Make You Love

Chapter 32

She should leave. She had no business being in Baltimore. Her guts shook her from head to toe. Electric shock fizzled in and out of her head while she fought hard to make sense of her predicament. She could book the next flight to San Francisco and lie that she went there for her long overdue surgery. Was she stupid? In a of history, San Francisco was definitely not the preferred place for best treatment. India then? Scratch that, she might as well never escape.

She remembered that she had had not discarded her free flight ticket to Hawaii. But there was a no-go, as snow was disturbing the fine weather all day. Damn winter and Winter.

"They're here ma'am," Penelope, her long forgotten maid blubbered excitedly.

Isla faced the girl with a frown engraved on her lips.

"Stop being so excited. Don't you know it's stupid? And who's here, by the way? Tell the idiots I'm busy. They can come back later or drop their complimentary cards then you can toss them in the trashcan after they leave."

"I'm afraid that won't work, ma'am. It's the feds and they're banging all around this house right at this minute."
Penelope glanced behind her back as she spoke, as though the police would appear there and catch them unawares.

"Search every room in this mansion. We got you, Miss Dehler! Now don't be a coward and come out clean! We know where you're hiding!" A gruff voice hollered in the basement.

"Carry on boys! Go go go! Hurry! That bitch must not escape!"

"Yessir!"

Isla heard, distinctly, ten pairs of adult feet thudding up the staircase. Her knees dissolved to jelly as terror seized her throat with hands of sheer steel, numbing her senses, a cathartic seizure ravaging her bones.

"Penny?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Get me my keys. Now."

"What kinda__"

"Car keys, you fool! Get me my fucking car keys! Oh God, what am I gonna do? Are you still standing there? Get the fuck out and bring me those keys!"

Penelope scurried to Isla's room in a jiffy, upturned her dresser and found the keys lying under her huge makeup kit. She opened it with trembling fingers, swept her stare over the array of her mistress's lipsticks, eye shadow pallettes, eyeliners, and reached out to take one. Her have froze midair as she considered the culpability of her actions. Assuring herself somehow that Isla would not miss what she would take, she tucked a tube of maroon lipstick she had been eyeing ever since Isla fired the cleaner and she, Penelope, had to tidy up her room.

"Penny! I swear, I'll cut down your pay when I return!"

If you return, Penelope corrected, chuckling to herself.
On a second thought, she grabbed a handful of makeup that she dumped inside her bra.
"And now to see that spoilt brat off," she muttered.

"Penny!"

"Coming!"

She dashed to Isla as if the past few minutes had been dedicated to finding the keys.

"Sorry," she offered a lame apology.

Isla yanked the keys out of her grasp, tucking them in her sweatpants pocket. She did not remove that hand from the pocket.

"Head back downstairs," she barked.

Penelope wondered what went wrong all of a sudden. She was about to question Isla's order for the first time ever, then she saw the unbelievable. Isla was smiling so much that, if her happiness were to be eaten by someone, the person would eat and eat and suffer indigestion.