptight hags need to take your bigoted asses back to high society Centerville.”

Karen emptied the contents of her champagne glass in one gulp. “And while you’re at it, take your husband’s with you. Sydney Welsh and Caitlyn Ashburn are soooo out of your league.”

“I, I don’t think I was talking to you,” Carmen stammered.

Victoria stomped her foot on the ground. “How dare you speak to us that way, you white trash bitch,” she hissed.

Karen took a menacing step closer. She brought her face within an inch of Victoria’s. Her voice was eerily calm as she spoke. “How dare I? How dare you! If you three bitches didn’t spend most of your time stuck on stupid, you would see that Sydney and Caitlyn are two of the best people on this planet and they’re my friends. If I hear one more derogatory word come out of your mouth, this white trash bitch from Dayton, is going to kick your snooty ass all over this room.”

Danielle grabbed Victoria by the arm. “Come on, hon, let’s find our husbands, and get out of here.”

“Smartest thing you’ve said all night,” Karen said. She grinned, a look of satisfaction on her face as she watched the three women go off in a huff in search of their husbands. A few minutes later she saw them leave.

The desk light inside Caitlyn’s office flicked on. A mysterious figure covered in black from head to toe and wearing a ski mask, used a gloved hand to turn on the computer. While the computer booted, the gloved hand pulled out a piece of paper and laid it on the desk. The arrow pointer zipped around the screen as the mouse slid over its pad. The fingers moved to the enter button and pressed it, instantly changing the display. Rows and rows of computer code appeared on the monitor. The mask covered head leaned forward to look at the paper. Both gloved hands reached for the keyboard and began typing.

Somehow, Rachel had found her way into the kitchen. She looked around the large room, thankful that she was alone. She had needed to get out of there. It was too much. She needed to be by herself. She needed time to think. How could I have been so stupid? I should have known, she thought as she systematically began a search of the cabinets.

Syd Welsh, Sydney Welsh. Formerly Sydney Baxter, Welsh was her mother’s maiden name. She should have known, she told herself again. I should have been able to put two and two together, she thought as she opened one door, slammed it shut, and then repeated the process over again.

For two years, Caitlyn had been working for Sydney, yet Rachel had no idea that the Syd who Caitlyn constantly talked about was the former love of her life, Sydney Baxter. When she saw Sydney in the foyer, she could not believe her eyes. It took everything in her to maintain her composure. Everything in her brain screamed at her to run—she should have.

She flashed back in time and found herself drawn to those warm light brown eyes all over again. Sydney was just one year older than she was and Rachel had never believed the saying, ‘you get better looking with age’, but she believed it now. Sydney’s hair was longer than she remembered and hung in waves, reaching just above her bra line. The color was a little different too. Her normally black hair had traces of brown streaked through it. A small area just about her left eyebrow showed the slightest trace of white. If you were standing more than a few feet away, it would be unnoticeable. The black pleated slacks Sydney was wearing had hung seductively on her hips. Her dark green silk blouse, open at the neck revealed darkly tanned skin and enough cleavage to suggest the promise of ample breasts beneath the shirt. She had looked older, more distinguished, and sexy as hell.

What am I thinking; she chastised herself for having such thoughts. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever expect to see Sydney again, at least not in this lifetime. It was obvious that Caitlyn knew nothing about their past relationship. I wonder why—

“If you tell me what you’re looking for, I may be able to help,” Sydney said, her voice jolting Rachel from her thoughts.

Rachel’s cheeks flushed pink as she turned around to face Sydney. “I’m, uh, I’m looking for something to drink. Something strong,” she said, turning to resume her search of the cabinets.

“I don’t think you will find anything in there,” Sydney said. “I suggest the wet bar or the fridge.”

Rachel stopped what she was doing. For the first time since entering the kitchen, she took the time and actually looked at the room. It was huge. She had never seen a kitchen this size in her life. “Exactly how many cabinets are in this kitchen?” she asked.

“I don’t know, I’d say around thirty, maybe forty but that’s just a guess,” Sydney said as she walked over to the stainless steel refrigerator and pulled open the double doors. “All I have is some white Zin. Will that do?” she asked, looking at Rachel.

Rachel leaned back against the bar, which ran the full length of the kitchen. She brushed her hair back from her face with her hand. “Anything will do right now,” she said.

Sydney grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet along with a bottle of Martin and Weyrich’s Moscato Allegro from the fridge, and placed them on the bar. She pulled out a stool and sat down. She had just inserted the corkscrew into the cork when Rachel came into the kitchen.

“What the hell is going on, Sydney?” Rachel asked.

Sydney shrugged. “You and I are about to have a drink together,” she answered nonchalantly.

“That’s not what I mean and you know it. How long have you known that Caitlyn was my daughter? Did you know it when you hired her? Why haven’t you told Caitlyn that you and I know each other? You had to have known that I would be here tonight. Did you think about what a shock this would be for me?” Rachel asked, firing question after question at Sydney.

“I knew what you meant, Rachel,” Sydney said. She watched the emotions play out on Rachel’s face at her use of the familiar nickname. “No, I didn’t know she was your daughter when I hired her,” she lied. “I found out after she came to work at Welsh,” she lied again. “She had a photo of you and Alyssa on her desk. I recognized you immediately, which of course I didn’t mention to Caitlyn. She then filled in the blanks for me. She informed me that Alyssa was her half-sister. That you had remarried when she was eleven, and Alyssa was a result of that marriage nine months later. She doesn’t have any pictures of your husband in her office, though. I thought that kinda odd.”

Sydney took a sip of wine. “As for knowing you would be here tonight, that’s not a true statement. I told Caitlyn to invite you and your husband but I wasn’t sure she would and I wasn’t sure you would come even if she did. By the way, I thought you handled yourself very well during the introductions. I don’t think Caitlyn or Edward suspected a thing.”

“Why didn’t you tell her that you and I knew each other?” Rachel asked again as she pulled out a barstool, grateful to have something to support her shaking legs before she fell to the floor.

“What would you have liked me to say? Oh, by the way Caitlyn, I knew your mom almost in the biblical sense way back when. No, Rache, I decided that if you wanted that part of your life known, then you should be the one to tell her. It wasn’t my place.”

Sydney watched Rachel as she eyed her suspiciously. It was as if she were debating with herself as to whether Sydney was telling her the truth or not.

“I’m not sure I believe you,” she said finally, confirming Sydney’s thoughts.

“That’s your choice,” Sydney said with a shrug, and then added, “I’m not the same person I was thirteen years ago, regardless of what you think or believe about me.”

Rachel continued to stare at Sydney. “Why didn’t you terminate Caitlyn’s position after you realized she was my daughter?”

Sydney’s look was incredulous. “You can’t be serious, terminate her? Her job abilities have absolutely nothing to do with you and I. She is one of the best and most intelligent employees I’ve ever had. I would promote her before I would ever consider firing her.”

“I can see that.” Rachel smiled as she thought about her oldest daughter. “She is pretty special and she definitely loves her job.

“Are you going to tell her?” Sydney asked, coming around the bar. She pulled out a stool and sat down next to Rachel.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure what can be gained by telling her about us. If anything, it would lead to more questions that I’m not sure I want to answer. I don’t have to tell you how inquisitive Caitlyn is or can be.”

“No, you don’t,” Sydney agreed. She looked at Rachel’s eyes. They were the most fascinating shade of blue she had ever seen. The only person Sydney knew of who had eyes similar in color was Elizabeth Taylor. It was only natural that Sydney’s gaze fell to Rachel’s mouth. Some old habits are hard to break. “You’re even more beautiful than I remember, Rache, and I like the way you’re wearing your hair, it suits you,” Sydney said the words aloud without realizing it.

Rachel’s throat felt like it was constricting. She struggled to swallow. She unconsciously ran her fingers through her hair. “Thank you. It’s a little shorter than I normally wear it but it’s more manageable.”

She looked at Sydney then quickly averted her eyes. She glanced down at her wine glass. What am I doing here? I should not be sitting here having this conversation, at least not with Sydney Welsh. She felt an old familiar pain in her heart. Sydney was the last person she ever expected or wanted to see again, yet she couldn’t seem to force her legs to get up from the stool. She should leave right now. Go out the door and never look back.

“Does Edward know?” Sydney asked although she already knew what the answer would be.

Rachel shook her head. “Some things are better left in the past and that’s a part of my life I would just as soon forget,” Rachel answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sydney felt as if someone had stabbed her in the chest with a knife. That’s not true. It was deeper than that. Her heart literally ached. She still hates me. After all these years, she absolutely hates me. Once again, Rachel made it perfectly clear that she regretted the love they had once shared.

Rachel slid her bracelet watch around her wrist. She stood up from the barstool. “It’s getting late, almost eleven. I should go and find Caitlyn and see if she’s ready to go home.”

“Yeah, I guess I should return to my party,” Sydney said as she reached for Rachel’s wine glass at the exact same time Rachel did. The glass toppled off the counter and crashed to the floor, sending shards of glass in every direction.

“I can be so clumsy sometimes,” Rachel said, kneeling down to pick up the glass pieces from the floor.

Sydney knelt down beside her and picked up several large shards of glass. “It’s not a big deal, besides I’m the one who knocked it off, not you,” Sydney said.

“Ouch! Damn it,” Rachel swore under her breath as a slow stream of blood from the tip of her right pinky finger ran down the side of her hand and dripped onto the floor.

“Shit! You cut yourself,” Sydney exclaimed, jumping to her feet. She grabbed Rachel’s left hand and pulled her to her feet. “We need to get this washed off,” she said, pulling Rachel behind her over to the sink.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Rachel said with a nervous laugh as Sydney turned on the water faucet and placed the bloody pinky under the cold liquid. “It stings,” Rachel said, trying to pull her hand away.

“Keep it right there until the bleeding stops,” Sydney said firmly.

Rachel started to comply but the tone of Sydney’s voice made her reconsider. Her right eyebrow shot up. “I’m not one of your employees that you can boss around,” she snapped.

Sydney felt her temper flare slightly. “You’re right. You’re not and I probably wouldn’t have hired you either,” she said, although she didn’t mean it. Rachel was a very intelligent woman and would be an asset to any company. Her daughters were perfect examples of that intelligence. They had to have gotten their smarts from Rachel because they sure as hell didn’t get them from their fathers.

Sydney didn’t look at Rachel because if she had, she would have seen how much her words had stung. She opened the cabinet door just above the sink and pulled out a first aid kit.

“I don’t think I need first aid. It’s not that bad.”

Sydney reached over and turned the faucet off. She grabbed a clean towel off the counter. “It doesn’t matter how small the cut is. It still needs to be cleaned or it can become infected and cause more problems.” She took Rachel by the hand and led her over to a barstool. “Sit,” she instructed. “Will you please sit?” she asked nicely when it was apparent that Rachel had no intention of sitting on the barstool.

“That’s better,” Rachel said, pulling out the barstool. Sydney used her foot to slide a stool over next to Rachel. She sat the first aid kit on the counter and flipped open the lid. Rachel watched as Sydney took out a tube of antibiotic cream, an alcohol packet, and a band-aid, and laid them on the counter.

Without thinking, Sydney slid her stool over so that her knees were up against Rachel’s legs. “Let me see your hand,” she said, holding her hand out to Rachel.

Rachel’s right eyebrow shot up again and Sydney smiled. “Please let me see your hand.”

“I, I still don’t think this is necessary,” Rachel said with a nervous laugh as Sydney took the towel and gently patted the water off her pinky finger.

“This is going to sting just a bit,” Sydney said, ripping open the alcohol packet.

Rachel flinched as the alcohol hit the open cut. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Rachel grimaced. “I thought you said just a bit.”

“I’m sorry,” Sydney said as she bent her head and blew softly on the cut to help ease the sting. She felt her heart rate increase as the warmth from Rachel’s legs permeated through her slacks. She needed to distance herself from Rachel before she said or did something she would regret. She didn’t wait ten years to have her plan blow up in her face in a matter of minutes. Now is not the time, she told herself as she spread a small dab of ointment over the cut. She tore the wrapper open and then wrapped the band-aid loosely around Rachel’s finger.

Without thinking, she brought Rachel’s hand to her mouth. She heard Rachel’s deep intake of breath as she lightly kissed the bandaged finger. “All better?” she asked as Rachel’s eyes met hers.

“I ... uh—”

“There you two are,” Caitlyn exclaimed as she pushed the kitchen door open.

Rachel jerked her hand away as if she had been burnt by fire.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you both,” Caitlyn said, looking first at her mom and then Sydney.

Rachel smiled. “Looks like you found us. I ... we ... um—”

“What happened?” Caitlyn interrupted as she moved closer, her voice rising slightly as she took in the first aid kit lying on the counter and the small band-aid on her mom’s finger.

“Your mom cut herself on a broken wine glass but she’s okay,” Sydney answered.

Rachel laughed. “You know how clumsy I can be sometimes.”

Caitlyn’s just like Rachel, Sydney thought as Caitlyn’s right eyebrow shot upward.

“Yeah Mom, you’re about as clumsy as I am and we both know that I’m not clumsy at all.”

Sydney knew Caitlyn’s words held a hidden meaning that Rachel understood perfectly.

“I’m fine. Really, I am,” Rachel said, trying to reassure her daughter. “Sydney and I both tried to grab the glass at the same time and it fell off the counter and broke all over the floor and—”

“That’s not what I’m talking about and …” Caitlyn said and then stopped when she saw the pleading looking in Rachel’s eyes.

Sydney was right. She had no doubt that Caitlyn was aware of Rachel’s hospital visits. It was obvious by her double talk that she didn’t think her mom’s clumsiness had anything to do with all the trips to the ER.

Caitlyn turned to Sydney. “With all the goings on in the other room, I didn’t get a chance to say thank you. This promotion means more to me than you’ll ever know and I promise to be the best employee ever.”

Sydney took Caitlyn’s hand in hers and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “You’re welcome. As for you being the best employee ever, you need to stop trying so hard because you already are. I would not have given you the promotion, Caitlyn, if I didn’t think you deserved it or couldn’t handle it. So, now tell me what your first order of business is going to be.”

Caitlyn grinned like a Cheshire cat. “I would like to order a new phone system for the entire company. The ones we use are so antiquated. What do you think?” she asked, looking at Sydney.

“I think it’s up to you to decide and I will agree with whatever you say. I also think it’s getting late and I need to go check on my guests and offer the proper goodbyes,” Sydney said, sliding off her barstool. “If I don’t see either of you before you leave, have a Merry Christmas.” She looked at Rachel. “It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Ashburn. Make sure you keep that cut clean and bandaged until it heals,” she said and then left the kitchen.

Sydney was not surprised to find Edward Ashburn propped up against the wet bar.

“What would you like ma’am?” the young bartender wearing a nametag that said Ted asked.

“I’ll have two of whatever he’s having, Ted,” Sydney said, motioning toward Edward.

“I’m drinking Kentucky Bourbon on the rocks,” Edward said, his speech slurring as if he had a mouth full of food.

“I like Bourbon,” Sydney said as she took the glass and offered the second one to Edward.

“You’re a really, really beautiful woman, Sydney. May I call you Sydney?” he asked.

“Yes you may, Edward, and thank you,” she said, smiling and thinking that she was about to puke as he openly leered at her.

“You and I should get together for a drink sometime and maybe some extracurricular activities if you know what I mean.”

Sydney smiled her best smile at him. “I know exactly what you mean and I think that is a wonderful idea.”

“I could probably teach you a thing or two,” he said as he moved closer. He rubbed his leg against hers and she fought the urge to raise her leg and knee him in the balls.

She batted her eyes dramatically at him. “I bet you can. How can I get a hold of you?” she asked.

“Sweetheart, I know several ways that you can get a hold of me,” he said, taking out his wallet. “My cell number’s on the back,” he said as he pulled out a business card and handed it to her. He leaned in close. “Don’t look now, baby, but here comes the old ball and chain,” he whispered into her ear.

Thank God, Sydney thought as she turned to see Rachel and Caitlyn approach.

“Are you ready to go home, hon?” Rachel asked her husband.

“Hell no, the parties just getting good,” he said, frowning.

“All the guests are leaving and I’m sure Sydney has work to do tomorrow,” Caitlyn said.

He shot a warning look at Caitlyn. “I’m not done with my drink.”

Sydney smiled at him. “I can take care of that for you,” she said and turned to the bartender. “Can you give me a to-go cup with a lid, please?” She took the cup and held out her hand for Edwards drink.

“You’re something else and hot as hell to look at on top of it,” he said, openly flirting although his wife was standing right next to him.

Sydney smiled as he held his glass of Bourbon out to her. This piece of shit doesn’t have a decent bone in his body, Sydney thought as she carefully placed her fingers near the bottom of the glass and dumped the Bourbon into the to-go cup. “All set,” she said and handed Edward the cup.

He grabbed Sydney’s hand and brought it to his lips. “Thank you for a marvelous evening,” he said, leaving a wet mark on her skin where his lips had just been.

“You’re quite welcome,” Sydney said, thinking that she needed to scrub her hand with bleach.

“Goodnight, Sydney. We had a good time,” Caitlyn said as she glanced at her stepdad.

“Thank you for coming and I will see you at work,” she said, looking first at Rachel and then at Caitlyn.

Sydney watched the trio leave and then turned to the bartender. “Do you have any bags back there buy chance?” she asked.

“Sure do,” Ted said, handing her a brown paper bag.

Sydney picked up a napkin and carefully placed it around the empty Bourbon glass. With a flick of her wrist, she snapped the bag open. “Gotcha,” she whispered as she placed the glass inside the bag and folded it shut.

Chapter 5

First thing I need is a strong cup of coffee, Rachel thought as she left her office and headed down the hallway toward the break room. She was surprised to see that most of the tables and chairs were taken and the occupants all seemed to be immersed in deep animated conversations. Usually by this time of the morning, the break room was nearly deserted.

“I wonder who brought these in,” she said to herself as she looked at several boxes filled with all sorts of pastries and donuts. She finally settled on a plain glazed donut. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took her donut over to the table where her assistant Lilly, along with Helen and Mary from purchasing were sitting. The three women were leaning over the table, talking in hushed voices.

Rachel pulled out a seat next to Mary and sat down. “What’s all the hubbub about?” she asked. She couldn’t remember when the last time the atmosphere at EMCOR was filled with this much electricity.

“Didn’t you get the email?” Lilly asked excitedly.

Rachel took a bite of the donut. “What email?” she asked after she wiped her mouth off with a napkin.

“The one that said we were having a meeting in the large conference hall at nine on the dot,” Helen answered. “Oughta be a real doozy,” she said, nodding her head to the point that a normal person would be dizzy.

Rachel found it amazing that no matter how violent the shake or nod, not one bleached blonde hair on the woman’s head ever moved. She had been telling herself for quite awhile now that she really needed to ask Helen what kind of hairspray she used. “Who’s meeting in the conference room?” she asked.

“You really should read your emails in the morning, Rachel dear,” Helen sighed as she used a bejeweled hand to pat down her bouffant-do.

Mary cupped her mouth with both hands in a conspiratorial fashion and leaned forward. “I heard from Jeff in shipping that he overheard young Amos talking to someone on the phone about a hostile takeover,” she whispered.

“That’s just nonsense. You of all people should know better than to listen to office gossip,” Rachel teasingly scolded the young brown-haired woman who was just one year older than Caitlyn. It wasn’t too long ago when the local gossip machine had Mary dating Ernie, the sixty-year-old mail clerk. The idea wouldn’t have been so hard to believe if it weren’t for the fact that Ernie was actually Mary’s great uncle.

“How do you explain the donuts and the fancy smancy breakfast buffet that’s set up in the conference room then?” Helen asked.

“It did say that the meeting was mandatory for the whole company,” Lily added, shyly.

Mary nodded. “Yeah that makes you wonder all right.”

Rachel snapped her fingers to get the women’s attention. “Will one of you please tell me exactly what the email said?”

“It said that everyone was to meet in the main conference hall at nine for an important announcement,” Helen volunteered.

“You three are a mess. Maybe the breakfast was Bill’s way of saying Merry Christmas and maybe the meeting is so he can announce the wonderful Christmas bonuses we all get this year,” Rachel said, trying to look on the bright side of things.

“Yeah right and I’m Cleopatra,” Helen said with a wave of her hand.

Mary glanced at the clock hanging on the wall by the coffee maker. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough. It’s eight fifty-five, we should be going,” she said, pushing her chair back.

Rachel tossed her half-eaten donut in the trashcan and then followed the women out of the break room.

Sydney was unusually nervous. She had checked the bathroom stalls beforehand and finding them empty, she had locked the door. She needed a few minutes to herself without any interruptions. She looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. It was important for her to exude confidence and to pull that off she had chosen a black pantsuit with thin white pinstripes, accented by a white silk blouse buttoned at the collar. The two-inch heeled half boots brought her eye level with most men.

Caitlyn referred to this outfit as Sydney’s vamping power suit. The name fit the clothes well and when Sydney wore it, she did indeed feel powerful. She wasn’t what you would call an extreme femme yet she wasn’t exactly butch either. She liked wearing makeup as long as it consisted of a small amount of blush and black eyeliner, and maybe a little mascara. She had Rachel to thank for the eyeliner. She had told Sydney that she loved the way it brought out the tiny black specks surrounding her brown eyes. She used her hands to brush her hair back away from her face, not quite tucking the strands behind her ears.

“Time to get this show on the road,” she said as she unlocked the door.

Bill Amos, his grandson Andrew as well as Caitlyn, Allen, Kenneth, Maureen, and Bev were waiting for her in the small room located near the front of the main conference room. “Thank you,” she said, taking the file folder from Maureen.

By the time the women from the break room reached the conference hall, all seats except for three in the back row had been taken. Helen and Mary quickly took a seat and when Lily offered Rachel the third one, she shook her head and walked over to the table where the buffet bar had been set up. She refilled her coffee cup and leaned her back up against the wall. The entire room buzzed loudly with jumbled conversations. She caught bits and pieces and could tell that most centered around speculation regarding the meeting.

Just as she took a sip of coffee, the door located at the front of the conference hall opened. She nearly choked, spitting coffee everywhere when Sydney, followed by Caitlyn, Bill Amos, his grandson, and the Welsh executives walked into the room. If she thought the conversations couldn’t get any louder, she was mistaken.

Sydney walked up to the podium, which had been placed in the center of the room. She laid the folder down, picked up a wireless microphone, and clipped it to her lapel. She poured herself a glass of water while she waited for her executives to line up behind her. She turned back to the crowd who had suddenly become quiet.

“Good morning and thank you for coming,” she said as she surveyed the crowd. “I know this meeting has caught most of you off-guard so I will get right to the point. For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Sydney Welsh. I am the President and CEO of Welsh Enterprises and these are my executives,” she said, turning and motioning with her hand at the people standing behind her. “Less than forty-eight hours ago, Welsh Enterprises became the full owner of EMCOR.”

“What does that mean for us?” an older man wearing a ball cap and blue Izod shirt yelled from the back of the room.

Sydney scanned the room to locate the questioner. She lost her train of thought for a moment when she saw Rachel leaning against the back wall. Focus, she told herself as she looked for the man behind the voice. She found him standing near the rear entrance. “What is your name, sir?”

“Carl Monroe, ma’am,” he said, taking off his hat.

“Well, Mr. Monroe, I’m going to tell you exactly what Welsh owning EMCOR is going to do for you.” She stopped to take a drink of water.

“Are we going to lose our jobs?” asked a matronly looking woman sitting in the front row. “Oh, and my name is Edith,” she added with a smile.

Sydney could not help but smile back at the woman. “You won’t lose your job unless you want to, Edith.” Sydney made a sweeping gesture toward the crowd with her hand. “And that goes for the rest of you as well.”

Another man in the front row started to say something but Sydney held up her hand to stop him. “I have several things to tell you and when I’m finished, I will open up the floor and try to the best of my ability to answer all of your questions.”

She came out from behind the podium and walked to the left side of the room. She stopped within two feet of the people in the front row. “I understand how change can be a scary thing for some people but I want to tell you that not all change is bad. In most cases, it’s for the best even if we don’t believe so at the time. Without the constant of change, things will stagnate and die. Take a fishing pond for example. Without the movement of ripples in the water, everything in the pond will die. It starts with the microorganisms that feed the algae. Without them the algae dies, once the algae dies the fish have no food and they die and the cycle goes on and on until nothing is left. The same can be true for a business. EMCOR is the pond and Welsh Enterprises is now the ripple.”

She turned and walked back to the podium. She took another sip of water and looked out at the faces of her new employees. She could tell by their expressions that they understood what she was saying. She was in her element. The one thing she knew how to do was work a room and in the process, hopefully her enthusiasm became contagious and it had nothing to do with being a good con-artist, it was because she believed in what she was saying.

She refilled her glass and walked over to the right side of the room. “For the next month or two, it will be business as usual while several of my executives evaluate the business plan and processes here at EMCOR. They will also be evaluating specific job functions and the employees who fill those roles. No one ... and I repeat, no one will be terminated or laid off if after the evaluations, it is determined that they are not the best candidate for that particular job. All of you are important to the success of EMCOR and you may or may not be utilizing your full potential and that is what we want to find out.”

She paused for a few seconds to allow her comments to sink in before continuing. “I know some of you are still skeptical and that’s okay. You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t. Believe me when I say I want this transition to go as smoothly as possible for all of our sakes. My philosophy has always been that if you respect and take care of your employees, they will take care of you. I would not be where I am today without hardworking, loyal employees. Without you, my businesses wouldn’t exist and I also believe that my employees should share in the wealth they help to create.”

She stopped to clear her throat. “Since EMCOR is now part of the Welsh family, you will be receiving the same courtesy’s and benefits that all Welsh employees get and that starts with your Christmas bonuses. I’ve had the opportunity to review the standard bonuses here at EMCOR, and by Welsh standards, it’s just not acceptable. In this week’s paycheck, every single employee will receive a $10,000 bonus.” At this news, the entire place went nuts with whooping and hollering and a couple of hell yeahs. Sydney had to smile when she overheard an elderly man ask if he had heard her correctly.

She held her hand in the air to quiet them. “In addition to the bonus, you will also be given the Thursday and Friday off before Christmas and none of you are to return to work until the third of January and before anyone asks, yes it is all with pay.”

“Wow, I never expected this in a million years,” she overheard a young man in the second row whisper to the woman sitting next to him.

So far, so good, she thought as she turned and went back up to the podium. “Okay, does anyone have a question?”

Several men and women stood up from their chairs. As she pointed to a young woman near the back of the room, she locked eyes with Rachel and felt her heart skip a beat.

Rachel pushed away from the wall and walked over to the doorway. She stopped and turned to look back at Sydney. She shook her head and then slung her coffee cup into the trashcan before storming out of the room.

Sydney looked back at the young woman. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Can you please repeat the question?”

“I can’t believe this. What in the hell does she think she’s doing?” Rachel mumbled under her breath as she hurried back to her office. “First, she takes my daughter and now the company that I’ve worked my butt off for. I have to get out of here before I scream or break something.” She jerked her jacket off the hook on the back of the door, grabbed her purse and keys, and left the office, slamming the door shut behind her.

“Okay, if no one else has any more questions for me, I’m going to turn it over to our Vice President of Computer Logistics, Caitlyn Ashburn. She’s going to explain to you how we will be transitioning EMCOR’s information system over to Welsh’s proprietary software and how that change will affect each of you.”

Sydney looked at Caitlyn and grinned. The young VP looked as if she were about to vomit. She removed the lapel microphone and covered it with her hand. “You’ll be fine,” she whispered into Caitlyn’s ear. “When you’re done, have Allen explain how our email system at Welsh works and the process we will use to get all EMCOR employees converted over.”

The coloring in Caitlyn’s face was several shades paler than what Sydney was accustomed to seeing. “I have the utmost confidence in you, Caitlyn. I promise you’ll be fine and I’ll see you back at Welsh,” Sydney said with a wink and then left the conference hall.

She rushed down the hallway toward Rachel’s office. The light was off and the door was closed. She continued down the hall to the front receptionist’s desk.

“May I help you?” a cheerful young man who looked to be sixteen-years-old at the most asked. Sydney looked at his nametag badge. “Good morning, Parker. I was wondering if you saw Mrs. Ashburn leave the building.”

“Yes ma’am, she did. Not more than two minutes ago,” he said, nodding his head.

She pulled her car keys out of her pocket. “Thank you, Parker.”

“You’re welcome. Have a good day, ma’am.”

“I’ll try and you do the same,” she said over her shoulder as she pushed the entrance door open.

Rachel slammed her purse down on the kitchen counter. “I have to find a new job. That’s all there is to it,” she said as she pulled out the basket in the coffee maker and put in a new filter. “I won’t work for a company she owns.” Why not, a little voice inside her head asked. “I just won’t,” she said, continuing to talk to herself as she scooped coffee into the filter. Can’t or won’t, the little voice asked. “Won’t, can’t, won’t, can’t. What makes the difference?” It does make a difference, the little voice said. “Okay, okay. I can’t work for her and I won’t because I can’t be that close to her,” she admitted as she filled the glass pot with water and poured it into the coffee maker.

Since the night of the Christmas party, thoughts of Sydney filled her head constantly. No matter what she did to get her mind off things, her thoughts returned to Sydney. She remembered how warm and gentle Sydney’s hands were when she had cleaned her cut. She remembered how her heart skipped a beat when Sydney’s legs touched hers when she slid the bar stool over. She remembered the smell of Sydney’s cologne and smiled. After all these years, she still wore Calvin Klein’s CK1. “You have to stop thinking like that,” she admonished herself. “I’m not going through this again. I just can’t.”

Her hands shook as she poured herself a cup of coffee and took it over to the kitchen table. She shook her head as several thoughts ran through her mind. I’m a married woman. Things are different. I’m different and she’s different. We are not the same people we used to be. She tried to clear her mind but the image of Sydney’s face wouldn’t go away. Sydney was the first and last woman she had ever loved, actually the only person she had truly loved.

The kitchen door opened, snapping Rachel from her thoughts. Caitlyn walked in and laid her briefcase on the counter. She opened the cabinet and grabbed a coffee cup. “I was wondering where you went. I saw you leave the conference room,” she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “You missed my first company speech.”

“I’m sorry, honey. I felt the beginnings of a migraine and like a dummy I left my meds in my nightstand,” she lied. Rachel frowned as she looked at the cup in Caitlyn’s hand. “Since when do you drink coffee?”

Caitlyn eyed her mom suspiciously. “Yeah, I thought that might have been the reason and since about a week ago.”

Rachel looked at Caitlyn and shook her head. She fought to keep the anger out of her voice. “You’re my daughter, Caitlyn. You could have at least warned me this was coming. Instead I was blindsided like everyone else.”

Caitlyn pulled out a chair and sat down. “I think you know me better than that, Mom. I couldn’t warn you because I didn’t know about it. I found out twenty minutes prior to us arriving at EMCOR.”

“Then you should have called me,” Rachel snapped.

“I tried but it went straight into your voicemail.”

Several seconds passed without either one of them saying anything. “I’m going to start looking for another job,” Rachel said, finally.

“What? Why? You love what you do. You told me yourself only three days ago that EMCOR was the best company you had ever worked for,” Caitlyn, said, her eyebrows furrowing into a frown.

“That’s beside the point. You may think highly of Sydney Welsh but I have no desire or intention of working for her.”

Caitlyn rested her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together. “What’s going on, Mom?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Hellooo,” Caitlyn said, waving her hands in front of Rachel’s face. “This is me you’re talking to. Something is going on with you and I know it. I can’t put my finger on it but you’ve been acting a little strange since Sydney’s Christmas party.”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rachel said, playing dumb. She could tell by the look on Caitlyn’s face that she wasn’t buying any of it.

“For some reason you have this new hostility and it seems to be directed at Sydney. She’s a really good person and Welsh buying EMCOR was the best thing that could have happened to that company.”

“If you say so,” Rachel said, shrugging her shoulders.

Caitlyn nodded. “I do say so. I saw the paperwork on EMCOR. William Amos ran it into the ground and if Sydney hadn’t intervened, the company would have been forced into bankruptcy and everyone, including you, would have lost their job.”

“I think EMCOR is nothing but a new feather in Sydney Welsh’s cap. Whatever she wants she gets and she doesn’t care who she hurts to get it.”

“Who exactly is she hurting, Mom?” Caitlyn asked. “I don’t think you understand just how good of a person she is. Just look at the bonus she’s giving to the EMCOR employees. When all is said and done it will cost Welsh well over a million dollars. I can’t see Bill Amos or any employer for that matter putting out that kind of money for a group of employees, especially people who Sydney never laid eyes on until today.”

Caitlyn stood up from her chair. She looked at Rachel and frowned. It was so out of character for her mom to be like this. It was obvious she did not like Sydney, which made no sense to her.

She grabbed her briefcase off the counter and turned back to Rachel. “I don’t care what you say. I know something is going on with you and my gut tells me it has to do with Sydney. I’m not sure what kind of conversation the two of you had in her kitchen. Maybe she said something you didn’t like or maybe someone said something bad to you about her but whatever it is, I hope you can get past it. You can deny it all you want but I know when something’s not right.”

Rachel sighed. “Can we call a truce for now and let it rest?”

“For now,” Caitlyn agreed with a smile. “I just want you to know that you, Alyssa, and Sydney are my three most favorite people in the world and I don’t want any of you to be upset for any reason. Speaking of Mini-me, where is Alyssa?”

Rachel chuckled. “She had a sleep over at Christy’s but she’ll be home this evening.”

Caitlyn leaned forward and kissed Rachel on the cheek. “I have to get back to work. I’m already behind on one of mine and Sydney’s special projects but I will see you tonight at dinner.”

Rachel stood up from her chair and hugged Caitlyn. “Okay sweetie, I’ll see you tonight and please don’t worry about me.”

“Easier said than done,” Caitlyn grinned as she pulled the door shut behind her.

Rachel walked over to the counter and refilled her coffee cup. She pulled the curtain back from the window and watched Caitlyn back her car out of the driveway. She felt like such a heel. She could not believe she allowed her hostility toward Sydney to become so apparent that Caitlyn had picked up on it. She would have to be careful and guard her tongue a little more closely, at least for Caitlyn’s sake.

She picked the morning paper up off the counter and tossed it over on the table. Just as she was about to sit down, there was a knock at the door. “What did you forget this time?” she asked, jerking the door open. She felt her heart instantly skip a beat. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

Sydney smiled. “Is that how you talk to all of your guests?”

“You’re not my guest.” Rachel glared at her. She attempted to shut the door but Sydney stuck her foot out to prevent the door from closing.

“Well, I would be if you’d invite me in.”

She’s laughing at me. I can see it in her eyes. “What are you doing here, Sydney?” she asked again, not bothering to be polite.

“I would like to talk to you.” This was going to be harder than she thought and for the second time since she had concocted this crazy scheme, she was beginning to have doubts—serious doubts.

“I don’t see where you and I have a damn thing to talk about.” Rachel hoped that she sounded angrier than she felt. Her heart was doing flip-flops at seeing Sydney again and she was having a hard time trying to figure out why.

“I assure you, we do. I’ll say my piece and then leave.”

“Fine,” Rachel said, throwing the door back. She turned and went back over to the table.

Sydney shut the door and walked over to the counter. “You have a lovely home,” she said, glancing around the large kitchen. “I love the wallpaper. I never realized you could do so many things with the shade of blue.”

“I’m sure you didn’t come here to discuss my wallpaper,” Rachel said, sarcastically.

“You’re right, I didn’t. Do you mind if I have a cup of coffee?”

Rachel shrugged. “Help yourself, second door on the right above the coffee maker.” She’s more fit than I remember, Rachel thought as the muscles in Sydney’s arms flexed as she reached up and opened the cabinet door. When Sydney turned around, she quickly averted her eyes. Staring was the last thing she wanted Sydney to catch her doing.

Sydney took a sip of the steaming liquid, leaned back against the counter, and crossed her legs at the ankle. No matter how many times she saw Rachel, she never tired of her beauty. Today, she wore a tan colored pantsuit and a light blue chemise blouse, which only served to enhance the violet blue of her eyes. Thinking that the house seemed very quiet she asked, “Where’s your youngest daughter? If memory serves me correctly, today’s the first day of Christmas break.”

“She’s at a friend’s house,” Rachel said, crossing her arms over chest. “What’s this about, Sydney? I know you’re much too busy to be making social calls for the hell of it.”

Sydney nodded. “You’re right. This isn’t what you would call a social call. It’s strictly business.”

“Speaking of business, did you know that I worked for EMCOR before you plotted out your little hostile takeover in your mega war room?”

Sydney laughed. “I would hardly call it a war room.” Did she want to tell Rachel the truth? She debated in her mind for several seconds before answering. “No, not at first,” she lied. “I did however, glance at the personnel list after the final papers were signed.” She had to choose her words carefully. “When I saw your name, I took a look at your file. Congratulations, by the way on your promotion.”

“I would say thank you if I actually believed you meant it.”

“I do mean it. You are very talented and I know this because I took the liberty to tour three buildings where you oversaw the interior design renovations. I’m a little puzzled why someone with your talent wouldn’t open her own architecture firm. I know you have the brains for it.”

If those words had come from anyone else, Rachel would have been thrilled with the compliment. She watched Sydney refill her coffee cup. “Would you like some?” Sydney asked, holding the pot in the air.

Rachel shook her head and Sydney put the pot back on the warmer. “I want you to oversee the total interior renovations of my house.”

“Huh, what did you just say?” Rachel asked, thinking she hadn’t heard her right.

“I want you to renovate my house,” Sydney repeated.

Rachel shook her head. “You’re joking right?”

“If you knew me at all Rache, which I suspect you don’t or ever did for that matter, then you would know that I never joke when it comes to business.”

Rachel’s look was defiant. “No, Sydney! I’m not going to do it and there’s nothing you can do about it,” she said, shaking her head.

Sydney had forgotten how stubborn Rachel could be. It was maddening before and even worse now. “You are an employee of EMCOR and seeing that I now own EMCOR, you are my employee as well.”

Rachel jumped up from her chair and smiled. “Then I quit! Neither you nor anyone else is going to tell me what I can or cannot do.”

“You made that perfectly clear thirteen years ago.”

“This … this, whatever this is…” Rachel shook her hands in the air. “Has nothing to do with us. Hell, I have no idea what this has to do with. You’ll have my resignation on your desk first thing in the morning.”

Sydney leaned back against the counter and laughed. She looked at Rachel with eyes that had darkened so deeply, they looked black. Her voice was even and controlled as she spoke. “You’re going to do this, Rache, and here’s why. If you don’t agree to do as I ask, I will fire Caitlyn.”

Rachel looked at her with a stunned expression on her face. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She shook her head. “You wouldn’t dare. She thinks the world of you and only God knows why, because I sure as hell don’t.”

Sydney pulled out her cell phone. It was strange to hear Rachel using curse words in the same sentence with God. She smiled at Rachel. “I would dare and you have less than ten seconds to make a decision,” she said, pushing the speed dial for Caitlyn’s phone. “Nine, eight, seven, six—”

“All right, all right, I’ll do it,” Rachel said just as Caitlyn’s voice came on the line.

“Hey, Caitlyn, it’s me. How’d everything go at EMCOR?” Sydney said into the phone. She looked at Rachel who silently mouthed the words, “please don’t.”

Sydney turned her back to Rachel. “Okay, great. See, you had nothing to worry about.” She smiled as she listened to Caitlyn’s run down of the meeting. “All right ... yeah, I have a few personal things to wrap up, and then I’m heading back to the office. I’ll see you soon.” She disconnected the line and said a silent thank you to herself for Rachel giving in. Regardless of what she had just threatened to do, she would never in a million years fire Caitlyn or cause her any type of pain, at least not intentionally. Caitlyn was the main reason she had nearly pulled the plug on her little scheme. Over the last two years she had come to love and care for the young woman as if she were her own daughter and the thought of Caitlyn hating her if she ever found out what Sydney was about to do to her mother was almost too much to handle—almost.

“What’s next?” Rachel asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

She turned and faced Rachel. “Be at my house tomorrow, eight o’clock. That’s A.M., not P.M.,” she clarified in case Rachel tried to get cute.

“I will do this, Sydney, because of Caitlyn but don’t expect me to like it. I will put in my hours just as I would if I were at my office. No weekends and no overtime and when I’m done, I’m done. No strings attached.”

“That’s all I’m asking.”

“I think you mean that’s all you’re demanding. There was no asking about it.” After all these years, just being in the same room with Sydney still had the power to unnerve her. “I mean it, Sydney. It will take me two weeks, maybe less to do what you ask and when it’s over, I never want to see you again.” She prayed the angry tone of her voice would be enough to keep Sydney from wanting to go through with her threats.

Sydney unabashedly looked Rachel up and down. Her eyes lingered on Rachel’s breast, then her lips, before settling on her eyes. “I’ve spent the last thirteen years without you being in my life. Do you really think it will pain me not to have you there for the next forty?” Sydney asked sarcastically.

Rachel turned her back to Sydney—no way would she let Sydney see just how much her words had hurt. After several seconds, she slowly turned and faced Sydney. “How am I supposed to explain this to Caitlyn or, or my husband?”

“It’s just another special project. Trust me, she’ll understand. As for your husband, I would be surprised if he’s sober long enough to notice, so you can tell him whatever you like. I really don’t give a damn,” Sydney answered with a shrug.

“Please don’t do this, Sydney,” Rachel pleaded one last time. When Sydney didn’t respond, she walked over to the door and pulled it open. She placed her hands on her hips. “I would like for you to leave now before my husband gets home.”

Sydney sat her cup down on the counter and pulled out her car keys. She removed a key from the ring and laid it on the table. Without a backward glance, she walked out of Rachel’s house.

Tears welled up in Rachel’s eyes. She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. Oh God what am I going to do? She grabbed her cup from the table and refilled it. “I can do this. I have to for Caitlyn’s sake. I will treat Sydney just as I would any other client. Two weeks, that’s all the time I need to go through Sydney’s house. I will create the new designs, order the materials needed, then hire the contractors to implement the changes, and then Sydney Welsh will be out of my life for good.”

“Hey, hon, what are you doing home so early?” Edward asked.

Rachel jerked her head up in surprise. She didn’t hear him come in. “How long have you been standing there,” she asked, silently praying that he hadn’t heard her talking to herself.

Edward, wearing a yellow hard hat, dirty jeans, and a red and black flannel shirt, stood in the doorway that separated the kitchen from the dining room. He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. She could tell he hadn’t shaved for several days based on the stubble covering his jowls and chin. His eyes were bloodshot and she could smell the alcohol clear across the room—he looked like hell.

“Just walked in,” he said, half staggering to the refrigerator. He jerked the freezer door open.

“You usually come in the back door.”

“It’s my God damn house, I’ll come in whatever door I want,” he said, slamming the ice cube tray on the counter. Several pieces of ice shot out of the tray and landed on the floor. He turned around to face her. “Now see what you made me do,” he snarled through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s your house. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Rachel said, her voice shaking as she bent to pick up the melting ice. She started to toss the cubes in the sink but he reached out and grabbed her by the wrists.

“You’re hurting me,” she cried out as he pulled her roughly against his body, pinning her arms down to her side.

He pushed her painfully against the counter. She could feel his arousal through his jeans as he crammed his crotch against her. He released one of her wrists only to grope her breast, his fingers squeezing like a vice around her nipple. He lowered his head to trail a row of sloppy kisses down the side of neck. She felt a burning sensation as he raked the prickly stubble from his beard against her skin.

Rachel’s eyes filled with tears as she pushed against his chest with her free hand. “Please stop, Edward,” she pleaded.

Edward grabbed Rachel’s forearms and squeezed. “You frigid bitch,” he spat, flinging her away from him. “Do you have any idea how many women would trade places with you in a heartbeat?” he laughed, his voice full of conceit. “And you wonder why I pick up hookers on North Dixie,” he snorted.

Rachel was silent as she looked down at the floor. She was afraid to say anything, afraid of setting him off again lest he finish what he started. Her insides shook as she thought back about the last time they had sex. It had been at least six months. Edward liked it rough and the more she fought, the more excited he got. She knew that spousal rape existed but in a million years, she would never have thought that she would experience it. It was her duty to honor and obey her husband. It was her duty to satisfy her husband sexually. She thought about her daughter. Alyssa was almost nine-years-old and Rachel counted the days, down to the last minute when her youngest daughter would turn eighteen. She only hoped she would live long enough to see that day.

She thought about the prostitutes that walked the Dixie strip. If it were possible, she would have invited one of them to live in her house. As long as the prostitute was taking care of her husband, she would be safe. She rubbed the area of her arms where his fingers had been and shivered. She would have to wear a long sleeve shirt tomorrow to hide the bruises.

“I’m gonna go watch TV, why don’t you make yourself useful for once in your life and fix me a drink,” he said, his voice snapping her from her thoughts.

She sighed in relief as he turned and stumbled out of the kitchen. She opened the cabinet door, pulled out a glass, and tossed in several half-melted ice cubes. She grabbed the bottle of Windsor sitting on the counter and filled the glass almost to the rim. She picked up the glass of whiskey, thinking that if she were lucky, Edward would drink until he passed out.

She heard the bubbly voice of Reagan O’Neal announce that it was time for the six o’clock news. What she said next got Rachel’s full attention. “At six fifteen, our news crew will take you live to Welsh Enterprises where Danielle Brisbane is reporting on the latest takeover by the entrepreneur extraordinaire, Sydney Welsh.”

“Damn,” Sydney mumbled as she turned into the Welsh parking lot. News vans and reporters were everywhere. She would have to sneak in through the back entrance. Thank heaven she drove something as non-conspicuous as a pickup truck because she was able to pass right by the reporters without getting a second glance.

She found a spot just to the left of the back door. She grabbed her briefcase and quickly made her way to the building. She slid her ID badge down the reader, slipped inside, and let out a sigh of relief when the door closed quietly behind her.

With briefcase in hand, she made her way down the carpeted hallway. As she turned the corner, she saw Caitlyn leaning against the receptionist’s desk.

“Hey, Syd,” Caitlyn greeted her with a smile as she approached the desk.

“What’s going on?” Sydney asked as she looked at Karen’s flustered face.

Karen ripped the headset from her head and laid it on the desk. “I’ll tell you what’s going on, these damn mother freakin’ reporters are driving me nuts.”

“That bad, huh?”

“You have no idea,” Caitlyn said as the sound of the ringing phone continued to buzz on different lines.

“Yeah, I saw all the news vans out front. That’s why I snuck in through the back entrance.”

“It’s been this way for over an hour,” Karen said as she placed the head set back over her ear. She glanced down at the caller ID on the new switchboard phone console that Caitlyn had installed a few short hours earlier. She recognized the number and growled.

“Watch this,” Karen said, selecting the line with a touch of a button. She pressed another button to put it on speakerphone. “Hello, you’ve reached the office of the one and only supreme genius. This is Karen speaking, and how may I help you today?”

“Hello, Karen, I’m Jason Kindle from the Daily Ledger. I was wondering if you would like to comment on the rumors regarding Ms. Welsh’s sex life?”

Sydney raised her eyebrows as she looked at Karen and then Caitlyn. Karen shook her head.

“Are they true?” Jason Kindle asked after several seconds went by in silence.

“How the hell would I know about her sex life?” Karen asked the man on the other line.

“I thought you said you were the office of Supreme Genius?” Jason Kindle laughed.

“Yes I did and I am,” Karen said, nodding her head in an exaggerated fashion.

Jason Kindle cleared his throat. “The public has a right to know.”

Karen’s cheeks flushed red, matching the fiery color of her hair. “It’s none of your freakin’ damn business, Mr. Kindle, and it damn sure isn’t the public’s business.”

“I have repeatedly called you over the last hour and I have better things to do with my time and I demand an answer!” Jason Kindle yelled through the speakerphone.

Sydney and Caitlyn both stifled a laugh at the expression on Karen’s face. The man had no idea who he was dealing with.

Karen shook her head, floored by the man’s boldness. “Oh, you demand, do you? Well, Mr. Kindle, you’ve just been redirected to the office of I don’t give a freakin’ shit. You have a great day now,” Karen laughed and then promptly disconnected the line.

“What the hell is he talking about?” Sydney asked.

“Come on, I have something to show you,” Caitlyn said, motioning for Sydney to follow her. They walked past several offices and stopped in the doorway of the break room where a group of employees sat huddled together watching the TV mounted on the wall. As soon as they saw Sydney and Caitlyn, the room went instantly quiet.

Caitlyn pointed at the TV. “That’s what he was talking about.”

Sydney watched the TV as several pictures appeared on the screen. The photos showed Sydney along with Meredith and several other women who were either entering or leaving the downtown Dayton Lesbian bar called Covers. One photo showed Sydney and Meredith with their arms around each other. A caption at the bottom of the screen stated that Meredith and Sydney had split up after ten years together.

Sydney took a deep breath as her eyes fell on the photo of her and Meredith engaged in a kiss and it wasn’t the friendly peck on the cheek type of kiss. Another photo clearly showed the tip of Meredith’s tongue tracing an outline around Sydney’s bottom lip.

“Damn her to hell,” Sydney muttered under her breath. Meredith had threatened her but Sydney never thought she would stoop this low. If winning her back was Meredith’s goal, she sure was going about it the wrong way.

Sydney glanced at the employees in the break room, their eyes glued to the TV screen. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the doorframe for support. She felt her anger rise to the surface as she made a deliberate show of loudly clearing her voice. When the employees turned to look at her, she said, “I think all of you probably have something better to do with your time.”

Chairs scraped on the linoleum, and a pop can tumbled over on the table as the employees, embarrassment written on most of their faces, mumbled apologies as they made a hasty exit from the room.

“Look on the bright side, Syd. Welsh stock shot up six bucks a share when the news broke,” Caitlyn said with a nervous laugh.

“I’m sure that’s a small consolation to some of our old-school male stockholder’s,” Sydney said, shaking her head. “To them, reputation is more important than the size of their bank accounts.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. You’ve made your major stockholder’s very wealthy, besides, if they have a problem with your sex life, I would venture to bet they’re just jealous because you can get a better looking woman than they can,” Caitlyn chuckled.

Sydney couldn’t help but laugh. She wrapped her arm around Caitlyn’s shoulders. “Have I told you lately how glad I am that you work for me and not my competitors?”

Caitlyn smiled. “Ah, maybe once or twice but you can tell me again. Do you have time for a quick meeting?” she asked, her expression turning serious.

Sydney glanced at her watch. It was a little after six and Jackie wouldn’t be here for another forty-five minutes. “Sure, your office or mine?”

“Mine. I have some news regarding our Salami problem that I think you will be interested in.”

Edward glared at the TV screen. His knuckles were white from squeezing the glass in his hand. He looked up as Rachel came over to refill his glass.

“Did you know that she was a fucking dyke?”

“Who?” Rachel played ignorant. She knew exactly what he was talking about and had stopped dead in her tracks when the announcer on the TV mentioned Sydney’s name.

“Sydney Welsh. She’s a God damn dyke,” he said between clenched teeth. “I knew something was wrong with her.”

“Um, no. I had no idea,” Rachel lied. She could see the anger in his eyes and the last thing she needed right now was to say something that would set him off.

“Why didn’t you tell me she bought your company? Were you trying to hide it from me?” he asked, accusingly.

“No Edward, I wasn’t. It just slipped my mind.”

The news reporter began talking about the EMCOR takeover and how the news about the self-made millionaire’s sex life didn’t seem to be affecting Welsh stock. If anything, it had risen in value. The reporter went on to describe the woman kissing Sydney in the photo as Meredith Lansing, an executive at Welsh Enterprises who also happened to be Sydney’s long-term girlfriend of ten years. Rachel looked at the gorgeous woman in the photo and then something unexpected happened. She felt sick to her stomach as a deep-seated pain settled in her chest. Her face flushed as she realized what the pain was—jealousy.

Edward jumped up from his chair, startling her. He jabbed his finger at her face. “I don’t want you around that woman and if that means quitting your job then that’s what you’ll do.”

Rachel sighed. “Fine, Edward. I will look for another job,” she said in resignation. She was too tired to argue.

“Women like her are trouble. She’ll try to turn you queer. She’s probably trying to turn Caitlyn queer, too. Hell, she may already have. That’s what her kind do, you know.”

Rachel shook her head and had to try hard not to laugh at the absurdity of his statement. “No, Edward, I didn’t know that’s how they recruited their women.”

“I meant what I said. I don’t want you anywhere around that perverted woman,” he said as he downed half the contents of his glass.

“Whatever you say, Edward,” Rachel said as she turned and went back to the kitchen. She had fully planned to tell Edward about her new job assignment but after seeing his reaction toward Sydney, she knew that was no longer the smart thing to do. She would keep to her usual routine in the morning and dress in her business attire as if she were going to her job at EMCOR. She would pack an extra set of clothes and change into jeans once she arrived at Sydney’s house. If she was going to do this, she might as well be comfortable, at least as comfortable as she could be around Sydney Welsh. She wondered if Sydney would be there or if she would have free reign to make whatever changes she saw fit. Whatever the case may be, she hoped with any luck, she would be able to go in, get the job done, and be out of there and out of Sydney’s life for good. If she could pull this off, she didn’t see any point in telling Edward.

She sat down and laid her arms on the table. She felt a lump in her throat and was powerless to stop the tears streaming down her cheeks. She laid her head across her arms. How in the world did she ever let her life get this messed up? This was not even close to the life she had dreamed of for herself. She raised her head and wiped the tears from her face just as the back door opened.

“Hi, Mom,” Alyssa shrieked happily when she saw Rachel. The bubbling eight-year-old was the spitting image of Caitlyn. She came over, wrapped her arms around Rachel’s neck, and kissed her on the cheek.

“Hi, baby,” Rachel said, forcing a smile on her face as she tucked a strand of Alyssa’s hair behind her ear.

Alyssa leaned back to look at her mother’s face. Her eyebrows pinched together. “Are you okay? Have you been crying?”

Rachel felt her heart break as she looked at her youngest daughter. She could see the concern in her bright blue eyes. Just like Caitlyn, Alyssa was just too intuitive for her own good.

“I’m okay, babe, I just have a slight head cold,” Rachel said with more confidence than she felt. “Did you have a good time at Christy’s?”

“We had a blast. Oh, and I made you something,” Alyssa said as she reached into her coat pocket. She pulled out a small yellow colored daisy made from felt and handed it to Rachel. “There’s a magnet on the back so you can put it on the refrigerator.”

“And that’s exactly where I will put it. It’s beautiful, baby. Thank you. I love it.” Rachel wanted to cry.

“Is Daddy home yet?” Alyssa asked.

“He’s in the living room honey and I’m sure he will be happy to see you, too.” Her heart swelled with love as she watched Alyssa leave the kitchen. She is the reason why I have to stay and make this marriage work she told herself for the thousandth time.

Sydney closed the door to Caitlyn’s office. She laid her briefcase on the table next to the coffee maker. She grabbed two coffee cups and filled it with hot steaming liquid. She took the cups over to the desk and sat them down.

“Thanks,” Caitlyn said without taking her eyes off the computer monitor.

Sydney slid a chair over next to her. “You’re most welcome,” she said as she watched Caitlyn maneuver the mouse around the screen.

Within a few seconds, several pages of code scrolled down the screen. Caitlyn clicked her mouse and the page stopped. “See this line of code here?” she asked, pointing at the gibberish on the screen.

“Yeah, kinda looks like all the rest,” Sydney laughed. Although she knew how to use computers, the intricacies of how these things actually worked still baffled her.

Caitlyn shook her head. “Well, it’s not. In fact, it’s very different.”

“I have no idea how you can tell but I sure am glad you can.”

“We had a visitor Friday night,” Caitlyn said, turning in her seat to look at Sydney.

Sydney frowned. “How can you tell?”

“Remember the key loggers I installed on the executives desktops and laptops?”

Sydney nodded.

“I also installed them on my desktop as well as yours.”

Sydney’s eyebrows shot up. “Why ours?” she asked, wondering what could have possessed Caitlyn to do that.

“I figured that if whoever was behind the embezzlement somehow figured out that we were onto their little scheme, maybe they would use mine or your computer to access our system, hoping to throw us off.”

Sydney was impressed. “And?” she asked, her lips curving into a smile.

“They did. Actually, they used mine,” Caitlyn said.

“You’re kidding?”

Caitlyn shook her head. “They accessed it Friday night, Syd.”

“Friday night,” Sydney repeated the words. They were silent for several seconds. “That was the night of my Christmas party,” Sydney said as she sipped her coffee. “Do you have an idea of what time?” she asked.

“Eleven-ten,” Caitlyn said then added, “I could kick myself in the ass over this.”

Sydney’s head shot up. She looked at Caitlyn. As long as she had known the young woman, she couldn’t recall ever hearing Caitlyn swear. “Why do you say that?” she asked.

“Because, when I wrote the new code to alert me if our system was accessed I also added code that would forward the information to my Blackberry the second it happened and it just so happens, I locked it in my desk drawer and didn’t find it until this morning.”

“You are way too hard on yourself, Caitlyn.

“It was irresponsible of me, Syd. If I had taken my Blackberry, we may have been able to catch the perp in the process.”

Sydney laughed. “The perp, huh?”

“You like that?” Caitlyn asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Sydney chuckled. “Yeah, I do but I don’t want you to even think about confronting anyone by yourself. If and when you get another alert, the first thing I want you to do is call me.” When Caitlyn didn’t say anything, Sydney nudged her with her shoulder. “You hear me, Caitlyn? I’m dead serious, here.”

Caitlyn shook her head. “Trust me, Syd. I have no intention of confronting anyone by myself.”

Sydney rubbed the sides of her temples with her fingertips as she thought about her Christmas party and the time regarding the so-called break-in at Welsh. “You said it came in on your Blackberry at eleven-ten?” When Caitlyn nodded, Sydney continued. “It could have been any of the execs seeing that the only ones left at the party at that time were you and me.”

“I know. I thought about that already. However, I do have some good news,” Caitlyn said, a look of smugness on her face. She paused to a take a drink of coffee. She smiled at Sydney.

“Not funny, Caitlyn,” Sydney laughed at Caitlyn’s obvious attempt at theatrics.

“I know the owner’s name of the Salami account,” she said finally.

Sydney’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. That is not what she expected Caitlyn to say. “You’re serious?”

“Dean & Rodgers Bank and Trust and the account belongs to one Carlos Delgado.”

“How in the world did you figure it out?” Sydney asked in amazement.

“It was pretty easy actually. I wrote this simple little logic program that looked at any type of transfer, totaling one dollar or less. I then had it crosscheck those transfers to see if any account received twenty-five or more deposits allocated to the same bank and Mr. Delgado won the prize.”

“You are absolutely incredible, Caitlyn. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you,” Sydney said and she meant every word.

Caitlyn leaned back in her chair and laughed. “You’d probably go broke.”

“You’re probably right. What do you—”

The intercom buzzing on Caitlyn’s phone stopped Sydney from finishing her question.

Caitlyn looked at the caller ID and pressed the answer button. “Hi, Maureen, what’s up?”

“Hey, Caitlyn, I hate to bother you but is Sydney with you by chance?” Maureen asked through the speakerphone.

“Yeah, I’m here, Maureen,” Sydney answered.

“I have Ms. Christopher standing at my desk. She says you’re expecting her.”

Sydney glanced at her watch. It was ten after seven. “Can you direct her to Caitlyn’s office please?”

“Will do,” Maureen said, then disconnected the line.

Within seconds, there was a knock at the door. Maureen pushed the door open and stood to the side to allow Jackie in. “I’m calling it a day,” Maureen said, looking at Sydney.

“Okay, thanks, Maureen, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Jackie turned to Maureen and smiled. “It was nice seeing you again, Mo,” she said, holding her hand out to Maureen.

“Likewise,” Maureen smiled as she took the big woman’s hand in hers. “Goodnight, Caitlyn, Sydney,” Maureen said and then left the office, closing the door behind her.

“I think she likes you. You should ask her out,” Sydney teased.

Jackie’s cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. She crammed her hands in the pocket of her grey hoodie. “Nah, I don’t think so. Being single is so much more fun than lugging around dead weight.”

“See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about,” Sydney laughed. “Maureen says the exact same thing you just did. You two would have a marriage made in heaven.” Sydney winked at Jackie. “I’m pretty sure she’s not interested in men although I’ve never seen her with a woman.”

“What makes you think that?” Jackie asked, her eyebrows rising.

“For the past few years and just like clockwork, she gets roses monthly from a secret admirer named John and she has no idea who he is. When the flowers come, she just shrugs as if she couldn’t care less,” Sydney laughed.

“That would drive me crazy not knowing,” Caitlyn said.

“Me, too but I guess if you don’t care, then it doesn’t matter,” Sydney said with a shrug.

Caitlyn laughed. “I think it’s kinda creepy.”

Jackie looked at Sydney and smiled. She then walked over to Caitlyn and offered her hand. “Hello, Caitlyn, I’ve heard so much about you from Sydney and I didn’t get a chance to meet you the other night or offer my congratulations on your new promotion.”

“Okay, okay. I get it,” Sydney said in response to Jackie changing the subject.

Caitlyn shook Jackie’s hand. “Thank you and it’s nice to meet you as well.”

“You want some coffee?” Sydney asked.

Jackie pulled out a chair on the opposite side of the desk and sat down. “Nah, I’m good,” she said, leaning back in the chair.

“How’s the research coming?” Sydney asked.

“Not as good as I’d like. Without some proof that I know what I know, they’re calling my bluff and keeping their mouths shut tight.” Jackie crossed her legs at the ankle.

“I may be able to help you out on that.” Sydney got up from her chair and went over to her briefcase. She snapped open the lid, pulled out a brown paper bag, and handed it to Jackie.

Jackie opened the bag and peered inside. “I think this should do it,” Jackie said, looking at the glass with a napkin wrapped around it.

“Good. Now how long do you think it will take?” she asked, looking at Jackie.

“I need at least three or four days. May take a little longer depending on how quick my contact at the bureau can move.”

“When you find—”

“I will call you immediately,” Jackie said before Sydney could finish her sentence.

“Fantastic. Now I have another little matter that we,” Sydney looked at Caitlyn and winked, “need your help on.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Caitlyn, can you write down for Jackie, the name of the bank and holder, and the account number regarding our internal problem.”

“Sure.” Caitlyn wrote the information down on a post-it-note. She ripped the paper off the pad and handed it to Jackie.

Jackie read the information. She looked at Sydney and frowned. “What would you like me to do with it?”

“We have a major problem. Someone is embezzling money from my company and whoever is doing it accessed our main computer system. They reconfigured the computer programming code in order to pull it off.”

Sydney paused to refill her coffee cup. She leaned against the desk. “Caitlyn was able to trace the stolen money to the account written on the paper in your hand. I want to know who Carlos Delgado is, where he’s at and I want my money back and I want whoever’s behind this in a jail cell.”

“How much is missing?”

“Over four million dollars,” Caitlyn answered.

“Wow,” Jackie said, shaking her head. “Have you called the police?”

“No and I’m only going to do that as a last resort. If this gets out, it could affect the price of our stock and send it to the basement.”

“How did you discover it?” Jackie asked, looking at Caitlyn.

Caitlyn looked at Sydney, not sure how much information she should divulge. Sydney nodded for her to go ahead.

“No one except for Sydney knew that I was in the process of adding a whole new computer system and when I ran a beta test I discovered the discrepancies in our accounting numbers. From there, I wrote new code to find the missing funds, which I did.”

“Sounds pretty technical to me,” Jackie said. She was impressed. She knew Caitlyn was a computer wiz kid based on everything Sydney had told her but she never really had a handle on just how intelligent the young woman was until now.

“You ever hear of the Salami Technique?” Caitlyn asked.

Jackie nodded. “Sure. In my line of work, there’s not much I haven’t seen or heard of.”

“Well whoever did this, hacked into our system on Friday night,” Sydney said.

Several seconds went by without any of them saying a word. Jackie folded the paper and put it in her pocket. She looked at Sydney. “Well, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have any answers but if I was a betting person, I’d say it was an inside job.”

“We agree,” Sydney said as she brushed her hands down the front of her jacket. “There aren’t too many people here at Welsh who have the knowledge and access to our computer system, which narrows it down to one of my executives. I will gather all of their information and fax it to your office. Once you trace the bank account, I would like you to take a close look at my execs. Check their bank accounts. See if they are living beyond their means or if they have any unexplained expenditures, etcetera.”

Jackie stood up from her chair. “That should be easy enough to do. Most people with that kind of money sitting around will have a hard time not spending it.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Sydney said as she walked Jackie to the door.

“I’ll get started on the bank account first thing in the morning and keep you posted.”

“Thanks, Jackie. I appreciate it.”

“Not a problem. I’ll put a big rush on our other little matter, too,” Jackie said and then left the office.

Sydney turned to Caitlyn. “Let’s get out of here kiddo.” She grabbed her briefcase off the table and waited for Caitlyn to close her computer down.

Chapter 6

Rachel, with a duffle bag slung over one shoulder, her laptop over the other, and an armful of swatch books, walked up the porch steps to Sydney’s house. She repositioned the books on her hip and used the key Sydney had left on her counter. She unlocked the door, shoved it open with her hip, and stepped into the foyer. Once inside, she kicked the door shut with the back of her foot.

She immediately noticed a white note card leaning up against a candle on the entryway table. With a groan, she dropped the swatch books and duffle bag on the floor.

“I can only imagine what this says,” she said as she picked up the card and begun reading it aloud.

“Good morning, Rachel. If you’re reading this little note, then it’s obvious that you decided to keep up your end of our little deal—wise choice.”

Rachel made a growling noise in her throat. “Wise choice my butt. You gave me little choice.” She slid her laptop bag off of her shoulder and let it slide down onto the floor beside her feet. She leaned back against the table as she continued to read the note.

“Please make yourself at home and feel free to take a look around so you can better familiarize yourself with the layout of the house. I have also taken the liberty to set up a design room for you. Go down the hallway located on the opposite side of the family room, the second door on the right is just for you. I have some things to wrap up at work this morning but once I’m done, I will be home so we can talk about the changes I would like for you to make. If you need anything at all, just ask Edna. If you haven’t met her yet, I’m sure you will soon, especially if you’re tracking up her clean floors with your messy shoes. ” The note was signed, Sydney.

“I’m glad to see that somebody is happy,” Rachel mumbled as she looked at the small ‘Happy Face’ Sydney had drawn directly beneath her signature. She then looked at the floor and saw the little puddles from where she had tracked in snow. “Crap, Edna’s going to kill me.”

“Every morning that I wake up on the right side of the grass makes me happy and I promise not to kill you.”

“Oh my gosh,” Rachel exclaimed, clutching her hand to her chest. “You must be Edna and I’m so sorry about your floor.”

Edna smiled at Rachel. “And I’m sorry for scaring you. Yes, I am Edna and don’t worry about the floor, it’ll dry.” Edna leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner. “Don’t tell anyone but I love giving Sydney a hard time about it, so she feels it’s her duty to warn anyone who walks through the door,” she whispered.

“Your secret is safe with me and I usually don’t startle so easily, I just assumed I was the only one here.”

Edna shook her head. “In this house, someone is always around.”

“Well, in that case, good morning, Edna,” Rachel said and smiled.

“And top of the morning to you as well and you must be Rachel,” Edna said with a wink. “May I take your coat?”

“Yes I am and thank you,” Rachel said, shrugging the coat from her shoulders.

“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” Edna asked as she took the coat and hung it in the closet located next to the elevator.

“I would love a cup but you don’t have to wait on me. If you can point me in the right direction, I can get it myself.”

“Nonsense, and if you don’t mind the company, I think I’ll join you,” Edna said over her shoulder as she went through the large doorway, separating the two sets of stairs in the entryway foyer.

“I wouldn’t mind at all,” Rachel said, following Edna across the dining room toward the double doors that led into the kitchen. “This house is simply—”

“Too much,” Edna laughed as she grabbed two ceramic cups from the cabinet located above the stove.

“Actually, I was going to say, amazing,” Rachel said as she watched Edna pour coffee into the cups.

“It’s definitely that,” Edna said as she slid a plate that contained sugar and cream over in front of Rachel.

“Thank you,” Rachel said as she spooned two sugars and half the contents of the cream into her cup.

“Would you like a little coffee with your cream?” Edna asked and then chuckled at the expression on Rachel’s face.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Rachel said, looking slightly embarrassed. “I will refill it for you,” she said, sliding her bar stool back.

“No, no, you just sit right there and enjoy your cream and coffee,” Edna grinned, waving Rachel off with her hand.

Rachel laughed and sat back down. “Sydney used to tease me and say that she could save the waitress several trips by just hooking the cow up to the table.”

Edna’s eyebrow shot upward, a little grin playing at the corners of her mouth. “Did she now?” she asked slyly as she sipped her coffee.

Rachel looked up in surprise, realizing that she just spoke her thoughts aloud.

Edna laughed. “So I take it that you and Sydney know each other?” She said it more as a statement than a question.

Rachel nodded. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” Several seconds went by without Edna saying a word. A look of relief crossed Rachel’s face when she realized that Edna wasn’t going to pry. Instead, Edna pushed her bar stool back and stood up.

“Would you like a warm up?” she asked as she refilled her own cup.

“Yes, please,” Rachel said, sliding her cup across the bar so Edna wouldn’t have to stretch.

“I understand from Sydney that you’re going to be redecorating the place,” Edna said as she placed the pot back on the warmer.

“That I am,” Rachel said, nodding her head. “I honestly don’t know why though. The place is beautiful just the way it is.”

Edna shrugged. “Maybe she just needs a change.”

“Maybe,” Rachel said in agreement but she doubted a change was the reason behind Sydney’s decision. She just wasn’t sure exactly what the true reason was. It couldn’t simply be that she wanted to make Rachel’s life miserable. It had to be something else and she was determined to find out the answer.

“If you’d like, I can show you around,” Edna volunteered.

“I would love that,” Rachel said as she got up from her bar stool.

“I’ll use any excuse I can to put off cleaning and if giving you a tour around this big old house can help me do that, I’ll take it,” Edna laughed.

“Really?” Rachel asked and then chuckled as she slid her fingers over the air vent above the stove. She held her hand up for Edna to see—her fingers were spotless.

“And your point is?” Edna asked with a grin.

Rachel laughed. “No point at all. So ... how about that tour now?” she asked.

Allen Carmichael quietly closed his office door as he stepped out into the hallway. He walked toward the opposite end of the hall where Sydney and Caitlyn’s offices were located. He slowed his pace as he came to Maureen’s office and poked his head through the open doorway. He glanced at his wristwatch. The digital readout said that it was 9:32 A.M.

“Just like clock-work,” he mumbled under his breath as he looked at Maureen’s empty chair. Everyone at Welsh knew that Sydney’s assistant made a break-room run at 9:30 and 2:30 every day. Over the years, Maureen had developed an addiction for the strawberry Danish’s from the vending machine. She was so predictable that you could set your watch by her food craving and that’s exactly what he had been counting on.

He smiled as he crammed his hands into the front pocket of his trousers. With one last glance down the hallway to insure he wouldn’t be seen, he walked past the closed door of Sydney’s office and stopped at Caitlyn’s office. He knocked lightly on the door with his knuckles. When no one answered, he slowly pushed the door open. Seeing that the office was empty, he slipped inside and closed the door behind him. He wasted no time and headed straight for her desk. He pulled her chair out and sat down.

“Okay, let’s see if you’re as smart as everyone says you are, Caitlyn,” he whispered as he pulled open her lap drawer and sifted through the contents. Not finding what he was looking for, he systematically began pulling out every drawer on the left side of the desk and searched through them. He sighed in frustration, running his hands through his hair. “You’re fucking crazy if you think I’m gonna let some nineteen-year-old little bitch ruin me,” he muttered under his breath as he searched through the drawers on the right side of the desk.

Karen watched Caitlyn walk past her desk for the third time in less than fifteen minutes. “Stop right there!” she yelled.

Caitlyn stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at Karen. “Are you talking to me?”

With a dramatic look on her face, Karen slowly looked around the lobby. “No, I was talking to that tiny little woman with horns protruding from her forehead. You know, the one sitting on your shoulder. Hell yes, I’m talking to you.”

Caitlyn’s right eyebrow shot upward as she looked at her shoulder. She smiled as she slowly walked over to Karen’s desk.

“You’ve already worn a bare patch in the floor in front of my desk, are you trying to destroy the hallway carpet as well?”

Caitlyn shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Hold that thought,” Karen said, picking up a pen and a large white index card. She scrawled something on the card, folded it in half like a tee-pee, and then set it up on the counter for Caitlyn to see.

Caitlyn burst out laughing as she read it aloud. “The Remarkable and Luscious Dr. K. - Office of Supreme Intelligence. All problems welcome. Payment required at time of service. Will trade smart ass answers for sex.”

“You like that, huh?”

“You crack me up,” Caitlyn said as she looked at Karen’s clothing choice for the day, which consisted of a pink leather miniskirt and ‘come fuck me’ knee high pink boots with lace down the side. “By the way, the new studded pink dog collar is way cooler than the black one.”

“Way cooler? Oh young protégé of the all mighty and powerful Welsh employer, you really need to work on your vocabulary, honey.”

Caitlyn frowned. “What’s wrong with my word choice. I think I speak with very proper diction.”

“See right there, that’s what I’m talking about,” Karen groaned.

“What?” Caitlyn looked completely confused.

“Diction? Who the hell says diction?”

“Hey, I can talk hip and slang with the best of them.”

“Uh huh, sure you can and thanks for the compliment on the collar. I have matching furry pink handcuffs to go with it. You wanna come over to my house and try them on sometime?” Karen winked and then laughed at the expression on Caitlyn’s face.

“Um ... uh ... I—”

“OMG. Stop the press,” Karen yelled. “Why, Ms. Caitlyn, you sure do turn the prettiest shade of red when you’re all hot and bothered,” Karen teased, speaking in a twangy southern drawl.

Caitlyn grinned and shook her head. “TMI, TMI,” she said just as Karen took a sip from her Starbucks cup.

“SCAOMK,” Karen choked as she spit coffee out of her mouth.

Caitlyn frowned. “I don’t think I know that one.”

“Uh freaking duh. Spitting-Coffee-All-Over-My-Keyboard,” Karen grinned.

Caitlyn shook her head. “You are just too dang funny.”

“Thank you. Lord knows I do try,” Karen said as she pulled herself together. She sat straight up in her chair and laced her fingers together in front of her. With as serious of an expression that she could muster, she looked at Caitlyn. “Okay, Young Apprentice, tell me why you’re really pacing back and forth in front of my desk ole little one with many problems.”

“Since you ask. I have a quagmire,” Caitlyn laughed.

“SMFH,” Karen laughed.

Caitlyn frowned. “Why are you shaking your f-ing head?”

“You have a quagmire? Do you know what that word means?” Karen laughed.

Caitlyn smiled at Karen. “Of course I know what it means. It’s a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot.”

“Thank you for that definition, little Webster. Now explain to me why you think you are in an area of soft wet low-lying land.” Karen held her hand up in the air. “On second thought, I don’t wanna know.” She tapped her finger on her wristwatch. “We’re on the clock here and time is sex. So what’s the problem?” she asked.

Caitlyn looked down at her hands. “I’ve met someone.”

Karen slapped her hand on the counter, causing Caitlyn to jump. “Hot damn. It’s about time.”

“It is?”

Karen laughed. “Hell yes it is. So when’s the big day?”

“The big day?” Caitlyn asked, frowning.

Karen shook her head. “Is there an echo in here or do you always talk like a parrot?”

“I don’t understand,” Caitlyn said.

“I meant when is your date? You know the big day?” Karen asked, her eyebrows rising.

Caitlyn shook her head. “That’s just it. I haven’t asked them out yet and I’m not sure how to even do it.”

Karen shook her head in disbelief. “Why the hell not?” she asked.

Caitlyn shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “Um ... I ... I’ve never been on a date before.”

Karen’s eyebrows shot upward in surprise. “No fucking way.”

“I’m serious, Karen,” Caitlyn said, almost apologetically.

“Wow,” was all Karen could manage to say. For the first time in her life, she was actually speechless. She took a deep breath. “So is this person you like fucktastic or fuckalicious?”

Caitlyn busted out laughing. “And you have the audacity to talk about my word usage. Is fucktastic or fuckalicious even a word?”

Karen laughed. “They are now. Seriously though. Do you really like him?”

“Who says it’s a him?” Caitlyn asked, her right eyebrow shooting upward.

“Do you really like her?” Karen asked without missing a beat.

“Yes, I really like this person,” Caitlyn answered without confirming one way or the other who or what the person was.

Karen pretended to roll her eyes in a dramatic fashion. “Okay, now that we’ve got that settled. Does this person like you?”

Caitlyn shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I don’t even know if they know I exist.”

Karen looked Caitlyn up and down in an appreciative, yet seductive manner. “Trust me when I say this. You’re gorgeous and you can bet that not only do the men notice you but the women do as well.”

“Thank you for saying that. So what do I do now?”

Karen laughed. “Grow some balls and I don’t mean literally. Go up to them and just ask them out. If going out for dinner scares you then start small and ask them to let you buy them a coffee or something.”

“It’s that simple, huh?” Caitlyn asked.

Karen nodded. “Yeah. It really is.”

Caitlyn smiled. “Thanks, I think I can do this.”

“You’ll be fine,” Karen said, patting Caitlyn on the hand.

“You know. I can see why Sydney loves you so much,” Caitlyn said, nodding her head.

“Yeah and I can see why she loves you as well.” Karen picked up a pen and scribbled something on a post-it-note. She held the paper out to Caitlyn.

“What’s this?”

“My number in case you wanna join me for a night of mad, freaky, uninhibited blow your mind kinky ass sex,” Karen said with a cheesy grin. She laughed at the shocked expression on Caitlyn’s face. “I’m just teasing you, honey.”

“I knew that,” Caitlyn said as she grabbed the pen and wrote her number down.

“Sure you did,” Karen said, nodding her head as she took her cell out and added Caitlyn’s number to her list of contacts.

“Thanks for the advice. I guess I better head on back to my office. The work isn’t going to get done by itself.”

“I hear you. I still have two fingernails left to file,” Karen said with a wink.

“You’re incorrigible and thank you for this,” she said as she looked at the number scrawled on the paper.

“Don’t mention it and since I know that you now know text jargon, shoot me one or just give me a call if you need to talk.”

“I’ll do that,” Caitlyn said as she finished programming Karen’s number into her Blackberry.

“Hey, Caitlyn?”

“Yeah,” Caitlyn answered, turning to look back at Karen.

“You can stop by and chat with me anytime as well.”

Caitlyn, with a smile on her face walked toward the elevator. She waited as the door slid open. “I can do this,” she whispered to herself as she pressed the button for the executive floor.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Caitlyn asked. She glared at Allen from her open doorway, her hands on her hips.

Allen shoved the desk drawer closed with a bang. “I ... um ... I was looking for the report on the Dem Project,” he stuttered as he got up from her chair.

Caitlyn’s right eyebrow shot upward.

“You know, for the new recycling plant,” he said after a few seconds passed without Caitlyn saying a word.

“I know what it is but that doesn’t explain why you were just rummaging through my desk.”

“I ... I just thought that since it’s a current project that ... that it would be in your desk drawer.”

“Well, you’re not going to find it there,” Caitlyn said as she walked over to the filing cabinet located against the wall, next to her coffee maker. She pulled out the bottom drawer and flipped through the stack of manila folders. She pulled out a file that had a red tab affixed to the top of it. She kicked the drawer shut with the back of her foot as she turned to face Allen.

“Why do you need this folder anyway? I thought Virgil was handling the logistics behind this project with Sydney having the final say.”

“Yeah ... yeah he is. I just thought I would take a look at it in case something got overlooked.”

“Really?” Caitlyn asked. Something just isn’t adding up here, she thought to herself as she held the folder out to him.

“Thanks,” Allen said as he took the folder from her. “You know what they say here at Welsh? An extra set of eyes on a project never hurt anything,” he said as he walked over to the doorway.

“Hey, Allen?”

“Yeah?” he said, stopping to turn and look at Caitlyn.

“The next time you need something from me, try asking me first. I don’t appreciate you or anyone for that matter, searching through my desk or being in my office when I’m not here.”

“Sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Caitlyn smiled at him. “I hope not, otherwise Sydney and I will be having a nice conversation about it.”

“Have a good day, Caitlyn,” Allen said over his shoulder as he left her office.

“Yeah, you do the same,” she said to the empty room. Once she was sure that he was gone, she went over to her desk and pulled out the drawer she caught Allen searching through a few minutes earlier. She shook her head as she looked at the stack of papers. “The Project Dem file my butt. Just what were you doing in my office and what were you really looking for Mr. Carmichael?”

She sat down in her chair and glanced around the office. “What are you up to, Allen? Whatever it is—”

The sound of her desk phone buzzing stopped her from finishing her thoughts. She looked at the caller-ID and seeing that it was Sydney, pressed the answer button. “Hey, Syd, what’s up?”

“Are you free at the moment?” Sydney asked.

“Yes, ma’am I am.”

“I would like for you to join me and Jackie in my office, please.”

“I’ll be right there,” Caitlyn said and then pressed the button to disconnect the line.

Sydney leaned back and stretched her legs out in front of her. She took a sip of her coffee and looked at Jackie over the rim of the cup. A knock on the door caused her to sit up in her chair.

“It’s open,” Sydney said as she placed her cup down on the desk.

Caitlyn pushed the door open and poked her head in. “What’s up, boss?”

“Come on in and close the door behind you, please,” Sydney said, motioning to Caitlyn with her hand. “Get yourself a cup of coffee, this could take awhile.”

Caitlyn’s right eyebrow shot upward. “We having a party?” she asked, looking at Jackie and then Sydney.

Sydney tried not to laugh at the characteristic eyebrow thingy that Caitlyn did. She looked just like Rachel when she did that. “I would never have a party without inviting you,” Sydney teased. “But to get to the heart of this little pow wow, Jackie has some info regarding our little problem,” Sydney said, making finger quotes in the air for emphasis.

“I have some news of my own concerning the same thing or at least I think there may be a connection,” Caitlyn said as she poured herself a cup of coffee and then sat down in the chair beside Jackie.

“Well, let’s get this party started then.” Sydney looked directly at Jackie. “So, out of all of the executives, you have two who you think may be the most likely to have pulled this off based on the background checks you ran. Is that correct?

“That would be correct,” Jackie said, nodding her head.

“I guess the floor is all yours.”

Jackie flipped open the folder lying on her lap. “I’ll start with the reports I just received last night and as you said, two in particular stand out.”

“I’m not sure that’s good news or bad news. I’ve been secretly hoping you would come up empty,” Sydney said, her brow furrowing into a frown.

“Well, at least this way we may be getting one-step closer to finding out who your embezzler is. Either of you care to take a guess which two it is?” Jackie asked, looking at Sydney first and then at Caitlyn.

“I’ll guess. One of them wouldn’t happen to be Mr. Allen Carmichael by chance?” Caitlyn asked.

Jackie grinned at her. “Give that girl a prize.”

Sydney looked at Caitlyn with a mild expression of shock on her face. “I’m not even gonna ask but I will say this ... you cannot have the red vacuum. I’ve already won that fair and square,” she said, winking at Caitlyn.

“Dang it and I needed a new vacuum worse than anything,” Caitlyn laughed.

“How about a brand new shiny silver blender instead?” Sydney asked, causing Caitlyn to chuckle.

Jackie looked at Sydney and then Caitlyn as if the two of them had completely lost their minds. “Am I missing something here?” she asked.

“Just a private little joke,” Caitlyn said as she wiped tears from her eyes. “Seriously though, I told you I had some news of my own,” she said, looking at Sydney.

Sydney got up from her chair. “I think I need a warm up. Would you like one?” she asked Caitlyn.

“Sure why not. I’ve only had two pots already this morning. What’s one more cup, right?” Caitlyn answered.

“Would you like some, Jackie?”

“No thanks. I’m all coffee’d out.” She looked at Caitlyn. “Two pots by yourself?”

“Probably three but who’s counting,” Caitlyn laughed as she held her cup up for Sydney.

“Who’s the other exec?” Sydney asked as she sat back down in her chair.

“The other is Robert VandDersmote,” Jackie answered.

Sydney leaned back in her chair and laced her hands over her head. “Okay fill us in about Allen first. What’s going on with him?”

“I’ll start by saying he likes to play the stock market and he’s not very good at it. Actually, he really sucks and he sucks so bad that his house is one month away from foreclosure.”

“Are you serious?” Sydney asked. She couldn’t believe it. Allen made over a half-million dollars a year just in salary. That didn’t include what he took home in bonuses.

Jackie nodded. “Yes ma’am and that’s not all. Last week he applied for a loan at one of Welsh’s credit unions.”

Sydney leaned forward in her chair. “Which one and for how much?”

“The East Dayton branch and,” Jackie flipped through the papers inside the folder and then said, “four hundred grand.”

Sydney shook her head as she digested the information. “You think he’s so far in debt that he would embezzle from Welsh?”

Jackie shrugged. “The question is do you think he’s capable of it.”

Sydney looked at Caitlyn. “What do you think?

“Do I think he’s capable or do I think he did it?”

“Both,” Sydney answered.

“I certainly think he’s capable but I really can’t say yet as to whether he did it without seeing the proof in black and white. I can tell you without a doubt that he certainly has the programming skills needed to pull it off and if I recall correctly, he graduated at the top of his class.”

“Where did he go to school, Jackie?” Sydney asked.

Jackie used her finger to scan down the top document on her lap. “B.A.S from the University of Dayton, Masters degree from Ohio State. He majored in computer programming at U.D. and as Caitlyn stated, he graduated at the top of his class at both colleges.”

“All right. What’s going on with Robert?” Sydney asked.

“Not quite as drastic as Allen but his financial problems could still be a red-flag. He has a very sick mother he’s been caring for financially. She has a rare blood disease and lung cancer on top of that. He’s been paying all of her medical bills in addition to covering several trips to Europe over the last year.”

“What’s in Europe?” Sydney and Caitlyn both asked at the same time.

“They say great minds think alike,” Jackie laughed. “To answer you both, experimental medicine is what’s in Europe, more specifically, a clinic just outside of London claims to have made a breakthrough in curing the blood disease. Some sort of multi-drug cocktail that’s not available here in the states.”

“And his education is in what?” Sydney asked.

Jackie pulled out the sheets from the folder she had written up on Robert. “Same as Allen’s except his B.A.S. is from Wright State University.”

Sydney leaned forward, lacing her fingers together on top of the desk. She took a deep breath. “Just how much in debt is Allen?”

“Almost a million,” Jackie answered.

“And Robert?”

“One point six.”

“Holy shit,” Sydney said, shaking her head. She looked at Caitlyn. “So which of those two would you put your money on?”

“Allen,” Caitlyn answered without hesitation.

“Why?” Sydney asked.

“Remember me saying I had some news of my own?”

Sydney nodded.

“A few minutes before you called and asked me to join you and Jackie, I caught Allen in my office. He was going through my desk drawers.”

“He was doing what?” Sydney asked, not believing what she was hearing.

“You heard me right. He was going through my drawers.”

“What did you say to him?” Sydney asked.

“I asked him what the hell he was doing. He gave me some lame excuse about wanting to see the Dem Project files.”

“I take it you didn’t believe him?” Jackie asked.

Caitlyn shook her head. “Not for a minute. If you could have seen the look on his face, you wouldn’t have believed him either. He was looking for something specific and it wasn’t the Dem Project files. I told him that if he ever did it again, I would talk to Sydney about it.”

“Do you have the slightest idea of what he was looking for?” Sydney asked.

Caitlyn shook her head. “Not a clue but I will figure it out.”

Sydney looked at Jackie. “Are you any closer to tracking down the owner of the checking account where the funds are being dumped?”

“Not as close as I’d like to be. Whoever he is, he’s a lot smarter than I thought. The funds have been funneled through several different accounts, ending in the Bahamas’s.”

Sydney sighed in frustration. “I think until we know who this man truly is, it makes it hard to pin anything on Allen or Robert or anyone for that matter.”

“I know you’re frustrated but we will get this guy,” Jackie said.

Sydney stood up from her chair. “Just keep me updated, please.”

“I’ll keep at it on my end and hopefully I’ll have some concrete answers for you soon.”

“I sure hope so,” Sydney said.

Jackie got up from her chair. She walked over to the door. She stopped, turned, and smiled at Sydney. “Have I ever failed you?”

Sydney smiled and then shook her head. “No you haven’t and believe me when I say, I appreciate everything you’re doing now and everything you’ve helped me with in the past.”

“I’ll catch you gals later.”

“See ya,” Caitlyn said with a wave of her hand.

Sydney waited for Jackie to close the door. She came out from behind her desk and leaned against it. She crossed her arms over her chest. “All right, out with it.”

Caitlyn laughed. “Out with what?”

“You know what. Tell me what you’re really thinking about Allen.”

“Honestly, I’m not really sure what to think.”

“I can see those little wheels turning in your head.”

“Seriously, Syd. This whole thing is kinda crazy but I’m willing to bet a year’s salary that Allen was looking for something else.”

“And I agree with you, so how do we figure out what that something is?”

“I’m going to start by running a key log report on his laptop and desktop. I’m guessing that I will be able to find some kind of trail indicating what he’s been searching for. Whatever it is, he’s obviously convinced that I have it and if I do, I will find out what it is.”

Sydney grinned at her. “I have no doubt about that at all.” Sydney glanced at her watch. “I’m going to be working at home for the rest of the day so if you need me, that’s where I will be.”

“Yeah, I heard that you put Mom on a special project to redecorate your house,” Caitlyn said, grinning from ear to ear.

Sydney frowned. “She told you?”

“I didn’t give her much choice. The duffle bag with a change of blue jeans and a t-shirt gave her away.”

Sydney’s thoughts automatically took a wrong turn as she imagined Rachel wearing a very tight pair of jeans and an extremely snug t-shirt. The image made her smile and she suddenly had an overwhelming urge to get the hell out of there.

“Uh, hello ... earth calling Sydney,” Caitlyn said, waving her hand in front of Sydney’s face.

Sydney shook her head as if the motion would somehow clear the thoughts from her mind. “I’m sorry. What did you say?” she asked.

“I asked you if it would be okay if I dropped by later?”

“Caitlyn, you don’t need an invitation to come to my house. You’re always welcome anytime you feel like it.”

Caitlyn stood up from her chair. She ran her hands down her slacks. “Thank you,  I appreciate that. Hopefully I will have some info about Allen when I come.”

“Sounds good. I will see you later than.”

Caitlyn walked over to the door. She stopped and turned to look at Sydney. “Tell Mom I said not do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said with a wink and then shut the door behind her, leaving Sydney standing there with her mouth hanging open. “What the hell?” Sydney smiled as she pulled her jacket off the hanger. “Time to face the firing squad,” she laughed as she grabbed her keys and laptop bag off the desk.

Chapter 7

Rachel, having changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt in spite of the small bruise on her arm, looked around the home theater room. “This is insane,” she said as she counted sixteen movie chair recliners.

“You have to admit that watching movies on a screen bigger than a highway billboard is awfully nice,” Edna said.

“It’s actually incredible,” Rachel said as she continued to look around the large room. If she had to guess, she would say that the room measured at least forty-feet long by thirty-feet wide and the viewing screen was almost as wide as the room itself.

The two sidewalls as well as the back wall were completely covered with red-velvet drapes. Hanging on each wall and evenly spaced two-feet apart were lighted movie boxes that contained full size movie posters of various films. At the back of the room was an oak and glass concession stand filled with every type of candy imaginable. Next to the stand was a floor sized popcorn maker and cotton candy machine. On the opposite side of the concession stand was a full service soft-drink fountain machine and hot dog cooker.

“The floor is even carpeted and ramped just like a theater,” Rachel said, shaking her head. “My youngest daughter would fall in love with this room.”

Edna laughed. “Trust me, quite a few adults would fall in love with it as well.”

“My daughter is a huge movie buff, to the point that she can recite the dialogue right along with the characters.”

“Sounds like Sydney,” Edna chuckled.

“She does that, too?”

Edna nodded. “Sometimes it’s maddening.”

“Believe me, I know,” Rachel laughed as she glanced up at the ceiling.

“Pretty amazing isn’t it?” Edna asked as she followed Rachel’s eyes.

“That’s an understatement,” Rachel answered as she looked at the gold-colored octagon shaped boxes that made up the design on the ceiling, giving it the appearance of a giant honeycomb.

“If you like this room, wait until you see the indoor-outdoor pool,” Edna said as she headed toward the door.

“Exactly how many rooms does this house have?” Rachel asked as she followed Edna out into the hallway.

Edna used her fingers to count as she mentally calculated the number in her head. “Twenty-three,” she finally answered.

“How many of those are bedrooms?”

Edna smiled. “Eight with nine and half baths and that doesn’t count the ones in the guest house.”

“Good grief. How do you keep from getting lost?”

“It happened often when she first had the house built. I still have days where I get all twisted around.”

Rachel let out a deep breath. “I think I need a map.”

“Knowing Sydney, she’s probably already laid one out for you,” Edna said with a chuckle. “Come on, I wanna show you the pool. If you think the home theater room was something else, you’ll probably have a heart attack when you see it.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t see it then,” Rachel laughed.

“I think you’re gonna love it,” Edna said as she headed down the hallway and through an open archway that led down another long hallway. She stopped next to a marble column and waited for Rachel. “After you,” she said, motioning with her hand for Rachel to go first.

Rachel’s mouth gaped open as she stepped into the pool room. In all of her life, she had never seen anything like what she was now looking at.

Edna looked at Rachel and laughed. “I take it I was right?”

“You were more than right. It’s beautiful,” Rachel said as she continued to look around the room. The back wall surrounding the kidney-shaped pool was rounded and looked like what you would see in a Greek coliseum. Large marble columns, interlaced with tiny flecks of gold leaf overlays were spaced every four feet and were connected to each other by scalloped archways, which sat directly atop the column. Sitting inside the archways were floor to ceiling windows that offered an exquisite view of the back area of the property, which included a huge lake.

The sidewalls were covered with murals of mountains and the ceiling was painted to resemble a crystal blue sky with clouds so white, they looked like cotton candy. The scenes created were so realistic that Rachel felt as if she were standing in the hills of Tennessee.

Her eyes settled on the pool itself. It was recessed into the floor with one-foot high blond-colored Italian pavers circling it. At the small end of the pool were stacks of various types of rock formations that were shaped to resemble the side of a mountain. All throughout the spacing between the rocks, water seeped out, running back down into the pool, giving it the appearance of natural flowing springs. To the right of the rock formations was a spiral slide that ended next to a large glass window that with a push of a button, rose to allow access to the outdoor pool on the other side of the wall.

The outdoor pool was almost as spectacular as the one on the inside and was a continuation of the rock formation theme. The main difference between the two pools was that the one on the outside also included a low and high set of diving boards.

“Simply incredible,” Rachel said, shaking her head.

“Just wait until you see it at night when it’s all lit up,” Edna said as she linked her arm through Rachel’s arm.

“I can only imagine,” Rachel said as she allowed Edna to lead her out of the room.

“How about we go check out that new design room of yours?” Edna asked.

Rachel smiled at her. “I’d like that very much, thank you.”

Sydney stopped at Karen’s desk. She waited patiently for her to finish her phone conversation.

Karen disconnected the line and pulled the head set off and laid it on the desk. She smiled at Sydney. “And what can I do for you my wonderful, charming employer who has the sun set and rise in her eyes every morning of her esteemed life?”

Sydney laughed as she shook her head. “Just when I think you can’t shock me any further, you—”

“What do you mean further?” Karen asked, interrupting Sydney before she could finish the sentence.

“Have you ever thought about going into the theater?” Sydney asked.

Karen smiled. “Of course, I make it a regular habit of seeing at least one movie per week. As a matter of fact I saw a classic just this week.”

Sydney ran her fingers through her hair and then laughed. “You are a classic and you’re in a world all of your own.”

“Okay now that we’ve got that all cleared up, my illustrious supreme employer, is there something I can help you with?” Karen asked with a crooked grin on her face.

“You got me so damn flustered that I can’t even remember why I stopped here to begin with,” Sydney said, shaking her head.

Karen batted her eyes dramatically. “Yeah, I heard that I had that kind of effect on people.”

“I swear you are so not right,” Sydney said and she believed it to be true. Karen was in another world all by herself but that was a good thing.

Karen looked at the laptop bag slung over Sydney’s shoulder and the car keys in her hand. “Um ... are you by chance leaving for the day?” she asked.

“As a matter of fact I am and if you could find the time in your busy schedule, please forward all of my calls to my home office.”

“I will try my best to fit you in,” Karen said, giving a mock salute with her hand.

“You do that and I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sydney said with a wave of her hand.

“How did she manage all of this so quickly?” Rachel asked as she looked around the design room that Sydney had set up for her.

“She’s very resourceful when she has the right incentive,” Edna replied.

“So I’ve noticed,” Rachel said as she pulled out the high-backed stool sitting in front of the drafting table. She looked at the blueprint lying in front of her. It was a complete layout of the entire house.

“What did I tell you?” Edna asked. She was standing next to a large oak desk that had a computer monitor and color laser-jet printer sitting on it. She picked up a piece of paper lying on the keyboard, brought it over, and handed it to Rachel.

Rachel shook her head and laughed as she looked at it. It was a miniature map of the house. “I’d say you know her pretty well.”

“Yeah, I guess I do but then again, she’s quite predictable when it comes to certain things,” Edna said with a wink.

“How long have you worked for Sydney?” Rachel asked. She hated to admit it but her curiosity was starting to get the better of her.

Edna thought about it for a few seconds. “Going on twelve and a half years now, I’d say, give or take a couple months.”

Rachel’s mind whirled as she calculated the timeframe in her head. It must have not been long after Sydney and I went our separate ways. Just what have you been doing with yourself all these years Sydney Welsh, other than trying to take over the world and romancing beautiful women, she thought to herself.

“Well, if you don’t need anything else from me for awhile, I’ll let you get settled in,” Edna said, snapping Rachel from her thoughts.

Rachel smiled. “Thank you for the tour and especially for your company. I really enjoyed it.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Edna chuckled. “And I enjoyed your company just as much. It was a nice change from Fred Rick’s ramblin’. ”

Rachel frowned. “Who’s Fred Rick?”

“Our flamboyant chef,” Edna laughed. “Oh just you wait. You’re in for a real treat when you meet that one.”

Rachel smiled. “Well, if he’s half as nice as you, then I think I will like him very much.”

“Like who very much?” Sydney asked as she came into the room.

Rachel looked up in surprise and then felt her breath unexpectedly catch in her throat.

Edna looked at Sydney and grinned. “Your chef, that’s who she thinks she’s gonna like very much.”

Sydney met Rachel’s gaze for the first time since walking into the room. For several seconds they just stared at each other, both seemingly unable to break the eye contact.

Edna cleared her throat. “If you two need me, you know where I’ll be.”

Rachel, feeling slightly embarrassed looked down at her hands.

Sydney glanced at her watch. She smiled as she turned to look at Edna. “Yeah, you’ll be kicked back in a recliner getting ready for your soaps.”

Edna shrugged. “A girls gotta do what a girl’s gotta do when it comes to romance and when you get to be my age, you’ll understand.”

Sydney shook her head. “I’ve been telling you for years that stuff’s gonna rot your brains out.”

“So that’s where they went,” Edna laughed and Rachel, unable to control herself,  laughed too.

“Now look at what you’ve gone and done? She’s only been here for a few hours and you’re already corrupting Rachel,” Sydney teased.

“Ciao,” Edna said as she sashayed out of the room.

“She’s really something else,” Rachel said.

“She’s something else all right. What that something else is, still remains to be seen,” Sydney said, trying her best not to laugh.

“You kind of outdid yourself here, didn’t you?” Rachel asked, making a sweeping gesture with her hand around the room.

Sydney shrugged. “I just wanted to make sure you had everything you might need.”

“Well, you definitely did that,” Rachel said, looking Sydney in the eye. If she didn’t know any better, she could swear she saw Sydney’s eyes sparkle.

“If you can give me a few minutes, I need to go change out of my monkey suit and then we can sit down and discuss the changes I would like done.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll be right here waiting for you to get back,” Rachel said, her voice tinged with slight sarcasm.

The narrowing of Sydney’s eyes as she looked at Rachel indicated that the sarcasm hadn’t been lost on her either. Sydney’s gaze shifted to look out the window directly over Rachel’s right shoulder. She was silent for several seconds. “I’ll be right back,” she said finally. She glanced at Rachel for a split-second and then left the room.

Rachel hadn’t realized that she had been holding her breath until she let it out. “How am I going to do this? How can I possibly be around her on a constant basis for the next few weeks? One minute I want to rip her head off and the next minute my thoughts turn to just how attractive she still is. I had no idea how damn sexy a pinstriped suit could look,” she whispered aloud without meaning to. No, no, no she chastised herself. I can’t have thoughts like this. “Business, stick to business, Rachel, because that’s all this is. That’s all it can or ever will be where she’s concerned,” she mumbled under her breath.

“I see you still have a habit of talking to yourself,” Sydney said, startling Rachel.

“Yes, I still talk to myself. Do you have a problem with that?” Rachel asked, her words came out sounding harsher than she intended because her mind had suddenly taken a wrong turn—a very wrong turn.

Try as she might she couldn’t help notice that Sydney had changed into a tight pair of black jeans that did little to hide the curve of her hips and the low cut t-shirt revealed more cleavage than what should be allowed by law.

“Down girl,” Sydney laughed as she walked further into the room and stopped less than a foot away from Rachel.

“And would you ... would you please not invade my space,” Rachel said, taking a step backward only to have her progress stopped by the drafting table.

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” Sydney asked, her voice sounding husky to her own ears as she moved closer. Her eyes fell to Rachel’s breast, traveling upward to her neck. She watched the pulse point in Rachel’s neck as it beat rapidly. Her eyes continued their path up Rachel’s neck, stopping on her mouth. She unconsciously licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. Right now, the only thing Sydney could think about was kissing Rachel and by the look in Rachel’s eyes, she knew she was thinking the same thing.

Rachel tried to move further back but there was nowhere to go. Sydney moved closer, their thighs and breasts touching. Sydney leaned in, her lips just below Rachel’s ear. “Mmm, you smell so good,” she whispered, her breath caressing Rachel’s skin like satin.

Rachel placed her trembling hands on Sydney’s chest. She knew that if she didn’t move away, she was about to do something she was going to regret. “You know darn well what you’re doing,” she said, her voice shaking as she pushed Sydney away.

Sydney threw her head back and laughed. The move only served to make Rachel angrier. Sydney had switched gears so fast, it made Rachel’s head spin. “I’m glad you think it’s so funny,” she said in a stern voice.

“Not at all. So let’s get down to business then, shall we?” Sydney asked as she moved away and pulled out the extra stool tucked under the drafting table and sat down.

Rachel glanced at Sydney before sliding her own chair over. She sat down, taking extra care to make sure there was enough space between the two chairs so their legs wouldn’t touch.

Sydney picked up a red line pencil and proceeded to make circles around the family room, dining room, office, and her bedroom. These are the rooms I want changed first,” she said as she laid the pencil down on the table.

Rachel turned slightly in her chair so that she could look directly at Sydney. “May I ask you a question?”

Sydney leaned her head on her hand as she looked at Rachel. “You can ask but I can’t guarantee I will answer.”

“Edna gave me a tour of your house and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why you want to change it.”

“Is there a question somewhere in there?” Sydney asked, the corner of her lips curving into a slight grin.

Rachel’s right eyebrow shot upward and Sydney laughed.

“I was getting to the question and why are you laughing at me?” Rachel asked.

Sydney leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not really laughing at you. I was grinning because after all these years, you still do that quirky little eyebrow thingy when you get annoyed or angry.”

Rachel looked at Sydney with what she thought was her best glare. “Well, if I have to be around you for the next several weeks, I suggest you better get used to it,” she said.

Sydney clutched the area of her chest where her heart was. “I’m so heartbroken now, Rache. Are you trying to make me cry?”

“Don’t you have to have one first in order for it to get broken?” Rachel asked and immediately regretted it. For a brief instant, she thought she saw a flicker of pain flash in Sydney’s eyes and then it was gone faster than it had come.

Sydney cleared her throat. “So what was the question you wanted to ask me?”

“I would like to know why you want these design changes.”

Sydney thought about it for several seconds. There was no way she could tell Rachel the complete truth. “Because so many things in my life have changed lately and I figure why stop now.” She shrugged. “If I have to go through changes, my house should too.”

Rachel looked at her through narrow eyes. “Why do I get the feeling there’s more to it than that?”

Sydney shrugged. “I don’t know why you have that feeling. Maybe it’s just indigestion.”

“I’m serious, Sydney,” Rachel said, an annoyed expression on her face.

“Okay, I’ll tell you why. Meredith did all of the decorating and for the most part, I’ve always hated it, especially what she did to my office and bedroom. She used dark woods, like walnut and cherry and maple and it’s just too damn depressing.” Although this was a partial truth, she waited, hoping this explanation was enough to satisfy Rachel’s curiosity.

She breathed a silent sigh of relief when Rachel turned to look at the blueprint.

“All right, which room would you like for me to tackle first?” Rachel asked.

Sydney shrugged, shaking her head at the same time. “I honestly don’t care. You’re the designer so you decide what room to do first.”

“Can you at least tell me what colors you have in mind?” Rachel asked in exasperation. Sydney was getting on her nerves and the worst part was that she seemed to be enjoying it.

Sydney laughed. “Nothing dark.”

“You’re not gonna make this easy on me, are you?” Rachel growled as she ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

Sydney did a double take. That is one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen and heard at the same time, she thought as she continued to watch Rachel. Without meaning to, her eyes settled on Rachel’s lips before moving back up to her eyes.

Rachel slid her stool back away from the table. “I need colors, Sydney, you know like, blue, green, orange, etcetera, etcetera.”

“All right but no orange and it’s already decorated in blues. I want something different.” Sydney was quiet for several seconds as she thought about it. “How about, mauve, burgundy, cream, and maybe forest or hunter green mixed with some tans?”

Rachel smiled and Sydney felt her heart skip a beat. “Now that’s something I can work with. I love those color schemes,” she said, nodding her head.

“Good. I just don’t want any dark browns or blacks though and absolutely no reds. I hate red.”

Rachel looked down at the red t-shirt she was wearing and laughed. “I guess I should probably go change my shirt, huh?”

“Or ... you could just take it off,” Sydney said in a nonchalant manner. She felt her skin tingle as she pictured what Rachel would look like sitting there, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans.

Rachel leaned back in her chair. She tapped her index finger against her chin. “You know, I don’t remember you ever being this um ... what’s the word I’m looking for?”

“I have no idea,” Sydney laughed.

“Brazen, arrogant, obnoxious, egotistical, maddening, and—”

Sydney held her hand up in the air. “Okay, you can stop anytime. I get the picture and that was more than one word.”

“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Rachel sighed.

Sydney slammed her hands on the table so hard, it made Rachel jump. “You know what? You’re right, absolutely right.” She got off her stool, walked over to the desk, and flipped the power ON button to the computer and dropped down in the chair. She turned and looked at Rachel. “Have you seen this little baby yet?” she asked.

“No, I haven’t got that far,” Rachel said, shaking her head.

“I think you’re really gonna love what Caitlyn and her group has done to EMCOR’s design software.”

“I can only imagine,” Rachel said, her expression softening at the mention of her daughter’s name.

“Have a seat,” Sydney said, motioning to the chair beside her.

Rachel pulled out the chair and sat down. She quickly jerked her leg back when it accidently touched against Sydney’s leg.

Sydney laughed. “I won’t bite, you know.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Rachel said as she folded her hands in her lap.

Once the computer was fully booted, Sydney clicked on an icon that was shaped like a door. She moved the mouse around, making several click through various screens. “Check this out,” Sydney said as she opened the file titled, Sydney’s House.

Rachel looked at the computer monitor and smiled. On the screen in 3D was a picture of Sydney’s house. “I can’t wait to see how it looks on the inside.”

“You’re gonna love it,” Sydney said and clicked an icon on the left that said “Family Room.”

“Amazing,” Rachel said as a 3D view of Sydney’s family room came into view. What made it incredible was that the picture displayed looked like it had been shot from a 35-millimeter camera in real-time.

“See this little directional arrow icon here,” Sydney said and tapped the screen with the tip of her fingernail.

Rachel nodded.

“Watch this,” Sydney said and clicked the down arrow. As she did, a circle appeared and as she slowly dragged her mouse pointer over it, the view of the room rotated. “Now check this out.” She clicked the mouse on the curtains hanging on the window next to the fireplace. A small popup box opened and gave a list of ten different types of curtains. She selected the one called “Crisscross” and as she did, the “Balloon Valance” curtains were replaced with ones that she had selected.

“Oh my,” Rachel exclaimed.

Sydney laughed. “And if you want to change the color, just right click and a whole palette will open up for you.”

“Can I try?” Rachel asked and without waiting for an answer, slid her chair closer to Sydney. She was so excited she didn’t realize that her leg was fully pressed up against Sydney’s but Sydney sure noticed.

“Have at it,” Sydney said, sliding the mouse over to Rachel. She watched as Rachel excitedly changed colors and then added stripes to the Crisscross curtains. She then clicked on several of the other rooms, playing around with the software.

Rachel leaned back in her chair and smiled at Sydney. “Do you have any idea how groundbreaking this software is? This will save designers thousands of dollars just in time wasted alone, which will save our customers money in the end.”

“Yeah, I think I do realize it and not only will it be used at EMCOR, we will be designing an additional package that we’ll market and license to our competitors for a substantial profit.”

“I have to admit that I’m impressed. Where did you come up with the idea to do this?” Rachel asked.

Sydney leaned back in her chair and laced her hands behind her head. “Your daughter.”

“Caitlyn did this?” Rachel asked as she continued to play with the software.

“Yes, ma’am she did, along with her team of programmers and you are our very first user.”

“This is really something else, Sydney,” Rachel said, shaking her head.

“I would like for you to keep a few things in mind when you’re testing it.”

Rachel turned in her chair to look at Sydney. “Like what?”

“Like bugs or problems that you see, things that you feel would make it better or if you think we need to offer more choices such as the amount of curtains or fabrics, etcetera.”

Rachel grabbed the mouse and clicked on the couch in the family room. She right clicked it again and a popup box opened that listed several fabric types to choose from. “I can change the fabric, the carpet, the wallpaper. You name it and I can change it.”

Rachel was like a kid in a candy store and it made Sydney smile. “Anything that is clickable in the picture, you can make changes to it, even the paintings on the wall.”

Rachel looked at her. “Where did you get the idea to create something like this?”

“I told you it was Caitlyn’s idea,” Sydney said with a grin.

Rachel laughed. “I know that much but where did she get the idea?”

“From her beautician,” Sydney chuckled and then waited for Rachel’s reaction.

Rachel’s right eyebrow shot upward. “Are you serious?”

Sydney nodded. “Yes, ma’am I am.”

“Dare I ask why?” Rachel asked.

“Why she goes to the beautician?” Sydney laughed.

“No silly, you know what I mean,” she said and playfully shoved Sydney.

Damn she’s beautiful when she smiles like that, Sydney thought as she looked at Rachel. Stop thinking like this, she silently scolded herself. “Have you ever seen those fancy programs they use where they take a picture of you and then give you a list of different hairstyles and with a click of the mouse, you can add it to your face to see how it would look on you?”

Rachel thought about it for a second. “Yeah, I’ve seen them but never used one.”

“Well that’s how Caitlyn got the idea. She thought that maybe we could take the design software that EMCOR uses, make some major programming changes, and put the Welsh spin on it,” Sydney said. The look of pride on her face was evident.

“She really is something else, isn’t she?” Rachel asked.

Sydney pushed her chair back and stood up. “I can honestly say I have never met anyone like her. She is more talented than almost all of the people I have working for me put together.”

Rachel leaned back in her chair. “You really like her, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do,” Sydney said, nodding her head. “Listen, I have a few things I need to do so I’m gonna get out of your hair for awhile and let you get to it.”

“Okay, I think I’m going to play around with this a bit if you don’t mind.”

“Take your time, there’s no hurry,” Sydney said.

“Once I get comfortable with it, I’ll start making changes based on your new color schemes. As for the time it takes, I think you may have just shortened my stay here by several days.” Rachel said the words and for reasons she couldn’t explain, the thought of shortening her time with Sydney suddenly bothered her.

Sydney walked over to the doorway. She turned and looked back at Rachel. “Maybe I should take the computer away then.” She left before Rachel had a chance to respond.

Rachel looked at the empty doorway. After all these years, the woman still had a way of getting under her skin. “Okay, time to get to work,” she said as she pushed the chair back away from the desk.

Meredith snapped the lid shut on her compact case and crammed it in the side of her purse. She used her key and unlocked the front door. “Where are you my darling?” she whispered as she stepped into the foyer. She pulled her key out of the door and then pushed it closed. She walked across the foyer toward the family room as if she owned the place.

“If I were you, where would I be right now?” she mumbled under her breath. She smiled as she crossed the family room and headed down the hallway toward the downstairs bedroom.

She stopped in the open doorway. Sydney stood in front of the dresser with her back facing Meredith. “I thought I might find you here,” she said, seductively.

Sydney whirled around, her face registering shock as she looked at Meredith. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?” Sydney asked, not bothering to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

Meredith made a pouty face with her mouth. “What? No hi honey, good to see you, I’ve missed you?”

“I’ve missed you like I’d miss an extra hole in my head,” Sydney said with a straight face.

“Aw, babe, you don’t really mean that,” Meredith said as she moved stealthily across the room. She was in front of Sydney and had wrapped her arms around Sydney’s waist before she even had time to realize what had happened.

“Don’t, Meredith,” Sydney said, placing her hands on Meredith’s shoulders.

“I know you miss me and I know you missed this,” Meredith said as her hand slid upward, her fingers closing over Sydney’s right breast.

“Stop,” Sydney growled as she grabbed Meredith’s hand. “I want—”

“Oh, I am so sorry,” Rachel said from the doorway, a look of embarrassment on her face.

“Damn it,” Sydney swore under her breath as she met Rachel’s gaze.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Rachel said, as she held eye contact with Sydney.

“I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Meredith,” Meredith said in a syrupy sweet voice as she walked over to Rachel and held out her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Rachel Ashburn,” Rachel said as she shook Meredith’s hand.

“Meredith was just leaving,” Sydney said.

“Not on my account, I hope,” she said looking at Sydney. “I just came in to see if you had a preference as to how many shades of mauve I used in the family room.” She turned and looked at Meredith and then in a sweet voice said, “Have a good day.” She looked at Sydney, winked, turned, and left the room.

Sydney stood there, her mouth gaping open. What the hell was that all about?

“So that’s thee Ms. Rachel,” Meredith said, interrupting her thoughts.

“Huh? What did you say?” Sydney asked. She was still trying to figure out the little word play thingy that Rachel had just used.

“I see what you’re doing, Sydney. So you think you still have a shot with that frigid Catholic bitch after all these years?” Meredith snarled, a snotty look on her face.

Sydney looked at her with mild disbelief. How did she put that together so quickly.

“Don’t look so shocked, sweetheart. Yeah, I remember you telling me about Rachel and how she broke your little ole heart.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about and even if I did, I don’t give a damn what you think and it’s none of your business anyway,” Sydney said, her voice shaking with anger. She held out her hand to Meredith.

“What?” Meredith asked.

“You know what. Give me the key,” Sydney said through clenched teeth.

Meredith’s expression softened. “Come on, babe. Just give me one more chance. Please?”

“Give me the key,” Sydney said, motioning with her outstretched fingers.

Meredith pulled her key ring out of her purse. She removed a gold colored key and handed it to Sydney. “You’re going to regret this, Sydney Welsh,” she said over her shoulder as she left the room.

“I already do,” Sydney whispered as she laid the key on the dresser.

“So that’s Meredith,” Rachel mumbled to herself as she sat down at the desk. She tapped her nails on the keyboard, staring blankly at the screen. From the look of things, it sure seemed as if she and Sydney weren’t quite as split as what the media was leading everyone to believe.

She continued to talk to herself as she used the mouse to open the design software. “She’s very beautiful. I can see how Sydney would be attracted to her if trashy was what she was going for.” Why do you care, a little voice inside of her head asked? “I don’t care. Not really.” Sure you don’t. Then why is it bothering you so much? the little voice asked. “I have no idea but I need to get my thoughts off of her and focus on the job that I have to do here so I can be done with it and her once and for all.”

“Who are you talking to?”

The sound of Sydney’s voice caused Rachel to jump. “I’m sorry. I was just talking to myself again. I guess that’s a habit I will probably never break,” Rachel said, shrugging her shoulders.

Sydney chuckled. “I do it too and I personally think that sometimes it’s the most intelligent conversation I have all day.”

Rachel laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“I just wanted to stop by and check to see how things were going.”

“Just getting started but I think I can get quite a bit of work done today before I leave,” Rachel said.

Sydney leaned against the door jam. “As for the mauve’s, use whatever combinations you think will look good. I’ve got some other things I need to work on but if you need anything, Edna can help you out.”

“Okay, thank you,” Rachel said as she turned away and began making selections on the monitor.

Sydney pulled her truck into the garage, shut off the engine, and popped the hood. She slid out of the driver’s seat and walked over to her workbench. She grabbed a toolbox and several packages of spark plugs.

Just as she pushed the hood up on the truck, Jackie walked in carrying a cup of coffee in her hand. Tucked under her other arm was a manila envelope.

Sydney grinned at her. “Well, look what the cat drug in.”

“Good to see you, too,” Jackie laughed. “Doing a little car repair?”

“Yeah, she needs a tune-up after my last road trip. Some new spark plugs, air filter, oil change, you know, the regular stuff,” Sydney said as she took the new spark plugs out of their packages. “You got something for me?” she asked as she rooted around in the toolbox.

“I sure do,” Jackie said as she pulled the envelope out from under her arm and opened it.

Sydney pulled out a ratchet and several sockets. “Damn I’m good,” she laughed as the first socket she tried slipped easily onto the end of the new sparkplug.

Jackie laughed. “Yeah, right, I know that you knew exactly which socket would fit.”

Sydney waggled her eyebrows. “Mayhaps, mayhaps not.”

“Exactly what does mayhaps mean?”

Sydney frowned. “How can you not know what that means?”

Jackie shrugged and then laughed. “Just dense, I guess.”

“It’s a cross between a maybe and perhaps. You know, mayhaps,” Sydney said as she took a gapping gauge and set the gap on the sparkplugs.

“Whatever floats your boat,” Jackie snickered as she pulled several sheets out of the envelope.

Sydney stopped what she was doing to give Jackie her full attention. She leaned back against the side of the truck and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I got the information back on Ashburn’s prints. His real name is Martin Hollis and you’re not going to believe this, but he used to be a real estate mogul.”

Sydney’s look was incredulous. “You’re kidding?”

“It gets better, Syd. He was the main money launderer for the Med—” Jackie stopped in mid-sentence, her eyes looking toward the open door.

“Hey, there you are,” Caitlyn said as she stepped into the garage. “Edna said I would probably find you out ...” She stopped when she noticed Jackie, her gaze dropped to the papers in Jackie’s hand. “I’m sorry to interrupt. I didn’t know you had company.”

“It’s okay. We were just finishing,” Sydney laughed.

“Hi, Caitlyn. How are you?” Jackie asked as she slid the papers back inside the envelope.

Caitlyn smiled. “Hi, Jackie. I’m just peachy.”

“I will call you later,” Jackie said, looking at Sydney.

Sydney glanced at her watch. “I should be free anytime after six if you’re available.”

“Sounds good. See you ladies later,” Jackie said as she left the garage.

Sydney grinned at Caitlyn. “So, what do I owe for the pleasure of your company?”

“A year’s pay,” Caitlyn laughed.

“Sounds reasonable,” Sydney said with a shrug.

“Seriously, I was wondering if we could talk and not as boss and employee.”

“Okay, do you mind if I work while we talk?” Sydney asked as she slipped on a pair of latex gloves.

“Not at all,” Caitlyn said as she walked over to the front of the truck and looked at the engine.

I’m all ears,” Sydney said as she pulled off a spark plug wire and then slipped the socket onto the sparkplug.

“What’s going on with you and my mom?” Caitlyn asked.

Sydney stopped what she was doing and looked at Caitlyn. She decided to play dumb. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Caitlyn’s right eyebrow shot upward. “You don’t, huh?”

Sydney made several more turns with the ratchet and then pulled out the old spark plug.

“Let me try a different approach then,” Caitlyn said as she handed Sydney a new sparkplug. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

Sydney looked up at her in surprise. “Of course not. What kind of a question is that?”

“About as stupid of a question as you telling me that you don’t know what I mean.”

Sydney laughed. “Touché.”

“I may have been young but I remember you, Sydney.”

This time Sydney was unable to hide the shock on her face. She should have known that with Caitlyn’s intelligence and her near photographic memory, there was a better than good chance that she would remember things that most kids her age wouldn’t. “What exactly do you remember?” she asked as she laid the ratchet down on the engine.

“I remember that you were there and then you were suddenly gone and that Mom has never been the same since. She thinks I don’t know and that I don’t remember but it’s hard to forget when you see the light go out of your mom’s eyes.”

“Wow,” was all Sydney could say. She had no idea that Caitlyn was this perceptive and not giving it a second thought had been a major mistake on her part. She shook her head as she looked at Caitlyn. “Are you telling me that when you first met me, that when you joined Welsh, you remembered me then?”

“Of course,” Caitlyn said nonchalantly as if it she had just been asked if she liked flowers.

Sydney was still trying to wrap her mind around this information. To say she was shocked was an understatement. “Then why haven’t you said anything after all of this time?”

Caitlyn laughed. “Because I was patiently waiting and hoping you or Mom would say something but I have finally come to the conclusion that I will be eighty-years-old before that happens.”

Sydney grinned. “You may have been right about that.” She shook her head again as she looked at Caitlyn. All these years and Caitlyn had known all along who she was—incredible. “So what made you bring this up now?” she asked.

“Honestly? It was Mom’s reaction to you buying out EMCOR, although I did think that the two of you looked a little cozy in your kitchen the night of the Christmas Party.”

“I hadn’t seen her in thirteen years until that night,” Sydney said, her voice just above a whisper.

“What happened? Please tell me what was going on with you and my mom.”

Sydney didn’t want to answer her. She wanted to tell her that it was none of her business but the look of genuine concern on Caitlyn’s face prevented her from doing just that.

“You loved her, didn’t you?” Caitlyn asked.

Sydney could only nod her head. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth at that instant, the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

“And she loved you, too.” Caitlyn said it as a statement and not a question.

“Yeah, she did,” Sydney said with a nod of her head.

“Were you in love with her?”

Sydney smiled. “More than you could ever imagine.”

Caitlyn frowned. “Then, I don’t understand. If she loved you and you loved her, what happened between you?”

Sydney replaced the spark plug wire and pulled off the next one in line. “I don’t think it’s my place to tell you that. I think that maybe you should be asking your mom these questions.”

“I’m not a child, Sydney, and although you’re my boss, I like to think that you’re my friend as well.”

As Sydney thought about what to say in response, she removed the spark plug and tossed it in the trashcan. “I am your friend and I’m glad you think of me that way, too. I will tell you this much. Your mother and I were very much in love with each other but nothing ever happened between us.”

“You mean in the biblical sense?” Caitlyn asked, her eyebrow raising in surprise.

Sydney laughed. “Yes, that’s what I mean.”

Caitlyn leaned back up against the front of the truck. “Why not?”

“Has anyone ever told you that you ask an awful lot of questions?” Sydney asked.

“Yeah, you have. So why not?” Caitlyn wasn’t going to let up.

“Because your mom made a choice and that choice was her choosing the church and her beliefs over me and us and that’s all I’m going to say. If you wanna know more of your mom’s reasons behind it, then you’re going to have to ask her yourself.”

“It was Grandmother and Grandfather. They were behind it, weren’t they?” Caitlyn groaned.

“Ah, my two favorite people, Roberta and Lou or as I like to call them, Cruella and Deville. Lovely people,” Sydney said in a voice filled with sarcasm and then regretted it. “I’m sorry, Caitlyn. I shouldn’t have said that about your grandparents.”

“Oh no. I think you know them pretty well. Everyone knows how whacked they are with their activism. I don’t know if you saw the big protest up in D.C. two weeks ago. It was all over the news.”

“Was that the one where the Catholic Church was protesting contraceptives for women?” Sydney asked, thinking she did see something in the paper about it.

Caitlyn laughed. “Yep. That’s the one. Well, Roberta and Lou were both arrested for trespassing.”

“So, after all these years, Cruella is still at it, huh?” Sydney asked.

“I think she gets worse the older she gets, if that’s even possible. You want to know what I did to her for fun?” Caitlyn asked, a grin on her face.

“Do tell.” Sydney smiled. “This should be good.”

“Oh, it is. I told grandmother that I was a dyslexic insomniac agnostic and that I lay awake in bed at night wondering if there really is a Dog,” Caitlyn said with a straight face but then she busted out laughing.

“No, you didn’t,” Sydney managed to say between fits of laughter.

“Yes I did and if you could have seen the look on her face,” Caitlyn said as she wiped tears off her cheeks.

Sydney laughed. “I bet it was priceless. I would love to have seen it for myself.”

Caitlyn cleared her throat as she pulled herself together. “I do have something else I would like to talk to you about and it has nothing to do with you and mom,” she quickly clarified when she saw the worried look on Sydney’s face. “This is about me.”

“Oh thank Dog,” Sydney laughed as she pretended to wipe sweat off of her forehead.

“Thank Dog, huh?” Caitlyn asked as she fought to keep her laughter in check. “It was pretty funny. Okay we have to stop or I will never get this out,” she said as she held her sides from laughing so hard. “Seriously though. I’ve met someone.”

“Woo hoo,” Sydney yelled, much to Caitlyn’s surprise.

Caitlyn frowned. “You act like I never date.”

“Um ... cause you don’t,” Sydney laughed.

Caitlyn looked at Sydney with a mischievous grin. “Then I guess it’s time I started.”

“So, who’s this lucky fellow? What’s his name and where did you meet him?” Sydney asked.

“The lucky fellow is Natalie and she works in the shipping department at EMCOR,” Caitlyn said and then waited for Sydney’s reaction.

Sydney shook her head as if she hadn’t heard right. “Um ... uh ...”

“Wow. I left you speechless for a change and yes, you did hear me say her name was Natalie,” Caitlyn said as if she could read Sydney’s thoughts.

Sydney laid the ratchet down. “Are you telling me that you’re a lesbian?”

Caitlyn laughed. “Yes, Sydney, I am a lesbian and I know I’ve been one all my life.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. I think I’m still in shock,” Sydney said, shaking her head.

“Your gaydar must really suck,” Caitlyn laughed as she handed Sydney a new sparkplug.

“It must suck badly,” Sydney grinned as she picked up the ratchet and proceeded to remove another sparkplug.

Caitlyn nodded at the engine. “You know, at this rate, it’s going to take you ten hours just to change the sparkplugs.”

“You’re telling me. For some reason, people keep interrupting my progress,”

Sydney laughed. “So, have you told your mom yet?”

“No, but I plan on it and soon. Like real soon.”

“So tell me about Natalie. Are you two dating?” Sydney asked as she tightened the new plug and then replaced the plug wire.

“Um ... we’ve never been on a date.”

Sydney’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Are you planning on going on a date?”

“I’m not sure. I mean I don’t know yet,” Caitlyn said, grimacing.

Sydney grinned. “You haven’t asked her out yet?”

Caitlyn shook her head. “I don’t even know if she likes me but I’m planning on asking her out tomorrow.”

“You’ll be fine. Just take a deep breath and jump in with both feet and be sure to let me know how it goes,” Sydney said as she moved over to the opposite side of the engine and jerked off the plug wire.

Caitlyn handed Sydney a new plug. “I think I’m going to talk to Mom tonight.”

“Yep, that’s pretty soon. I would love to be a fly on the wall just to see her face,” Sydney said as she inserted the new plug.

“Yeah, I hope she doesn’t react like two of my friend’s mom did.”

Sydney looked up at Caitlyn. “And what would that be?” she asked.

Caitlyn threw both of her arms up in the air. “Oh God no, why me?” she yelled in a high-pitched voice as she ran around in a circle. “Oh dear God in heaven ... Where did I go wrong ... Oh why, Lord,” Caitlyn shrieked as she grabbed her hair with both hands.

Sydney was laughing so hard she thought she might break a rib. “They really did that?” she asked in disbelief.

Caitlyn nodded. “Oh yeah and to hear them tell it, you would have thought the world had come to an end.”

“I don’t think your mom will be that extreme.”

“I sure hope not because I won’t be able to keep a straight face, no pun intended,” Caitlyn laughed.

“How is your mom really doing?” Sydney asked the question she had been wondering about for a while now.

“Sometimes I think she’s okay and at other times, I know she’s not. She and Edward fight a lot. I don’t think she’s had a truly peaceful day in years and that makes me angry. Edward is a drunk. I think you’ve probably figured that out by now, too.

Sydney nodded. “I figured as much. Is that why you spend so much time at work?”

It was Caitlyn’s turn to nod. “I like to be home in the evenings when Alyssa and Mom are home because I know Edward won’t hit Mom in front of us.”

“Gotta love a man with manners,” Sydney said, sarcastically.

“He thinks I’m stupid, like I don’t know that he’s physically hurt my mom.” Caitlyn snorted. “I mean seriously, how many times can a person fall down the steps or run into things?”

Sydney felt the heat rise in her neck and face as she thought about Edward hitting Rachel. She wanted to kill him. She could tell by the look in Caitlyn’s eyes that she had similar thoughts. “Not to change the subject but are you any closer to finding out what Allen was looking for?” she asked as she finished putting in the last sparkplug.

“I wish,” Caitlyn said, shaking her head. “I’ve decided to go back through the computer printouts from where I did a mirror image of the system. I’m hoping that I’ll find something there that sticks out. I did run a report on the key logger and it showed that he had tried to gain access to my direct computer system because I saw where he was trying to crack my password.” Caitlyn grinned. “He may be smart but he would never crack my password in a million years.”

Sydney pulled off her latex gloves and tossed them into the trashcan. “Just be careful and if you do figure it out, I want to know ten seconds after you do.”

Caitlyn grinned. “You will know within five seconds.”

“Good. So are you looking forward to tomorrow? You have all your Christmas shopping done?”

“Yes, I have my shopping done,” Caitlyn said, her eyebrows furrowing into a frown as she looked at Sydney. “And uh no, I’m not looking forward to it. I mean seriously, can you imagine spending all morning with Edward only to leave and go spend the rest of the day with Roberta and Lou?”

“I’m sorry,” Sydney said and she meant it. “You know you’re always welcome here anytime. If things get too much for you, just come on over.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that but you may live to regret giving me that open invitation,” Caitlyn chuckled.

“I doubt that and I’ll have Edna make a house key so that if I’m not here, you can still come over and hang out.”

“So do you have plans tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I will be heading over to my mother’s place or what I lovingly refer to as the Death Zone,” Sydney laughed as she made double quotes in the air with her fingers.

“That bad, huh?” Caitlyn asked, crinkling her nose.

“You have no idea. For some reason, my mother hates me but loves my little sister.”

Caitlyn frowned. “Why?”

“Because my sister looks like her but I look just like my dad. When she looks at me, she sees him.” It was hard for Sydney to keep the anger out of her voice. Since her mother had learned of her husband’s infidelity, she had been taking it out on Sydney ever since and it didn’t matter that her dad had now been dead for five years.

Sydney glanced at her watch. “I guess I should go see how your mom’s doing. Wanna come say hi?”

“Thanks. Maybe some other time. I really want to get back to the office,” Caitlyn answered.

“Okay, I will walk you to your car then.”

Chapter 8

Allen leaned back in his chair. With his elbows resting on the chair arms, he steepled his fingers together against his chin. His thoughts turned to Caitlyn and he felt his face flush. She thinks she is so damn smart when she’s nothing more than a snot-nosed teenager. She doesn’t belong in the corporate world. The corporate jungle is for men like him.

He knew what it took to make it and making it meant that you did whatever you needed to do in order to succeed. The saying that “nice guys finished last” was true. The nice ones were swallowed whole but the ones like him; they took what they wanted regardless of what anyone else thought. Either they got onboard or they got run over and if he had to step on a few bodies to get to the top, well that’s just collateral damage.

A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Virgil Parsons pushed the door open far enough to poke his head through the doorway. “Hey, Allen, you got a few minutes you can spare?” he asked.

“Sure, come on in,” he said, motioning with his hand. “What can I do for you?”

“I found a little discrepancy regarding one of our property acquisitions.”

Allen frowned. “Which one are you talking about?” he asked.

Virgil glanced at the computer printout in his hand. “It’s an old warehouse just outside of Springfield. The paperwork says it was purchased a little over a month ago.”

“For what purpose?” Allen asked, the frown on his face deepening.

“That’s just it. From what I can tell, there isn’t one,” Virgil said, shaking his head.

“We never purchase property without knowing beforehand what we’re planning on doing with it. That doesn’t make any sense,” Allen said.

Virgil snorted. “You’re telling me. What I can’t understand is why I didn’t know about this before now. All properly acquisitions go through me first and quite frankly it perturbs me just a bit.”

“I can’t say I blame you,” Allen laughed. “Have you talked to Sydney about this?”

Virgil shook his head. “Not yet. I stopped by her office before I came to see you and Maureen said she was gone for the rest of the day.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Allen said, nodding at the paper in Virgil’s hand. “Why don’t you leave that with me and first thing Monday morning, I’ll get with Sydney and see if we can’t get to the bottom of it.”

A look of relief crossed Virgil’s face. “That would be great if you’re sure you don’t mind,” he said as he held the paper out to Allen.

“I don’t mind at all,” Allen said, smiling as he took the paper.

“Well, I appreciate it just the same. I’d do it myself but I am so swamped with lining up all the contractors for Dem and on top of all that, Bev told me that Sydney is thinking about merging Welsh and EMCOR.”

Allen’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “I didn’t know that.”

“No one else does either so what I just told you has to stay between us for now.”

“I won’t tell a soul. Did Bev by chance say why Sydney is thinking about doing this?” Allen asked, his mind and thoughts whirling a mile a minute.

Virgil shrugged. “Not really. Just that the Welsh Programmers had been working on a secret project and if it worked out like Sydney thought and as well as they all hoped, then it would make sense to house the two companies together under the same roof.”

Allen felt his temper flare again as he listened to Virgil’s explanation. “Well, I’ll be sure to talk to Sydney about this first thing in the morning,” he said, tapping his finger on the paper.

“Thanks again,” Virgil said as he walked toward the door.

“Not a problem. Can you shut the door behind you when you leave?” Allen asked and then waited for Virgil to close the door before he fully lost control of his temper. He slammed his fist down on the desk. “Damn you, Sydney,” he swore under his breath as he slung the computer printout across the room. “Why did you hire her?”

Sydney watched Caitlyn get in her car and pull away before she went back inside the house. She decided to make a pit stop at the kitchen to get something to drink before she went to check on Rachel. She grabbed a Coke out of the fridge for herself and a Sprite for Rachel. If memory serves me correctly, I remember that was the only type of soft drink she liked. I wonder if that’s still true, she thought to herself as she made her way down the hallway toward the design room.

As she got closer, she could hear the rhythmic clicking of a keyboard. She had expected Rachel to be gone by now, after all, it was Christmas Eve. She hated to admit it, but she had been more than a little happy when she saw Rachel’s car still parked in front of the house when she had walked Caitlyn out.

She stood in the doorway for several minutes, mesmerized by the woman sitting at the desk. She knew that the young woman she had fallen in love with all those years ago was long gone but the woman who had replaced her was heart-stopping stunning.

They are so alike, she thought as she watched Rachel’s facial expression change repeatedly. Rachel was so intent on what she was doing, she hadn’t noticed that Sydney was standing there.

Sydney cleared her throat so she wouldn’t scare her. Rachel stopped what she was doing and looked up at Sydney. The look in her eyes caused Sydney to catch her breath. For a small instant, she saw a glimpse of the old Rachel she once knew.

“Hey there. I thought you might like something to drink,” Sydney said as she came fully into the room and held the can out to Rachel.

Rachel smiled as she took the offered drink from Sydney.

“Why are you smiling?” Sydney asked.

“I guess it’s because I can’t believe you still remembered after all these years,” Rachel answered as she held the can of Sprite in the air. “Thank you.”

Sydney shrugged. “There are some things you never forget and lucky for me some things never change.” Sydney smiled and then said, “I guess that includes your drinking habits.”

Rachel cocked her head to the side as she thought about it. “You’re right,” she said finally.

Sydney leaned her hip against the side of the desk. “I half-expected you to be gone by now.”

Rachel grimaced. “I kinda lost track of time.”

“You do know that it’s Christmas Eve, right?” Sydney asked.

Rachel laughed. “Yes, I know what day it is. I just wanted to finish the design changes for the bathroom. You’ll be happy to know that I was able to finish all the rooms that you wanted done first.” She reached over, grabbed a stack of printouts off the printer, and laid them on the edge of the desk near Sydney. “I took the liberty and made three different variations for all four rooms. So when you get a chance, look at them and decide which ones you like best. Once you’ve decided, I’ll order the materials needed and line up the contractors so I can put a schedule together to implement the changes.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Sydney said, glancing down at the printouts.

They were both silent for several seconds. Rachel shifted slightly in her chair. She looked at Sydney, who now had a strange look on her face. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m just deep in thought,” Sydney answered.

Rachel laughed. “I’m almost afraid to ask but here goes, what are you thinking about?”

“I was wondering if you’ve ever thought about me over the years,” Sydney answered honestly.

By the expression on Rachel’s face, Sydney’s answer is what she expected. “What do you think?” she asked, answering Sydney’s question with a question of her own.

“I don’t know, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked,” Sydney said, her eyes narrowing as she studied Rachel’s face for some indication of what was going through her mind.

Rachel looked down at her folded hands, which rested in her lap. “The answer is yes. I’ve thought about you a lot over the years,” she answered without looking at Sydney.

“But not enough to want to see me again,” Sydney said. The silence in the room was almost deafening and Sydney felt her anger rise to the surface.

“Why would I? You’ve been out of my life for over a decade,” Rachel said, her voice just above a whisper.

“I don’t know. How about to maybe apologize for the fucking Dear Jane letter you left me. Regardless of why you did what you did, I think ... no  ... I know I deserved better than that.”

Rachel got up from her chair and grabbed her jacket off the back of the stool. With her back to Sydney she said, “I don’t want to get into this right now.” She turned and took a step toward the doorway.

“Oh no,” Sydney said and blocked Rachel’s exit with her body.

“You read my letter, Sydney. So you know why I left.”

“You’re right, I did.” Sydney laughed. “More times than I care to remember actually.”

“I need to get home,” Rachel said, her voice shaking.

“I just have a few questions for you first. Things I’ve wondered about for a long time now.”

“How long is this going to take? I have plans tonight,” Rachel said as she leaned back against the drafting table and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Still doing the midnight mass thingy?” Sydney asked with a smirk on her face.

“It’s none of your business what my plans are,” Rachel said through clenched teeth as she felt her own temper flare.

“You’re right, it’s not. So tell me this, Rache, how can you still support a church that hides and condones pedophile priests, yet has the audacity to declare that two women who are hopelessly in love with each other are a sin or abomination? You know what I think is a sin?” Sydney asked but continued without giving Rachel a chance to answer. “I think it’s a sin that the Pope tells people they shouldn’t be having sex and he’s talking about a subject when he’s the last person who should know a damn thing about the topic of sex.”

The shocked expression on Rachel’s face was a clear indication that she hadn’t expected to hear what Sydney just said.

Sydney held her hand up in the air. “Never mind but here’s a news flash for you, the church, and your whacked out ass parents. Priests who rape children are not homosexual, they are perverts who should have their balls cut off, then shot and then shot again for good measure.”

Rachel’s right eyebrow shot upward. “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel. Are you done now?”

Sydney’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Rachel. “Hell no, I’m just getting started and for the record,” Sydney said, looking up toward the ceiling as if she were talking to God. “If the church or anyone else wants to worry about the people who molest kids, they should look at good old heterosexual grandpa who likes bouncing little girls on his lap or that stepfather who seems to be so wonderful. It’s not us lesbians or gay men who rape their kids, it’s the so-called straight men that more than likely turn out to be a God damned relative. I suggest that you look no further than your own father or Uncle Henry.”

“I think someone in this room has some serious anger issues,” Rachel said. Her words served only to fuel Sydney’s anger.

“I would let a lesbian or gay man babysit my child any day of the week before I would trust them to the care of my so-called straight male relatives. Those are the ones the church should be warning people about.” She stopped and took a deep breath as she looked at Rachel. Several seconds past by without them saying a word. “Okay, I think I’m done now,” Sydney said finally.

“Are you sure, I think you may still have a little more church-anger lurking in there somewhere.”

“You’re damn straight and I’m not the only one. I have anger issues because I’m fed up with lesbians and gays getting the blame for everything that’s fucked up in the world. The difference is that I have the balls to tell it like it is.”

“The church doesn’t blame you personally.” Rachel said the words although she knew what she said was a lie but she was so angry right now with Sydney that she didn’t care.

“Give me a freaking break, Rache. You think your church is so great and that you will find all the answers within those four walls. I don’t care what you believe or think or anyone else for that matter, something is really fucked up when the church would rather see a woman with a man who beats her every single day of her life, then see her with someone of her own sex who loves her and would worship the ground she walked on.”

Sydney took another deep breath. “Tell me, Rache, how could any parent want that for their child? How could you prefer to see your daughters with an abusive boyfriend or husband instead of someone of their own sex who loves them? It’s insane!”

“You know what? I’ve heard enough,” Rachel yelled.

Sydney grinned. “You know what you are?”

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” Rachel sighed.

“You’re a hypocrite. You, like so many others, have what I call Doorstep Religion. You pick it up on the way into the church and drop it off on the step on your way out but you know what’s worse than that? You’re setting one helluva an example for your daughters.” As soon as the last words left Sydney’s mouth, she regretted it.

Rachel, with tears in her eyes grabbed her car keys and purse off of the drafting table and brushed past Sydney through the doorway.

Sydney followed her out into the hallway but made no move to stop her from leaving. She knew what she said was hurtful and wrong on so many levels but once she started, she couldn’t stop. All those years of hurting had come to the surface and she was unable to stop it. “Go ahead and run away. We both know how good you are at it,” she yelled.

She stood there for several minutes, unable to move. She heard the front door shut and then turned and went into her office. She slammed the door shut behind her so hard that several books fell off their shelves, landing on the floor with a thud.

“Damn it, Sydney, you sure know how to make matters worse,” she chastised herself as she dropped down into her desk chair. She pulled out her lap drawer. For several seconds she looked at the folded yellow paper lying next to a box of paperclips.

She picked it up and unfolded it. Her eyes filled with tears, the pain she had felt for all these years rushed to the surface. No matter how many times she read the words, the pain in her heart always felt the same.

The tears continued to stream down her cheeks as she read the words aloud.

“My dearest Sydney,

As I sit here, my heart feels as if it’s being ripped to shreds. I want you to know that the last few months have been the best months of my life. I love you, Sydney, and the love I feel for you and the love you have shown me is more than I ever hoped to have in my lifetime and I will always be grateful for that and to you.

Writing this letter to you is the hardest thing I have ever done. I wish things could be different. I wish we lived in a different time where the love we share for each other would be looked at as something to be honored and cherished instead of an abomination of Christ.

I’m sorry, Sydney, but I’m not at the same place you are. I know I shouldn’t care what people think or care what the Catholic Church thinks, but I do. I can’t raise my daughter in a lesbian relationship.

I will never forget you or the love we shared although it would be easier on me if I could. You are a wonderful woman with so much to give. My only wish for you is that you someday find that one woman who leaves you breathless. That one woman who can share her life with you, regardless of what anyone else thinks. I wish it could be me but it can’t.

I beg you not to come after me or try to find me because I won’t be here. Please remember that I do love you and probably always will.

Rachel”

By the time Sydney laid the letter down, her cries had turned to gut wrenching sobs. She wrapped her arms around her waist as she rocked back and forth in the chair. The more she tried to stop the tears, the more persistent they became.

A knock at the door caused her to try to pull herself together.

“Sydney, honey, are you okay?” Edna’s voice asked through the closed door.

“I’m fine, Edna,” she managed to choke out as she wiped her cheeks off with the back of her hand.

“I don’t believe you and I’m coming in whether you want me to or not,” Edna said as she pushed the door open. She took one look at Sydney sitting behind her desk and rushed over to her. “Aw, sweetheart,” she said as she rubbed Sydney’s back. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the tears off Sydney’s cheeks. “It’ll get better, hon, these things take time,” she said in a soothing voice.

“It’s been thirteen-years. How much longer do I have to wait?” Sydney asked through a half-hearted laugh.

“Oh, so Rachel is the woman of your dreams?” Edna asked as her mind finally put two and two together. She leaned back to look at Sydney. “Am I wrong?” she asked.

Sydney looked at Edna with a shocked expression on her face. “How do you know about Rachel?” she asked.

“Hon, you talk in your sleep,” Edna laughed.

Sydney grimaced. “I do?”

Edna nodded.

“Well damn, and here all this time I thought you were psychic or gifted with unseen magic powers,” Sydney laughed.

Edna placed her hands on her hips and pretended to glare at Sydney. “I am gifted missy and don’t you forget it.”

Sydney laughed a deep belly laugh. “How is it that when I’m feeling down or sad, you always have a way to bring me out of it?”

“It’s just a gift I have,” Edna said with a wink. “I think a long, hot soak in the tub will make you feel even better.”

“I think you may be right about that. Maybe I’ll throw in some bubbles while I’m at it to help me prepare for tomorrow.”

“Oh, I forgot that you will be dining with Deidre,” Edna snorted, covering her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing.

“Yeah, can’t wait to hang out with Mommy Dearest,” Sydney chuckled.

“Well, you better get to it then and be sure to say hi for me tomorrow,” Edna laughed as she left the room.

Rachel sat in her car for at least fifteen minutes just staring at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. She had been worshipping here for as long as she could remember. All her life she had been taught to praise God and live according to the words in the bible. Having parents who took everything to the extreme, including church, had made her life a virtual hell.

All throughout her life, she had conflicting feelings and emotions regarding the strict teachings of the church.

Sydney was right. She was a hypocrite in the worst sense of the word and perhaps she had known all her life that she was.

She thought about Caitlyn and Alyssa. They were her life and their happiness mattered to her more than anything else in her life.

“Would I care if they fell in love with a woman?” she asked herself. She really didn’t have to think about it at all. As much as she hated to admit it, Sydney was right. She was setting a piss poor example for her daughters. By staying with Edward, she was in a sense telling her girls that it was okay for a man to beat his wife; she was showing them that it was acceptable and she had done it for years.

“Oh God, what have I done?” she cried out. She slammed her hands against the steering wheel and try as she might; she was unable to stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks. She was angry with herself. She was angry with her parents, angry with the Catholic Church. She thought about all the years she had wasted but she was most angry with herself for not being brave enough to stand up and fight for Sydney.

Instead, she hurt the one person who mattered so much to her. She had no doubt that Sydney had truly loved her. Just one look in Sydney’s eyes had told her just how much Sydney had loved her. It was undeniable and she knew that her own eyes had told the same story as to how she had felt about Sydney.

She knew there was only one thing left for her to do. Without realizing it, she had left her car and was now standing in front of the church, looking at the door.

She took a deep breath, counted to ten, and pulled the door open. “You can do this,” she whispered as she entered the church. She looked around and was surprised to see that she was alone. It was Christmas Eve and she normally attended Midnight Mass but she had put this off for far too long now. She glanced at her watch. It would be more than two hours before the next service began.

She walked up to the marble stoup, the basin for Holy water and dipped her fingertips in it. She made the sign of the cross in front of her chest and then walked into the nave, the central part of the church. She stopped at a pew near the back, knelt, and made the sign of the cross again before entering. She laid her purse down on the bench and pulled the kneeler down.

With her hands clasped up in front of her, she felt the tears as they continued to stream down her face. She knew this prayer was going to be like none she had ever said before but she needed to do this. It may be too late for her now, but not for her girls.

Chapter 9

Sydney pulled her truck in behind her sister’s car and shut off the engine. “I really don’t want to do this,” she muttered as she took her key out of the ignition. She looked down at the short and sexy, very low-cut; figure hugging black dress she was wearing. She knew her mother was going to hate it and that made her smile.

She barely had time to get out of the truck before her niece and nephew came barreling out of the house toward her. The twins hit her at the same time, nearly knocking her over as they wrapped their arms around her waist.

“Auntie, Syd, what took you so long? We’ve been waiting for hours,” Seth said as he looked up at her.

“Yeah, what Seth said,” Sarah chimed in.

“I hardly think you’ve been waiting for hours. Seems like a little bit of exaggeration to me,” Sydney laughed as she hugged them. “You both look very nice today and you are just too handsome in that suit and tie, Mister.”

“What about me?” Sarah asked.

“You are as beautiful as ever, sweetie, and you know blue is my most favorite color in the world and ... I love the lace on your dress.”

“Thank you Auntie, Syd, and you look rather fetching, too,” Sarah said, grinning from ear to ear.

Sydney laughed. “Fetching? You think I look fetching. Where in the world did you hear that word? ” she asked.

“She’s been watching shows on the BBC,” Seth said as he rolled his eyes.

“Ah that explains it,” Sydney chuckled.

“Wait till you see what we got you for Christmas,” Seth said as he placed his hand in Sydney’s hand.

“And we bought it with our own money, too,” Sarah smiled as she took Sydney’s other hand.

“Wow really?” Sydney asked as she allowed the two kids to pull her toward the front porch. “I’m sure that whatever it is, I will love it.”

“It’s about time,” Liz said from the open doorway.

She looks more and more like mother every day and just as beautiful, Sydney thought as she climbed the steps. She let go of the kid’s hands. “Jeesh, I’m five minutes late and not only do I get the third degree from these two little rug rats, I get it from my favorite sister,” she said.

“I’m you’re only sister,” Liz laughed as she hugged Sydney.

Sydney grinned. “Now you know why you’re my favorite sister.”

“Whatever,” Liz said and then punched Sydney in the arm.

“Ouch, that hurt,” Sydney whined as she pretended to rub the spot on her arm.

“Merry Christmas, Sis,” Liz said as she moved back to allow Sydney and the kids room to come inside the house.

Sydney cupped her hand around her mouth. “Time to face the firing squad,” she whispered just loud enough for Liz to hear.

“It’s about time,” Deidre said as she glanced out the dining room doorway and saw Sydney.

Sydney hung her coat in the closet, walked over to the dining room, and stopped just inside the doorway. “Merry Christmas, Deidre,” she said with a tinge of sarcasm.

Deidre finished folding the last napkin and laid it on the table. Her eyebrows pinched together in a frown as she looked up at Sydney. “How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?”

Sydney watched her mother re-arrange the silverware. “And when are you going to get a haircut? You’re looking a little scraggly, and do you think you could have dressed a little sluttier,” Deidre asked through pursed lips as she looked at the dress Sydney was wearing.

Sydney smiled and then immediately felt her temper flare as her mother made her way around the table, making sure every place setting was just right. “I don’t know, maybe I’ll get it cut and wear more clothing when you learn to stop being such a class-A bitch to me.”

Deidre glared at Sydney. “You need to watch your language young lady. In case you haven’t noticed, there are children present.”

Sydney shook her head. “You’re never going to change are you, Mother?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Deidre asked, the look on her face saying that she had no idea what Sydney was talking about.

“You know damn well what it means. I can’t help it that I remind you—”

“Well, hello there and Merry Christmas,” Sydney’s brother-in-law said as he came up behind her and wrapped Sydney in a bear hug. He took one look at Deidre’s expression and realized that he had interrupted something.

Sydney turned around to face him. “Merry Christmas, Ray,” she said as she returned the hug. “Your timing is perfect,” she whispered in his ear.

He smiled at her. “You look fantastic and glad I could help.”

“You look pretty handsome yourself,” she said. He was extremely handsome with black wavy hair, dark eyes, and chiseled features that put him on the cover of GQ. The twins had the best of both parent’s genes. They got their blond hair from their mother and their dark eyes from their father.

Liz walked into the dining room carrying two glasses of mimosas. She handed one to Sydney. “Thought you might need this by now,” she said with a wink.

“You thought right. Maybe you should just set the pitcher next to my placemat,” Sydney laughed.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look today, Liz, honey? I love the new dress,” Deidre said as she took her place at the head of the table.

Liz pulled out the chair next to Sydney and sat down. “Yes mother, you did.”

“Seth, Sarah, time to eat,” Deidre shouted.

Sydney glanced at her watch as she took her seat at the table next to Liz. So much for me spending several hours here hanging out with the twins. I’ll be lucky to make it one hour, she thought as she laid her napkin across her lap.

“Do you need some help, Mom?” Caitlyn asked as she walked into the kitchen.

Rachel smiled at her daughter and placed the plate she had just washed into the drainer. “Not unless you want to help, baby,” she answered.

“May I ask you a question?” Caitlyn asked, picking up a towel. She began drying off the dishes in the drainer and placed them on the counter.

“Sure,” Rachel answered, handing Caitlyn a glass to dry off.

Caitlyn grinned. “We have a very good dishwasher, so why are you washing them by hand?”

“Because it’s relaxing and it gives me a chance to clear my head while I watch the birds eating out of the feeder,” Rachel answered, nodding toward the window overlooking the sink.

Caitlyn looked out the window and watched as several Northern Finches, more commonly known as Evening Grosbeaks gathered around the feeder, while a squirrel on the ground happily cleaned up the seeds that the birds had dropped.

Rachel picked up the pan that she had cooked the ham in. She took it over to the trashcan and scraped out the leftover remnants from Christmas dinner. “Did you have a good Christmas?” she asked.

“Yes, I did but then again, any day I get to spend with you and Alyssa is a good day.”

Rachel smiled and wrapped her arm around Caitlyn’s waist. “How did I ever get so lucky and blessed to have a daughter like you?” she asked.

“I am the way I am because I had a wonderful mom who raised me,” Caitlyn said and kissed Rachel on the cheek.

“Flattery will get you—”

“Hey, Mom,” Alyssa yelled, running into the kitchen.

“What, baby?” Rachel asked, smoothing back Alyssa’s hair from her face.

“Christy just called and asked if I could sleep over tonight. Please, Mom. Please? Can I?”

Rachel looked down at Alyssa’s sweet upturned face. “I don’t know, can you?” she teased.

“M-o-m,” Alyssa said, dragging out the word.

“What did Christy’s mom say?”

“She said it was okay with her if it was okay with you. Please? I’ll clean my room for the next two weeks.”

Caitlyn laughed. “Lyssa, you already clean your room. It’s cleaner than mine.”

Alyssa put her index finger over her mouth. “Shhh,” she said to Caitlyn in a conspiratorial tone.

“Okay,” Caitlyn whispered back.

Rachel cleared her throat. She placed her hands on her hips. “In case you two have forgotten, I’m standing right here and I can hear everything you’re saying,” she said, looking back and forth at her two daughters.

“Oh yeah,” Alyssa grinned at her mom. “Does that mean I can go?”

“Yes, you can go,” Rachel said. “Now go get your overnight bag because I know you’ve packed it already.”

“Yes,” Alyssa said, making a fist pump in the air as she ran out of the kitchen.

“Mom, I have something important that I need to talk to you about and I think you may want to sit down for this,” Caitlyn said, taking Rachel by the hand. “Don’t worry, it’s not that bad, or at least I don’t think it is,” she quickly added when she saw the worried look on Rachel’s face.

“Okay,” Rachel said slowly as she sat down at the table.

Caitlyn pulled out a chair and slid it over next to Rachel’s chair. She took her mom’s hand in hers. She cleared her throat. “I’m just going to say this. I’m a lesbian,” she said and then waited for her mom’s reaction.

Rachel looked at her in stunned silence. Several long seconds went by without her saying anything.

“Mom, please say something,” Caitlyn said.

“Um ... I’m sorry, baby. I’m just a little shocked, that’s all,” Rachel said.

“Do you hate me?” Caitlyn asked, a worried look on her face.

Rachel cupped Caitlyn’s face with her hands. “Oh, sweetheart. I could never hate you.”

“You kinda look a little pale right now,” Caitlyn laughed.

“It’s just ... I mean ... are you sure?” Rachel asked, her words jumbled as her mind tried to wrap around what Caitlyn was telling her.

Caitlyn smiled. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“Come here,” Rachel said, pulling Caitlyn into her arms. “I love you, Caitlyn, and I just want you to be happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you and Alyssa both.”

Caitlyn leaned back so she could look at Rachel. “I have another confession to make,” she said a little reluctantly.

Rachel leaned back in her chair. “Don’t tell me you’ve decided to run off and join the circus,” Rachel laughed.

“Jesus Christ woman, can a man get a damn drink in this house?” Edward yelled from the other room.

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “How about getting it yourself,” she mumbled under her breath.

“It’s okay,” Rachel said, her eyebrows furrowing into a frown. “I’ll get it for him. Would you mind running Alyssa over to Christy’s?”

“I don’t think I should leave. Why don’t you come with us?” Caitlyn asked, concern etched on her face.

“I’ll be all right, baby,” Rachel said, reassuringly. With any luck, he’ll drink enough and pass out, she thought to herself.

“I won’t be long and when I get back, I’d like to finish our conversation,” Caitlyn said, looking at her mom. She turned toward the doorway leading into the family room, her brows still creased into a frown. “Come on Mini-me,” she yelled. “I’m getting old standing here.”

“You’re too funny,” Rachel laughed. She opened the cabinet and grabbed a tall glass off the shelf.

“Are you sure, you’ll be okay?” Caitlyn asked again. She didn’t want to leave her mom alone with Edward, especially after he had been drinking heavily and lately, that seemed to be from the time he got up until the time he went to bed or passed out, whichever came first.

Rachel smiled. “Yes, baby, I am,” she said just as Alyssa came into the kitchen carrying her overnight bag.

“Bye, Mom. I love you,” Alyssa said, wrapping her arms around Rachel’s waist.

“I love you, too, sweetheart,” Rachel said and kissed the top of Alyssa’s head.

Rachel waited for the girls to leave and then filled the glass three-fourths of the way full with whiskey, topping it off with a small amount of Coke. “Hopefully, this will do the trick,” she said to herself as she picked up the glass and headed toward the family room.

Chapter 10

Christmas and New Years day had come and gone and things at Welsh had returned to normal. Jackie’s investigation continued along at a snail’s pace and they had yet to discover the identity of the account owner embezzling the funds from Welsh. Sydney liked to think of herself as a patient person but even she had her limit and she had long since reached it. She wanted answers and results and she wanted them now.

She and Rachel had not spoken or seen each other since Christmas Eve. Over the past few weeks, Sydney had thought long and hard about the way she had handled things. She knew she was out of line and that she owed Rachel an apology.

She took her cup of coffee and walked over to the bay window that looked out into the backyard. She smiled as she watched a Northern Harrier bathing in the heated birdbath next to the flower garden.

Her thoughts turned to Rachel. She knew Rachel would be in the design room because she had been in her room when she heard Rachel’s car. She had watched through her bedroom window as Rachel parked. The unexpected racing of her heart and the sudden dryness in her mouth had caught her off-guard and her first instinct had been to go to her but something had held her back. She wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment for her behavior weeks earlier or if was more out of fear.

She took a sip of coffee. “You’re only fooling yourself, kiddo,” she said aloud, shaking her head. “I think my little plan may be back-firing on me.”

Rachel stared at the computer screen with a blank look on her face. She had been looking at the dining room photo for the last fifteen minutes but for some reason she couldn’t get her mind to engage on the work that needed to be completed.

She hated to admit it but she had been disappointed that Sydney wasn’t home when she had arrived earlier. The more she tried to focus on the design changes, the more her mind wandered and the more her thoughts repeatedly turned to Sydney.

Over the last two weeks, everywhere she looked she saw Sydney’s beautiful smiling face. She had reminisced about the love they had once shared. The thoughts had left her happy, yet sad at the same time. She had dared to let herself dream about the life she and Sydney could have had together.

Although she had been furious with Sydney the last time they had spoken, what she felt now was gratitude. Everything Sydney had said had been the truth and it took Sydney’s anger to make her wake up and realize that for the last twenty-five years, no make that thirty-seven years, she had lived her life for everyone else.

After her trip to the church on Christmas Eve, she had left feeling better than she had ever felt in her life. It was as if a terrible burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Snap out of it girl,” she said aloud, picking up the four printouts that Sydney had selected. She thought it was ironic that the ones Sydney had chosen had also been her picks out of all the samples.

She opened up her daily planner and made notations next to the company names that she would be using to order the fabric.

“Good morning,” Sydney said from the doorway, her voice startling Rachel. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

“It’s okay,” Rachel smiled and leaned back in the chair.

Sydney suddenly felt a little awkward, unsure of herself even. She shifted nervously from one foot to the other.

Rachel looked at her with amusement. “You have to use the bathroom?” she laughed, her right eyebrow rising upward.

“Uh ... no, um ... I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past few weeks,” Sydney said.

“Yeah, me, too,” Rachel said, running her hands through her hair. The sexy gesture caused Sydney’s throat to tighten. She had hoped that the time away from Rachel would lessen the desire that was steadily building inside of her with each passing day. She couldn’t have been more wrong. If anything, she wanted Rachel more than she had ever wanted anything in her life and that scared her.

“Hello?” Rachel said, waving her hand in the air.

Sydney shook her head as if that would erase all thoughts and feelings that threatened to overtake her. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” she asked, her face flushing slightly with embarrassment.

“I asked you what you’ve been thinking about,” Rachel grinned.

“I owe you an apology, Rache,” Sydney said, clasping her fingers together in front of her.

Rachel pushed her chair back away from the table and stood up. She slowly walked over to Sydney. She pulled Sydney’s hands apart and took both of them in hers. She laughed at the shocked expression on Sydney’s face when she brought them to her mouth and gently kissed, first one palm and then the other.

“I’m the one who owes you the apology, Sydney. What you said to me was the truth. Every single word you spoke was dead-on.”

Sydney felt a lump rise in her throat. She shook her head back and forth adamantly. “No, Rache, I was so out of line and I had no right to be that rude to you and I’m so sorry.” Sydney looked down at the floor. She was afraid that if she looked at Rachel, she would lose it and make an even bigger fool of herself.

“Sydney, please look at me,” Rachel said softly. When Sydney made no move to comply, Rachel gently touched her cheek. She used her hand to force Sydney to meet her gaze. What she saw in Sydney’s eyes made her heart skip a beat. It wasn’t anger, lust or desire, what she saw were years of hurt and anguish but most of all she saw love. She knew what it was because she was sure that Sydney could see the same thing when she looked in her eyes. She felt her heart ache as a lone tear fell from Sydney’s eye and ran down her cheek. She smiled as she used her thumb to wipe it off.

“For so many years, I have denied who I was as a person. I lived my life according to how everyone else thought I should live and because of that, I missed out on you and what could have been but more importantly, I missed out on what it meant to truly be in love and to have that love returned ten-fold.”

Sydney took a deep breath. Her mind was racing in so many directions that she felt dizzy. She had waited so many years to hear these words from Rachel. “I don’t understand.”

“I was so angry at you when I left here. I was angry because you were right about everything,” Rachel said, caressing Sydney’s cheek with her thumb.

“But ... but what changed your mind? What happened?” Sydney asked. Her mind was still having a hard time digesting what Rachel was saying to her. She wanted to believe her but her mind warned her to be careful.

Rachel laughed. “I went to church.”

Sydney’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Did you have a spiritual awakening or something?”

“More like a ‘Come to Jesus’ meeting,” Rachel chuckled.

Sydney grinned at her. “Well, that must have been some kind of a meeting.”

“It was ... very eye opening,” Rachel said, nodding her head.

“What does it have to do with us, though?” Sydney asked.

“I’m not really sure but I do know this,” Rachel said as she cupped Sydney’s face with both of her hands. Before Sydney could say anything, Rachel pulled Sydney’s face toward her and then their lips met with the sweetest abandon.

The soft sensation coming from Rachel’s lips, rocked Sydney to the core. She felt the tip of Rachel’s tongue push forward and was helpless to do anything but allow her entry. She groaned as she gently caressed and sucked and massaged Rachel’s tongue with her own. She felt her knees weaken as her hands moved up and down Rachel’s sides as if they had a mind of their own.

Rachel’s deep intake of breath was almost her undoing as her hands found their way beneath Rachel’s t-shirt, sliding over silky soft skin as they searched for their desired goal, covering her breasts. She squeezed gently, her thumbs making circular motions over Rachel’s nipples. She moaned into Rachel’s mouth as she felt them grow harder with each stroke.

Sydney shivered when Rachel’s fingers and hands did a tap dance across her stomach. “You’re killing me,” Sydney groaned as Rachel traced kisses up and down the side of her neck. The tingling sensation ran from the tip of Sydney’s head all the way down to her groin. She felt the wetness gather between her legs when Rachel ran her tongue along the outside edge of her ear.

“Do you have any idea how bad I want you right now?” Sydney growled as her lips made their way back to Rachel’s mouth.

“Probably as much as I want you to want me right now,” Rachel whispered. She slowly traced the outline of Sydney’s lips with the tip of her tongue.

The clearing of a throat caused both women to jump apart as if they had been burnt by fire. Rachel felt her cheeks redden as she jerked her shirt down.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Edna chuckled, “but there is a delivery man out front. He says you ordered some car parts and he says he won’t leave until you’ve had a chance to inspect them.”

“Thanks, Edna,” Sydney said as she tucked her shirt back into her pants.

“Don’t mention it,” Edna laughed as she turned and walked away.

Sydney turned to Rachel, pulled her into her arms, and cupped her face with her hand. “You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on,” she said and then kissed Rachel softly on the lips. She looked at her one last time and then left the room.

Chapter 11

Rachel tapped her pencil on the desk. She hadn’t seen or talked to Sydney since ...  since their what? She laughed out loud. She didn’t even know what to call what they had done yesterday. She hadn’t planned on kissing Sydney. It just happened in the heat of the moment.

“Oh my gosh,” she whispered. “You felt her up, that’s what you did.” She felt the color rise in her cheeks at the thought of what she had done. She had no idea on where they stood or where they would go from here.

All she knew for sure was that she had been unable to get it out of her mind and  Sydney had been the last thing she thought about when she went to sleep and she had been the first thing she thought of when she had awoken that morning.

“I think these two belong to you,” Edna said, poking her head through the doorway.

“Hey, Mom, what’s up?” Caitlyn asked as she came into the room with Alyssa following behind her.

Rachel frowned at the sight of her daughters. “What are you two doing here?”

“Sorry, but I didn’t know what else to do with her,” Caitlyn said, nodding at her little sister. “Christy’s mom called my cell. Seems Christy has some kind of flu bug so I went over and picked her up. I figured Sydney wouldn’t mind if I brought Mini-me over here.”

“You’re right. Sydney doesn’t mind at all,” Sydney said from the doorway. She walked up to Alyssa and held out her hand. “Hi, Alyssa, I’m Sydney.”

“Hello, Sydney. I’m pleased to meet you,” Alyssa said in response and shook Sydney’s hand.

“Well, I guess it’s settled then,” Rachel laughed.

“I guess so,” Caitlyn chuckled. “I got a lot of work to do so I will talk to you ladies later.”

“I will touch base with you in a little while,” Sydney said to Caitlyn.

“Sounds good because I think I may have solved one of our little puzzles concerning a certain exec that we both know,” Caitlyn said with a wink.

“Now you’ve got my curiosity aroused,” Sydney said.

“I need to re-check and verify a few things but once I’m done, I’ll buzz you on your cell,” Caitlyn said.

Sydney smiled at her and said, “Can’t wait.”

Once Caitlyn was gone, Sydney turned her attention to Alyssa. “So, Alyssa, Caitlyn tells me that she calls you Mini-me. Why is that?” she asked.

“She says it’s because she and are just alike,” Alyssa answered.

“Is that true?” Sydney asked.

“Yeah in most ways, I suppose. Only she likes computers and I like cars.”

Sydney’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Well, if you like cars, then you might like me a little bit, too.” She glanced at Rachel and flashed her a broad smile that made Rachel’s heart skip a beat.

“You like cars?” Alyssa asked excitedly. Sydney’s revelation had obviously pleased her.

“I love, love, love cars,” Sydney said and then winked at Rachel.

The small gesture caused Rachel’s breath to catch in her throat. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Sydney as she watched her interact with her youngest daughter.

“You should see the shelves in my room, shouldn’t she, Mom?” Alyssa asked, looking at her mom for confirmation.

“Yes, she should, baby. I think Sydney would be impressed by your model collection,” Rachel said and nodded her head for emphasis, much to Alyssa’s delight.

“You build models?” Sydney asked, her eyebrows rising in surprise.

“At least two a week,” Alyssa answered proudly.

Sydney smiled at the young girl who looked so much like her mother. “I’ll tell you what, how about I take you around and show you the rest of the house so your mom can get back to work.”

“Sweet,” Alyssa said, her face lighting up with the thought. “Is it okay?” she asked, looking at Rachel.

“Yes, baby, it’s more than okay,” Rachel answered with a smile. She looked at Sydney and silently mouthed a thank you.”

Sydney grinned at Rachel and then wrapped her arm around Alyssa shoulders. “Do you like video games?” she asked.

“I love video games,” Alyssa replied.

“What about Donkey Kong?” Sydney asked.

“I will kick your butt,” Rachel heard Alyssa tell Sydney as the two of them headed down the hallway. She laughed and shook her head. Alyssa definitely marched to the beat of a different drummer just like her older sister.

Hearing Sydney and Alyssa laughing warmed Rachel’s heart. “I’m like an emotional basket case,” she whispered as her eyes unexpectedly welled up with tears.

Meredith lay down on the couch. She kicked her panties off to the side. She motioned to the little petite, hot looking blonde-haired woman who had accompanied her to Sydney’s Christmas party.

“What do you want, sweets?” the blonde asked in a seductive voice.

“You know what I want, Brandy, honey,” Meredith purred as she spread her legs open wide, revealing her completely shaven self.

Brandy smiled as she pulled off her top and unhooked her bra. By the time she made it over to the couch, she was completely naked, having shed all of her clothes along the way.

She licked her lips as she settled between Meredith’s legs. “Mmm, you’re so damn wet,” Brandy whispered as she slid her fingers through the wetness. She lowered her head and simultaneously entered Meredith with two fingers as she ran her tongue across her swollen clit.

“Oh shit,” Meredith moaned as her hips began to thrust hard against Brandy’s fingers. “I need more,” she begged.

“You taste so good,” Brandy groaned as she slid another finger inside.

Meredith reached down, pushing Brandy’s face into her harder. “Yes, yes, right there,” Meredith panted. “Whatever you do, don’t fucking stop,” she growled. Her hips bucked wildly as the orgasm screamed through her body. She tossed her head back against the arm of the couch and pushed hard against Brandy’s mouth. She cried out as the last sensations of the of the orgasm subsided. “No more,” she said, pushing Brandy’s head away.

“But I was just getting started, sweets,” Brandy whined.

Meredith looked at Brandy as if she were something she had picked up off the street. “You know how I hate when you talk like that,” she said in a snotty voice. “Hand me my cell off the coffee table.”

Brandy did what she was told and tossed Meredith her cell phone. She leaned back on the couch with a pouty look on her face as she looked at her lover.

Meredith glanced at Brandy with what could only be described as indifference as she punched a number into her cell. She smiled as she waited for the phone to be answered on the other end.

“Hello, Edward,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s not important who I am. What matters is that I know who you are and I know who your wife is. Would you be interested in knowing just what that wife of yours has been up to lately?” Meredith laughed. “If you aren’t sitting down you might want to think about it but I suggest before you do that you fix yourself a long hard drink.”

Chapter 12

Sydney, dressed from head to toe in coveralls and a welder’s apron, was so intent on the job she was doing that she didn’t notice when the garage door opened.

Alyssa turned her head to keep from looking directly at the arc coming from the machine Sydney was using. She walked up and lightly tapped Sydney on the shoulder.

Sydney looked back at Alyssa and smiled. She switched the torch off, laid it down, and then jerked off her face shield.

“Hi, Alyssa, I didn’t know you were coming over today.”

Alyssa shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “You don’t mind, do you?” she asked.

Sydney frowned. “Of course not, I’m very happy to see you.”

“Really?” Alyssa asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“Yes, really and I was hoping you would come over again because I wanted to show you my model kit.” Sydney pointed at an area behind Alyssa.

Alyssa turned to see what Sydney was pointing at. “Wow. Is that what I think it is?” Alyssa asked as she walked closer to the car that was suspended from the ceiling on a pulley system.

“I guess that depends on what you think it is,” Sydney laughed.

“I know exactly what it is,” Alyssa said as she circled the car body.

Sydney crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay, tell me what you think it is.”

“I don’t think, I know, and that is a replica body shell for the Mirage K Lamborghini Countach Kit Car,” Alyssa answered.

Sydney shook her head. “How in the world do you know that?” she asked, looking at Alyssa in amazement.

Alyssa laughed. “I told you that I’m a model freak.”

“Well, young lady. I am thoroughly impressed,” Sydney said, still shaking her head in disbelief. “How old are you anyway, twenty?” she asked although she knew exactly how old Alyssa was.

“I’m only eight years old, silly, but I’m in the seventh grade,” Alyssa laughed.

“I must admit that you are pretty incredible for an eight-year-old.” Sydney looked at Alyssa. Considering how intelligent Rachel and Caitlyn were, she shouldn’t have been surprised that Alyssa would be as well but she was.

“I see that you’re using a Pontiac Fiero as the host body for the kit. What year is that ‘94,  ‘96,?” Alyssa asked as she circled the stripped down car that Sydney had been working on.

“‘94 with a ninety-three point five wheelbase,” Sydney answered.

“Yeah, the old kits didn’t quite fit right and you had to extend the wheelbase on them before the body could be assembled. Automatic or five speed?” Alyssa asked.

“Five,” Sydney answered as she watched Alyssa circle the car. The young girl was studying it just like a scientist would study a newly discovered specimen under a microscope.

Alyssa walked to the rear end of the car. “Since you don’t need to extend the wheelbase, then what are you welding?

“When I pulled the Fiero body off, I noticed a few weak spots along some of the weld seams so I’m touching them up just to be on the safe side.

Alyssa tapped her index finger against her chin. She looked so much like an adult. “That’s probably a good idea. Are you using a TIG or MIG welder?” she asked, nodding at the welding machine.

“MIG and just what do you know about welding?” Sydney asked, again surprised by this young lady.

Alyssa shrugged. “Not much really. Just that the TIG uses Tungsten Inert Gases and that a person who uses that type of weld has to have a lot of skill. Most people use MIG though because the Metal Inert Gas is easier to handle since it supplies a continuous metal wire feed and fuses the two metals together. With the TIG, you have to use two hands, one to hold the welder and the other to hold the metal rod for welding.”

Sydney shook her head in amazement as she looked at Alyssa. “I thought you said you didn’t know much about welding.”

“I don’t really. That’s about as much as I know,” Alyssa said with a shrug.

“I think that’s enough,” Sydney laughed. “So, how would you like to help me work on it?”

Alyssa’s eyes flew open wide. “Are you serious?”

Sydney nodded.

“Sweet,” Alyssa said.

Sydney laughed. “Well, first thing we need to do is get you some coveralls. I don’t think your mom would be too happy with me if you ruined your clothes.”

Caitlyn, with a donut in hand stepped off the elevator on the executive floor. She glanced through the open doorway of several offices as she walked toward her office. It was very quiet and she liked it that way. A glance at her watch told her that it was almost five-thirty and she knew that very few employees worked past their scheduled time. She was definitely an exception in that area. More often than not, she was the last employee to leave the building.

She was looking down at her shoes when a movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to look up. She stopped walking. She held her breath, listening for any sign that indicated she wasn’t alone and then she heard it.

“Who’s there?” she called out as she walked several more feet and stopped. She waited for several seconds and when she didn’t hear anything else, she continued down the hallway toward her office.

As she reached her office, she shivered involuntarily. She turned and looked back over her shoulder. For some reason she had a strange feeling that she was being watched. She took one last look down the hallway and then went into her office.

She noticed that the red light was flashing on her answering machine, indicating she had unheard messages. She pressed the button to hear them through the speaker and smiled when she heard Janice from Property Records’ voice.

“I hope you have the news I’m looking for,” she said to the machine.

“Seems you were right, Caitlyn,” Janice said through the speaker. “The prior owner of the property you were asking about once belonged to an Allen Carmichael, which he got for a steal if you ask me. Must be nice to buy a property for twenty-five grand and then flip it for three-hundred thousand. Anyway, I just wanted to give you the information. If you need anything else, you know where to find me.”

“I knew it,” Caitlyn said, shaking her head as she disconnected the line. “Gotcha, Allen!”

Sydney came out of the closet near the back of the garage carrying a pair of dark blue coveralls. She walked up to Alyssa and held them up to her. They were at least three times Alyssa’s size.

“I think we’re gonna have to modify these a bit for you,” she said and handed the garment to Alyssa. She walked over to her workbench and grabbed a pair of scissors.

“Okay hold these up to you like this,” she instructed as she knelt down on her knees in front of Alyssa. She used the scissors and cut a good twelve inches off the length on both legs. “Now we need to make them fit your arms,” she said and held the coverall arm against Alyssa’s arm. Again, she cut off close to the same amount as what she did the legs.

Before she could tell Alyssa to try them on, the young girl had already slipped them over her clothes and zipped up the front.

“Not bad,” Sydney said as she admired her handiwork. “Now we got to find you some gloves.”

Alyssa frowned. “What do I need gloves for?” she asked.

“I may like working on cars but I can’t stand getting grease under my fingernails,” Sydney said, crinkling her nose in disgust.

Alyssa giggled and rolled her eyes at Sydney.

“Don’t give me that look missy,” Sydney said, shaking her finger at Alyssa.

“You can’t really be serious about the grease. Part of the fun is getting dirty,” Alyssa said as she continued to giggle.

“Uh, yeah ... dead dog serious and if I wanna get dirty, I’ll go play in the mud,” Sydney said, a grin on her face.

“Dead dog? Really?” Alyssa groaned.

“Yeah, because nothing is more serious than a dead dog, don’t you agree?” Sydney asked.

“Oh brother,” Alyssa said, shaking her head.

Sydney frowned. “Hey, you wanna help me or not?”

“Of course,” Alyssa answered through a giggle.

Rachel had checked the theater room and every other room where she thought Alyssa might be. When she didn’t find her, she headed toward the kitchen, thinking that either Fred Rick or Edna would be there and that one of them might know where her daughter was.

She hadn’t planned on having Alyssa at Sydney’s with her while she worked but Mrs. Novak, the older woman who usually stayed at the house with Alyssa after school, had called off with the flu. Although Edward made it home on most days before she did, with his drinking problem, she just wasn’t comfortable leaving Alyssa alone with him. That should have told you something right there, she thought to herself. When a mother doesn’t trust her husband enough to leave her daughter alone with her own dad, something is very wrong.

She thought about last night and how relieved she was when she got home and found Edward already passed out in bed. She knew she had some major decisions to make and that her life was about to change in the most drastic way. What was odd, was that she wasn’t scared at all. It was as if an inner peace had come over her after her trip to Immaculate Conception and when she had left that day, she had known that it would be the last time she set foot in that church.

She knew that her parents were aware of her lack of attendance the past two Wednesday’s and Sunday’s by the numerous messages, they had left on her answering machine at home. When that didn’t get a response, her mother had begun leaving messages on her cell phone voice-mail. As of yesterday, she had twenty-two voice mails and all but three of them were from her mother. She hadn’t bothered to listen to a single one, instead she had deleted them. She just wasn’t ready to face her parents yet, mostly because she was dreading the confrontation along with the screaming that was sure to come when she laid it all out for her parents.

“Caitlyn, Caitlyn, Caitlyn,” she said repeatedly to herself. “You never cease to surprise me,” she laughed as her thoughts turned to the conversation she had with her daughter in the kitchen when Caitlyn had announced that she was a lesbian. She had made it all sound so simple and in reality, it was. She had hugged Caitlyn and told her how proud of her she was.

After Caitlyn had made her announcement, for a brief second she had felt a tinge of jealousy. It wasn’t jealousy in the true sense of the word, but more akin to envy, envy because Caitlyn seemed so at ease with who she was and had fully accepted it and she didn’t care what anyone else thought. Caitlyn’s biggest fear however, was how she would react to the news. She had assured her eldest daughter that all she ever wanted was for her to be happy and if loving and being loved by a woman would give her that, then she would support her fully. The look of relief on Caitlyn’s face nearly made her cry and if that wasn’t enough, Caitlyn then decided to drop the real bombshell after she returned from dropping Alyssa off at Christy’s house.

She had told Rachel that she knew who Sydney was all along and that she had remembered Sydney from when she was a child. She then went on to chastise Rachel for not following her heart but she also eased the sting by telling her that she understood why she had made the choices she had made but things were different today and people were more free to love who they wanted to love. Caitlyn had laughed though when Rachel had groaned about not looking forward to talking to her parents. Caitlyn had shrugged her shoulders and said, “Oh well, if they can’t accept you, then it’s their loss.”

“That’s what happens when you have not one, but two prodigious daughters who are a lot smarter than you,” she laughed.

Voices coming from the kitchen pulled her from her thoughts. She pushed the door open and immediately saw Fred Rick busily cooking something on the stove.

Fred Rick looked over his shoulder and smiled at Rachel with perfect white teeth. “Good afternoon,” he said as he transferred whatever was in the skillet onto a plate.

“Hi, Fred Rick, you wouldn’t happen to know where my daughter is by any chance?” she asked.

“I sure don’t, sorry but if you find her or Sydney, can you tell them that dinner is ready.”

“Have you checked the garage?” Edna asked.

Rachel turned and for the first time, noticed that Edna was sitting at the small table off to the right side of the bar. “Oh, hi, Edna, I didn’t see you sitting there,” she said as she approached the table.

Edna laughed. “I’m just sitting here blending in with the woodwork,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee.

“You may do a lot of things, but I wouldn’t say just blending in is one of them,” Rachel laughed. “Is there any particular reason why I should check the garage?”

“Just go see for yourself and that’s all I’m going to say,” Edna chuckled.

Rachel’s right eyebrow shot upward, a grin playing at the corners of her mouth. “Okay, I will just go and do that right now.”

Edward had been stewing for quite some time after the mysterious phone call about his wife. The more he thought about it, the more pissed off he got. He walked over to the kitchen counter. He picked up the bottle of whiskey and refilled his glass. He tilted his head back, downed the contents of the entire glass in one long swig, and then refilled it.

“Who the fuck does she think she is?” he growled. “She’s my damn wife and this shit is going to stop and it’s going to stop now!”

He staggered over to the table and snatched up his keys. He nearly fell into the wall on his way to the door. “She’s coming home and that’s final,” he yelled, jerking the door open with a bang.

The sound of softly playing music greeted Rachel as she stepped inside the garage. As she came around the back of what looked like a car, she stopped dead in her tracks. She looked down at the ground and all she could see were two pair of dark blue legs sticking out from under the car.

“What exactly do you two think you’re doing under there?” she asked, raising her voice slightly in order to get their attention.

She heard Sydney mumble something and then heard Alyssa laugh and then the two of them, slowly slid out from beneath the car and looked up at Rachel.

Rachel covered her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing. They looked like twins. Sydney and Alyssa were each lying on a small rectangle shaped board, dressed in identical dark blue coveralls with grease stains smeared all over their face. They were a sight for sore eyes to say the least.

Rachel placed both hands on her hips. “What do you think you’re doing young lady?” she asked, looking at her daughter.

“Having a blast,” Alyssa laughed.

“And what about you?” Rachel asked, directing the question to Sydney.

“What she said,” Sydney answered, motioning toward Alyssa with her hand.

Sydney and Alyssa looked at each other, then looked at Rachel and then back at each other and then they lost it. Both were laughing so hard that Rachel couldn’t help but join in.

Rachel was the first to pull herself together. “Fred Rick wanted me to let you know that dinner was ready.”

“We better get cleaned up then, huh,” Sydney said to Alyssa, nudging her with her shoulder. “You two are staying for dinner, aren’t you?” she asked, looking at Rachel.

“Not tonight but thank you. It’s getting late and we really need to be heading home.”

“Oh, Mom. Do we have to?” Alyssa whined.

Rachel grabbed a clean rag off of the workbench. “Come over here,” she said to Alyssa. She wet the rag with some spit and tried to wipe the grease off of Alyssa’s cheeks.

“Mom, you’re embarrassing me,” Alyssa whispered as she tried to swat Rachel’s hand away.

Sydney looked at Rachel and laughed.

“You’re not getting into my car looking like that young lady.” She stopped to look at Sydney. “And I’m glad you think it’s so funny,” she said, shooting Sydney a look that was supposed to be menacing as she continued to wipe Alyssa’s face off.

“As a matter of fact I do. I think it’s extremely funny,” Sydney answered with a look of her own that was anything but menacing and it caused Rachel to do a double-take.

“You do, do you?” Rachel asked, her eyes narrowing. She gave Sydney a look that could only be defined as smoldering and full of raw “I want to rip your clothes off” desire.

Sydney suddenly found it hard to swallow as she watched Rachel move slowly toward her, a grin playing at the corners of her mouth.

“You have some grease on your face,” Rachel whispered as she used the rag to wipe the smudges off of Sydney’s cheeks.

Rachel was so close that Sydney could feel her warm breath on her skin. She reached up and covered Rachel’s hand with her own to stop the motion. “If you knew how bad your touch affected me right now, you would stop doing it,” she whispered, her voice husky with desire.

Rachel looked at her through heavily lidded eyes. She leaned in so that her lips were touching the edge of Sydney’s ear. “I think if I knew how much you liked my touch, the last thing I would want to do is stop doing it,” she whispered.

Sydney felt chills start from the bottom of her feet and run all the way to her head. She had no doubt that every single hair on her body was standing on end. A movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to look over Rachel’s shoulder. Rachel turned to see what she was looking at.

Alyssa had stripped off her coveralls and was standing there with her hands on her hips looking at them. “You two do know that it’s not polite to whisper in front of other people, right?”

“Yes, baby, we do and you’re right,” Rachel laughed.

Sydney bit her lower lip to keep from laughing and had to turn her back in order to hide the smile on her face. She stripped off her coveralls and tossed them on the floor next to the one’s Alyssa had discarded.

“Come on you two. Let’s go before Fred Rick sends out a search and rescue party for all of us,” Sydney said as she wrapped an arm around Rachel and Alyssa’s shoulders.

Oh no, this can’t be good, Edna thought as she looked at the disheveled looking man standing on the other side of the door. She was sure she could smell alcohol dripping from every pore of his body. “May I help you?” she asked.

Edward made a grunting sound and then pushed his way past her, shoving her off to the side as he staggered into the foyer. “Where’s my fucking wife?” he snarled.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Edna said, playing dumb as she followed him into the family room.

“I know she’s here God damn it! Now where is she? Never mind, I’ll find her myself,” he yelled.

“I think you need to stay right where you are,” Edna said, trying to reason with him.

“And I think you need to mind your own damn business,” he growled.

“I need to find Sydney and find her quick,” Edna mumbled as she ran toward the kitchen. She pushed the door open with a bang. Sydney was sitting at the bar with Alyssa. She immediately got to her feet when she noticed the look on Edna’s face.

What’s wrong?” she asked.

Edna glanced quickly at Alyssa and with her head, motioned for Sydney to come over to her.

“What’s going on? You’re whiter than a ghost,” Sydney said.

“Rachel’s husband’s here and he’s drunk and he’s searching for her now. You need to hurry,” she whispered franticly in Sydney’s ear.

“Are Jed and Frankie still here?” she asked, her mind racing a mile a minute on how to handle the situation.

Edna nodded. “They’re working on the pump motor in the pool room.”

“Okay, you stay here with Alyssa,” Sydney said as she took off out the door.

“You ready to go home, sweetheart?” Rachel asked without looking up from the printout she had lying on the desk in front of her.

“You’re the one who’s fucking coming home and you’re doing it right now,” Edward yelled from the doorway.

Rachel jumped up from the desk. She felt the color drain from her face. “Edward ... wh ... what are you doing here?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out about your little secret?” he growled. “You’re going to quit working for that dyke bitch and get your ass back home where you belong.” With each word, he inched closer and closer to Rachel and with each step, she took a step of her own, backing away from him.

“That bitch may own your company but she doesn’t own you,” he yelled, causing spittle to fly out of his mouth.

“She is my, my boss and she can have me do whatever job she wants me to do,” Rachel said, raising her chin in defiance.

“How dare you disobey me,” he said, grabbing Rachel by the wrist. He drew his free hand back to strike her.

“Please, no , Edward,” Rachel cried out, jerking her arm free. She held her hands up in front of her face to ward off the blow that she knew was coming.

At that instant, Sydney, followed by Jed and Frankie ran into the room. Jed and Frankie grabbed Edward by his arms. Sydney rushed over to Rachel and pulled her toward the door.

Edward struggled to break free. “Get your fucking hands off of me,” he yelled.

Frankie was a goliath of a woman with brown spiky hair and stood nearly six and a half feet tall. She looked down at Edward and grinned as she tightened her hold on his arm. “We’ll be glad to do that just as soon as we throw your sorry ass out the front door.”

With Edward struggling and cursing the whole way, Frankie and Jed forcefully dragged him out into the hallway and out the front door.

Once they had him on the front porch, they released his arms.

“Don’t ever come back to my house again, Edward, because if you do, you’re going to jail for trespassing,” Sydney said from the doorway.

He pointed his finger at her. “You’re going to be sorry you ever met me and you have no idea who you’re messing with,” he threatened.

Sydney shook her head. “Oh, Edward, I know exactly who you are, darlin’. As for being sorry I met you, I already am,” she laughed. “I know more about you than you think but you know what’s funny? Thinking you know someone when you really don’t know them at all. I’m not the only one with secrets,” she said, a smug look on her face.

“Got to hell, bitch,” he snarled.

“Not to be clichéd but ...” She shrugged. “Been there, done that!” She turned to Frankie. “We don’t need another drunk on the roads. Take my truck and give the asshole a ride home, please. Jed can follow behind you. If he resists or gives you a hard time, knock him out.”

“My pleasure,” Frankie said and grabbed Edward by the arm. “Come on powder-puff stud muffin, let’s get you home so you can sleep it off.”

When Sydney walked into the design room, she didn’t know what to expect. Rachel was standing by the drafting table looking out the window.

Sydney slowly walked up behind her and laid her hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Rachel brushed Sydney’s hand away and whirled around to face her. “This is all your fault,” Rachel said, her eyes were like ice.

Sydney’s look was incredulous. “How is it my fault?” she asked. “Is it my fault you married a drunken, pompous, arrogant ass bastard?”

“If  you hadn’t black-mailed me, I would have never been in this situation to begin with.” Rachel said the words although she knew in her heart they weren’t true. Sydney was right, she is the one who created this mess, but she was too angry right now to admit it.

Sydney felt the stinging threat of tears behind her eyes. “You’re the one who married him, Rache, you just remember that,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. She turned to leave and stopped. “Our deal is off. You’re free to go. No strings attached. I’ll have someone else take care of the design changes,” she said over her shoulder and then left the room.

Chapter 13

It had been several days since Sydney had left Rachel standing in the design room and since she never came back, it was clear that she had taken Sydney up on her offer to let her out of their deal. Sydney hadn’t realized just how much she was used to having Rachel around until it stopped—she missed her!

She had been so depressed, she hadn’t bothered to go into the office all week. Thankfully, Caitlyn didn’t mind making several visits to the house so they could discuss business and on behalf of Karen, brought along several time-sensitive documents that required Sydney’s signature.

On Caitlyn’s last visit, which took place earlier in the day, she had informed Sydney that she now knew beyond a doubt what Allen had been searching for in her office and it wasn’t good. She had shown Sydney a copy of a deeded property located in Springfield, a property that Welsh now owned and had purchased at a substantially higher price than what they would have ever agreed to pay. Caitlyn had then pulled out another document, which showed that the previous owner of the property was none other than Allen Carmichael.

It took Sydney a little while to understand exactly what had happened and how Allen had managed to pull this off. Once she understood, then she was able to see why Allen was so desperate to search Caitlyn’s office as well as his reasons for wanting to hack her password.

Everything came back to the new software system Caitlyn had installed. Using the old system, Allen was able to create a program that would erase the sale so that it wouldn’t show him as the previous owner, which would have raised red-flags by sending out an alert for ‘conflict of interest’. The conflict of interest clause had been one that Sydney had the programmers set up when she first started Welsh. She was adamant about never doing business in a way that could be interpreted by her investors as inappropriate.

In other words, no one who worked for Welsh was to do business with the company and in a sense be able to double-dip by making a profit off of the association. She even took it a step further by prohibiting Welsh deals with friends or associates of any employee at Welsh. There was also a clause in every employee’s contract that stated if they were found to be guilty of such an act, they would be terminated immediately.

Allen’s undoing was that he hadn’t counted on, nor was he privy to the information regarding the new software system. He only learned about it the day before Caitlyn had caught him in her office.

Caitlyn’s take on it was that he was searching through her drawers, hoping that she would make a newbie mistake of writing down her password. He needed Caitlyn’s access to the system in order to write up a new program that would hide his deception.

Fortunately for Sydney as well as Welsh, Caitlyn was a lot more intelligent than Allen had given her credit for. Sydney had made the decision to meet with Allen the following Monday where she, along with Caitlyn, would lay out all the evidence against him. Sydney would relieve him of his position at Welsh and she would give him the option to return the money or she would have him arrested for theft, fraud, and whatever else her attorneys could throw at him. It would be a meeting that she was dreading, yet looking forward to at the same time. She wished she could add embezzlement to the list of charges but they had no proof of that—yet!

Chapter 14

Since the day Rachel left Sydney’s house, she had been miserable. Every waking thought seemed to be about Sydney. Everywhere she looked, everything she did, brought up images of Sydney’s face. In the time they had been apart, Rachel had done more soul-searching than she thought she was capable of and in the end, she knew it was time to make the decisions she had dreaded and put off for years. One of those decisions now sat directly in front of her. She looked at the small two-story house where her parents lived.

“Now or never,” she said as she stepped out of the car and walked up to the front door. She rang the buzzer and waited.

Lou Masters, a portly man with grey hair and kind blue eyes, pulled the door open. He smiled at Rachel. “Well, don’t just stand there, come on in,” he said, pulling the door open further.

“Hi, Dad, is Mom here?”

“She’s in the kitchen. I have to warn you though, she’s in rare form, and you not returning her phone calls hasn’t helped matters any.”

Rachel sighed. “Great, just what I want to hear but I need to talk to both of you and what I’m going to say may push her over the edge, so I want to prepare you now.”

“Sounds important,” Lou said as he led Rachel toward the kitchen.

“It is. At least for me it is,” Rachel said. She took a deep breath before she stepped into the kitchen.

Roberta Masters, wearing a pale yellow smock, stood next to the sink with her hair in curlers. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at Rachel. “Where have you been young lady and why haven’t you called me? Why haven’t you been to church? Well, what do you have to say for yourself? Let’s hear it,” she demanded.

Her mother’s attitude and condescending voice was all Rachel needed to gather the strength that she had lacked for so many years when it came to her parents. She’d had enough. “First of all, I don’t answer to you nor do I owe you an explanation as to why I haven’t been to church because quite frankly, it’s none of your damn business. What I do and don’t do is not your concern.”

Roberta clutched her chest as if she were having a heart attack. She looked at her husband. “Did you hear how she just spoke to me, Lou?” she asked, a mortified look on her face.

Lou, with his mouth gaping open, looked at his wife and then back at Rachel.

Rachel grinned at her mother. “Well if you like that then you’re really going to love what I have to say next,” she said.

“What could possibly be worse than what you just said to me?” Roberta asked.

“I’m a lesbian,” Rachel blurted out. She smiled inwardly at the shocked expression on her mother’s face.

Roberta gasped. “What did you just say to me?” she asked.

“You heard me. I ... am ... a ... lesbian,” Rachel said, making sure to annunciate each word so that her mother would have no doubt about what she was saying.

“How dare you use that word in this house. How dare you. Get out,” Roberta screamed, pointing toward the door.

Rachel looked at her mother and laughed. “You remember Sydney Baxter, Mother? Don’t answer that because I know you do. I’m in love with her and I always have been and I plan on telling her that myself and just so you know, I will be filing for a divorce from Edward and I don’t give a damn what you or anyone else thinks about it!”

All the blood seemed to drain from Roberta’s face. She looked at Rachel as if she had suddenly announced she was a serial killer. “Get out of my house this instant, you, you unrepentant harlot,” she yelled.

Rachel smiled. “That’s probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” she said and turned to leave. She looked back at her mother. “When I walk out that door, I can assure you that I won’t be back.” Without waiting for a reply, Rachel left the kitchen and walked out of the house. When her feet hit the driveway, she took a deep breath and for the first time in years, she actually felt free.

“Rachel, wait,” her dad yelled.

She turned to see her father coming toward her. She held her hand up. “Dad, if you’re here to ridicule me or tell me I’m going to burn in hell, I don’t want to hear it because I can tell you, growing up with that woman was more hell than any person should have to deal with.”

Lou’s expression softened as he looked at Rachel. “Rache, I didn’t come out here to do any of those things. I wanted to tell you that I love you and just want you to be happy and if Sydney is what makes you happy, then so be it.” He laughed at the shocked expression on Rachel’s face.

“That is not what I expected you to say. Um ... I don’t know what to say,” Rachel said.

He wrapped his arm around Rachel’s shoulders. “I know that your mother is extreme and although I tag along, your needs and wants are my first priority.”

“She’ll never change, Dad,” Rachel said, shaking her head.

He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if she does but I want you to know that I still want to see you and my granddaughters and if I need to come over to your house or Sydney’s then that’s what I will do. That’s if it’s okay with you.”

“Of course it is,” Rachel said with a grin.

“You might not understand this but throughout all the years I’ve been with your mother, I mostly just went along in order to keep the peace but even I’ve had enough.”

Rachel knew she was standing there with her mouth hanging open but she couldn’t help it. She had no idea how her dad had felt, which made her feel bad because she had never bothered to ask him. “I love you, Dad,” she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

“And I love you,” he said, hugging her back.

“You’ve got my number,” she said with a wink as she climbed into her car.

He grinned at her. “I do and I will be using it. Tell Sydney I said hi,” he said as he turned and walked back up to the house.

After Lou went back inside, Rachel sat in her car for several minutes, her thoughts turning to everything that had happened in her life over the last couple of months.

She thought about Sydney and hoped that it wasn’t too late for them and if it was, she knew she had no one to blame but herself. Regardless of what the future held, the one thing she knew for sure was that there was no turning back now.

Chapter 15

Sydney had given Jed and everyone else in the house, the night off. She sat at the small table in the kitchen sipping a cup of coffee, tinged with Bailey’s Irish Cream. She had been in this same spot for almost two hours, seemingly unable to move.

The sound of the doorbell chiming caused her to jerk her head up. She glanced at the clock on the wall. She reluctantly got up from the table and made her way through the family room. It was nearly nine and she couldn’t imagine who it might be.

She crossed the entry way foyer, unlocked the door, and pulled it open. What she saw caused her breath to catch in her throat.

A distraught Rachel, with blood on the side of her face looked at Sydney. “I’m sorry and I know it’s late but I didn’t know where else to go.”

“No, no, come in,” Sydney said, taking Rachel by the hand. “What happened, Rache? Are you okay?” she asked, kicking the door shut with her foot.

“I told Edward that I was filing for a divorce and he went nuts and ... and ...” she broke down in sobs, unable to finish her sentence.

“It’s okay, baby. You’re safe now. Let’s go get you cleaned up,” Sydney said soothingly as she led Rachel toward the bathroom.

She flipped on the light and gently pushed Rachel down onto the toilet seat. She felt anger course through her body as she glanced at the cut near Rachel’s eyebrow. She opened the medicine cabinet and took out some ointment, alcohol pads, and a Band-Aid. “Did he hit you?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Rachel’s one word answer caused Sydney to feel something akin to rage. I’m going to kill the son of a bitch. That’s all there is to it, she thought as she jerked open a drawer and took out a clean wash cloth.

She knelt down in front of Rachel. She gently laid her hand against Rachel’s cheek. “Are you hurt anywhere else, sweetheart?” she asked the question although she was afraid of the answer.

Rachel shook her head. “No but it wasn’t for lack of trying. I got out of the house before he could do anything else.”

Sydney got to her feet and turned on the hot water. “What about the girls?” she asked.

“Caitlyn’s still at work and Alyssa had a sleepover at Christy’s.”

“I’m just going to wipe the blood off, okay,” Sydney said as she pressed the warm, wet washcloth against Rachel’s face. She wiped away the blood, trying to be as gentle as she possibly could.

“Mmm, that feels good,” Rachel said, leaning into Sydney’s touch.

“You might not like me too much after I clean it though,” Sydney said as she ripped the package open and removed the alcohol swab. “This may sting a bit.”

Rachel groaned when the swab made contact.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Sydney said, tossing the swab in the trashcan. She spread a small dab of ointment on the cut, ripped off the Band-Aid strips, and gently covered the small gash.

Without realizing what she was doing, she leaned over and softly kissed Rachel on the mouth. She intended to pull away, but Rachel’s arms wrapping around her neck prevented her from doing so. For several seconds they just stared into each other’s eyes.

Sydney knew that the desire and hunger she was seeing and feeling from Rachel was also mirrored in her own eyes and body. Her mouth went dry, her heart began to race and she knew that this woman would always own her heart.

“Kiss me, Sydney,” Rachel said, her words coming out as a plea.

When their lips met, everything in Sydney’s world stopped. She devoured Rachel’s mouth as if it were the last thing she would ever feel. She groaned when she felt the tip of Rachel’s tongue slide over her lips.

Sydney pulled back to look at Rachel. “I want you so much, Rache, so much that I think I will die if I don’t taste you.”

“Then taste me,” Rachel said huskily and then proceeded to trail kisses up the side of Sydney’s neck.

“As much as I want that, it’s not the right time or place at the moment,” Sydney said.

Rachel laughed. “And here I thought chivalry was dead.”

Caitlyn glanced at her watch as she dropped down into her chair. Another late night at the office. I really need to get a life, she thought to herself. She heaved her laptop bag up on the desk and unzipped the outside pocket. She pulled a compact disk out and removed it from its protective pink case.

She pushed the button to open the disk drive on her desktop and waited for the tray to slide open. “That’s odd,” she said, frowning. She looked at the silver colored disk laying in the tray.

“This is definitely not mine,” she said and removed the disk. “Where did you come from and what are you doing here? Someone has been in my office when I wasn’t here and lucky for me they forgot you,” she said, continuing to talk aloud to the disk as if it were a person and not an object.

“Let’s see what you have to say little guy.” She placed the disk back in the tray and pushed it in. She clicked on the cd drive letter and waited for the contents of the disk to pop up and then clicked on the only folder listed.

“OMG ... I can’t believe this.” She grabbed her cell out of her purse and hit the speed dial for Sydney. “Come on, come on, answer,” she urged as the phone rang in her ear.

“Oh, Sydney, thank God,” she said when she heard Sydney’s voice on the other end.

Sydney lay on the couch with her cell up to her ear. She smiled at Rachel as she  sat two cups of tea down on the coffee table. “Hey there, what’s up?” she asked.

“You’re not going to believe this. I know who the embezzler is ... It’s ... No, don’t,” Caitlyn’s voice screamed through the phone.

Sydney sat bolt upright on the couch, the color draining from her face. “Caitlyn, Caitlyn,” she yelled into the phone .

Hearing Caitlyn’s name, Rachel stopped in mid-motion. “What’s wrong?” she asked with a panic stricken look as she watched Sydney jump to her feet.

Caitlyn’s unconscious, crumpled body lay on the floor. A steady stream of blood ran down the side of her face, dripping onto the carpet.

Maureen, knelt down beside Caitlyn and removed the syringe sticking out of the side of her neck. She slipped a plastic cover over the needle and stuck it in her coat pocket.

She glanced at the phone laying several feet away from Caitlyn’s head. The sound of Sydney’s voice filled the room as she yelled through the receiver. Maureen slowly got to her feet, stepping over Caitlyn’s body, she bent down and picked up the phone.

She placed the phone against her ear. A sadistic smile formed on her mouth as she listened to Sydney’s frantic pleas.

“Hello? Hello,” Sydney yelled into the phone. She looked at Rachel as she came out from behind the coffee table. “I know you’re there because I can hear you breathing. Answer me damn it,” she yelled into the phone and then the line went dead.

“Sydney. Where’s Caitlyn? What happened?” Rachel’s asked calmly when every nerve in her body was telling her to scream.

“I don’t know but we need to get to Welsh now,” Sydney yelled over her shoulder as she ran toward her bedroom.

Tears streamed down Rachel’s face as she took off running after Sydney. “Oh my God, Sydney, if something has happened to Caitlyn, I don’t know what I will do,” she sobbed.

Sydney stopped and turned to face Rachel and pulled her into her arms. “She’s going to be okay,” she said in an attempt to reassure Rachel as well as herself. She knew something was terribly wrong and she fought like mad to keep her mind from creating the worst case scenario of what was happening at this very moment in Caitlyn’s office.

“We can’t waste anymore time,” she said, reluctantly letting go of Rachel. She ran around the side of her bed and jerked open the top drawer of her nightstand.

“Oh no, no. What are you doing?” Rachel cried out when she saw the object in Sydney’s hand.

Sydney ignored Rachel’s question and slipped the magazine clip into the butt of the gun. She chambered the bullet by pulling back and releasing the slide. She grabbed an extra magazine from the drawer and slipped it into her pocket.

“Sydney, this is not the answer. We need to call the police,” Rachel pleaded when Sydney didn’t answer her.

“We don’t have time for that,” Sydney said as she came from around the bed. “They may kill Caitlyn before the police can get there.”

“Oh dear God,” Rachel cried between sobs.

The sound of Sydney’s cell phone ringing in the family room forced both women to run out of the bedroom. Sydney snatched the phone up without bothering to look at the caller ID. “Hello,” she said into the receiver as she sat down on the edge of the couch.

“As you know by now, I have your employee,” the distorted voice said into Sydney’s ear.

Sydney hit the button to put the phone on speaker mode and then laid it down on the coffee table.

“I want two-million dollars in unmarked bills and you have twenty-fours to make it happen,” the distorted voice said.

“I can’t get that amount of money that quickly. I need more time.,” Sydney tried to argue.

“Ms. Welsh, if you want to see your employee alive again, you better make it happen.”

“I want to speak to my daughter. Is she okay? Please tell me,” Rachel yelled at the phone.

“I will call back in one hour. Keep your phone with you and no police,” the voice said and then the phone line went dead.

Rachel dropped down on the couch next to Sydney. With shaky hands, she ran her fingers through her hair. She leaned against Sydney as gut wrenching sobs wracked her body. “I can’t lose Caitlyn, I just can’t,” she cried as Sydney wrapped her arm around her shoulders. With her free hand, Sydney picked up her cell and hit the speed dial. She frowned when it went straight to voice-mail.

“Jackie, it’s Sydney. I have an emergency and I need your help now. Meet me at Welsh just as soon as you get this message.” She hung up the phone and got to her feet, pulling Rachel up along with her.

Caitlyn’s eyes slowly fluttered open. It took several seconds for her vision to come into focus and when it did, she realized that she was flat on her back, looking up at a dingy grey ceiling. Her heart begun to race as images from her office flashed through her mind. She felt something cold against her skin and raised her head slightly to look at her legs. Wrapped around her ankle was a metal cuff with a chain attached to it. The other end of the chain was affixed to a large screw protruding from the wall.

She groggily sat up and then swung her legs over the side of the green-colored cot that she was sitting on. As her feet hit the floor she grabbed both sides of her head to try and stop the throbbing sensation behind her eyes. The pain was so intense, she felt like she might puke.

She looked around the room to try and get her bearings. It was small, and measured approximately ten feet on all four sides with only one way in and out. The walls were made of large cinder blocks and were covered with chipped lime green paint. There were no windows and she assumed that she must be locked in a basement somewhere. She looked at her only route of escape. A door, with a small caged window, was centered directly in the middle of the wall opposite her.

A movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to jerk her head around. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand to keep from screaming. Two feet away, standing next to the wall, was a rat the size of a house cat. As she glanced around the floor, she felt her stomach heave as she watched several more rats scurrying in different directions.

This time, she was unable to stop the scream that came from her mouth as the rat near the wall ran beneath the cot she was sitting on. She jerked her legs up off the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees. She rocked back and forth, sobbing as tears streamed down her face.

“Oh God, please help me,” she begged.

“For heaven sakes, shut the hell up,” Maureen yelled as she looked at Caitlyn through the wire window in the door.

Caitlyn looked up at Maureen. “Sydney would have given you anything you asked for. Why are you doing this? I don’t understand.”

Maureen snorted. “No, I guess you wouldn’t. You being little miss perfect and all,” she said and then walked away.

Caitlyn frowned as she looked at the door. Although it was muffled, it sounded like Maureen was talking to someone. “She’s not alone,” Caitlyn whispered. Who else is in on this? she wondered.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Caitlyn heard the second person yell in a mechanically altered voice.

They’re using a voice-changer, Caitlyn thought as she listened to their conversation.

“Are you kidding me? You’re the one who told me to go get it and if you hadn’t left the damn cd there, we wouldn’t be in this position,” Maureen yelled back.

“She was never part of our plan. She saw your face. She knows who you are and now we have to kill her,” the voice said.

Forgetting about the rats, Caitlyn jumped up off of the cot. “Shit, shit, shit. I’ve got to get out of here,” she whispered. But how? How do I get out when there’s only one door and I’m chained to the freaking wall. Think, think, she told herself.

“We should have asked for more money,” Maureen said.

“Just how damn much more do you think we need? In case you didn’t hear me the first time, she was not part of our plan and now we have a mess to clean up. Murder was never part of the fucking deal,” the voice replied.

Caitlyn could hear the agitation in the person’s voice who was using the voice-changer and the sound of something being slung against the wall told her that this person was not happy one bit.

“We don’t have to kill anyone. Don’t you see? In two days this building will be demolished for Sydney’s precious little project. Our little problem is going to have a very unfortunate accident, so technically it’s not murder,” Maureen said in a soothing voice, trying to reason with the person she was talking to.

“Call it what you want but I still don’t like it. Do you think you can handle things until I get back?”

“How long are you going to be gone?” Maureen asked.

“Couple hours at the most.”

“I can handle it but try to hurry, okay?”

“I can’t believe all of this has been going on for months and not once did you think to call the police. Were you out of your freaking mind?” Rachel yelled.

“Yelling at me isn’t going to help and I know you’re right. If I could do it all over again I would,” Sydney said as the tires on her truck squealed.

“Would you please slow down before you kill us both?” Rachel shrieked as she reached out to grab the handle at the top of the door to keep from sliding across the seat.

“I know what I did was stupid, Rache, and I will do everything I can to get Caitlyn back,” Sydney said as she ran through the third red light in a row.

“I swear to God, Sydney, if anything happens to Caitlyn, I’ll never forgive you.”

Sydney pulled into the Welsh parking lot and brought the truck to a tire sliding halt right in front of the main entrance. Without a word, she and Rachel jumped out of the truck and ran inside. They took the elevator up to the executive floor.

“Oh dear God,” Rachel cried out when they entered Caitlyn’s office. The room was trashed. “Oh no, no, no,” Rachel kept repeating when she saw the blood smears on the side of Caitlyn’s desk. “She’s dead,” Rachel said when she noticed the small puddle of blood on the floor that had turned the light blue carpet purple.

“Listen to me,” Sydney said, grabbing Rachel by the shoulders. “Listen to me,” she repeated. She gently shook Rachel in order to get her to look at her. “She’s not dead and we are going to find her but you have to help me here. Please, I know this is hard but I need your help.”

“I know,” Rachel said, laying her head against Sydney’s chest. “I can’t lose her.”

“I promise, we won’t,” Sydney said and placed a light kiss on the top of Rachel’s head.

The sound of Sydney’s cell phone ringing caused them to pull apart. She snatched it off her waistband. She looked at the caller ID. She didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello,” she said after pressing the speaker phone button.

Maureen held the voice-changer to her mouth. “Have you arranged to get my money yet?” she said into the cell phone.

“I need more time,” Sydney replied.

“Bullshit! Do you really think I would believe that the great and powerful Sydney Welsh can’t get her hands on a measly two-million dollars within twenty-four hours?” Maureen asked.

“I want to talk to Caitlyn,” Sydney demanded.

Maureen laughed. “And people in hell want ice water and from where I’m standing, you’re in no position to demand anything.”

“Please let me talk to Caitlyn. I just want to know that she’s okay,” Sydney asked in a calm voice.

“With God as my witness, Ms. Welsh, if you’ve called the police, make no mistake about it, I will kill her,” Maureen said, her voice rising several octaves.

“I swear. I haven’t called the police. You have my word on that,” Sydney said in an attempt to reassure Caitlyn’s kidnapper.

“I’m watching you and Ms. Ashburn and if you do, I will know it,” Maureen said in a matter of fact voice.

“What do you mean you’re watching us?” Sydney asked.

Maureen laughed “Let’s see, right now, you are wearing a black turtle neck sweater and jeans and Ms. Ashburn looks ravishing in that cream colored blouse. It really accentuates the curve of her breasts, don’t you think?”

Rachel and Sydney looked at each other with shocked expressions on their face. Sydney looked around the room. Her eyes stopped at the small camera on Caitlyn’s desk. She casually moved in front of it and turned to face Rachel, her back blocking the camera lens. She placed her finger to her mouth for Rachel to be quiet and not say anything.

“Okay. I got the message. I promise, we won’t call the police and I will have your money first thing in the morning,” Sydney said to the caller on the other end.

“Please ... please let me speak to Caitlyn,” Rachel begged.

She and Sydney exchanged glances at the sound of keys jingling. They heard a door creak open.

Maureen held up the taser gun and pointed it directly at Caitlyn’s face. With the voice-changer still in her hand, Maureen spoke into her cell phone.

“I’m warning you. If either of you say one wrong word, I will kill her right where she sits.”

Maureen placed the phone on speaker. “Say hi to Mommy, honey.”

“Mom, are you there?” Caitlyn asked.

“Oh, baby. Are you okay?” Rachel asked, her voice coming out crystal clear through the speaker.

Before Caitlyn had a chance to reply, Maureen took the phone off speaker.

“Have my money tomorrow or she dies,” Maureen said into the phone. Just as Maureen was about to disconnect the line, Caitlyn yelled out, “Two Demo Boro.”

Maureen looked at Caitlyn as if she had committed a cardinal sin. “You bitch,” she spat, backhanding Caitlyn across the face and splitting her lip in the process, causing her to cry out in pain.

“Caitlyn,” Rachel’s voice screamed through the phone just as Maureen snapped it shut.

Rachel paced back and forth in front of the desk. She was a nervous wreck. All she could think about was getting her hands on whoever had Caitlyn.

Sydney casually tossed her jacket over the camera sitting on Caitlyn’s desk. She reached out to pick up the phone and Rachel grabbed her hand to stop her. “What about fingerprints?” she asked.

Sydney shook her head. “It doesn’t matter because whoever the kidnapper is, they are somehow tied to the embezzlement with a link to Welsh. For all we know, they are an employee and their fingerprints will be all over the place.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Rachel said and let go of Sydney’s hand.

Sydney picked up the phone on Caitlyn’s desk just as Jackie came running into the office. “Sorry it took me so long, Syd. I was visiting my parents over in Sugarcreek when I got your second message and I got here just as soon as I could.”

“It’s all good, I’m just glad you’re here,” Sydney said.

“Have they made any other contact?” Jackie asked as she came around the desk.

Sydney nodded. “Yeah and they let Caitlyn speak, so we know she’s still alive.”

Jackie looked at Sydney with raised eyebrows. “What about the police? Don’t you think it’s time you called them now?” she asked.

“Thank God. Someone who can see reason,” Rachel said, looking at Jackie. She turned to look at Sydney, shooting her a look that made Sydney want to cringe. “Who are you calling?” she asked.

Sydney shook her head. “I’m not calling the police. I’m calling my banker. I need her to pull the money together as soon as she can and there’s no reason she can’t do it within the time frame we need.”

Ignoring both Rachel and Jackie’s protests, Sydney turned her attention back to Caitlyn’s phone. Without meaning to, she accidentally hit the redial button. She looked at the display window and quickly disconnected the line. Without looking at Jackie or Rachel, she punched in a number and waited as the line rang through.

“Jen, I’m sorry to bother to you at this late hour but I need a huge favor.” Sydney cocked her head as she listened to Jennifer Ogden, her banker, assure her that the late hour was not a problem.

“Here’s what I need, Jen. Two-million dollars in unmarked bills,” Sydney glanced at her wrist watch, “within the next four hours.”

“Sydney, I know you know what time it is and how hard that will be,” Jennifer said through the phone.

“Listen to me, Jen, you either get the money and have it ready for me to pick up in the next four hours or I will find myself a new banker along with a new bank,” Sydney yelled into the phone right before she hit the button to disconnect the line.

Rachel and Jackie just stared at Sydney as she slammed the phone back into the cradle. Sydney didn’t miss a beat, though. “Jackie, see what you can find. Follow the blood and see where it leads,” she instructed, pointing at the blood on the floor that showed a clear path out the door of Caitlyn’s office.

After Jackie went out the door, Sydney sat down in Caitlyn’s chair and turned on her computer.

“What are you looking for?” Rachel asked, coming up behind Sydney to look over her shoulder.

“I have no idea,” Sydney reluctantly admitted. “Do me a favor, look through Caitlyn’s notebook and see if anything stands out,” she said, pushing a binder over to the side.

Rachel sighed in frustration as she flipped through the pages. “Sydney, nothing in here makes sense to me. It’s all gibberish except for something that says Project Burg.”

Sydney stopped what she was doing. “Hand that to me, please,” she asked, looking at Rachel.

Rachel slid the binder over to Sydney. Using her finger, Sydney scanned the contents on the page that Rachel had open. “That’s it,” she said, looking at Rachel with a smile on her face.

“I don’t understand,” Rachel said, a look of confusion on her face. Sydney wasn’t making any sense at all.

“See this?” Sydney said, pointing to the line that said ‘Project Dem/Burg’.

“I don’t understand,” Rachel said, shaking her head.

“It’s a building that I own off of seven-twenty-five and it’s set to be demolished in two days. I bought it a few months ago. Welsh is going to use it for our new computer recycling plant,” Sydney grinned.

Rachel frowned. “I still don’t understand.”

Sydney grabbed Rachel and kissed her fully on the lips. “Two Demo Burg,” Sydney said shaking her head. “Your daughter is a freaking genius, Rache. That’s all there is to it and I think I know exactly where she’s being held.”

Rachel shook her head. “But all she said was demo burg two. What does that mean?”

“I’m not one hundred percent sure. It could be anything, second floor, two people, second door. Hold on a sec,” Sydney said as she clicked the mouse a few times. She opened up a folder from Caitlyn’s files. She looked at Rachel and smiled.

“What?” Rachel asked. She had no idea what Sydney was doing or where her train of thought was leading.

Sydney pointed at the computer screen. Rachel looked at the screen and shrugged her shoulders.

“That building is scheduled to be demolished in two days and based on my update reports, the demolition crew partially rigged the building this morning with explosives.”

Rachel covered her mouth with her hand, she unsuccessfully tried to choke back a sob.

Sydney laid her hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “We need to get over there, Rache,” she said.

Both women looked up as Jackie walked back into Caitlyn’s office.

“I checked all the doors, no sign of forced entry. I did find a blood trail on the back stairwell, leading to the side parking lot. The trail stopped next to a set of tire tracks. It looks like whoever was here was also in a hurry to leave from the slide marks left on the ice,” Jackie said, looking at Rachel and then at Sydney.

It took Sydney several minutes to fill Jackie in on what they found and her opinion about what it all meant. She then voiced her feelings that there might be more than one kidnapper but she wasn’t sure. She knew Caitlyn would have put up a fight if it had been just one person and if by chance she were unconscious, the kidnapper in all likelihood would have needed help getting Caitlyn in the car.

“I agree with you one hundred percent,” Jackie said, nodding her head. “Just from the little bit of interaction I had with her, I can’t see her going peacefully.”

“Do you have your gun with you?” Sydney asked, looking at Jackie.

“Oh yeah, never leave home without Bertha,” Jackie laughed as she pulled open her jacket, revealing the gun and holster.

Sydney laughed. “Bertha? Really? Couldn’t find something a little more original?” she asked.

“Hey, watch it. That was my granny’s name and she was meaner than a damned old rattlesnake. So Bertha fits perfectly.”

“If you say so,” Sydney laughed.

“If you two are done chatting, I think we should call the police,” Rachel said, her voice undeniably filled with sarcasm. All she could think about was Caitlyn and what she must be going through. She’s probably scared to death.

Sydney looked at Rachel and shook her head. “Not yet, hon. We can’t take the chance of risking Caitlyn’s life. We’re just gonna drive over to the building and if we see any evidence that Caitlyn might be there, I promise, we will call the police. Okay?” she asked, looking at Rachel.

Rachel and Jackie stood next to Sydney’s truck. They waited for Sydney to secure the door.

“Follow, behind us,” Sydney instructed Jackie as she walked up to the two women.

“You got it,” Jackie said, heading toward her own car.

Once inside of Sydney’s truck, Rachel turned to look at her. “I don’t understand why you won’t call the police.”

Sydney shifted in her seat to look at her. “You just don’t get it, do you, Rache? Caitlyn knows who the kidnapper is and I have a strong hunch that she meant that there are two of them and that’s what she meant by the number two.”

“How can you be sure?” Rachel asked, slamming her hand on the dashboard in frustration. “Would you please share your fucking thoughts with me?”

Rachel’s use of the ‘F’ word caused Sydney to do a double-take. As long as she had known Rachel, not once had she remembered hearing her ever utter or use that word. She just didn’t say it—ever. She looked at Rachel and shrugged. “Because I’ve been around Caitlyn long enough to know that she wouldn’t have said it, unless it was significant.”

Rachel took a deep breath and tried to bring her emotions under control. “If she  was being held on the second floor, that would be pretty significant.”

Sydney looked at Rachel. “Please just trust me on this,” she said.

Rachel glanced at Sydney. She shook her head. “Why do I have a feeling that you’re hiding something from me? That you’re not telling me the whole story?” she asked.

“I don’t know why. Maybe its divine inspiration,” Sydney said with sarcasm.

Sydney pulled her truck into a parking spot, directly in front of the building and stopped. She unhooked her seatbelt, reached across Rachel, popped open the glove box, and pulled out a flashlight.

They waited for Jackie to park and then got out of the truck.

“I can see why you’re tearing it down, it’s a mess,” Rachel said, looking at the dilapidated old four-story structure that had large pieces of concrete missing along the front.

Sydney turned the flashlight on and pointed it down toward the ground. “I know. We just bought it for the land. Be careful here,” she said as they climbed up a set of steps that were in nearly as bad of shape as the building itself.

“This is definitely not good,” Sydney said. The chain that had been used to secure the door had been cut and was hanging off to the side, the padlock still attached. “Once we get inside, try to keep your voice low,” Sydney said, looking first at Rachel and then at Jackie.

“We should call the police now,” Rachel said, her voice shaking slightly.

Sydney slowly pushed the door open. “I just want to have a look around and if she’s not here, then we’ll call the police,” she whispered.

“How do you want to do this?” Jackie asked, quietly closing the door behind them.

“Do you really think those are necessary?” Rachel whispered as she watched Sydney and Jackie take out their guns and check them.

“It’s for our own protection,” Sydney said as she used her flashlight to look around. They were standing in what was once the lobby. She shined her light toward the back of the room. On either side of the receptionist’s desk were three doorways. Directly to their right, was an elevator that had a “Not In Service” chain hanging across it.

“If I remember correctly, that door,” Sydney shined her light on the doorway furthest to her left, “leads to the break room.”

Rachel grabbed the back of Sydney’s shirt. “I don’t like this. It’s so dark in here,” she whispered.

“Just hang onto me and stay close,” Sydney said as she moved toward the second doorway. “Rachel and I will check this side, you take the other one,” she said, looking at Jackie.

“You got it,” Jackie said and headed toward the door.

“Hey, Jackie?” Sydney whispered.

“Yeah?” Jackie, answered, stopping to turn and look at Sydney.

“Be careful,” Sydney said.

“You, too,” Jackie said and then disappeared through the doorway.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Rachel said, her voice trembling as she followed Sydney into a dark hallway.

“I promise we’ll call the police either way once we’re done here,” Sydney said, reaching behind her to briefly squeeze Rachel’s hand.

Sydney stopped at the first door they came to. She slowly pushed it open and shined her flashlight around the room.

Jackie slowly made her way down the hallway, turned to her right, walked a short distance and stopped in front of a closed door. She pushed it open. It was a stairwell that only led down. She felt her heart thundering in her chest, beads of sweat popping up on her forehead as she quietly pulled the door shut behind her. Moving as quietly as she could and with her back pressed against the wall, she descended the steps.

“This must have been their call center,” Sydney said, shining her light on several cubicles.

Rachel tightened her grip on the back of Sydney’s shirt. “This place is creepy,” she whispered.

“It’s not so bad during the day when you can see your hand in front of your face,” Sydney laughed softly. “Come on, we still have a few more places to check,” she said, pulling Rachel out the door by her hand.

Jackie stopped at the bottom of the stairs. With her gun aiming forward, she slowly pushed the door open and stepped into a room, lighted by two propane lanterns hanging on the wall.

Maureen looked up from the table where she was sitting. She smiled as she got to her feet and walked over to Jackie.

“I was beginning to worry about you, baby,” she said, wrapping her arms around Jackie’s neck.

Jackie reached back and unclasped Maureen’s fingers from around her neck. She gently pushed her away, holding her fingers to her mouth for Maureen to be quiet.

She slowly raised the gun and pointed it at Maureen chest. She looked at Maureen and silently mouthed the words, “I’m sorry.”

For a split second, Maureen’s eyes went wide in shock as her mind registered what was happening. Before she could open her mouth, Jackie pulled the trigger.

The gun recoiled in Jackie’s hand, the sound echoing loudly off the walls. The bullet hit Maureen directly in the middle of her chest. Her body dropped to the floor with a thud. The white blouse she was wearing turned pink as blood gushed from her chest.

“Oh no,” Sydney yelled when she and Rachel heard the gun go off.

“Caitlyn!” Rachel screamed.

Sydney grabbed Rachel by the hand and pulled her toward the doorway that led back out into the hallway. Still holding Rachel’s hand, she took off running in the direction she thought the sound had come from. “Shit, I don’t know which way to go,” she said in frustration when they came to the end of the main hallway.

“What about that door?” Rachel asked, pointing to the door located less than three feet in front of them.

“I think it leads to the stairwell,” Sydney said. As soon as she jerked the door open, they heard Caitlyn scream.

Jackie hurriedly pulled a gun out from inside her waist band. She used the tail end of her shirt to wipe off her fingerprints. She knelt down next to Maureen’s body and picked up her right arm.

“What’s going on out there?” Caitlyn shouted. She grabbed the chain wrapped around her ankle and jerked with all her might, trying to rip it from the wall. It didn’t budge. “Let me out of here, please,” she pleaded.

Ignoring Caitlyn’s cries for help, Jackie placed the gun in Maureen’s hand, making sure to press her fingers around it, taking extra care to insure Maureen’s index finger touched the trigger.

Just as she got to her feet and took several steps back, the basement door flew open and Sydney and Rachel rushed in. Rachel gasped, clasping her hand over her mouth when she saw Maureen laying on the ground. She looked around the room. “Caitlyn?” she yelled.

“Oh God, Mom. I’m in here,” Caitlyn sobbed from the other side of the door.

Rachel ran over to the door and looked through the screen window. She was unable to stop the tears spilling down her cheeks when she saw Caitlyn standing next to the cot. “It’s okay, baby. It’s all over. You’re safe now. I’ll get you out in a second.”

“Don’t leave me,” Caitlyn sobbed.

“I won’t, baby. I’ve got to find the keys. I’ll be right back.” Rachel looked around the room. “Keys, where are the damn keys?” she yelled.

“I think that’s them laying there,” Jackie said, nodding toward the table.

Sydney walked over to Maureen and knelt down on the floor beside her. She used her fingers to check for a pulse in Maureen’s neck. Rachel looked at her expectantly as she snatched the keys off of the table. Sydney shook her head. Although she checked for a pulse, she had known that Maureen was already dead by the fixed position of her eyes, which were now staring blankly up at the ceiling.

“Oh, Maureen. Why? If you needed money, I would have just given it to you. All you had to do was ask,” Sydney said, fighting back tears.

Rachel tried several keys before she found the one that fit the door, she unlocked it and ran over to Caitlyn, wrapping her arms around Caitlyn’s shoulders.

Caitlyn collapsed against her mom, her body shaking as she cried. “It’s okay now, baby,” Rachel said in a soothing voice as she hugged her daughter tightly. She let go of Caitlyn long enough to find the key that fit the cuff on her ankle. She released the chain and wrapped her arm around Caitlyn’s waist as she led her out of the room.

Jackie ran her hand through her hair. “I had no choice, Syd. She pulled the gun and ...”

“Is, is she dead?” Caitlyn asked when she saw Maureen.

Sydney nodded. “Yeah, she is,” she said, getting to her feet.

“Do you know her?” Rachel asked, looking at Sydney.

“She is, was my assistant,” Sydney answered. She looked at Rachel. “Do you have your cell with you?”

Rachel nodded. “Yeah, why?”

“Call the police. When you get them on the phone tell them that there’s been a kidnapping and a murder and that we’re standing here with the person who’s responsible for both.” Rachel and Caitlyn both looked at Sydney like she had just lost her mind.

“Just do it, Rache,” Sydney said when Rachel made no move to take out her cell.

Much to everyone in the room’s surprise, Sydney slowly raised her gun and pointed it at Jackie.

“What the hell are you doing, Sydney?” Rachel asked.

“Damn it, Rache, just do it! Sydney yelled, not taking her eyes off of Jackie.

“No! Not until you tell me what’s going on,” Rachel said, shaking her head.

“Yeah, Syd. I think we would all like to know the answer to that question,” Jackie said with raised eyebrows.

Sydney glared at Jackie. If looks could kill, she would have been dead in an instant. “Shut the fuck up,” she yelled. She rubbed her temple with her index finger. “It all makes sense now. How could I have been so stupid?” she asked, shaking her head.

“Damn it, Sydney! Please tell me what’s going on? What are you talking about?” Rachel demanded.

Sydney looked at Jackie and smiled. “Jackie is or was Maureen’s lover.”

“Don’t be stupid, Sydney,” Jackie said.

Sydney glanced at Caitlyn, being extra careful to keep an eye on Jackie. “Caitlyn, can you tell me if you remember hearing a phone ringing a little while ago. Actually, what I want to know specifically, is if you heard a phone ring twice, say around fifteen minutes apart.”

“Yes, it was a weird kinda ringtone,” Caitlyn answered without hesitation.

Sydney watched Jackie’s facial expression as she flipped out her cell phone. She hit one of her speed dial buttons. “Did it sound like this?” she asked, continuing to watch Jackie.

Inside Jackie’s coat, her cell phone rang, producing a raucous kind of beat.

Caitlyn’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Yeah. That’s exactly what I heard,” she said, nodding her head.

Jackie laughed. “I never did like that ringtone but Mo insisted on it.” She looked at Sydney and grinned. “So hotshot, how’d you figure it out?”

Sydney looked at Caitlyn and smiled. “Actually, Caitlyn did it. It was your clue. At first, I thought two demo referred to the demolition taking place in two days for the Demo Burg Project and it wasn’t until I went to your office that it all started making sense. I went to use your desk phone and I accidentally hit the redial button. The caller ID display showed Jackie’s cell number and I couldn’t figure out why you would have ever called her and then it dawned on me ... All those times Maureen had received roses, they were signed by John. I could never understand why she didn’t want to find out who this person was, she didn’t need to because she already knew who John was. Calling yourself John was pretty ingenious. Nice word play on the name Jack,” she said, looking at Jackie. She turned to Caitlyn. “See one of the things I knew about Jackie is that she thought JFK was the best president to ever walk the face of the earth. His name was John, yet everyone called him Jack. As for Maureen, she had to have called Jackie from your office after she attacked you and that’s how she carried you out. Jackie helped her.”

Sydney smiled at Jackie. “I’m doing pretty good so far, huh?”

“You figured it out just from the caller ID?” Caitlyn asked.

“No, it just confirmed what I already suspected. It was that shorthand way of talking thingy you do.”

Caitlyn smiled. “I knew you would get it.”

“Yes, but when I wrote out the clue you yelled through the phone, it took me several tries to get it right. Two demo stood for the demolition and Mo was short for Maureen, which is what Jackie called her when she was at my office, which I assume was a slip-up on her part. I just assumed the two meant there were two people involved.”

“Not bad for an old lady,” Caitlyn laughed.

Rachel shook her head. “But how did you know she killed Maureen and that it wasn’t in self-defense like she said?”

Sydney looked at Jackie as she spoke. “That’s an easy one and Jackie should have known better. She put the gun in the wrong hand.”

All three women looked over at Maureen’s right hand, which still held the gun.

“She was left-handed?” Rachel asked.

“Yeah, she was. I used to tease her about it all the time,” Sydney said.

Rachel took out her cell phone and dialed 911. She waited for the dispatcher to pick up. “My name is Rachel Ashburn and I’m at ...” She looked at Sydney.

“2122 North Third,” Sydney said.

“I’m at 2122 North Third Street. There’s been a kidnapping and a murder and you need to send someone as soon as you can.” She paused to listen to the dispatcher. She shook her head. “No, I can’t stay on the line,” she said and then snapped her cell phone shut.

Jackie shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “If all of you are done with your little love fest from the admiration society, I’d like to add my two-cents worth.”

“I’m not interested in a damn thing you have to say you twisted bitch. If I had a gun I’d be tempted to shoot you myself,” Rachel snarled.

“Wow, Mom. I didn’t know you could break butch,” Caitlyn laughed.

“Baby, you ain’t seen anything yet,” Rachel said.

“I have a question,” Caitlyn said, looking at Jackie.

“Fire away,” Jackie said.

“Which one of you wrote the programming codes?” Caitlyn asked.

“That would be me,” Jackie said, tapping her chest with her finger. “It was quite ingenious, don’t you think? Like you, computers and programming are in my blood. The only difference is that it was more like a hobby for me.” Jackie smiled, obviously proud of herself. She looked at Caitlyn and shook her head. “I have to tell you though, I was shocked and impressed at the same time when you figured out I was using the Salami Technique. I got the idea from a case that I helped investigate in New York. It was so simple and almost full proof.” Jackie shrugged. “If it hadn’t been for your new system upgrade, who knows how long we could have kept it going.”

“But why?” Sydney asked. That was the one question she didn’t have an answer for.

Jackie looked at Sydney and shrugged. “Hell, I don’t know. Partly greed and thinking you had so much money, you’d never miss it but for me it was more an issue of seeing if I could pull it off. It was one helluva an adrenaline rush. Now Mo on the other hand, had her own reasons.”

“And those would be?” Sydney asked.

“Do you remember a company called Hazlo?” Jackie asked.

“Vaguely, why?” Sydney asked.

“You should. It was one of four companies you took over when you first started building your business.” Jackie smiled and shook her head as she watched Sydney as she tried to place the name. “Let me help you out. Mo’s parents had worked at Hazlo all their lives and when you came in, you stripped the company down to the bare bones, laying off or should I say, firing ninety percent of the workforce. Mo’s parents were two of the employees who lost their jobs and because of your greed and ruthlessness, her parents lost their house, the house that Mo grew up in. So when she found out you were hiring at Welsh, she decided to come work for you and get her own revenge.

Sydney sighed heavily. She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. “I had no idea about her parents.”

Jackie laughed. “Of course you didn’t.

“It wasn’t personal, it was just a part of doing business,” Sydney said.

Jackie snorted. “Her parents and the rest of the employees were just peons to you. They didn’t matter as long as you got what you wanted and to Mo, it was very personal.”

“But how did you get involved?” Sydney asked.

Jackie shrugged. “She and I had been dating for almost three months when she told me all about her parents and how she hated you. So, with me having programming skills and her being on the inside at Welsh, we sat down and put a plan together and you know the rest of the story.” Jackie smiled. “When you track down the rest of your money, you’ll see that some of it’s missing. Mo used it to buy her parents a new house and car.”

Sydney shook her head. “This is unbelievable.”

“Yeah, well it is what it is. I’m sure you’ll take their house back now that you know,” Jackie said, her voice full of sarcasm.

“No, I won’t,” Sydney said, shaking her head. She looked at Jackie. “So tell me this. Why didn’t you just kill Rachel and me once I figured out where Caitlyn was being held?”

Jackie laughed. “Oh believe me when I say I seriously thought about it but then the logic side of my brain kicked in. I figured it would be easier to make it out like Mo was the mastermind. You know, raise less questions than if I off’d you and your main squeeze.”

“And Maureen? Do you not feel any remorse for what you did to her?” Sydney asked.

“Nah, not really.” Jackie shrugged. “She was expendable.”

Rachel’s look was incredulous. “You’re insane,” she said to Jackie.

“Maybe,” Jackie said, grinning at Rachel. She looked at Caitlyn and then at Sydney. “Why don’t you tell dear Caitlyn here the real reason why she got the job working for you?”

Sydney glared at Jackie. “Shut up.”

Caitlyn frowned. “What’s she talking about, Syd?”

“Go ahead, Syd,” Jackie mocked sarcastically. “Tell the kid how you only hired her so you could take revenge on her mother.”

“I said shut up,” Sydney yelled, pointing the gun directly at Jackie’s head.

Jackie grinned wickedly. “Ah, what’s the matter, Syd? Cat got your tongue?”

“I mean it, Jackie,” Sydney said as she took a step closer.

Rachel turned and looked at Sydney. “What’s she talking about, Sydney?”

“Well if you won’t tell them I will,” Jackie said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Actually, I have something I want to say to you first. Something, I have wanted to say to you since we met. It’s your fault that people like me do what we do. You with all your money, sitting on your high and mighty throne, pulling the strings for all of us lowlifes as if you were the puppet master. You use your power and money to fuck with people’s lives, and then when things go wrong, you’re the first to blame everyone else. Poor, poor, Sydney Welsh, she got her little heart broke and couldn’t handle it. Why is that, Syd? Because dear Rachel here, had enough sense to tell you to go fuck yourself?”

Rachel grabbed Sydney by the arm. “Tell me what the hell she is talking about, Sydney?” she demanded.

Sydney felt her heart breaking all over again as she looked at Rachel. She opened her mouth but no words came out.

Jackie laughed. “Wow, the great Sydney Welsh, Ohio’s finest millionaire is speechless. That has to be a first.”

Sydney’s look was incredulous. “How dare you pass judgment on me after what you’ve done. For Christ’s sake, you killed Maureen, the woman you supposedly loved, you kidnapped Caitlyn and you and I both know that you were going to kill her, too.”

“Yeah, well … C’est la vie, enough about me. Let’s talk about the last ten years and how you had me help you put together this massive scheme to get dear old Rachel back into your life and …” Jackie pointed at herself and then at Sydney. “How you and I working together as a team, plotted to hire Caitlyn fresh out of high school, and how we worked on your plan to purchase Rachel’s company.”

With a move quicker than Sydney thought possible, Jackie reached to her right and grabbed Caitlyn. Caitlyn screamed as Jackie rammed the barrel of the gun against the side of her head.

“Don’t be stupid,” Jackie said as Sydney and Rachel both took a step toward her. “I swear to God I will put a bullet through her pretty little head. So be smart, Sydney, and slide your gun across the floor to me.”

“If it’s about the money, Jackie, I will give you whatever you want.”

“You just think you can buy your way out of everything don’t you? I said, put the God damn gun down, Sydney,” Jackie yelled.

Caitlyn shook her head. “No, Syd, don’t do it. She will just kill all of us anyway.”

Jackie smiled. “I give you my word. I will let all of you go.”

Sydney snorted. “Yeah, I know how much that’s worth now.”

The sound of sirens in the distance caused Jackie to cock her head. “Sounds like the Calvary is coming,” she said in a voice thick with sarcasm.

“How can you possibly judge me after what you’ve done? I don’t give a shit what you think about me, or what I’ve done. Nothing can justify you killing Maureen,” Sydney said in an attempt to keep Jackie talking to buy them more time. “You know, this just keeps getting better. I just now realized that you and Maureen came into my life around the same time.” She looked at Jackie and laughed and for a split-second, she clenched her teeth so hard it made her jaw hurt. “My God, that means the two of you have been planning this all along.”

Before Sydney knew what was happening, Caitlyn had twisted away from Jackie, shoving her sideways in the process.

Jackie bent over at the waist and laughed. As she stood upright, she slowly brought the gun to her head.

“You aren’t getting off that easy,” Sydney yelled, pulling the trigger.

Jackie screamed as the bullet hit her right thigh. She fell to her knees, dropping her gun in the process.

“You shot me, you bitch,” Jackie cried out as she grabbed her thigh, trying to stop the blood that was now flowing between her fingers.

“You deserve much worse,” Sydney said, kicking the gun away from Jackie with her foot. She walked over to the table and grabbed a rag off of it. She carefully side- stepped around Jackie, bent down, and picked up the gun using the rag.

The sound of footsteps running across the floor above their head got their attention. “Let’s get out of here,” Sydney said, looking at both women.

Rachel and Caitlyn, their arms wrapped around each other’s waist followed Sydney out of the room.

“Freeze,” a cop, dressed in a Miamisburg’s Police uniform yelled from the top of the stairwell.

“We’re the good guys,” Sydney yelled back, shielding her eyes with her hand from the bright glare of his flashlight. “I have two guns, one is mine, and the other wrapped in this rag belongs to the killer. It’s the murder weapon and has her fingerprints on it. I’m going to slowly pull mine out of my pocket and lay it down on the step along with this one.”

“I strongly urge you to move very slow,” he said, his voice shaking.

Sydney slowly removed her gun and then laid them both down on the step.

Now put your hands up where I can see them,” he yelled. It was then that Sydney as well as Rachel and Caitlyn noticed the gun pointing at them.

“Please don’t shoot us,” Rachel pleaded as she along with Sydney and Caitlyn raised their arms in the air.

“Come on up here and move slowly,” the officer instructed as another officer came into the stairwell. He held the door open and as the women came up the stairs, he backed slowly away from them through the open doorway.

“All three of you against the wall, arms over your head,” he said, still keeping the light on them.

The other officer quickly searched them. “They’re clean,” he said.

“You can put your arms down now,” the officer who had the gun on them said as he put his gun back in the holster.

“There’s a woman downstairs who’s been shot and she needs an ambulance. She killed the other woman lying on the floor,” Sydney said.

“Who are you?” the officer who had held the door open asked.

“My name is Sydney Welsh and I own the building.” She nodded at Caitlyn. “She’s my employee and was kidnapped by the two women downstairs and this is her mother, Rachel Ashburn.”

“We’re waiting for the homicide detectives to arrive but we’re going to need a full statement from all of you,” he said, looking at Sydney.

Sydney nodded and said, “I understand.”

Chapter 16

Sydney stood next to the fireplace in the family room, a glass of Bourbon in her hand. She took a swig, watching as Rachel came across the room toward her. “How’s Caitlyn,” she asked.

“She’s sleeping better than a baby. The doctor gave her a sedative that knocked her out,” Rachel replied.

“And Alyssa?”

“She’s fine. I’m gonna pick her up tomorrow at Christy’s after one.”

“I’m so sorry, Rache,” Sydney said, her voice just above a whisper.

Rachel looked at Sydney with contempt, her face a blank mask. She felt all the hurt and anger suddenly boil over. In less than a second, she had slapped Sydney across the face before she even realized what had happened.

Sydney stumbled backward from the blow.

Rachel’s mouth flew open in horror. “Oh my God,” she said, clasping her hand to her mouth.

Feeling beaten and broken down, Sydney dropped her head against her chest. She deserved so much more than just getting slapped across the face. When she looked up, tears were streaming down her face. “When you leave here, I promise to never bother you or your children again.” Sydney closed her eyes, turned to walk away but Rachel grabbed her by the hand.

Rachel’s expression softened as she looked at Sydney. “I had no right to do that and I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“You had every right,” Sydney choked out between sobs.

Rachel cupped Sydney’s face in her hand. “Please don’t go. I have spent too many years away from you and I can’t do it anymore. I don’t want to do it anymore,” she said, her eyes pleading. “I may not fully understand what you did but I know what a broken heart feels like because mine has never healed.”

Sydney reached up and covered Rachel’s hand with her own. She brought it to her lips and kissed it. “When I first put this insane plan of mine together, I had tunnel vision so bad that nothing or anyone could make me see how crazy it was. I told myself that I was doing it for revenge and that I wanted you to hurt as bad as I had hurt for all these years. I couldn’t understand or accept why you wouldn’t stand up for us.”

“Oh, Sydney, I did hurt, sweetheart,” Rachel said as she wiped the tears from Sydney’s cheek with her thumb. “You don’t need to tell me any of this.”

“No, Rache, I do need to tell you this. I want to tell you the truth, a truth that I just recently realized. I was lying to myself. I never wanted revenge and I know I subconsciously thought ... I thought that if you were around, that maybe you would fall in love with me all over again and if you did, maybe we would finally have a chance for a life together.”

Rachel thought her heart would break as she watched Sydney struggle to get the words out. The anguish and remorse that she was showing was almost more than Rachel could take. She cupped Sydney’s face between her hands. She kissed her softly on the lips. “I am in love with you, Sydney Welsh, and I always have been. I do want a life with you and I don’t care what anyone else thinks about it.”

“Oh God,” Sydney cried as she wrapped her arms around Rachel’s waist and pulled her close. She felt like the weight of the world had just been lifted from her shoulders. She rested her forehead against Rachel’s, looking her in the eye. Try as she might, she couldn’t stop the onslaught of tears falling down her face.

“I’ve always been in love with you, Rache. From the moment you opened your mouth I was mesmerized,” she said through a fresh rush of tears. “Other women have had my body but none of them ever had my heart. It’s always belonged to you and no one else and it will be yours until the day I die.”

Edward watched Sydney and Rachel through the window and just as Sydney   lowered her head to kiss Rachel, he snapped off several pictures using the camera in his cell phone. “You think you’re so damned smart, well we’ll just see about that,” he snarled under his breath. You don’t know who you’re dealing with bitch, but you’re gonna find out, he thought as he continued to take more pictures.

“I need to make love with you and if I have to wait much longer, I’m going to die,” Sydney whispered in Rachel’s ear.

“Oh no, sweetheart, I haven’t suffered all these years to have you up and die on me now,” Rachel said, sliding her hands beneath Sydney’s shirt.

Sydney shivered and groaned at the same time when Rachel’s fingers softly grazed the side of her breasts.

“Something wrong,” Rachel whispered against Sydney’s neck as she lightly kissed her way up to her ear.

Sydney tossed her head back as warm tingling sensations spread throughout her entire body, ending with wet and throbbing pulsations between her legs. “I’m going to pass out,” she moaned as Rachel’s hands cupped both of her breasts, her thumbs making light teasing circles over her nipples.

“I want to make love with you all night long and I guarantee you’re not going to pass out,” Rachel said, removing her hands from inside of Sydney’s shirt. She took Sydney’s hand in hers and pulled her toward the master bedroom.

Sydney stopped walking. The quick move caused Rachel to spin around so that she was facing Sydney, their breasts now firmly pressed against each other.

She looked into Rachel’s eyes and every ounce of love she felt for this woman poured out. When their lips met, all the years of pain and suffering and longing melted away. Sydney had never tasted such exquisiteness in her life and she wanted so, so much more. She was unable to stop the moan that escaped from her throat as Rachel’s lips parted, allowing her tongue to taste such divine sweetness.

Without realizing how it happened, they found themselves standing next to Sydney’s bed.

Sydney’s hands moved up and down Rachel’s body as if their sole purpose in life was to devour everything they touched. I need to see you, all of you,” Sydney said as she slowly unbuttoned the blouse and slid it off of Rachel’s shoulders. She let it drop to the floor without taking her eyes off of the woman standing in front of her. With skilled hands, she unfastened the button on Rachel’s jeans and slid them off of her hips and down to the floor.

The way Sydney’s eyes caressed her skin as they traveled up Rachel’s body made her feel as if she were already completely naked.

“You’re absolutely beautiful,” Sydney said, her voice husky with desire.

“Thank you,” Rachel nervously laughed. She turned her head slightly to avoid Sydney’s eyes. She suddenly felt self-conscious, somewhat shy, and she knew Sydney could sense it.

“Are you okay?” Sydney asked softly, her words confirming Rachel’s thoughts. “Rache? Look at me, please,” she said, cupping Rachel’s face with her hands and turning her head slightly so she could see Rachel’s eyes. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“You’re going to think I’m stupid,” Rachel answered, her voice just above a whisper. “It’s just ... I ... I’ve never done this before. I mean, I have ... but—”

“Not with a woman,” Sydney answered for her.

Rachel nodded. “I ... I don’t know what to do,” she said, feeling her face flush as she said the words.

Sydney’s expression softened as she watched many different emotions quickly flicker across Rachel’s face. “Yes, you do,” was all she said, pulling Rachel into her arms. “Just do what feels natural, touch me the way you want to be touched.”

Rachel smiled. “I think I can handle that,” she said. She looked at Sydney’s mouth and unconsciously licked her lips. Her heart rate increased. Suddenly a long neglected fire coursed through her veins and she knew Sydney was the only one who could put it out. This new awareness fueled her in a way she never imagined and she wanted nothing more than to make love to the woman holding her. She wrapped her arms around Sydney’s neck, pulling her forward.

Sydney lowered her head, devouring Rachel’s mouth. She groaned when she felt Rachel slip her tongue inside of her mouth. She slid her hands up along Rachel’s back, unhooked her bra, and slipped the straps over her shoulders. She tossed it off to the side as she ran her tongue along Rachel’s lower lip, before sucking it gently into her mouth.

“You’re killing me,” Rachel groaned as she ran her hands up inside Sydney’s shirt and with more bravado than she thought she had, slid her fingers under the edge of Sydney’s bra. She pulled up, releasing Sydney’s breasts into her hands. “Damn,” she whispered. She had never felt anything so soft or wonderful in her life.

“And you said you didn’t know what to do,” Sydney teased, her breath making Rachel shiver as she left a trail of kisses along Rachel’s collarbone. “We need to get you out of these,” Sydney said as she pushed Rachel’s panties off of her hips.

“I think you’re a little overdressed as well,” Rachel said and pulled Sydney’s shirt over her head and then removed her bra.

“I agree,” Sydney said and unfastened her pants. She slipped them and her panties off at the same time and tossed them on a chair next to the bed.

Rachel shook her head as she looked at Sydney. “You take my breath away and I know for as long as I live, I’ll never get tired of looking at you,” she said, a lump forming in her throat. She was unable to stop the tears that fell onto her cheeks.

“Oh sweetheart,” Sydney whispered as she laced Rachel’s fingers with hers. She pulled her close and kissed the tears away. She slipped her leg in between Rachel’s leg and felt her breath catch in her throat when Rachel’s desire for her coated her skin. She maneuvered them backward, all the while trailing kisses along Rachel’s neck, until they were at the head of the bed. She reached down, pulled back the covers, and then gently urged Rachel onto the bed.

“Sweet Jesus,” Sydney groaned as she lowered herself down on top of Rachel, her thigh between Rachel’s legs and when Rachel’s skin fully touched hers, Sydney knew she had finally come home.

“I want you so bad,” Rachel said, pulling Sydney’s mouth to hers. She nibbled Sydney’s lips as she ran her hands down Sydney’s back, cupping her ass with both hands. “Touch me, please,” Rachel pleaded, the throbbing in her groin so intense, she squeezed her legs together in order to get some relief, resulting in Sydney’s sharp intake of breath.

“You’re so wet,” Sydney murmured as she used her leg to push Rachel’s legs apart. She positioned herself so that she was between them and then raised herself up onto her knees. She leaned forward, her hands on either side of Rachel’s head.

Her shallow breath and tongue were hot and wet in Rachel’s ear as she whispered, “I’m going to touch and taste every single inch of your body until you beg me to stop.”

“Please,” Rachel moaned. Sydney had awakened a craving inside of her that reached beyond anything she had ever experienced.

Sydney laced her fingers with Rachel’s, she brought first one hand to her mouth, kissing the soft part of her wrist, and then her palm. She kissed the tip of each finger and then repeated it with Rachel’s other hand.

Rachel watched as Sydney slowly sucked her pinky finger into her mouth. It was the most erotic and sensuous thing she had ever seen.

“Mmm, you taste so good,” Sydney whispered against Rachel’s skin, her mouth, and tongue doing a seductive dance, trailing kisses down Rachel’s arm, across the soft skin just above her breasts and when her tongue grazed Rachel’s nipple, she nearly came undone. All those years of dreaming about this very moment seemed surreal, it was if time was standing still just for them—the universe as they knew it, had stopped.

She pulled Rachel’s nipple fully into her mouth and nearly climaxed as she took each breast in her hands. She kissed her way over to Rachel’s other nipple. She groaned as she made circular motions, feeling it grow harder with each tantalizing lick. She smiled when she felt Rachel’s hands in her hair, trying to push her downward. She bit gently, eliciting an animalist groan from Rachel.

She raised her head to look at Rachel, who’s eyes were now closed. “I will never get tired of looking at you,” she said, her eyes now looking at Rachel’s mouth. Her lips were swollen. They were too inviting and Sydney couldn’t resist the temptation. “God, Rache,” she groaned as their tongues met in a fiery battle.

Sydney felt Rachel’s fingernails lightly rake over her back. She pulled Sydney down on top of her, their breast melding against each other, sending a new rush of waves of pleasure through Sydney’s body, ending with her desire for the woman in her arms, running down the inside of both of her thighs.

“Baby, I swear to God, you’re driving me out of my mind,” Rachel panted.

Sydney continued her tease, laying little kisses along Rachel’s skin as she worked her way down Rachel’s body, her hands blazing a trail for her mouth to follow. She ran her hand down along the inside of Rachel’s thigh, slowly moving toward what she sought most. She couldn’t stand the torture any longer. She had to touch her.

She felt a tear slip silently down her cheek as her fingers found what they sought, covered in wetness that surpassed her wildest dreams. “You feel so good,” she said, laying her head against Rachel’s stomach.

Rachel moaned, her groin pressing against Sydney’s fingers as she slid them back and forth across her clit. She heard Rachel’s deep intake of breath as she slowly entered her.

Sydney’s breathing grew shallow, then urgent as she moved inside of Rachel. Every nerve ending in her body felt as if they were on fire, her senses screaming as she thrust deeper and with each rise of Rachel’s hips, she melted a little more.

Without removing her fingers, she lowered her head, slowly running her tongue along the sides of Rachel’s clit.

Rachel cried out as Sydney took her fully into her mouth, sucking and licking, her fingers and tongue finding a steady rhythm, and loving the taste, the smell, her mind reeling, knowing that Rachel was ready to explode.

“Sydney,” Rachel cried out as her hips rose off the bed to meet Sydney’s thrusts, shudders coursing through her body as she climaxed, the orgasm rippling from a depth so deep, she thought she would collapse from sheer pleasure.

“Sweet Jesus,” Rachel gasped, trying to catch her breath as she reached down, running her hand through Sydney’s hair. “I’ve never felt anything so good in my life,” she said huskily when Sydney, resting with her face against Rachel’s stomach, looked up and smiled at her.

“I agree,” Sydney said as she kissed Rachel’s stomach. “I love you, Rache,”

she said as she slowly removed her fingers.

“I love you, too, baby. Come up here with me,” Rachel whispered.

I will never stop loving her, Sydney thought as she moved to lie next to Rachel, her head on Rachel’s shoulder.

Rachel used her index finger, tracing the lines of Sydney’s face. She turned slightly and gently kissed Sydney’s cheek, her eyes, and then softly kissed her lips. She felt a new arousal stir as she smelled and tasted her essence on Sydney’s mouth. I never dreamed it could or would be like this, she thought as she looked at Sydney’s beautiful face.

She brought Sydney’s hand to her mouth and kissed her wrist and then her palm. She watched Sydney’s reaction and smiled as she ran her tongue between her fingers, causing Sydney to inhale deeply. She shifted slightly, turning so that she was facing Sydney. She lowered her head, groaning as she took Sydney’s nipple in her mouth, her hand roaming freely over Sydney’s curvaceous hips.

She watched Sydney’s eyes as she slipped her hand between her legs. I’ve surely died and gone to heaven, she thought as her fingers were covered in so much wetness.

“And you said you didn’t know what to do,” Sydney said again through a ragged breath as Rachel’s fingers moved back and forth over her clit. She was already so close to the edge that she knew it wouldn’t take much more.

“I’m a fast learner,” Rachel smiled.

“I’ll say,” Sydney said as her breathing turned into short quick gasps. “Please don’t stop,” she begged as she moved her hips urgently against Rachel’s hand.

Never,” Rachel groaned as she felt Sydney’s body tense.

“Oh God,” Sydney cried out against Rachel’s mouth as her body stiffened, the orgasm ripping through her body in waves. She collapsed back on the bed, gasping for air as she tried to slow her breathing down. She turned her head to look at Rachel. “I love you so much.”

“And I will never get tired of hearing you say it,” Rachel said as she brushed several strands of damp hair from Sydney’s face and then laid her head on her chest.

Sydney wrapped her arms around her and placed a kiss on her cheek.

Within minutes, Rachel’s slow and steady breathing told her that she had fallen asleep and for the second time in less than an hour, she felt a tear slip down her cheek. She closed her eyes, thinking she was the luckiest woman on earth.

Chapter 17

Sydney opened her eyes. She glanced to her left, noticing that she was in bed alone. “Please tell me I didn’t dream last night and that I didn’t imagine it,” she said as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

“Damn,” she said as she got to her feet, feeling her muscles strain from the movement. “It wasn’t a dream,” she said, smiling as she slipped her robe on.

She looked up at the ceiling. “Please forgive me for all the crazy shit I’ve done in my life.”

The first thing she heard was laughter when she pushed the kitchen door open. Caitlyn, Rachel, and Edna were sitting at the table eating breakfast. Fred Rick was standing next to the table re-filling their coffee cups.

For several seconds Sydney stood there watching them unnoticed.

Rachel grabbed Fred Rick by the arm. “Will you please sit down and join us? You don’t need to keep waiting on us.”

Fred Rick smiled at her and pulled out a chair. “I don’t mind if I do, Ms. Ashburn.”

“And you can knock the formal crap off, too,” Rachel laughed.

“Yes, ma’am, Ms. Rachel,” he said and chuckled at the look she gave him.

“That goes for the ma’am crap, too,” she said.

“Dang. You’re tough,” he laughed.

Sydney decided to make her presence known. She walked over to the counter, grabbed herself a cup. “Just sit right where you are, I can get my own coffee,” she said, waving Fred Rick off with a wave of her hand, as she filled her cup. She glanced at Rachel and smiled. “Good morning.”

“Yes it is, isn’t it,” Rachel said, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Sydney felt her face flush as she looked at Rachel’s eyes and as she attempted to take a drink of coffee, she choked. There was no mistaking the raw lust and desire she saw and felt as Rachel practically undressed her with her eyes.

“You okay there, sport?” Fred Rick teased as he looked first at Sydney and then Rachel.

Sydney shot him a look. “As for him, trust me.” She nodded at Fred Rick. “You haven’t seen anything yet,” she said, winking at her chef.

Edna picked up the remote control lying on the table and clicked on the TV that was mounted on the wall on the opposite side of the room. On the screen was a picture of the building where Caitlyn had been held hostage along with a picture of Jackie and Maureen.

A male reporter with sandy-colored hair came into view. “We will now switch over to our latest breaking news story. It seems like Ms. Sydney Welsh’s problems just keep mounting,” the reporter said.

“What the hell?” Rachel gasped, covering her hand with her mouth.

Now showing on the screen was a live news conference. Edward along with a white-haired man sporting a goatee was standing behind a podium covered with microphones.

“As most of you know, my name is Richard Alexander and on behalf of my client, Mr. Edward Ashburn,” he placed his arm around Edward’s shoulders, “I will be filing a five-million dollar lawsuit against Sydney Welsh of Welsh enterprises. Since Ohio abolished the Alienation of Affection Law, it will be filed under the Ohio statute of Toitus Interferance. Ms. Welsh is thee other woman, which has resulted in Mr. Ashburn’s wife Rachel, asking for a divorce after ten years of marriage.”

The screen momentarily flashed and a new picture appeared. It showed Rachel and Sydney standing in Sydney’s family room kissing. The screen flashed again, the picture showing Sydney removing Rachel’s shirt.

Fred Rick let out a loud cat whistle. “Not bad for a couple of old ladies,” he laughed.

“Oh, bite me,” Sydney groaned as she leaned forward, beating her head on the counter.

Caitlyn looked at Sydney and then Rachel and then busted out laughing.

Rachel looked at her. “What’s so funny?” she asked, looking at her daughter.

“Um ... uh ...” Caitlyn stammered.

“What?” Rachel asked, her brow creasing into a frown.

“I was just thinking that I wish I could be there to see the look on grandmother’s face when she sees this,” Caitlyn laughed.

Rachel’s eyes flew open wide. She covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh no. I completely forgot about them.”

“Well, if you ask me, I think you two look positively radiant,” Edna chuckled.

“Radiant?” Sydney asked, looking at her housekeeper.

Caitlyn and Fred Rick both laughed.

“Yes, radiant. You both are positively glowing this morning and it couldn’t have happened to two nicer people,” Edna said, nodding her head.

“Seriously, Mom, I didn’t know you had it in you,” Caitlyn teased.

“I could really say something here but I think I will hold my tongue,” Fred Rick chimed in.

“Good idea,” Sydney said.

Rachel groaned. She looked at Caitlyn. “You’re not upset?”

Caitlyn laughed. “Are you kidding? I’m thrilled to death,” Caitlyn answered honestly.

Edna looked at Sydney, her expression serious. “That color really suits you.”

Sydney frowned. “What color?

“Rosy pink,” Edna chuckled as Sydney’s cheeks flushed a deeper pink, which  only served to make everyone laugh.

With a worried look on her face, Rachel glanced at Sydney. “What are we going to do?” she asked.

Sydney walked over to the table. She covered Rachel’s hand with her own. “I will take care of it. Please don’t worry.”

“I’m afraid that may be easier said than done,” Rachel replied.

“Well, the first thing we need to do is go down to the police station and give them our official statements,” Sydney said.

Chapter 18

Sydney, Rachel, and Caitlyn walked down the steps in front of the Miamisburg Police Station.

“I have a few things to do and I need to stop at the office and then I will swing by and pick Alyssa up,” Caitlyn said, looking first at Sydney and then Rachel.

“Can I speak to you for a second?” Sydney asked, looking at Caitlyn.

“Sure,” Caitlyn answered.

“I’ll meet you at the truck and then I need to go get my car as well. I need to call my dad, something I’m not really looking forward to doing,” Rachel said to Sydney.

“Okay, I’ll just be a few minutes.” She waited for Rachel to walk away and then turned to Caitlyn. “Caitlyn, you have every reason to hate me but I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted and I know that you didn’t do it for revenge like Jackie claimed. You did it because you never stopped loving Mom and don’t tell her I said this, but I think she was a fool for ever letting you go,” Caitlyn grinned.

“You’re really something else and I love you as if you were my own daughter,” Sydney said, pulling Caitlyn into a hug.

“I love you, too and I hope you realize that you won’t get rid of us so easily now,” Caitlyn laughed.

Sydney smiled. “Getting rid of you is definitely not what I have in mind. You’re stuck with me now.”

“Before I go to the office, I’m gonna drop a little gift off for you at the house. I’ll leave it on your desk,” Caitlyn said, smiling from ear to ear.

“What kind of gift?” Sydney asked, frowning.

“Trust me, you’re gonna like it. You’ll see,” Caitlyn laughed.

Caitlyn went into her bedroom and walked over to her desk. She pulled out the bottom drawer, removed several stacks of paper, and then pulled out a small black pouch. She unzipped it and looked at the small mini-cassettes lying inside of it.

“Towanda!” she said with a smile as she zipped the pouch closed and crammed it into her jacket pocket.

Sydney, sitting behind her desk, clasped her fingers in front of her. She looked across the desk at Edward Ashburn. Standing directly behind him, leaning against the wall were Jed and Frankie, their arms crossed over their chest.

“You can’t hold me here. This is kidnapping,” Edward snarled.

Sydney laughed as she slid the phone on her desk over in front of him. She picked up the receiver and held it out to him. “I think you should call the police then. I’m sure they won’t be so inclined to charge me after I give them this,” she said, holding a file folder in the air for him to see.

“Wh ... what’s that?” he stammered.

Sydney laid the folder down on her desk and opened it. “This, Edward ... is your pathetic life.”

“You don’t know jack shit about my life.”

Sydney’s eyebrows rose in amusement. “Really? I guess the first thing would be for me to start calling you by your real name. Dont’cha think, Martin?” She watched Edward’s jaw clench as he shifted nervously in the chair. “You’ve been a very, very bad boy, Martin.”

“I don’t have to listen to this shit, especially from a dyke bitch like you and the name’s Edward,” he said defiantly.

Sydney covered her heart with her hand, her expression pained. “Ouch, Martin. There’s no need for name calling here.”

“I don’t need this shit,” he said, his voice raising several octaves as he glared at Sydney. He made a move to get up but Jed and Frankie were on him so fast he didn’t have time to react. They shoved him back down in the chair.

Sydney picked up a document from the file folder. She shook her head. “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” she mocked. With a million dollar bounty on your head, dead or alive, I’d say you must have really pissed some people off, huh, Martin?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said but Sydney could tell by his expression that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

She slammed her fist down on the desk and stood up from her chair. “You know what? This has been fun but now it’s becoming just tedious, so I’m going to lay it all out in a way that even an idiot like you can understand. I know who and what you are. I know that you changed your name because Jorge Escobar of the Meddain Drug Cartel in Columbia, the man you used to launder money for by purchasing and flipping real estate, has a million dollar bounty on your head because you ripped him off. I also know that you have been physically abusing Rachel for years and now it’s going to stop.”

He laughed. “You don’t know shit about me and my wife!”

Sydney picked up a black zippered pouch lying on her desk. She opened it, pulled out one of the cassettes, slipped it into a tape recorder, and then pressed the play button. The sound of Rachel’s screams filled the room and Sydney felt her blood boil as Rachel begged Edward not to hit her again. She turned the tape recorder off.

“You think I’m afraid of you?” Edward asked in a calm voice as if Rachel’s screams didn’t faze him one bit.

Sydney shrugged. “I don’t give a damn if you are or not but if you have any brains whatsoever, you should be. I’m going to tell you what you’re going to do, Martin, and if you don’t do it, here’s what I’m going to do to you.” She picked up an express overnight package that was lying on her desk. She held it up for Edward to see. “This package is addressed to the head man of the Columbia Drug Cartel and I think you’re smart enough to know what’s inside this envelope. If not, it contains a copy of everything I have on you, including your whereabouts.”

She picked up another document and tossed it down on the desk in front of Edward and then picked up a pen and tossed it on his lap.

“What’s this?” he asked as he picked up the document.

“Read it!” Sydney yelled.

He read the document then looked up at Sydney. “I’m not signing this. I’m not giving my child away,” he said, shaking his head.

“Your life in exchange for hers. It’s that simple. If I mail this envelope, you will be dead within forty-eight hours of Jorge Escobar receiving it and you know it.”

Edward looked at the divorce papers, which also gave Rachel full custody of Alyssa and relinquished all rights to his child. His jaws clenched tightly as he looked at Sydney. He picked up the pen and signed it. “Now what?” he asked, slinging the pen across the desk.

Sydney pulled out another document from the folder and slid it over to him. It was a one-way plane ticket to Las Vegas.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do in Vegas?” he asked as he looked at the ending destination.

“I’m sure you will fit right in,” she said and pulled open her desk drawer. She grabbed a wad of cash and tossed it on the desk. “Jed and Frankie will drive you to the airport and wait to make sure you get on the plane and if you ever decide to come back here or contact Rachel or her children, you’re a dead man and to prove just how serious I am, I will be watching you. You won’t be able to take a piss without me knowing about it. Do I make myself clear?” she asked, coming out from around the desk to stand next to him.

“Fuck you!” he snarled.

“Only in your dreams, sweetheart,” she said, smiling.

“You can have the fucking bitch. She’s nothing but a who—”

Before he could finish the word, Sydney backhanded him across the mouth so hard it split his lip open. “Don’t you ever talk about her like that again,” she said through clenched teeth.

Edward glared at her as he wiped off the blood running down his chin with the back of his hand.

Sydney took a step back, looked at Jed and Frankie and nodded.

“Let’s go slick,” Frankie said as she and Jed snatched Edward up by his arms. He gave no resistance as they led him out of the room.

After they were gone, Sydney dropped into her chair and let out a huge sigh of relief. She smiled as she leaned back and laced her hands behind her head.

Sydney grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet, a bottle of Moscato from the fridge, and placed them on the bar. She pulled out a stool and sat down. She had just inserted the corkscrew into the cork when Rachel came into the kitchen.

Rachel pulled out a stool and sat down next to her. She looked at Sydney and smiled. “Are we celebrating something?” she asked as Sydney pulled out the cork.

“As a matter of fact we are,” Sydney said, pouring the wine into the glasses.

“Care to share?” Rachel asked as she picked up her glass.

Sydney reached into her back jeans pocket and pulled out a folded paper. She laid it down in front of Rachel and then waited for her reaction as she picked it up and read it.

“Is this real?” Rachel asked, her eyes searching Sydney’s eyes for signs that this was some sort of joke.

“Yes, baby. It’s real. You’re free,” Sydney said as she took Rachel’s hand in hers. She brought it to her mouth and kissed it.

“I’m, not even going to ask how you managed to pull this off,” Rachel said as she looked at the paper, which granted her a divorce from Edward.

“Probably wise,” Sydney laughed. She picked up her wine glass and held it in the air. “A toast to us and our health as we try to make up for lost time.”

“To us,” Rachel smiled as she clinked her glass against Sydney’s glass. “Where are the girls?” she asked as she took a sip of wine.

“Last time I checked they were taking turns diving into the pool,” Sydney said as she grabbed the stool Rachel was sitting on and pulled it over so that Rachel’s legs were between hers. “You know, this wild journey of ours began right here,” Sydney smiled.

Rachel grinned at her. “I know that wicked look, Sydney Welsh. What’s going through that pretty little mind of yours?”

“I was thinking that maybe we should christen it,” Sydney said, huskily as she slid her hands up under Rachel’s shirt, cupping her breasts.

“Mmm, I think that’s the best suggestion I’ve heard all day,” Rachel said, leaning forward to kiss Sydney softly on the lips.

Their love was infinite and this is where Rachel belonged, where Sydney belonged, and both women knew that nothing would ever keep them apart again—soul mates in the truest sense of the word.

Epilogue

After things had calmed down at home, Sydney had suggested they could use a nice vacation and Rachel readily agreed. Therefore, they packed their belongings into Sydney’s truck, hooked up her massive Everest fifth-wheel travel trailer, and hit the road. They decided to take four weeks off from work and travel across the U.S.

They had arrived in Yellowstone National Park the day before and were now enjoying everything the park had to offer.

Sydney, along with Rachel, and Alyssa watched the flames in the fire-ring dance around as a light breeze fueled them along.

Alyssa poked the fire with a stick causing sparks and ember to shoot up in the air. “Were you serious about me getting a car when I’m sixteen?” she asked, looking at Sydney.

“Dead dog,” Sydney said, grinning at her. Have you decided what kind you want yet?”

Alyssa’s eye got big. “Oh yeah, I want a 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS454,” she said.

Sydney nodded her head in approval. “That’s a sweet ride and what kind of specs do you want on this car?” she asked.

Alyssa, with a serious expression on her face, tapped her finger against her chin as she thought about it. “It needs to have a four-fifty-four big block engine with a four-twenty-seven crank. Four speed of course with an oval port and two point three intake valves that open up to a one point ninety-four exhaust,” she said finally, rattling off her specs.

Sydney laughed. “What about two-ninety four Hebert hydraulic cam roller tip arms with a five-seventy-five lift?” she asked.

“Definitely,” Alyssa said, nodding her head. “I think the intake should be a Pro-comp with a Holley Avenger seven-fifty, four-barrel cfm carburetor.”

Sydney leaned forward in her chair. “That would give you quite a bit of horsepower, somewhere around five-hundred to five-fifty, I think.”

“Oh yeah,” Alyssa said, grinning. “Probably hit around thirteen, fourteen seconds on the quarter-mile.”

Rachel looked at Alyssa and then Sydney and shook her head. “Listening to you two talk about cars is like listening to Swahili,” she laughed.

Sydney and Alyssa both shrugged their shoulders and then laughed when they both said, “We like cars,” at the same time.

“So what kind of rear-end do you want in it?” Sydney asked Alyssa, ignoring the look that Rachel was shooting her.

“Three-seventy-three Posi twelve bolt,” Alyssa answered without hesitation.

“That will be a very nice ride. We may have to build it ourselves though,” Sydney said.

“Sweet,” Alyssa said, grinning.

Rachel cleared her throat. “Exactly how much is this car going to cost?” she asked, looking at Sydney.

“Not much, around forty or fifty grand,” Sydney answered, cringing at the look on Rachel’s face.

“You are not buying her a fifty-thousand dollar car, Sydney Welsh,” Rachel said, shaking her head.

“I’m not,” Sydney said. “Alyssa and I will buy all the parts and build it ourselves. If we do it that way, it should cost half that. Besides, she has to pay for it herself.”

Alyssa’s eyebrows shot upward in surprise. “How am I supposed to pay for it? I’m only eight years old,” she said, looking at Sydney.

“That should give you eight years to save all of your allowance,” Rachel laughed.

Alyssa shrugged. “Okay. I can do that,” she said, causing Sydney to laugh. “Can we roast marshmallows later and make smores?” she asked, looking at Rachel.

“Yes, baby, we can,” Rachel laughed.

Sydney grinned as she looked at Alyssa. It was amazing how brilliant she could be one minute and even more amazing how she could immediately revert to being the eight-year-old child that in reality she was.

Her thoughts turned to all the things that had happened in the last six months. Jackie had been formally charged with kidnapping and murder along with several Federal charges, one of which included wire fraud and once the embezzled money was no longer considered evidence, what was left of it, would be returned to Sydney’s bank account.

She thought about Allen and the meeting she and Caitlyn had with him regarding the property in Springfield. At first, he had tried to weasel his way out of it just like Sydney had expected but once Caitlyn laid the documents in his lap, he knew he’d been caught. He had offered little resistance when Sydney told him he was terminated. She also told him that if he returned the money within forty-eight hours, she wouldn’t press charges against him and he had willingly accepted her offer. He was then escorted out of the building by security.

After the meeting was over, Sydney called Karen up to her office. She offered her congratulations for graduating with honors, and then offered her Allen’s former position as Assistant Vice President of Computer Logistics, reporting directly to Caitlyn since she had also been promoted to President of Computer Logistics.

Karen being true to herself, happily accepted the position and then proceeded to do a cartwheel in Sydney’s office. By the time she had left, Sydney and Caitlyn were practically rolling on the floor with laughter.

Rachel’s mother kept her word and had made no attempt to smooth things over with her daughter, but Lou on the other hand, did keep his and called Rachel several times over the past few months. He even managed to have dinner with them at least once every other week. Sydney had always believed that where there was life, there was always hope and she hoped that one day, Roberta would see that not only was she hurting herself due to her narrow-minded way of thinking, she was hurting her daughter and granddaughters as well and missing out on getting to know three really incredible people.

As for her own mother, Sydney held out as much hope for her changing as she did Roberta but that didn’t stop her from wishing it.

She thought about Edward, AKA Martin Hollis, and how he had already found himself a new wife but he had not attempted to contact Rachel or Alyssa and Sydney didn’t think he ever would. She had decided to keep an eye on him just the same and received monthly status updates. She would keep getting them as long as he remained alive.

She shook her head as she thought about Meredith. There wasn’t much to say really. She was still the same woman doing the same things, using women for her own selfish needs and then tossing them away like yesterday’s newspaper.

The part that bothered her most about everything that had happened was Maureen. She hated a part of herself for not being more feeling and compassionate all those years ago regarding her business practices. Unbeknownst to Maureen’s parents, she had made an anonymous deposit into their bank account for one-hundred-thousand dollars and she kept her word about allowing them to keep their house. She had made a promise to herself to look at the whole picture, to look at the people specifically involved or affected when making business decisions in the future.

What surprised her most was how Caitlyn had figured out that Maureen was the embezzler. The cd Jackie had accidently left in Caitlyn’s office didn’t just contain the computer code she had written, it also had Maureen’s grocery shopping list on it, a careless mistake that unraveled their entire plan.

Rachel reached over and took Sydney’s hand in hers, pulling her from her thoughts. “It’s beautiful here,” she said as she looked around their campsite.

“Yes it is.” Sydney frowned. “Where’s Caitlyn?”

“I’m right here,” Caitlyn answered before Rachel could answer.

Sydney shifted in her chair, smiling as she watched Caitlyn step out of the trailer, holding hands with her new girlfriend of three months—Natalie from the shipping department at EMCOR.

Caitlyn dropped down into one of the chairs, pulling Natalie down on her lap.

Natalie looked at Sydney. “I still can’t believe that the trailer has a fireplace and a central vacuum in it,” she said, shaking her head.

“My idea of roughing it,” Sydney laughed as she got up from her chair. She looked at Rachel. “I’ll be right back,” she said and went inside the trailer.

“What’s she up to?” Caitlyn asked, looking at her mom.

“Knowing her, it’s hard to say,” Rachel laughed.

Sydney came out a few minutes later. She kept her hands behind her back as she squatted down in front of Rachel. “Umm ... I was thinking since you’re legally a single woman now ... that ... um ... I would love to make an honest woman of you.” She brought her hand out from behind her back. She was holding a black velvet box.

Rachel gasped as Sydney flipped back the lid. Laying in the box was the most gorgeous diamond ring she had ever seen, lying next to it was a channel band wrapped in diamonds. “Will you be my wife, Rache?” Sydney asked.

“Oh my goodness, Yes! Yes,” Rachel yelled as she jumped up from the chair and proceeded to knock Sydney backward on her butt. Rachel pushed her back further so that Sydney was laying flat on her back. She fell down on top of Sydney and with tears streaming down her face, she kissed Sydney on the mouth. “Yes, I will marry you.”

“About time,” Caitlyn laughed as she did a fist pump in the air.

“Uh, Mom, what about the neighbors?” Alyssa asked. “They’re kinda watching.”

“Let em, watch,” Rachel said as she kissed Sydney again.

“Do you think we can roast hotdogs now?” Alyssa asked in a serious tone, causing everyone else to burst out laughing.

“Yes, baby, we can roast hotdogs now,” Rachel laughed as she helped Sydney up off the ground.

THE END

Author Bio

Trin Denise lives with a house full of rescue pets, which all happen to be physically challenged. She is a huge advocate against bullying, especially when it comes to physically challenged children and she also writes children’s novels under the name T. Denise Robinson. Her writing career began eight years ago when her love of movies led her to write her first screenplay. Since that time, she has become an award winning and produced screenwriter and multi-published author.

Find out more about the author at: www.trindenise.com

If you have the time, friend her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. She is always happy to meet new people.

Web site: www.trindenise.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/trindenise

Twitter: @trin_denise

Listen To Her Heart

Due to be released late 2012

Yalen Martinez is a bestselling author of lesbian fiction. She has thousands of fans that come from all walks of life, yet she is alone.

Since the breakup of her ten-year relationship two years ago, there has been no one special in her life. She just doesn’t have the time or energy for it.

After countless attempts by her two best friends to set her up on blind dates, she decides to use the internet to get to know a few women because she thinks it’s safe and she can do it anonymously. They don’t need to know who she really is or what she does for a living, thus eliminating her constant worry of whether the women in her life will like her for her, or for what she can give to them materially.

She joins a lesbian dating site called, “Lesbian Neveah” and soon finds herself on the receiving end of several beautiful women who would love to get to know her better. One in particular named Emily gets her attention and they begin conversing.

Over several months, they develop what could be viewed as a romantic relationship but then something goes terribly wrong. Being an author, Yalen has a way with words and when Emily sends her a poem that she supposedly wrote for Yalen, alarm bells go off. The poem is just too perfect.

Being somewhat internet savvy, Yalen copies the poem that Emily wrote and pastes it in the Google search engine. What she finds, turns her world and her stomach upside down. The poem comes up under a website detailing copies of letters used for online dating scams. Part of the scam Emily is running, leads Yalen to believe that she’s from California and is away in Japan at chef school. To make matters worse, Emily claims to be hearing impaired, therefore, Emily’s often chopped vocabulary never sent up a warning sign.

Yalen chastises herself for not doing a more thorough investigation and everything she thought she knew about Emily, is now a lie. She’s not even sure that the pictures that Emily sent of herself are real or if Emily is even female. Not only is she hurt, she’s pissed off and is now determined to discover Emily’s true identity.

Yalen’s curiosity gets the better of her and she starts an investigation by tracking the IP addresses from Emily’s emails. Lo and behold, the emails are originating in the United Kingdom and being rerouted through San Francisco and they are being sent by a Blackberry.

Without letting Emily know that she suspects that she is a con artist, Yalen hires private investigators in Japan and the United Kingdom to track down the owner of the Blackberry, and once she knows their identity, she is determined to confront them face to face. Her investigators determine that the woman running the con is not the same woman shown in the pictures that Emily had sent and that the chef school is not a chef school at all. It’s a cooking school that offers one and two days classes for those interested in learning Japanese cuisine.

Yalen, though disappointed, becomes obsessed with finding out who the woman in the picture is and she’s willing to go to any length to get that information, starting with posting the woman’s picture in all the major newspapers in the U.S. and on Billboards. She anonymously offers a $50,000 reward for any information that will lead to the woman’s identity. After only two days, she gets the call she’s been waiting for and passes the information onto her investigator. The report comes back that the woman is a former Victoria’s Secret model, single, and a lesbian.

Armed with the woman’s name and address, Yalen boards a flight to Tennessee without any idea as to how she plans on approaching this woman. She’s just going to have to wing it and hope like hell that the woman doesn’t think she’s some kind of psycho head-case.

Determined to get to the bottom of the online dating mystery, Yalen and her new found friend in Tennessee, set out on a high-risk adventure that will have them criss-crossing the globe and risking their lives repeatedly as they come face to face with a million-dollar, underworld crime syndicate that specializes in on-line dating scams.

Is it possible that two women who live very different lives who never knew the other existed can meet after being forced together due to unforeseeable circumstances, only to discover that they were brought together because it was their destiny? Sit down, buckle up, and hold on because Yalen Martinez is about to find out the answer to that question.

Dedication

This novel is for all those ladies who have finally found the woman who left them breathless. For those who haven’t found her yet, be patient, she’s out there. I promise!

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Author Claire Chilton for doing such a fantastic job on the book cover. She is by far the Queen of cover design and structural editing in my opinion and I love, love, love the cover you made for SLMB!

I would also like to thank Author Eileen Gormley who in my opinion is the Queen of book blurbs!

I would also like to thank Margaret Farrell for all the help she gave me in bringing SLMB to fruition. Without your hard-core critique’s, SLMB wouldn’t be as good as it is. You are the Queen Beta Reader LOL.

Elisa, one of my biggest fans in the Netherlands: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your suggestions and feedback were so fantastic, I had to implement them, and I am so glad I did!

Note from the Author

About

She Left Me Breathless

I’m often asked where I come up with the ideas for my stories. I guess the easy answer would be to say everywhere. Well, that answer is the truth. I get ideas from watching the news, reading the newspaper or I may overhear a piece of a conversation and sometimes something personal that happens or has happened in my life sparks the idea.

As with all stories I write, I find songs that inspire me as well. With this novel, the artist just so happens to be Adele. Her songs, One and Only, Rolling in the Deep, and Set Fire to the Rain were the songs that I listened to as I wrote this novel.

With She Left Me Breathless, this story just so happens to hit a little closer to home and is somewhat personal to me although it is a work of fiction.

When I was twenty-one years old, I fell in love with my best friend, who also happened to be straight. At the time, she was married and going through a painful divorce. She was also the mother of a beautiful, seven-year-old little girl. However, twenty-years ago, being an out-of-the-closet lesbian like I was, just was not as acceptable as it is today. The woman that I had fallen in love with couldn’t get past what her mother, society, and the church thought about homosexual relationships. What everyone else thought about us being of the same sex was more important than how much she loved me. The day I walked out of her life was the day she told me that she could not raise her daughter in that kind of an environment, meaning a lesbian relationship. It was as if being in a relationship with me was worse than being a serial killer.

There is a scene in this novel where Sydney loses control and she talks about how some parents, society, and the church would rather see a woman be with a man who physically abused their daughter, than see her with a woman who worshipped the ground she walked on. Twenty years ago, I yelled those exact same words because the woman that I loved was indeed in an abusive marriage and that was more acceptable than being in a relationship with me.

I am so grateful that I no longer have to live under those type of circumstances. I have all of the lesbian and gay men who came before me to thank for fighting for, and giving me those rights, rights that now allow me to openly love whomever I choose regardless of the fact that my lover is a woman. I say to hell with what anyone else thinks about it. You only get one life, so enjoy it :)

After twenty years, me and my old love have reconnected and once again we are friends. We both realize that we can no longer look back at the past with regret and instead, be grateful for the friendship we now share in spite of it.

The only words of advice I can offer is to never ever live your life for someone else :)

Copyright

Copyright © 2012 Trin Denise

First Edition

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 and the United Kingdom Copyright Act of 1956 and 1988. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Print Edition

ISBN-13: 978-1908822-12-3

RAGZ BOOKS

Ebook Edition

ISBN-13:978-1908822-11-6

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or deceased, is entirely coincidental

Cover Art by Claire Chilton

Editor: Janet Brooks

Ebook Structural Editor: Claire Chilton

Print Edition Structural Editor: Trin Denise

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Epilogue

Listen To Her Heart

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Note from the Author

Copyright

Contents

Table of Contents

Intro

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 09

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Author Bio

Listen To Her Heart

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Note from the Author

Copyright