Infinite Loop - Chapter 22

A Mother's Love as the Noose Tightens

Amber’s hands still shook as she tried to take another sip of straight bourbon. She did not like the taste, but it was the only thing, other than champagne, in her liquor cabinet. The woman sat in the middle of her bed with all the lights on in her room, foolishly feeling like a little girl again. She was never afraid of the bogeyman. But the woman never had such a realistic nightmare before. Sure, some visions scared her recently. However, she could never remember the details like she could now.   

She watched the sunrise, trying to comprehend everything before the dreams started. None of it made sense. Just a few months before, she was a happy-go-lucky girl who only kept up with the social balls. Then, she overheard her father talking on the phone and discovering the blackmail against him. Back from Havana after finding and following the blackmailer, she was now hiding him from the authorities.

How could she face her father while concealing a fugitive with murders attributed to him?

The constant pressure of trying to get Warren Baker back to the USA and to bust his scheme must have caused such a horrible dream. It was the only explanation; she thought as the alcohol began to work. Still, she could not forget the intimate details which sprang to mind inside the unusual world she dreamed about.

The buzzer rang at the door, and Amber hurriedly threw on a peach satin dressing gown. Thinking it was Warren, she did not look through the peephole. As she unlocked the doorknob, the wooden door suddenly sprang open as Harry Jennison pushed his way into the room. He placed a gun in front of her face, grabbing her by the collar.

“Keep your mouth shut,” he growled. Following him into the room, Mary looked around at the room approvingly as the thug pushed Amber to the sofa.  

“Sugar, I must say I approve of your style.” The blonde woman in her tight-fitting black dress came around to the side of the sofa, running her hand over the fabric. She frowned as she took a seat in the Sheraton chair. Mary’s eyes had the look of a venomous snake.

“Now, I warned you to call us,” she told Amber coolly. “It appears you might have forgotten. It’s too bad because you upset my dear Harry. So, we’ll just have that little talk now. Honey, I should warn you that good ol’ Harry does not like you rich folk.” The woman in black leaned forward, lowering her voice to a whisper.

“Girl to girl, let’s keep him from getting any nasty blood stains on that pretty little sofa with your blood,” she warned.

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