A jolt of sound woke me up, a mix of shouts and loud thuds that made my heart pound. I opened my eyes, still heavy with sleep, and tried to understand what was happening. The dream I'd been having was fading, but a feeling of unease stayed with me. I sat up in bed, the old mattress creaking under me, and that was when the door slammed open.
It was Mom and Dad. Dad was clutching his side, blood blooming crimson against his shirt. Mom's face was a mask of terror as she rushed to my side.
"Daddy? Mummy? What's wrong?" I asked, my throat tight with fear.
"Oh, baby, don't worry," Dad said, his voice strained, his smile a shaky promise he couldn't keep. He pressed a kiss to my cheek, his hand trembling as he reached for the silver chain around his neck. A key pendant, intricately carved, glinted in the dim light. He fastened it around my neck.
"Keep this safe, Lexi," he rasped, his eyes locking with mine. "You might be the one to continue this mission." His words were a weight settling on my chest, a burden I didn't understand but knew I couldn't refuse. He tucked the pendant into my blouse, then lifted me into his arms. The world tilted, and the familiar scent of his aftershave mingled with the metallic tang of blood.
The hallway was dark. The voices outside grew louder, harsher, barking orders that sent a chill down my spine. My parents quickened their pace, their breaths coming in ragged gasps.
"My baby, you have to stay here…" Dad's voice was thick with emotion as he lowered me to the floor near the living room wall. He pressed on a seemingly random spot on the wall
"Whatever happens, don't make a sound, promise me" Mom's eyes were brimming with unshed tears, her hand brushing against my cheek. Her touch was both a comfort and a farewell. "Mummy will always watch over you" she said, then pressed the button. A section of the wall slid shut, concealing me in a narrow space.
But it didn't fully close. I could see a little bit of the room through a crack.
I watched, paralyzed with terror, as my parents were forced to their knees. Guns, black and menacing, were pressed against their heads.
"Tell me where the key is, and I might grant you a painless death," a voice snarled, cold and devoid of mercy.
"We don't have it," Dad said, his voice surprisingly steady. A voice I recognized, the man walked into view, and that was how I saw his face.
"Hmm," the man said, stepping closer to my kneeling parents. The moonlight caught the jagged scar that bisected his face, twisting his features into a grotesque mask, the remnants of his eyes looked like it had been injured. The scar tissue that pulls at the corners of his eye looks really painful and he looked menacing. I cowered in the shadows and held my breath.
With a swift, brutal motion, he raised his gun. Two shots echoed in the room, deafening in their finality. My parents slumped forward, their bodies falling lifelessly to the floor right before my eyes. A sob caught in my throat, a silent scream trapped within my chest. Tears streamed down my face, hot and unstoppable.
"Search the house. Find the daughter. And burn the place," the man barked, his voice sending a fresh wave of fear through me.
"Lexi."
The sound was distant, muffled, but undeniably familiar.
"Lexi, wake up."
"Lexi, wake up!"
The voice grew louder, insistent, pulling me back from the edge of oblivion. My eyes snapped open, and above me, shirtless and impossibly real, was Cole. Cole? What was Cole doing here?
"Cole?" I whispered, my voice trembling, unsure if I was trapped in another layer of the nightmare.
"Hey… are you okay?" He searched my face, his eyes filled with genuine concern, his hands gently helping me sit up. I managed a shaky nod, my body still trembling.
His hand bruushed against my cheek, tentative, questioning. "I don't think so. You were crying in your sleep." He swiped his thumb across my skin, wiping away the lingering dampness.
Oh. He was just wiping away tears. I thought for a second that he was… nevermind.
"I was?" I asked, my voice barely audible. I reached up and touched my face. My skin was slick with tears, and the pillow beneath me was damp and cold. I averted my gaze, mortified by his intense stare. What was he thinking?
I quickly wiped my face, a wave of embarrassment washing over me.
"Where am I, anyway?" I asked, skillfully changing the subject. My head was pounding, and the less I thought about that dream, the better.
"You don't remember what happened last night?" he asked, his tone clipped.
"Last night?" I echoed, a knot forming in my stomach. I tried to recall something, anything, but my mind was a blank slate. "What happened last night? I can't seem to remember anything."
He just tucked his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants and stared at me, his expression unreadable.
Then, his face shifted, and I saw a flash of something that looked like annoyance, maybe even anger. "You were drugged and almost kidnapped last night at the club." His words hit me like a punch to the gut.
"You're lying," I said, my voice barely a whisper. It had to be a lie. None of this made sense. I couldn't remember anything, and the idea that I'd been drugged and nearly kidnapped was too terrifying to contemplate.
"If you were at least careful enough, you would have noticed that punk in blue spiking your drink," he said, his expression cold. "Then you wouldn't have passed out and forgotten everything."
"That's harsh," I fired back, my anger flaring. How could he blame me for something like this? "How was I supposed to know they were bad people?"
"Harsh?" He scoffed, his voice incredulous. "If I hadn't been there, if I hadn't had my eyes on your every move, those sex traffickers would have taken you off to God knows where." He spat out the words with such venom that I flinched. Then, he turned and stalked out of the room, leaving me reeling.
Sex traffickers? The words echoed in my head, each syllable a hammer blow. My confusion was quickly morphing into fear. I wanted to demand answers, to make him explain everything, but he was already gone.
"Why are you angry at me? I'm the victim here," I mumbled, my voice barely audible. I sank back against the pillows, staring blankly at the ceiling.
My mind drifted back to that nightmare, the one with my parents, the guns, the scar-faced man. I reached up and touched the necklaces around my neck, my fingers tracing the outline of the small key pendant hidden beneath my shirt.
Dad… Mum… The thought was a silent prayer, a desperate plea for comfort.
A soft knock on the door broke through my thoughts.
"Come in," I said, my voice flat. The door opened, and an elderly woman with a warm smile walked in, carrying a pile of clothes.
That's when I looked down and realized I was wearing something different from the night before. A wave of unease washed over me. What had happened last night?
"Good morning, dear," she said, her voice warm and comforting.
"Good morning, Ma'am," I replied, pushing myself up straighter in bed.
"Oh, sit down, my dear," she chuckled, waving her hand dismissively as she placed the clothes she carried on the bed.
"How are you feeling? Have you gotten better?" She asked, her eyes filled with genuine concern.
"Yes, Ma'am, I am," I said, smiling back. There was something so kind and genuine about her that my body involuntarily relaxed in her presence.
"Ah, good... that's very good. You see, Cole was so restless when he brought you in last night, even when the doctor was tending to you. He was so anxious, watching over you until after midnight when you finished the drip the doctor gave you..." she said thoughtfully.
"A drip?" I muttered, glancing down at my hand. Sure enough, there was a red spot on the back of my palm, where the IV must have been.
How can I not remember any of this? I sighed inwardly, feeling a growing sense of unease.
"You must be very special to him..." she said knowingly, taking a seat beside me on the bed.
I couldn't help but chuckle at her words. "I promise you, I'm not. We're just friends," I refuted, trying to sound convincing.
"Oh, come off it, my dear," she playfully waved me off, clearly not buying it. "Cole, even though the world thinks he's one cold, heartless businessman, is one of the warmest and kindest men I know. But what happened yesterday… that showed me a side of him I haven't seen since he was a little boy." She said thoughtfully.
"Ah, look at the time!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together and rising from the bed. "I can't believe I rambled on and lost track of time." She winked at me, and I laughed, feeling a genuine warmth towards this funny, witty woman.
"Wash up, my dear, and get changed. Then come down and have some breakfast," she said, and with a slight bow, she left the room.
As she closed the door, my mind replayed our interactions since I met Cole and it wasn't something I had considered before. It's true we were always at odds, but beneath all that was he indeed protecting me at all times, it's just that I failed to realize it.
I'm very sure she's mistaken, I thought inwardly as I headed towards the bathroom. I was sure, yet I felt the need to keep it in mind...