He calmed down and re-read the note once again. He needed to find out what was going on and not just jump to conclusions.
He slowly walked down the stairs, almost as if he was in a trance. He walked into the kitchen where Rosa was cooking. “Hello Mr. Anderson, you’re home early today,” she said as if nothing was wrong. This attitude made his temper come to the front again.
“Have you seen my wife?” he asked with a bite to his voice. She turned towards him with her brows puckered. “She left a while ago,” she said perplexed, as if he should know this. That was when he shouted at her.
He immediately felt bad and calmed himself down. “I apologize Rosa,” he said. “It’s just that she’s gone and all I have is this note,” he said as he thrust the note in front of her.
She scanned the note and then her breath hitched as she re-read it. She looked up at Lucas with some suspicion on her face. He knew Amy had become friends with Rosa and the two of them spent a lot of time together.
“I didn’t cheat on my wife,” he began defending himself. He didn’t need to explain anything to her, but he didn’t like the censure he saw in her eyes. She immediately looked down, as if she knew she’d been glaring at her boss.
“It’s not my business,” she stated to him.
“Can you tell me where Amy has been today?” he asked Rosa.
“Didn’t you see her Mr. Anderson? I packed her up a lunch and she was bringing it into your office. She said she wanted to surprise you with a romantic lunch because you’ve had to work so late every night. She was very excited when she left,” she said.
“She came home much quicker than I had thought she would, but I assumed she’d just forgotten something, because she was only here for about fifteen minutes and then rushed back out the door without saying another word,” she finished.
Lucas suddenly sank down into the chair next to him. He felt like his legs wouldn’t hold him up any longer. “No,” he cried out with such devastation in his voice that Rosa put her hand on his shoulder.
He knew she must’ve come by the office when Laura was in there. If she’d been there at the right moment, it may have looked like he was having an affair. He slowly got to his feet. “I have to make some phone calls,” he said as he walked out of the room.
One hour later, he again cupped his head in his hands. He’d spoken with his security guards and found out that yes, she’d been there at noon and had left within five minutes. She’d been there only minutes before they’d escorted his unwanted visitor out.
So, she thought he was having an affair. It seemed to him that her not trusting him was a little convenient. Why had she not marched in and asked what he was doing? He assumed she was thinking she’d found him in the arms of another woman so she could get past the prenuptial agreement and take him for all he had. She thought wrong.
He called up the banks to find out how much she’d taken. After another half hour he hung up the phone and once again felt shame. She’d taken nothing. He’d put a trace on all the credit cards to find out where they’d been used and found she’d not used any of them.
Not only had she not used any of them today, but she hadn’t used them once since his mother and she had furnished the house. There were zero purchases. Why had he not paid attention to any of that? He hadn’t noticed that she hadn’t been out shopping, or gone anywhere.
He wandered into their bedroom once again, feeling an aching need for her to be there. He had liked going baby shopping with her. She was so excited about each new purchase. He thought back over those trips and how they would pass through the malls and she never even looked at the jewelry stores, or many fashion boutiques.
He looked into the small jewelry box his mother had given to Amy and noticed the few pieces he’d picked up for her were still in there. She’d taken nothing but some clothing and the car, which she said she would return.
The Car!
He was suddenly jumping to his feet and running back into the office. He’d been feeling hopeless on how to possibly find her, since she wasn’t using the credit cards, when he realized there was tracking on the vehicle. He always added it on in case of theft or an accident.
Within moments he had the vehicle located. He glanced at his watch. It was eight at night. He called his pilot and told him to get the jet ready. They would be heading to Eugene within the hour.
Lucas jumped in his car and dialed his father as he drove towards the PDX Airport. His father listened as Lucas explained everything that had happened. “Get her back son, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you,” his father said when Lucas got everything out.
“I’ve been so stubborn and stupid, Dad. I love her and was afraid if I gave her my heart she would have everything. I finally realize that it doesn’t even matter anymore because without her in my life it doesn’t matter if I have a beating heart or not,” he finished on a strangled note.
His dad gave him a moment to compose himself and then let him know he and his mother would be there for him if he needed anything at all.
Lucas felt a bit better after talking with his father. He knew how much his parents loved Amy.
He couldn’t have a single conversation with his parents without hearing them praising Amy about one thing or another. Amy could often be found up at his parents’ house during the day working on one thing or another for the baby.
His mother had also helped Amy finish the baby room. They’d made beautiful stencil designs on the walls and sewn curtains. He’d asked one day why she didn’t just go buy some and she’d looked at him like he was a child. “It means so much more when they come from the heart.
When our child grows up she’ll know that her grandma and mom loved her so much they wanted to make her first room the best place ever,” she’d simply stated.
Lucas reached the airport and was in the air within thirty minutes of his arrival. “The flight will only take about forty minutes Mr. Anderson,” came the pilot’s voice over the intercom. His attendant brought him a much needed drink once they were in the air.
He arranged transportation to his wife’s destination to be waiting for him the minute he landed.
He stepped off the jet and into an awaiting town car. He gave the driver the address and was horrified when he reached his destination.
He knew she was there by seeing her car sitting out front, looking out of place
“Would you like for me to wait here?” the driver asked.
Lucas handed him several bills, “no thanks. I have other transportation but thank you,” he said as he walked towards the front doors.
The clerk behind the filthy counter looked Lucas up and down in awe. “You looking for a room?” he asked looking past him. Lucas figured the man was looking for the cheap hooker he was planning on bringing there. Lucas wasn’t full of himself but he also knew the guy didn’t get clients like him there, ever.
“My wife checked in here earlier today. I need to know which room she’s in. She will be checking out,” Lucas said with authority.
“I can’t give out information about my customers,” the man’s voice shook as he didn’t quite meet Lucas’s eyes.
Lucas was ready to grab the wiesel of a man by the shirt and throw him against a wall but he if he remained calm he could get his way a lot more easily.
Lucas placed a hundred dollar bill down on the counter and he saw the little man practically drool. “Amy Anderson’s room please,” was all he said as he kept his fingers on the bill.
“She’s in room twelve,” the man said without any further argument. He handed Lucas the key and snatched the bill off the counter before the rich man could change his mind. Without another word, Lucas walked out and up to door twelve.
He stood there listening and didn’t hear any sound, so he inserted the key and the knob turned easily. He started to push it open when a chain halted him. He peaked through the crack and saw her lying there on the bed, shivering in her sleep and curled up into herself with her hand protectively over her stomach.
Lucas pulled the door back towards him a few inches then gave it a quick jerk inward and the chain snapped without much effort. He was aghast at the lack of security in the building. Amy didn’t even wake as he stepped into the room.
The smell of the place was enough to turn his stomach. He needed to get her out of there fast before there was any lasting damage to her and his child.
He sat on the side of the bed and gently shook her. Amy jerked awake immediately at his touch and sat up, her eyes round with terror.
“Oh, thank Goodness it’s only you Lucas,” she said to him as her breathing came under control.
He wondered who she thought it may be and then thought back to the clerk and could see why she would’ve been scared.
Her happiness of having it be him and not the desk clerk was quickly forgotten as she realized that Lucas was sitting in her room.
“How did you get in here? How did you know where I was?” she questioned him.
“There is tracking on your car Amy and before you start shouting about me spying on you, there’s tracking on all of our vehicles. It’s a safety precaution in case any of them are stolen,” he held up his hand as he tried to delay the fight.
“I know you have a lot to say to me about what you think’s happened, but I’m really uncomfortable with having you and my child in this unhealthy environment. I’ve already reserved a suite at the Valley River Inn, which is only a few miles from here. Let’s head over there, get some food and have our talk,” he said with his usual calm, commanding voice.
He didn’t wait for Amy to say anything. He just gathered up her things, which was pretty easy considering nothing was unpacked. He walked her bag out the still open door and placed it in the rig.
When Amy still hadn’t said anything or budged, he walked into the room, scooped her up in his arms, as if she weighed nothing at all and then gently deposited her in the front passenger seat of the car. He placed a couple more hundred dollar bills down on the nightstand with a note that said ‘for the lock,’ and then quickly pulled out of the slum motel’s parking lot.
Lucas programmed the hotel address into his GPS and was at the Valley River Inn within ten minutes. There was hardly any traffic that night. Amy said nothing to him on the drive over. She sat in the passenger seat with her head turned away from him and her arms crossed.
Amy had so many emotions running through her at once and didn’t know what to focus on. The emotion on the forefront was love. She loved the man so very much. Her life without him seemed so endless and empty.
She loved him far too much too be able to sit back while he had affairs with many different women. She knew the redhead wouldn’t be the last. He was vibrant, handsome and every woman’s dream. Look how quickly she’d fallen for him.
They reached the hotel and she obediently followed him in. She was far too exhausted to fight him anymore that night. She would just have to rationally explain to him she wasn’t the type of woman who would sit back while her husband slept around.