A/N: Annnnnd another fast update :D Thanks for the fantastic feedback
Enjoy
Chapter 03 : From "bed" to worse
Going back to Portland isn't an option. I'm just going to conduct my own investigation, in the hopes of finding my daughter's whereabouts. Each day without her feels like my skin is being peeled off my body. The only real happiness I've ever experienced was back when I held my baby in my arms for the first time. She was so tiny and so pretty, I couldn't take my eyes away from her.
Back then, my relationship with Sean was already going downhill. Our short lived marriage was nothing but a series of lies and deception. I was young and easily impressed when I met him. I thought dating a bad boy was exciting and I was convinced I could change him for the best. Foolish thinking!
What I ignored though, was that Sean Renard wasn't just a man who earned crazy amounts of suspicious money and enjoyed the company of the opposite sex, no, he was part of one of the largest criminal organizations in the world. Discovering that converted my fascination with this man into disgust and I was abashed when I realized that he was nothing like the image I created of him in my naïve mind.
During that time, the idea of ending my marriage to him was out of the question. I was raised by a mother who wouldn't allow failure of any sort and a divorce was on top of her list of failures
Diana wasn't an accident, my exemplar of a mother insisted having a baby would change Sean…Funny, when you know that my dad left few years after I was born. I ignore why I followed her advice, maybe I wanted this to work…Maybe I was hoping he'd finally regard us as his future and gets away from that initial route…Maybe I was desperate for love and was scared to be abandoned by him just like my father did years before…But one thing was sure, slowly my heart stopped beating faster in his presence, my mind stopped dreaming of him every second and I all but stopped loving him altogether.
It's already been a month and still no sign of Sean or my daughter. I've been stalking Viktor's mansion every day in the hopes of seeing Diana, but in vain. I've put my job at my law firm on standby, luckily, Harrison was kind enough to convince the other associates to give me a layoff for as long as needed. I'm good at doing my job, heck I'm great at it, if not for my personal problems I was to become associate and that's the reason why I'm not worried about getting my job back when I'm back to Portland.
The question is, when?
My hotel room phone rings and gets me out of my reverie "Miss Schade, there's a mister Renard on the phone for you"
I ignore the uncomfortable squeeze of my heart as I proceed to talk to him "Sean" I don't bother with the 'how did you know I was staying here', because I know darn well he had me followed the moment I set foot here
"Are you out of your mind, Adalind" he flares, which is quite unlikely of him. He's always composed and calm "Do you want to get yourself killed? Black Claw sees you as a target, you gave away important names to the FBI" he spits vehemently "You're on their black list…Fuck, you're lucky it was Viktor and not someone else"
Yeah, I made major enemies during the past years after my collaboration with the FBI to get Sean and BC down.
"What do you care?" I snort
He sighs heavily "Why do you want to complicate things, Adalind? Come back and you won't have to endure all this suffering"
I grit my teeth "Never going to happen" I say for the umpteenth time since I asked for a divorce
Sean's voice turns ice cold "Then I guess you'll have to accept that you have no daughter" before he hangs up the phone, I hear Diana's voice "Daddy, look at what Henr…" the line goes dead before I hear her full sentence.
His threat is still echoing in my throbbing head, when an old forgotten name pops in my mind. Henrietta. Of course, she must know something, she's Sean's oldest friend and by friend I mean the one who carried on granting him benefits even during our marriage, so sue me, but I'd love to rip her head off if I could.
If I manage to track down Henrietta, I can have her spill Sean's location. She's always been a constant in his life and I know he confides in her more than anybody. But how can I find her? This woman is a ghost who never stays in one place. After pacing in my room for almost an hour, an idea finally takes shape in my head.
I decide to dial an old friend's number
"Martin Meisner" he says as he picks the phone. I hadn't realized how much I missed him until I heard his voice.
I met Martin Meisnet back when I worked at the DA's office, he was a brilliant FBI field agent and we became friends quite rapidly after that. Behind his many layers of roughness and muscles, lies a big heart. Last I heard he became one of the main instructors in Quantico.
"Hey, it's Adalind" I feel shy all of a sudden. For all these years, I haven't been in touch, and the only reason I'm calling now is to ask for his help. I feel like a crappy friend
"Adalind" I'm relieved to hear the subtle note of delight in his tone. I mean you have to know Meisner well in order to decipher him, because the guy has only one facial expression…he looks angry all the time and never breaks a smile "How are you doing?"
"I'm good" I bite my lower lip "I'm not actually…I need your help to have somebody's home address…It has to do with Diana" I know Meisner has a soft spot for my daughter. She's actually the only person who managed to snatch a smile from him.
Meisner sighs "You'll get me in deep shit"
Hell, I know and that's why I have no idea what to tell him. If I wasn't desperate, I would never have asked him in the first place, knowing the trouble I'm getting him into.
"Full name"
I exhale in relief "Henrietta James"
"Alright, I'll call you when I have something"
My heart flutters as hope invades every cell of my body. I'm getting closer to finding my daughter. The prospect brings tears to my eyes
"Thanks, Martin" I'm aware not many people are allowed to use his first name, but for some reason, I was always granted the privilege and holding on to it preciously
It takes Meisner a couple weeks to get me the information, he explains that he had to use archaic methods to get the address in order to cover his tracks. Apparently, Henrietta was traveling across Europe and she should be back to Portland next week, at least this is the date she booked when she purchased her flight ticket.
Meisner promised to let me know if and when she goes through customs in Portland International Airport. For my part, I book my flight to Portland immediately after the phone call ends. Two days later, I'm driving back home. Exhausted from the long flight and the unfruitful trip to Austria.
The moment I step in my bedroom, my bed transforms into a cloud and I could swear it has just winked at me "Don't insist, Buddy" I tell my bed "I'm more than willing to spend time with you"
Yeah, I speak to my bed, so what?
I throw myself on my bed and what seems to be only few minutes later, I'm woken up by a loud knock on the door. I drag myself out of bed with a lot of difficulty, still yawning I mutter a "Coming" praying whoever's trying to break my door stops this massacre.
"Mom!" I startle as I fling the door open
She storms into my house, flaring like a wild animal and turns to face me only when she reaches the living room. Fierce blue eyes glare at me unhappily, while a lock of platinum blond hair falls from her perfect chignon. I'm sure she's a minute from spitting fire and exhaling smoke from her nostrils…Catherine Schade is a scary dragon
"Why don't you answer my calls?" she demands
"Sorry, I was sleeping" I sigh, as I walk to the kitchen to grab some coffee, I'm going to need it
My mother follows me "Oh, please" she says with mock humor
I turn my fierce eyes on her, tired of her suffocating intrusion in my life "Mom, I texted you as soon as my flight landed in PDX"
"That was twenty four hours ago" she shakes her head furiously "You haven't picked your phone since"
"What are you talking about?" I start toward my bedroom "That was only few hours ago"
My mom stops me on my tracks and puts her hand on my forehead, testing my temperature "Adalind, you've slept for twenty four hours"
"Wow, that's a hell of a jet lag…Well, on second thought, it's quite natural when you spend over thirteen hours on a plane" and when you're really depressed and you want to sleep to oblivion.
"Go get a shower, I'll fix you something to eat" she orders me
When I get to my room, I check my phone first. My battery is almost dead and there are at least fifteen missed calls, twelve from my mom, one from an unknown number and two from Meisner. There's also a text from him
Henrietta just checked in Paris Orly Airport
She should be here by tomorrow. She lives in 750, Belmont District
M
My heart pounds hard in my chest as I proceed to text back Meisner
Thanks. I owe you big time
A
Looks like I'm paying an old friend a visit
After a quick shower, I join my mother in the kitchen and I'm happy to see she got us a pizza delivered, that's the meaning of fixing you something to eat in my mom's dictionary. She sucks at cooking, giving affection or simply being a mom. I sit on a stool behind the kitchen counter realizing how famished I am, as the smell of pepperoni and tomato dances around me. I could get high on the smell and before I know it there's only one slice of pizza in the box. My mom looks at me agape.
"Sorry" I laugh shyly between bites of pizza "I…was… humgwy" I manage to say with my stuffed mouth
I'm so sick the following days, I can't go to Henrietta's place. Eating an entire pizza and in record time was a very bad idea, my stomach wasn't happy and it punished me for the food marathon I put it through.
"Do you have anything for upset stomach?" I ask the lady at the spice shop
She smiles kindly at me, she's really pretty with her light brown hair and beautiful almond eyes "Yeah, sure" she rummages through rows and rows of spices "What type of upset stomach?"
"The type the hurts and talks in gargles?" my answer sounds like a question itself
She scans my outfit and fights the laugh bubbling in her throat. Yeah, I might or might not be wearing animal print pajamas right this moment and an oversize jacket. I give her an embarrassed smile.
"Ah, I have just what you need" she grabs a jar with a weird thing inside, but I'm ready to swallow just anything to stop what must be a food poisoning "Ginger" she announces when she notices my horrified expression "Don't worry, it tastes great"
"Thank you" I take the bag after I pay her
"See you" she waves goodbye as I start to leave
Good news is, the ginger infusion tastes good and stopped my nausea, bad news is I have diarrhea now to the point that I'm considering bringing a bed to the bathroom…Why haven't I ever thought of it? A bed and a mini kitchen…for some reason, it sounds like a great idea while I'm sticking my feverish cheek to the cold floor tile. Feels good…Hey, is that a spider web under the sink? I'm calling Bertha tomorrow, my house needs some cleaning…
Gklbkkùk
No worries, that's just my stomach telling me there's another wave coming
%%%
My food poisoning seems to have eased, finally. I'm glad to be on my way to Henrietta's house. I'm sure she doesn't expect to see me and that's good, because the element of surprise will prevent her from getting a bunch of lies lined up at the door. I adjust my grey pencil dress…Geez, I told the dry cleaner to be careful to wash it with cold water and look at this, it's almost a size smaller. I can barely breathe in it. What if I faint just like Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean?
Stop being a drama queen and get your shit together, Adalind
I knock lightly at the door, before a tall woman with chocolate skin and dark hair opens it. I'm taken aback by her striking beauty. I had never met Henrietta before, but this woman could be a supermodel for all I know. A big smile creeps her lips when she sees me "Adalind Schade!"
"You know me?" I gasp in surprise
She opens the door wider, a clear invitation which I accept gladly "Why would I not, you're all Sean talks about" she gestures to the living room sofa "Have a seat"
I ignore the present tense she used as I amend "Yet, he came to you even when we were together"
She smiles like I've just complemented her "Only when you denied him the pleasure of your company, Sweety"
She disappears in what seems to be a kitchen and comes back with a tray of lemonade and biscuits. She sets them on the table and places a cup in front of me. As she sits beside me, I can't help but wrinkle my nose in distaste. Eeek, the smell of her flowery perfume is nauseating. I scoot to the opposite end of the sofa, praying she'd take the hint and sit somewhere else, but she seems to find my reaction amusing.
"So, what brings you here?" she finally asks
"Where is my daughter?" I really see no point in turning around the bush
She shakes her head with an amused expression "What makes you think I'm willing to tell you?"
"Henrietta, I need to see her, I'm her mother" I inch closer, hoping to knock some sense in her head, but instead it's her perfume that knocks me out. A wave of flowery sent assaults my nostrils and I get up quickly, throwing up in the first thing I see fit…A flower vase
When I'm done, I find Henrietta sitting right behind me and rubbing my back, I'm shocked to see the worried expression on her face. I expected her to go berserk after the terrible fate I reserved to her vase "Feeling better?" she wonders
"I'm not sure" I say honestly as I rub my stomach
"How far long are you?"
"Excuse me?"
She raises an eyebrow "You don't know it, do you?"
"I don't know what?" I cross my arms over my chest
"Nausea, sensitive to smells, throwing up" she gives me a once over "Getting curvier"
I find her comment irritating "I'm not pregnant" I state sharply "It's impossible, I haven't been with …" flashes of my night with Nick Burkhardt feel like bullet shots in my head
This must be a nightmare