Girls Best Friend: Part 13

It wasn’t hard to spot the Fiat parked along it a little way and when she got there she opened the door and put her case on the back seat. She sat down in the passenger seat, put her seatbelt on, and pulled out the ID. Damn, she was going to be a redhead, she sighed and put it back in the envelope and remembered that she wasn’t alone in the car. Slightly embarrassed for not speaking or even acknowledging the driver, she turned to him ‘excuse moi s'il vous plait…ah!.....Mark?’

‘Hello Millie’ he said. ‘Fancy seeing you here…you really are a dark horse…’ and he gave here a surreptitious look that made her shift in her seat and unconsciously smooth out her clothes.

‘I don’t know what you mean, I am trying to help Mr Rob, and his friend said you would drive me to Madrid…’ she paused waiting for him to answer. Mark was concentrating on the road and Millie could tell that he was purposely delaying answering her as he came up with a carefully worded response. She looked at his profile and as she stared at him she thought back to their time working together at Rob, Roberts and Robertson. She had always liked him and found him to be funny and interesting to talk to, yet whenever Denise was around he acted like her lap dog, Denise wasn’t around now and it occurred to Millie that maybe he didn’t know what to say without being told what to say and she pursed her lips in disappointment and a frown furrowed her brow.

‘I will Millie…its my job…I get to do whatever Michael tells me to…’ it was Marks turn to pause as if he was waiting for a reaction from her.

‘You work for Michael?’ she asked.

‘Sort of…I’m his son…’ was Marks reply. Millie took a sharp intake of breath at that little revelation. She didn't want to be judgmental but Michael, although very wealthy, had a look about him that was from the wrong sides of the track whereas Michael had always seemed to Millie as if butter wouldn't melt. She didn't know what else to say at this point and opted to change the subject, ‘Where is Denise? Did you lose her on the Champs Elysee?’ Millie said.

‘Denise?! How did you know I came here with her?’ Mark asked as he looked across to her. Oh bother she thought, I would make such a terrible spy, ‘erm…Michael…Michael said something about it…I think…’ she quickly said and nervously chewed her lip as she waited to see if he believed her.

‘Well, she won’t be going anywhere for a while so no need to worry about her.’ And he leaned forward and switched on the car stereo. The music was a welcome distraction as Millie was tired and not in the mood to make small talk. She rested her head on the window as Mark continued to drive them out of Paris.

Millie was having a crazy dream with dancing pigeons and tap dancing apricots when she was woken by the window she had chosen as her pillow began to fall away from her. The feeling of falling woke her up with a start and she realised she was still in the car but the door was open, she squinted up into the bright lights and saw a shadow standing over her. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out that she was in a petrol station and Mark was inside at the counter, so who was this?

Millie didn’t have to wait long to find out as a moment later the shadow was now at eye-level, undoing her seatbelt and had a hold of her hand. The hand was warm and soft with only the hint of rough edges and Millie held on. The shadow spoke,

‘Millie….Millie…quick…you have to come with me…your life is in danger, I wish you would listen to me…come on…I’ll tell you what you want to know but please Millie Banloach, for the love of god…come with me’ and the shadow yanked her arm and placed his arm over her shoulders and directed her to another car.

Millie wasn’t entirely sure if she was awake or still dreaming, and she really didn’t understand why she wasn’t fighting him, she knew he was hiding something but she felt groggy as if she had been drugged and decided it was better the devil you know as she sat down in the car and they sped off into the night, leaving Mark at the petrol station. Millie closed her eyes and slept.