35

Macy got out of the washrooms in a splint as she held Melvin under her arms.
She then saw two men standing on the corridor that led the way they were going. She knew that she couldn’t confront them in combat as she didn’t want to take her eyes off the girl.
She ran and the two men produced guns and aimed at her.
When they thought that she was going for them, Macy changed her path abruptly and entered the men’s washrooms.
They hadn’t expected that as they were waiting for her.
She entered and immediately locked it from the inside. She looked at something that could help her block the door for a while and she didn’t see anything.
“Baby, you see those bad guys out there, they want to hurt me and I want you to help me. Will you help me?” Macy asked Melvin as she moved around.
Melvin nodded her head.
She wasn’t worried because she wasn’t even crying.
“Daddy said that I shouldn’t be afraid of bad guys because he will get them and punish them. I will help you and we will tell daddy so that he can beat them for you. Okay auntie?” Mel said in her sweet baby voice and Macy felt her heart melt.
She didn’t know those guys and she knew that the possibility of them coming for her was zero because she was a no one.
“Could they be intruding to kidnap Mel for a ransom?” She thought and by then, the men were banging on the door and she knew that that lock won’t last for long. She then got an idea.
She kicked in one of the stall’s doors and it came off its hinges.
She then cared for it and jammed it against the door with the other edge pivoted on one of the sinks that was closest to the door.
“That should keep them busy for a while,” she said as she mounted a stall and took out a knife from the waist of her trouser pants.
She then walked on the edges and came to the ventilator. She used the knife to unscrew the wire mesh that was the lid and then sat on the stall.
She then lay on the edges carefully and beckoned to Melvin who was looking at her all along.
“Baby, come here. To escape from the bad guys, I want us to use this path. I will be right after you so no one is going to get to you. Okay?” Macy asked the little girl who nodded her head as she gave her hand to Macy who lifted her up in one move. Macy then put the little girl in the duct head first.
“Crawl slowly. Don’t hurt yourself,” Macy said as she helped push Mel and she followed.
She could still hear the people outside banging on the door and she helped Mel crawl and she and her took several corners to throw anyone who might be following them off.
She then took out her phone and called May.
“Where are you?” Was May’s first question when the call connected on the first ring.
“Somewhere on this building’s air ducts. I don’t know exactly where.
Did you get them?” Macy asked.
“We did though Cash was shot but it isn’t serious. Can you get out?” May asked.
“Yeah, lemme look for a way out and then I will call you once I know where we are,” Macy said as she nudged Mel to keep moving.
They moved for a while until she saw light on one end and she led Mel towards that side.
She used the same knife to pry it open and kicked it out.
She then jumped out and that was when she realised that she had got out in the room that was used for storing props.
She then pulled a table and stepped on it and pulled Melvin out.
Melvin was so calm that Macy was impressed.
“Aawww! You are such a brave baby. Look at you.
I wish you were my daughter,” Macy said as she kissed the baby’s cheeks.
“Aunt, you can be my mom. Daddy doesn’t have a wife and I am a girl I can’t marry you,” Melvin said seriously and so as not to get herself in an awkward situation, she took out the phone again.
“Let me call aunt May to come and get us,” Macy said as she called May.
She told May where they were and May asked her to wait there so that they could make sure that there was no one else waiting for them.
Macy held Melvin the same way she held her that first day they met in the utility closet and hid behind a table that was sucked by so many props that she wondered which was which.
To make it believable, she took a clown’s costume and wore it and then held Melvin under it and they sat at a corner.
If anyone came in, they would think that it was a lot of things stacked in the corner and a clown’s costume on top of them.
“Don’t make a sound until I tell you, okay? And don’t be afraid because I am here with you,” Macy whispered and Melvin, who could already tell that the situation was dangerous, whispered and okay as she made herself comfortable in Macy’s arms.
After twenty minutes, they heard the door being opened slowly, put Melvin behind her and still maintained her position.
She was ready to pounce if this didn’t help.
“Macy? Macy? Mel?” It was May and Macy let out a breath she didn’t know that she was holding.
She then threw off the costume and that was when May saw her.
“Are you guys okay?” May asked and two men came in after her.
“Is young miss okay?” One of the men asked and he was clearly shaken.
“She is. Aren’t you a baby?” May asked her as she squatted in front of the small girl.
Melvin nodded her head as she looked at Macy and held Macy’s hand.
“Okay, let’s go,” May said and since Melvin wouldn’t let go of Macy’s hand, Macy carried her.
“We have to go to the hospital first,” May said as she looked at Mel.
“Why? Shouldn’t we take her home first?” Macy wondered because she knew that the place where Mel could feel at ease was at home.
“She has been very sick and is still recovering. So, we must make sure that the doctor takes a look at her,” May said and Macy didn’t argue.
All along, Mel wouldn’t let go of Macy’s and so, Macy was forced to spend time with her.
At the Sora Hospital, the doctor ran general tests on her and said that she was okay and so, they drove home.
At home, Macy cooked, fed and bathed Mel.
May was with them all along and Macy discovered that the guards at the mansion had been added; they weren’t as when she came to visit.
“Okay, time to sleep,”act told the little girl after they were done with that evening’s routine.
“Will you sleep with me?” Melvin asked.
Macy had work the following morning and so, she didn’t want to sleep here because she wanted to go through tomorrow’s lines.
“Baby I can’t. I have to go to work tomorrow,” she said and Mel started crying.
She wasn’t producing any sound, just water flowing down her chubby cheeks.
“What’s wrong baby?” Macy felt her heart break when she saw that.
“You don’t want me too,” Mel said in a small voice that was barely audible but Macy heard her clearly.
“Oooh, sweetie. It isn’t that. You know that I love you so much and I will always want you. Please don’t say that,”act soothed.
“Then don’t leave me,” Mel said and Macy scooped her in her arms and laid on the bed.
“Okay. I won’t leave. Which story do you want to hear today?” Macy asked as she took a strip book from the night stand.
“Instead of a story, can you sing me a song?” Mel requested and Macy smiled.
“As my princess wishes. Which song do you want to hear?” Macy asked her.
“Twinkle twinkle little star and little kitty,” Mel said and Macy snickered as she started singing.
Her voice was smooth and melodic. She sang as she soothed Melvin and within minutes, the girl was fast asleep.
Macy decided to stay with her a little longer as she adjusted the blankets Melvin and tucked her in well but she was also taken by sleep a few moments later.
This was the scene Richard and Asher saw when they entered the room.
They had travelled for almost the whole day from Dela Lucia and the news shocked Richard when he heard that someone had the audacity to kidnap his daughter.
She wondered who in the world had forgotten who he was.
She was then told the whole story of how many risked her life to save Mel and Richard had a mixed reaction.
At first, he thought that Macy wanted to get close to him because of his name but when he saw that she wasn’t interested in him nor his money when he wanted to pay her after saving Mel the first time, he didn’t know what to think.
And now, she had saved his daughter again from a much more dangerous situation.
He beckoned Asher out of the room and sat at the side of the bed after Asher left.
“Who are you and what do you want with me?” Richard asked no one in particular as he looked at the two fast asleep on the bed.
He tried thinking of reasons why Macy would target him but he knew he wasn’t making sense because Macy and Melvin met under an unplanned coincidence and he saw it with his own eyes.
‘Maybe fate decided to give Mel a friend,’ he thought as he helped cover Macy who hadn’t covered herself.
He sighed as he looked at them.
He wished this was as easy as killing a person.
He decided not to bother them as he left.
Tomorrow was still a day.
For now, he had fish to fry.