“Where are you thinking of going, Angel?”
“I’m not sure, I’m leaving that up to MacKenzie,” knowing he only had their well-being at heart, Aviva softened once she had made her point. “Baby, I know you want to keep us all safe, so I have no objections that the bodyguard comes with us. I also have no doubt that as soon as we reach our destination, he will be on the blower telling you exactly where we are.”
“Blower?” Jason queried.
“Phone, baby,” Aviva qualified with a laugh. “Another word to add to your list of cockney slang. By the time I’m finished with you, you’re going to be bilingual.”
“I’m already bilingual. Didn’t I mention that to you before? Just so you know, I speak; Spanish, Portuguese, French, Japanese, Cantonese and I have a strong grasp of Russian.”
“You are such a show off. Well, I bet you don’t know how to speak Jamaican patois, so, yu can jus galang wid yu ova achievement self.”
“Come on, Angel. That’s easy. Do you honestly think I wouldn’t make it a point to learn the stuff you mutter under your breath when you’re mad at me? You said that I should continue over-achieving and that no matter what, you would continue to love me.”
“I did not say that last part.” Aviva corrected.
“I know, but if I had given you a few more moments, you would have,” Jason laughed. “It’s all arranged, enjoy your trip and I’ll speak to you later.”
**********
Aviva, MacKenzie, Noelle and their grim-faced guard entered the third store of their shopping trip. It was MacKenzie’s idea that they went lingerie shopping. Looking over at the guard, Aviva had never seen a grown man so uncomfortable at the sight of women’s underwear.
“Take it easy, Alan, why don’t you wait by the door,” Aviva suggested. “That way you can still keep an eye on things without being overwhelmed by lace.”
With a nod and an unchanged expression, the guard turned and headed back towards the entrance. Aviva shook her head as she strolled over to join MacKenzie, who was looking through some rather risqué undergarments.
“What do you think,” MacKenzie asked, holding up a pair of panties that looked to Aviva to be missing its crotch.
“Girl, I’m about to get Jason a pair of those!” Aviva laughed, pulling the garment out of her friend’s hand for closer inspection.
“Well, it looks as though your husband is in for a treat,” said a sophisticated older woman. “I’m sure my sons would just love for their wives to wear something like that. Their father always did.”
Exchanging a brief glance with MacKenzie, Aviva looked at the woman and smiled. For some reason, she also glanced over at the door to make sure that their guard still had them in his sight. Catching sight of him, Aviva noted that he displayed no signs of anything being out of the ordinary.
MacKenzie was chatting away to the woman, and Aviva got the distinct impression that somehow she was deliberately being excluded from the conversation. Not bothered in the slightest, she moved away to look at more bits of frilly lace.
A short while later a commotion caught Aviva’s attention, and her head snapped up. Across the store, a couple were involved in a loud altercation. The sounds of their raised voices held her attention for a few moments. Feeling embarrassed on their behalf, Aviva turned away. When she looked at MacKenzie, she saw that she too had been distracted by the raised voices.
Noticing that the older woman had disappeared, Aviva cast her eyes towards the spot where Noelle’s stroller had been sitting. It wasn’t there. Thinking MacKenzie must have moved it; Aviva called out to her friend.
“MacKenzie, where’s the baby?”
“What?” She answered, sounding distracted.
“MacKenzie, the baby... where is she?”
Startled into action, MacKenzie dropped the garment in her hands and spun around in a circle, her eyes darting in every direction at once.
“Oh, my God... where is she? I only took my eyes off her for a moment. I promise, it was just for a moment.”
Her heart pounding against her ribs, Aviva didn’t bother to reply as she too looked around, hoping for a sight of the baby.
“My baby, where’s my baby?” MacKenzie cried. “Someone’s taken my baby!”
“My dear girl, she’s right here,” said the older woman who moments before had been nowhere in sight; her perfectly manicured hands resting on the handle of the stroller.
The look of relief reflected on MacKenzie’s face only registered with Aviva on a subliminal level. Her attention was riveted on the woman with the cold eyes. While a crying MacKenzie clutched her daughter close, Aviva’s gaze was held captive by the smiling woman.
“Who are you?” Aviva demanded.
The older woman’s pretense of a smile was gone in an instance. “Why my dear, I’m just a concerned bystander.”
“Get away from us!” Aviva cried.