She Left Me Breathless (37 page)

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.