Your Job Bites!

Chapter 19 Left behind

"I still think this is a bad idea." Elizabeth grumbled as she pulled into the parking garage.

"It'll be fine," Sandra reassured her glancing at Whitney who looked like she wanted to run screaming the other way.

"Nothing good can come from continuing to associate with these...people."

"Good or not," Whitney sighed. "I have to at least talk to them. I need to know what's happening."

"I don't see why Meyers couldn't find out for us." Elizabeth parked the car near the elevator beside a beat up Jeep that was covered in mud.

"She hasn't been able to get ahold of anyone." Sandra got out first and looked around. The garage was mostly empty. "I thought you said this place was always busy."

"It is." Whitney climbed out of the car carefully avoiding the mud on the Jeep. She looked around. "Was." All of the black cars with tinted windows that Madraeus' men used were gone.

"Something must've happened." She exchanged a look with Sandra as they moved toward the elevator. Elizabeth hobbled after them.

"You know what you're gonna say yet?" Sandra glanced at Whitney out of the corner of her eye.

"No."

"Cool."

The doors opened and they stepped out onto the plush carpeting of the lobby. Whitney stopped for a moment and looked around. It hadn't changed. Deep carpets, lush plants and silence. She didn't know why she thought it would be different. Maybe she just expected it to have change like she had.

She turned toward her apartment door. She unlocked it but stopped.

"Whitney? You alright?" Elizabeth asked placing her hand on her granddaughters arm.

"Yeah," Whitney tried to smile. "I just haven't been in here since..." She shuddered at the memory, "since Justin tore the place apart trying to kill me and then Cecelia called saying they had you." She couldn't bring herself to say that Cecelia had threatened to leave pieces of her grammy all over the city if she didn't help Justin escape.

"That's all over now. He's gone now and I'm here." Elizabeth wrapped her in a warm hug. "We don't have to do this now. It can wait."

"I know." Whitney nodded and took a breath blowing it out slowly. Then she opened the door and stepped inside. Nothing happened.

"That was anticlimactic." Sandra said following her in.

"Good." Elizabeth frowned at Sandra disapprovingly.

"This is nice." Sandra said poking her head into each room.

Whitney wandered around for a few minutes just looking. It wasn't as bad as she thought. It had changed so much that it didn't really seem like the same place. The redecorating job they had done to clean up from Justin's attack had wiped away the memories as well as the destruction.

"Guess we should head over to the office." Whitney meandered back toward the door. She stopped when she saw the sign that said 'Closed due to illness'.

"Better use the kitchen door." She did a one eighty and led them through the kitchen.

It was so quiet. She checked the front office where her desk was but it was empty. She glanced in Rami's office. It was empty too.

"Where is everyone?" Elizabeth asked taping her cane on the floor absently.

"I don't know." Whitney shook her head. "Maybe they're in the apartments."

She retreated down the hallway and opened the door that led to Madraeus' study. It was completely empty. The book shelves were empty even the chairs and desk were gone. Whitney quickly moved to the other door. She yanked it open and charged into Madraeus' apartment. The silence was deafening.

She dashed to his bedroom hoping that he would be there to yell at her for disturbing him, but it was empty. She looked around in despair. Her eyes lingered on the bed. In her mind she could see him sitting there glaring at her when she had told him her crazy plan for trapping Justin.

"Are they gone?" Sandra asked from behind her.

Whitney turned and stared at her for a moment then pushed past her and ran for the kitchen. Elizabeth watched her pass and closed her eyes shaking her head sadly then turned and hobbled back to Whitney's apartment.

She took the spiral stairs two at a time. Sandra followed her. Whitney ran from room to room looking for someone, anyone. But every room was empty. Finally she turned to the hall that contained the cells. She remembered searching for Justin so she could save her grandmother. She had desperately wanted to remain undiscovered but this time she was desperate to run across someone.

Every cell was empty and clean. It was as if there had never been anyone living here. Her world started to collapse. She had been so scared to see Madraeus but now she wanted nothing more than to see him. She didn't want to be left behind. Discarded like an old broken toy. Pain and betrayal hit her like a baseball bat to the belly. She doubled over and wrapped her arms around her stomach. She felt so abandoned.

Sandra kneeled beside her and tried to comfort her but she didn't know what to say.

At that moment the sound of the elevator echoed through the silence. Whitney's head shot up. She looked at Sandra and scrambled to her feet. She rushed out of the hallway and ran straight for the elevator. She stopped short of running into the doors and waited impatiently.

Finally the door opened and she came face to face with the occupant.

"Thomas?" Whitney exclaimed.

"Whit!" he cracked a smile then frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I was coming to work." She barely held back from crying.

"Oh..." Thomas squirmed, "umm, this is awkward. I guess we shoulda called."

"Where is everyone?" Whitney ignored his comment.

"Well...some are here. Some are there."

"Thomas..."

"Wow, you kinda sounded like the Boss." Thomas grinned stupidly. Whitney rolled her eyes.

"Just tell me what is going on."

"I don't know, Whit, Madraeus might not want you involved anymore." He hinted then saw her expression. "Don't look at me like that. I just think that he wants you safe that's all."

"I'm never gonna be safe until Cecelia's taken care of, you know that."

He looked down at his toes and shrugged. "I know that and you know that, and Madraeus definitely knows that. It's probably why he doesn't want you involved."

"Thomas." She snarled.

"Alright but you didn't hear it from me." He held up his hands. "That theory of yours and Hamy's was right along with something that Rami found in the filing. Rami had this big ol' map with all these pins in it. It was awesome, kinda like a spy movie." He grinned. "Anyway, they think they can track Cecelia and stop her from getting her hands on more recruits or at least clean up where she has been so the cops get off our trail. "

"So where is this map?"

"That's why I'm here, I gotta clean up the little bits left from Rami's office and then clear out."

"Show me this map." Whitney demanded. Thomas shrugged and started back toward Rami's office.