The Replacement Daughter

Chapter 16 - The Accomplice

"Are you sure the baby needs this much clothes?" Ken asked, switching a couple of shopping bags from one hand to another to balance the load. 

"Yes, I'm sure. Babies grow very fast Ken, sometimes they only wear their clothes twice before they outgrew them," I explained to him while flipping through some baby clothes. "And Jamie has grown so much over the last few weeks. Her cheeks are like fluffy steamed buns!"

"Now you're making me hungry," Ken grumbled.

I rolled my eyes at him. "We'll eat after I'm done, okay? I just need to grab a few things first." 

"Haven't you grab enough?" Ken complained. "You practically bought everything in the store!"

I looked at him and narrowed my eyes. "You seem extra grumpy today. Is it that time of the month?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Very funny," he said. "I missed breakfast, okay? I'm hungry."

"Oh, if that's the case," I said and rummaged through my purse. I found a piece of candy and offered it to him, "You can have this!"

He looked at the candy and then at me, unamused. 

"It's better than nothing," I said, grinning widely. He rolled his eyes again and grabbed the candy. Then he quickly unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth. I glanced behind me and saw the lingerie section. I turned back to Ken and said, "Okay, I need to get one last thing, I promise. I need you to wait right here and I'll be right back."

Then I turned around on my heels and marched with purpose to the lingeries. I wanted to get something special for Jonathan. Even though I know he would love whatever I wear and would tear them off me in under a minute, I still liked dressing up for him. It made me feel sexy.

I had picked out a few bras and corsets and then I headed to the changing room. Just outside the changing room, my eyes caught a very nice looking corset and I changed direction. But then a pair of strong arms grabbed me from behind and pulled me into the changing room. I screamed but a hand quickly covered my mouth.

The perpetrator let me go in the changing room and I quickly turned to look. It was a man! He was wearing a sharp, grey suit. He was locking the door. Then he turned to me glaring angrily.

Before I could say anything, he spoke first, in a loud, angry whisper. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Wait, he knows me? "What are you talking about?" I asked him back. Who was he? Does he work here?

"Marissa, what if someone sees you?" he asked, taking a step towards me. 

I took a step back and bumped into the mirror. He just called me Marissa. 

A sudden realisation suddenly came over his expression. He stood back and his eyes travelled slowly from my head to my toes and back up again. He stepped closer and I pressed my back against the mirror. He scrutinised my face closely. I trained my eyes on the door behind him, feeling my heart pounding. I could smell his cologne. It was nerve-wrecking. 

"You're not Marissa," he finally said and took a few steps back. "But you look a lot like her." Then a sinister lopsided smirk spread across his face and he asked, "So who are you?"

I swallowed hard. How did he know? A lot of people were easily fooled but not him. Who is he?  

As if reading my mind, he said, "I'm Danny. And I know Marissa, better than anyone. So just tell me, who are you?"

I don't remember any Danny from the photos Shan showed me, which means she doesn't know about him too. But if he's telling the truth, then he really knew Marissa. I suddenly regretted asking Ken to stay away. I wish he was here to safe me.