Life has a funny way of throwing things at you when you least expect it. I had never expected to come face to face with Kyle again after fleeing Australia. I made the decision to leave on a whim with the expectation that I wouldn’t have to see the man who had caused me so much pain again. I will never forget the look on his face before I blacked out. There was something there that I had never seen before, pure rage. In the time that I had been in a relationship with Kyle I had known him to be a calm soul, someone who wouldn’t hurt a single person without good reason. I don’t know what it was that he had against Agent Lucas but it was obvious he harbored a grudge of some sort. When I came to I was laying in bed, the dark sky outside told me it was still late. With heavy arms I lifted my hands towards my face and rubbed my aching eyes before stretching out on the bed. I felt like I had just survived the worst kind of nightmare, the ghost that haunted my past had appeared before my eyes and there was no denying it. I cracked my neck and opened my eyes wide before shooting upwards towards the head board, cowering and folding my legs up underneath me. Agent Lucas sat in the corner of the room on a chair that had obviously come from the lounge room. He sat upright with his head rested on the wall beside him, sleeping peacefully. I studied his features as the shock of his presence subsided. There was something abnormally natural about him being there, something that seemed to soothe me. I scanned the room for my phone but I couldn’t see it. I didn’t know why he was sitting there or if Kyle was still in the room just beyond the closed double doors but I wasn’t brave enough to venture out there and find out first hand. I slid of the bed quietly and made my way towards the bathroom, checking to make sure that he was still asleep before I closed the door as silently as possible. Once inside the confinements of the bathroom I turned towards the sink and saw my phone sitting on the bench. I picked it up, slid my finger across the screen to unlock it and saw there, the missed calls from an unknown number. I knew in my heart that it was Kyle, I had no idea what it was that he wanted but a part of me was curious as to why he had just turned up and how he had found me. It was obvious that I was no longer safe. I contemplated calling Nick and finding out but decided against it. I couldn’t handle the idea that he would tell me what I didn’t want to hear, that Kyle wanted me back...why else would he have come to Paris?
I changed into the black flowing maxi-dress I had left in the bathroom earlier during the day and piled my dark curls into a pony tale before applying a thin layer of liquid foundation to even out my now pale complexion. I cracked my neck and rolled my head around my shoulders with my eyes closed, trying to shake the feeling that something big was going to happen because I knew I would end up blind sighted. After a few minutes I snuck back through the door and as I turned to close it I felt a presence behind me, I almost jumped out of my skin as I felt the body so close to me and a thumb running along the edge of my shoulder ever so lightly. I froze and closed my eyes as the identity of the person behind me flooded into my mind in the form of a memory...
* * * *
It was a drunken night out with the girls at Copyright just after I had started dating Kyle. I had never really been able to meet all of the staff at the club despite the frequency that we all attended but the ones I saw all the time, I knew their names. My security detail at the club was always Nick and one other security guard that changed frequently. I’m not sure why but for some reason they would only ever be with us once and I never saw them again, it was for this reason alone that I decided against getting to know any of them past their names. I knew that Nick was one of Kyle’s most trusted employee’s so when Nick promoted one of the extremely attractive general club security to be on the permanent detail, I knew that he would have to be good at his job. I still made sure that I kept my distance as I didn’t want to get involved in Kyle’s business. On this particular night out, the girls and I decided it would be an excellent idea to jump up on some of the tables and begin dancing. I was too drunk to think of the consequences and Nick didn’t stop me, he just stood close enough to ensure that if I fell, he would be there to catch me. Before any of us had the chance to even blink, one of the girls fell. I yelled at Nick to go and help her but he refused to leave my side. I was furious, one of my friends was hurt, I wasn’t and yet he wouldn’t leave my side.
“Nick, Please go and help her I won’t get over there quick enough, HE can stay with me and I promise I will get down” I pleaded with him while pointing at the new recruit. He hesitated one second too long for my liking so I started on him again.
“NICK!” I yelled above the beat of the club, watching as the other girls had just realized she had fallen and began making their way across the floor.
“STAY HERE!, WATCH HER” He yelled back and gave a direct order to the new recruit before zipping through the wall of bodies towards my injured friend.
“Can you please help me down?” I called out to the man who was obviously taking his orders rather seriously and was by my side in a nanosecond. He placed his hands firmly around my waist and lifted me down in one swift motion. The alcohol took its toll on my head as I began to feel extremely sick.
“I need to go to the bathroom” I said before covering my mouth, waiting for the bile to exit my mouth.
“Miss. Reid, are you okay?” He said in a velvety smooth tone of voice. The nausea coursed through me in a rush as I shook my head and he whisked me off to the closest bathrooms, staying by my side every second and ushering everyone out of the bathrooms immediately. I rushed towards the sink and waited for the moments the contents of my stomach were expelled, but as the cool air-conditioning hit my sweat ridden skin I began to feel better. I looked at myself in the mirror and knew that I was going to regret the amount of alcohol that I had consumed the next morning.
“Miss. Reid, do you need anything?” I heard him say and realized that he was still standing in the ladies bathroom with his back to me.
“Is she okay?” I said referring to the incident unfolding in the club.
“Nick will take care of her, Can I get you anything?” he repeated himself. I tried to focus on my surroundings but something didn’t feel right. I knew I had drank quite a bit but not enough to cause my vision to be as blurred as it was and my skin to feel like it was on fire. I suddenly felt extremely tired and the tiles of the bathroom floor seemed oddly inviting, knowing how cold they would be. The unknown germs didn’t even bother me at that very point. I leant against the wall and pulled paper towel from the dispenser to wipe away the ever growing sweat my forehead and the back of my neck was creating. The cold tiles on my skin teased me enough that I slid down them and put my head between my knees, wishing the sickness away.
“Miss, Reid?” I head the growing anxiety in his voice but the darkness and peace that sleep promised me was becoming more enticing as each second passed. I didn’t even have the energy to respond. My lack of response invited him into the bathroom to check on me and moments after I caught a glimpse of his face in front of me, I felt weightless as he lifted me into his arms and almost ran me out of the club towards a waiting car by the staff entrance. Once we were both inside he placed a call, after one ring I heard Kyle’s voice echoing around the SUV through the bluetooth connected to the sun visor.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Richardson, I have Miss. Reid in the SUV. She is extremely ill, I am taking her to the hospital. As per your orders I am informing you of her whereabouts” Something about the shake in his voice told me that he was extremely nervous.
“What the fuck do you mean you’re taking her to the hospital Lucas?, Didn’t common sense prevail when you thought about this? Where the fuck is Nick?” his voice bellowed through the speaker and the menace it carried sent shivers down my spine. I knew he was over-protective but this seemed unnecessary, even I knew that I needed help.
“Sir, I think she is having a very bad reaction to something, Miss. Reid needs medical help” he responded much calmer than I expected.
“That may be the case Lucas but Antonia will be recognized the moment you arrive and I don’t want the press getting a hold of this, she doesn’t need this splashed across every media outlet within the hour. Where the fuck is Nick?” He said, I could hear his patience was thinning. Lucas choked and couldn’t get anything out.
“Kyle, Sophie was injured at the club, I told him to go and look after her. It was after that I felt sick and there was no time to get him” I said croakily in the new recruits defense, it took everything I had in me to get the words out but I couldn’t stay silent. Kyle shouldn’t have been angry with him.
“Baby?, You sound so different...I almost didn’t recognize your voice” I could hear the terror shredding him as his tone became calmer.
“Lucas, get her to the house. I am calling a doctor in right now. Do not take her to the hospital. I will be there in 25 minutes. Do you understand?”
“Yes Sir.”
“And Lucas...”
“Yes Sir...”
“Don’t let anything else happen to her, I will deal with you and Nick tonight and if anything happens to her, you will regret the day you were born” A single click told me that he had hung up. I heard the threat in his voice before his words actually registered. I felt so sorry for the man sitting next to me, I wanted to say something but I could barely handle breathing. I stared at him as I lay in the most uncomfortable position with a seatbelt strapping me to the seat. His eyes were focused on the road ahead as his speed increased.
“I’m sorry Lucas...” I said almost inaudibly as I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
Five minutes after I closed my eyes we had arrived at the house. I felt like stone as I was lifted from the car and carried inside. I wrapped my arms around his neck and felt the pressure of his arms against my body tightening as I felt myself slipping. I immediately felt calm at Kyle’s house, there was something so peaceful about being there with him. The smell of his cologne was bringing back the nauseous feeling I had before, It was overpowering, very unlike Kyle. It felt like he had been walking for a mile until I was placed on the bed gently. The Egyptian Cotton sheets were silky smooth against my damp skin but instantly became irritating when they began to peel from my skin whenever I moved. The fire in my stomach erupted into a blazing roar with every breath I took. I heard his footsteps begin to fade and panic ran through me at the thought of being left alone in this state.
“Stay!” I said as the reality of my dry throat hit me and I struggled to breathe.
“I’m just going to get you some water, you have to keep up your fluids” his voice sounded different. The room began spinning and my head felt like it was about to explode. The smallest of things were irritating me and I couldn’t stop it.
“Please...” I begged as tears threatened to explode from behind my closed eyelids. I heard his foot steps return to the side of the bed and stop as he sat on the edge. I curled into a ball trying to contain the feelings that were ruining my normally calm mood but I was too irritated. I tried to focus on anything positive but I knew it wasn’t going to work so I broke down in tears.
“It will all be over soon, the doctor will be here any minute now” He said rubbing his thumb across my shoulder ever so gently, even his touch was different. I opened my eyes and felt the white blinding pain of an immediate headache take place, I screamed in pain, wishing it would all end or I would wake up and it would all be a nightmare. The symptoms I was feeling only seemed to intensify as the seconds passed, my heart felt like it was about to explode and I didn’t feel like I could move on my own.
“Lay with me, I don’t think it will be long” I said, feeling as though I was slipping into a deep sleep.
“No. You can’t go to sleep right now, come on you have to stay awake...Please” he said leaning over the top of me and rubbing my face gently.
“I’m so tired, I just want it all to end” I said groggily.
“It will be soon, I promise. Come on you just have to wait a little longer and the doctor will make it all better, I promise” The fear rising in his voice made my heart beat a little faster, he must really love me if he would take care of me when I was sure I looked a mess.
“I love you, please give me a kiss” I whispered as I felt my muscles relax. I was sure that it was close to being all over, just not in the way that he wanted.
“Stay awake, come on. You can’t go to sleep just yet” He was becoming frantic.
“Kiss me and I promise I will stay awake” I said, knowing it wouldn’t be possible but wanting to make sure I was able to kiss the man I loved goodbye. I felt his lips on the side of my cheek, but something seemed off. It didn’t feel like Kyle’s cheek kisses, this was too gentle. I was so confused, my head began spinning again and the world seemed to warp around me.
“What the fuck are you doing? GET AWAY FROM HER LUCAS!” I heard Kyle’s voice from across the room. My stomach dropped in an instant. What was going on?
“I’m...I’m just...”
“You’re just going to get the fuck in that corner before you find my fist in your face you stupid f...” The words began to turn to white noise around me. I couldn’t make them out clearly as I drifted in and out of consciousness.
“Antonia, I’m here with the doctor baby. You’re going to be okay... Doc, help her”
“Antonia, I’m Doctor Ellis, I’m going to help you, can you tell me what you’re feeling?...” I couldn’t say anything, I couldn’t move.
“Will someone tell me what happened to this girl?” The doctor said as he began working away with me, checking my pulse, temperature and blood pressure.
“I’m not entirely sure, she was dancing and hopped down then told me she needed to go to the bathroom. She seemed a little strange but I honestly couldn’t tell you, it was only when she was in the bathroom that I knew something was wrong” Lucas responded quietly.
“You were in the bathroom with her!” Kyle sounded so shocked and angered.
“Yes Sir, She had been in there for a while after I cleared it out and I walked in to check on her. I found her slumped against the tiles”
“What the fuck did you do to her, You were supposed to be taking care of her you prick. If anything happens to her I’ll K...”
“KYLE!, Now is not the time. Antonia is extremely sick. You need to be here with her and help her through this. I think she has been drugged with Ketamine and if I am right what I do next is going to be extremely painful for her. I need you to hold her down”
“I will deal with you when this is all over. Count on it!” He said to Lucas before rushing to my side. I was panicking inside. Whatever was coming I knew I wasn’t going to like it.
“Antonia, I am going to open your eyes in a second and I need you to stay very still. Can you do that for me?” I could barely respond but hoped that the slight nod of my head was enough.
“I love you baby” Kyle spoke so softly. I was appreciative for it but I was also extremely angry at him. I couldn’t speak, my tongue felt as though it was filled with cement but when I came out of it he was going to get an earful from me for the way he treated Lucas. I was the confused one, he was trying to save my life. I felt Kyle’s hands on either of my arms as the doctor placed his cold finger tips on my eyelids. The moment he pried them open and shone a light in them to see how my pupils reacted I erupted in a blood curdling scream. The pain was unbearable, I don’t know if someone had just cut me with a knife but I knew in that second I was dying.
“Antonia!..”Kyle screamed before I slipped out of consciousness as my body went into shock.
“She’s back...KYLE...SHE’S BACK!” I heard someone scream as multiple crunches filled my ear drums, then stopped abruptly causing dead silence.
“What?, but you said she was dead!” I heard Kyle’s voice but it wasn’t as close as it was before, he was no longer next to me. Was I dreaming? surely he didn’t just say dead.
“Get him out of here Nick” Kyle said quietly before I heard the sound of something being dragged along the ground as he sat on the bed next to me. I had no idea what was happening but I was so tired.
“We need to get her to the hospital Kyle. She needs to be on fluids and we need to run tests to make sure we know when we are dealing with. She might have brain damage, she was gone for a while” I still couldn’t move, something was seriously wrong.
“Nick’s already called an ambulance. Greg, she is going to be okay isn’t she?” He was terrified.
“I honestly don’t know Kyle, we just need to get her to the hospital”
“I’m here baby, I’m not going anywhere. I promise, please don’t leave me again” I wanted so desperately to sate his worries but I couldn’t do anything. I felt too tired to think but I knew that somehow I had to stay awake or I may not be so lucky if this truly wasn’t a dream.
I awoke the next morning from the deepest sleep to the sound of an irritating beeping, When I finally opened my eyes the light from the morning sun was almost blinding. I took in my surroundings and found myself startled to see the amount of machines surrounding me. I went into an instant panic overdrive, something wasn’t right...where was I? Out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving and my heart rate shot through the roof. I couldn’t see properly, everything was hazy and the smell of sterilization was extremely pungent, hanging in the air like the smell of a rotting corpse. My reaction time was severely delayed, something definitely wasn’t right, why was I in a hospital room?
“Kyle?” I said barely recognizing my own voice. It was almost like I had spent the night at a rock concert screaming my lungs out. My chest hurt, I couldn’t suck in enough air without causing my throat to close up and my lungs felt like they were on fire.
“Shh, Antonia you’re in hospital. Don’t speak, just lay here I’m going to get a doctor” He rested his hand on the side of my damp cheek. I hadn’t even realized that I had been sweating profusely until that moment.
“Don’t leave” I gasped.
“Someone get in here, she’s awake. Greg!” He bellowed but the sound of his raised voice was more than I could handle, I screamed in pain as the vibrations rumbled through my ears.
“Antonia, it’s okay you’re in hospital. What was the last thing that you remember?” I heard someone say my name from the opposite side of the room heading in my direction.
“Kyle?” I was desperate for find out what happened to me, I was disoriented and scared that something terrible had happened and at that present point in time I felt so lonely in a room full of people who knew.
“It’s okay darling, I’m here.” The words were soothing but the pain in his voice scared me more than I cared to admit.
“I...I don’t know” I responded terrified that I couldn’t fill in any of the holes in my memory.
“Try to remember Antonia” said the man who now up close was obviously a doctor.
“I remember speaking with Kyle, we were talking about...” I was wracking my brain to remember the conversation we were having. I was beginning to get extremely irritated with myself.
“It’s okay Antonia, take your time” Something about the way I was being treated was suspicious. I really didn’t know what had happened to me and that alone was scary enough. Why couldn’t I remember? and why was I so weak both mentally and physically?
“We were making plans for dinner but I really don’t know after that. Why can’t I remember?, What happened to me?” I spoke wearily.
“Antonia, our tests done overnight have revealed that you were drugged with a drug called Ketamine, better known as Special K. It is a horse tranquilizer” I instantly flew into a panicked state, How did this happen? I knew I was always careful with my drinks.
“I don’t understand, How is that possible?”
“We think someone may have drugged your drink. We are looking into it. Is that all you remember baby?” Kyle asked wearily.
“Do you honestly believe that I wouldn’t tell you if I knew!” I didn’t mean to come across angrily but my temper was in overdrive.
“It’s okay baby, I know. Get some rest, Nick will be here if you need anything I am just going to get some things from your house. You will come and stay with me until you get better” I was too exhausted to fight him. I just wanted to sleep.
“Okay”
Once I was left on my own I found that my memory wasn’t improving at all. I was too exhausted to try so I decided to let it go and try another day. Over the next few days nothing seemed to make sense. I was exhausted and slept for majority of the time I was at Kyle’s. He didn’t leave my side once, he waited on me hand and foot. Just having him around was exactly what I needed. As time passed I never regained my memory of what had happened. The Ketamine that I had definitely been drugged with didn’t cause any long term problems but it turned me off drinking for a long time.
* * * *
I opened my eyes again and sighed as I realized who it was that was behind me.
“You saved me that night Lucas, I would definitely be dead right now if it wasn’t for you. I’m so sorry for whatever Kyle did to you” I had never felt an apology as much as I did at that very moment. For years I had no idea that he had even been involved in that horrible night and now it felt too late to apologize.
“Antonia, It was not your fault. I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for the fact that I was forced to leave Kyle’s employment. Now I am here trying to make him pay for putting you in danger once again. I never thought I would see you again but I did check in with Nick after I left to make sure that you were okay. When did you remember?” He asked silently. I was still facing the door and he hadn’t moved from behind me. I was frozen to the spot, I had just had an extremely intense flash back and was too afraid to turn around and look at him.
“When I saw you, I thought you looked familiar but I couldn’t place where, the moment you touched my shoulder, I knew exactly what happened” I breathed. He placed his hands on my shoulders and spun me around to face him. Looking into his dark eyes I saw vulnerability.
“Antonia, I really am here to help. I need to know, do you trust that now that you know everything?” I hesitated hearing his voice. I had trusted Kyle with my life and he failed more than once. Could I really trust this man?
“I want to, I really do. Unfortunately I’ve been let down and I can’t trust anything” It was as honest as he was going to get.
“I want to put him away, although he wasn’t the person that pulled the trigger...he was the reason it was pulled in the first place” I felt weak in his presence. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he was right. This did come down to Kyle either way.
“What do I have to do?” I responded carefully.
“Walk me through everything you remember about being with Kyle, step by step” I thought about it for a few seconds, I felt the pressure to say yes in the air but after everything I had just remembered I also knew that there was a beautiful person in Kyle, he may have had a dark side but in almost all of the moments that I needed him he was there for me...when it counted the most.
“I’m sorry Lucas. I can’t do that to him, He’s not as bad as you think he is” He ran his hand through his hair and backed away from me towards the bedroom door before placing his fingertips on the handle and turning to face me once more.
“You don’t even know the half of it. My card is on the nightstand, if you change your mind I will come to you anywhere, anytime. Please don’t think you owe him anything, remember you wouldn’t be this fragile if it wasn’t for him” With that he left the room, with me standing there too stunned to move. So much had happened in such a short period of time and just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I knew it would only be a matter of time until they did.
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