No Way Out by Fern Michaels (great books for teens .TXT) 📗

of Georgia O’Keeffe, but the similarity was there. “I really like the photographs,” Hector remarked.

“Thank you. Photography used to be a hobby of mine,” Ellie replied.

“Wow.” Hector was doubly impressed.

“We seem to have a few things in common, Hector. Please, sit down.” She motioned to one of the high-backed, natural rattan chairs. “You and I are gamers, and we also like gardens, trees, plants, and flowers.”

“That’s true. I hadn’t thought about it. When you asked me to put in a garden, I figured it was because you wanted a nice yard.”

“I did, and thanks to you, I have one. You did a beautiful job. I enjoy looking at it.”

Hector was a little nervous. Even though he had been Ellie’s personal assistant for two years, he had never had a face-to-face encounter with her. Before she moved here, all communication was over the Internet. When he was helping her find a place to live and get it ready, they would occasionally speak on the phone. They had Skyped a few times, but their interactions were never in person. This was totally new. Hector was fidgeting. “Is there a problem?”

“No. Why do you ask?” Ellie was surprised at his question.

“You’ve never invited me inside before.” Hector’s tone was even.

“I know, and I apologize. It’s long overdue.” Ellie smiled at him.

“Is everything all right?” Hector was still unsure why, after all this time, he would be invited in for coffee.

“Yes, Hector, everything is fine.” She was telling a small lie. Some things were fine. Others not so much, but she didn’t need to get into any of that. She couldn’t. “I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching.”

“Do you not want me to come by anymore?” Hector wanted her to get to the point. Was she going to fire him?

“Oh, Hector. That’s not it at all. I appreciate everything you do for me.” Ellie got up and walked over to the coffee maker. “Coffee?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Regular or decaf?”

“Regular, please.” He hesitated. “Strong, if you have it.”

“Coming right up.” She fished in the coffee canister and pulled out several pods. “Hector, you may have noticed that it’s been two years since I moved in, and in all that time, I have never left the house.”

“Well, yes, but I didn’t think it was any of my business. You’d give me instructions, and I was happy to do whatever you needed. And I especially appreciate the money. It’s going to be a big help when I leave for school.” Maybe that was the problem. It dawned on Ellie that he would be leaving for college in the fall. What would she do without him?

“I know. And everyone is quite proud of you, I’m sure.” Ellie popped a pod into the Nespresso machine.

Silence filled the room. It occurred to Ellie that she was on a schedule to either resolve her dark, haunting issue or find a replacement for Hector. She didn’t know which was more challenging.

She brought the two cups to the table, set them down, and fetched several slices of blueberry pound cake from the counter.

“Hector, the reason I invited you is because you have been my closest confidant since I moved here. Actually, before I moved here.”

“You have done lots for me. I could never have sold that game without you. That will help with my tuition, and the money you pay me will pay for housing. I owe you big-time.”

Ellie laughed softly. “I guess we’re even then.”

Hector finally started to relax. “This is good. Did you bake it?” Hector knew that blueberry pound cake hadn’t been on any of her grocery lists.

“Yes, I did. Thank you,” Ellie replied. “Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and have to do something to busy myself.” She thought about the nightmare the other night. Recently, she had been waking up, but it wasn’t necessarily owing to nightmares.

“I don’t think I’d have the ambition to bake at three in the morning.” Hector took another bite. “But I’m glad you did!”

Ellie chuckled. “Hector, I want you to know something.”

He stopped suddenly and looked up at her, expecting to hear something dreadful. “What is it?”

“Before I moved here, there was an incident that put me in the hospital. When I woke up, I couldn’t remember what had happened, but there was something in my subconscious that was making me afraid.”

“Afraid of what?” Hector realized his question was foolish. He smacked himself on the forehead. “Subconscious. Duh. Never mind.”

Ellie laughed. “My therapist said we bury things we don’t want to remember. The problem is that by burying it, I’m not able to face it and deal with it. That’s why I don’t leave the house. I’m fearful, but I don’t know the root of that fear.”

Ellie felt a huge burden being lifted by telling someone face-to-face how she was feeling. She then continued her story.

“After I got out of the hospital, I wanted to get as far away from where I was as I could. That’s when I got in touch with you.”

Hector was nodding.

“My family thinks I’m working for a government contractor and moving from country to country.” Ellie paused.

“You mean they don’t know where you are?” Hector was stunned.

“No.”

“How come?”

“Because I don’t remember anything, and I didn’t know whom to trust.”

“Not even your mother?” Hector was aghast at the thought of someone not trusting their own mother.

“It’s not like that. Since I don’t know what happened, I needed to find what some people would call a safe house. I had to put enough space between me and everyone I knew, just in case. I entered into a sort of witness protection program, so no one could know where I was.” Ellie paused.

“In case of what?” Hector was trying to figure out where this was going.

“In case what happened to me might put someone else in danger.”

“How would that be?”

“That’s the point. If I can’t remember, then I can’t keep my family safe by warning them.”

Hector was still confused. “Let me see if I understand. Something happened to