Thirty One

***Grace***

If I were putting on glasses right now, I would do this thing where I would push the glasses to the rim of my nose, then slightly duck my head to look on with astonishment.

“There,” Doctor Lumber threw his hands carelessly. “I said it. She is my daughter.” He is actually being serious. Wait, didn’t he just say Ruby is his daughter? And he is being serious. Wow. Wow. I need to sit down.

As I moved towards the couches, so did Doctor Lumber, Dominic’s already stone cold eyes trailing him. “What am I supposed to make of that statement?”

“Dominic, I know this is sudden, but it is the truth.” With sober eyes, he looked up at Dominic whose jaws were setting in a manner that suggested impatience and building anger on the sturdy man’s part.

“Even though I won’t believe your claim until it is proven, how on earth is Ruby your daughter?”

“I… I am really sorry Dominic. It was never meant to happen. Please,” He looked away as tears began to smear the surface of his eyes. “Forgive me.”

“Why don’t you amuse us? You know, while we wait for any lead on Ruby’s whereabouts, you can tell us a little story.” The smirk on Dominic’s face was so different from the ones I am used to seeing. This one carried a deadly aura. And the deadly was not for good intentions at all.

Dominic found his seat right beside me and even though he looked like he had on a steel heart at that moment, I just had to follow instincts and grab onto his arm in a way that was meant to comfort him. His head sloping slightly in my direction, he reached for my small hand, tapped it twice then rubbed through it.

“Well,” Dave urged the rough looking man who gulped as he prepared himself for the task ahead, his lashed blinking furiously.

*I wonder what his story is going to be.*

“I… I am really sorry Dominic. When I introduced you to Diane, I left out the fact that we used to date.” Wow. “A…” His voice cracked as he failed to continue.

“Go on Mark.” Dominic’s calmness though. So threatening.

“I did not mean you harm Dominic, but when Diane came onto me few weeks after you both started dating, I just couldn’t resist. I… soon, it became an every week affair.” A fist placed on the side of my mouth, his eyes on the stone cold tiles, he continued, “When she became pregnant, I became confused.”

*Well, at least they both became something.*

“ I was still struggling back then Dom, you know that. I was in no way ready for a baby. It was then Diane suggested we made you think it was yours. I am really sorry Dominic, but I can’t live my life freely when I know I have a daughter.

Dom, it is not enough that I can only take care of her when she is sick, I want her in my life Dom. Please, I want my daughter back.”

Silence ensued and we all sat there, waiting for a response from Dominic. Sitting back, Dominic pointedly stabbed Doctor Lumber with his looks and I would have honestly loved to watch the latter squirm in reaction, but time was running fast and Ruby was yet to be found. I dragged slightly at Dominic’s arm. A short grunt escaped his lips as we all awaited his response. “Trust me, she is not your daughter.”

Mark’ s eyes lit up in shock. “Please, Dominic. Please. I know I am a terrible person not only for betraying you, but for not taking on my responsibility when it came knocking.”

“Exactly, whatever it was that kept you from taking the responsibility back then should function this moment as well and keep you from taking *my* daughter.”

“Dominic…”

“Do you really think walking into this place and confessing will get me to give up Ruby? No Mark, if I have to battle to death for that child, I will. Now, don’t make me look like the terrible person and quietly do me a favour and walk out of this place.”

“Dominic please… she is my daughter.” Mark let out a sniff filled sob, falling onto his knees immediately. “Please Dominic, don’t do this to me.”

“Don’t!” I flinched a bit as his loud voice took over Mark’s words. Dominic’s hands went on to form fists. “Don’t.” This time, his voice was quiet. His head raised up to look straight at the pleading man, he held up a cautioning finger.
“Aren’t you even thinking about Ruby? Even if your claim is true, do you really think learning that I am not her father will gladden her and the next second, she will be jumping into your arms? Listen…” Dominic got up. “Do yourself this favour. Go home, sleep your tears off. When you wake up, with your head clear and all, you will remember the choices I offered you.”

Confusion all over his face, Mark got off his knees slowly. “What choices?”

Dominic resumed to take short strides across the length of the room. “You can choose to forget about the fact that you have a daughter.”

Mark’s face formed a tired frown, “Domi…”

“Or… you can decide to fight for her. And trust me, the fight will be tough, because I am not giving Ruby up. That’s all. When all this is over and everything is proven, let me know your decision.”

“Dominic, you cannot do this to me. Please…”

“We are done here.” At the same instant that Dominic had his seat right beside me, a familiar tone filled the room. Apart from Mark who had sunk back onto the tiles, looking more dejected, the rest of us shared a look.

“That’s my phone.” I informed them. Immediately, Dave got up and went towards his equipment box. As he rummaged through it, I wondered what message had entered. Hopefully it is a message concerning Ruby. Honestly speaking, instead of trying to calm myself, I was doing more of scaring myself with the dangerous scenes my head kept imagining during Dominic’s and Mark’s tense conversation. So, a message about Ruby would indeed be sort of relieving.

“A message,” said Dave as he carefully held the phone like it was a fragile baby. “No phone number either.” In a flash, Dominic and I gathered beside Dave, our heads pointedly on the little device as Dave opened the message box.

***It pains me that I had to take Ruby, because it is you Grace I really want to deal with. So let’s play this way. If you want to get Ruby back unharmed, meet me at the old Dico’s Bakery with $20,000. Come alone. No cops. Don’t even bring Dominic along. Or else…***

“Twenty thousand dollars?” I collected the phone from Dave to read it again.

“I know right? I expected if there would be a ransom, it would be like a million dollars at least.”

“There is no time to chat,” Dominic intercepted our pondering. “What is the next move Dave?”

Giving off a light huff, I said, “Uh… it is pretty obvious. I will go to the bakery and…”

“To do what?” Dominic sharply asked.

“To get Ruby back.”

“Don’t be naïve Grace. Going there is dangerous.”

“So what? I should bring you along to make it more dangerous?” Semi- consciously, my hands were fisting as anger built up within me at the fact that Dominic will find a way to involve people if not himself with going to the mentioned area.

“You are not going alone Grace. You might not even go at all.” I felt my blood boil a little at his statement. And since an argument wouldn’t help the situation at all, I just gave a brief nod, receiving a small smile from the tall man after.

Soon, both Dave and Dominic began to talk, to plan things. But I definitely wasn’t going to just stand like this doesn’t concern me. If anything happens to Ruby, I will not be able to forgive myself.

As my eyes flickered from the phone in my hand to the deliberating men, I knew exactly what to do.

“Uh… guys? I need to go pee. I will be right back.”

“Okay.” Hurriedly, came Dominic’s grumbled answer. Immediately, I found my way upstairs and into my room. I grabbed my debit card, my car keys, a small bag and made for Dominic’s room. As I entered his bathroom, I began to calculate.

I do not know how I am going to do it, but I will get to the old bakery before anyone else. After all, that is sort of what the kidnapper wants.

********

My eyes intently on the desolated building that was still standing strong even though it had been abandoned for three decades, I began to reason out my little plan once again. Carefully, I approached the building, looking behind every few seconds.

On entering the huge empty room, I was greeted by the sight of a female figure. Eager to know who it was, I moved a bit closer, the bag in my hand being held a little bit tighter.

“Finally you are here.” Of course, it is Diane. “Oh,” she continued as she noticed the look of disgust and query on my face. “,don’t look at me that way.”

“And what way is that?”

“A way that suggests that you think I am the one after you. Darling,” her heels clicked on the cemented floor as she walked a little closer. “ I am just here for the money. So, did you bring the money?”

“You are unbelievable! But…” A deep frown appeared on my face as I processed her earlier words. “What do you mean by you are not the one after me? I was sort of sure it is you.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I am not the one after you. The person you seek is coming, so don’t think of leaving this place soon.” The sinister look that covered her face for a second got replaced by a perky look. “So, can I have the money now? I need it to buy some clothes.”

“I will give you the money once you give me Ruby,” I said firmly.

“Oh dear,” her glossy lips formed a pout. “If you are going to be negotiating, you will really have to wait for the person that kidnapped your daughter. A.K.A The person after your life.”

I frowned as the suspense was getting weird. Can’t she just call the person by his or her name or what? “I can’t believe you allowed your daughter to be kidnapped so you can get money for clothes.”

Her strides took her towards a metal table nearby on which she rested her buttock on. Looking straight at me, a short sigh escaping her lips, she replied, “Honestly, I never agreed to Ruby being kidnapped. All I wanted was a way to get money from Dominic. But it was done anyway, Ruby was kidnapped.”

“Is Ruby really not Dominic’s?” She was playing with her heels before I asked the question, after, she almost lost balance as she obviously was not expecting the question.

“How do you know that?” She quietly asked.

“Doctor Lumber paid us a little visit.” I watched her as she darted across the room with her calculating eyes. “Dominic is not going to let Ruby go easily. He won’t let her go at all.”

“He…”

“Jesus Christ! That child of yours is…” Regina stopped her words as soon as she noticed me, immediately assuming an akimbo pose. “You are finally here.”

“Are you the one after my life?”

“What? No. I am just here to watch you suffer. I don’t have the strength to threaten anyone let alone hurt them,” she waved off my question.

“Who on earth then is it that is after me?”

“You will have to find out yourself. A little advice, don’t mention anything about Dominic at all. If possible, don’t talk.”

I eyed her as I chewed on her words, “You guys do know you are no different from this mysterious person. You,” I pointed towards Regina. “,want to see me suffer. And Diane over there got her child kidnapped because of money… for freaking clothes! You guys are freaking terrible people.”

With a bit of nonchalance, Regina replied, her eyes looking as though she were thinking, “Well, yes but actually no. Well, Grace, time for you to go to sleep.”

“What are you…?” Immediately a sharp pain traveled through my head and I found myself slowly falling onto the ground. Murmurs filled my head, voices from another part of my mind began to speak, causing my head to hurt the more.

As soon as I hit the bare floor, my eyes closed, I went to sleep, the last things I heard being, ‘*Don’t worry, Ruby is sa*fe.’