“You should consider how you speak to me. All this,” the woman waved her hand in the air, “could have been so much worse.”
“Is everything okay, Ms. Braithwaite?” Asked the guard, now standing beside them.
“This woman...” Aviva trailed off as she pointed to where the older woman had been standing. Frantically looking around, she was nowhere in sight.
“Mrs. Kingdom?” The guard questioned, looking at her with concern.
Refusing to give up her search, Aviva was just in time to spot the small woman with the black hair exit the store.
The whole incident had taken less than three minutes, yet in her mind she likened it to a prolonged nightmare.
Even though she had never seen a picture of Diana, Aviva knew it had been her. She also knew that they had just been given the most graphic of threats.
Chapter 32
MacKenzie was still visibly shaken by the whole incident. Unwilling to make matters worse, Aviva said nothing about her suspicions. Instead, on the way back to the house, she sent the longest text of her life.
Alighting from the car, her attention was caught by the sound of screeching tyres as two vehicles came to a sudden halt behind the car they exited.
“Are you okay, Angel?”
“I’m fine, Jason. It’s Kenzie I’m worried about.”
As they looked on, Jason and Aviva heard Jake ask MacKenzie if she was sure that she and the baby were fine.
Her assurance didn’t seem to carry much weight with him; especially as for the first time since the incident, MacKenzie burst into tears.
Taking the suddenly crying baby from her mother, Jake held them both in a tight hug and whispered words of comfort meant only for them.
**********
Jake had taken MacKenzie and Noelle upstairs and hadn’t left until he was sure they were none the worst for their encounter.
When he entered the family room, the emotion he had held in check for MacKenzie’s sake was at an end. “I’m going to kill her!” He raged.
“I’d say you would have to get in line, brother.” Jason rumbled with a calm and deadly voice.
“Are MacKenzie and the baby okay?” Aviva wanted to know.
“MacKenzie’s still shaken, but they’ll both be fine given time,” Jake assured. “I want you to tell me exactly what happened.”
Aviva went through the whole incident with Jake stopping her to ask questions as the story unfolded.
When she came to an end, there was only one question on Jake’s mind. “Where was the guard when all this was going on?”
“He was still standing by the door.”
“Why was he standing by the door, Aviva?”
“The poor man got embarrassed because we were shopping for...” Aviva trailed off as she looked over at Jackson. Blinking rapidly, she continued as though she hadn’t paused. “Honestly Jake, it all happened so quickly. All our attention was on the commotion taking place in the store but only for a moment. The whole tableau was utterly surreal.
MacKenzie and I were both standing right there, and we didn’t see Diana remove the baby...” Aviva paused and shook her head as though to clear it, “It was like one of those halls filled with mirrors. One minute she was there and the next she was gone.”
“It’s okay, honey, it wasn’t either of your fault,” Jake gave Aviva a smile he hoped reassured her that his words were genuine. “Obviously Diana staged the whole incident. She no doubt wanted to give us a warning that she could inflict damage right under our noses.”
“She has gone too far and I will not stand for it any longer!” Jackson raged.
Jake and his brothers had been trying to get their father’s approval for the way they wanted to deal with Diana. His objection had been noted, but they had proceeded with their plan. They were prepared to admit it, even if their father wasn’t; Diana was completely out of control. That she had pulled this stunt right under their noses caused Jake to see red.
“Are you now prepared to go along with our suggestion?” Jake asked his father. When their gazes met, Jake’s eyes were unblinking. He respected his father, they all did, but he knew if it were necessary, he and his brothers would move forward without his participation.
“Very well. You have my approval. We will do this your way.”
“Do what?” Aviva wanted to know.
After a few moments of silence where Jason looked at his wife in silent contemplation, he detailed what they had planned. When he was finished, Aviva smiled, and Jake couldn’t help but notice that the bearing of her teeth was reminiscent of one of Jason’s expressions.
“Gentlemen, it sounds like we have a plan,” Aviva said.
“Yes, my dear we most certainly do. I’ll make that call now. All of you need to remain completely quiet,” Jackson warned.
Withdrawing his cell, he placed the call that would set everything in motion. “Hello, Diana.”
“Well, it took you long enough to get back to me. I hope Noelle is none the worse for wear,” Diana laughed mirthlessly.