CHAPTER NINE
“NATHAN! JANET!” I run into the burning house screaming.
“Were back here!” Their scream come in unison.
Over my shoulder, I see Autumn still on the grass. Pulling my gaze from her to the kitchen, my eyes land on Nathan, Janet, Lena, and Jonah. They are standing among the burning wood before me. My insides twist as I watch their bodies melt. The teddy bear I gave Lena two years prior catches fire.
“Why didn’t you save us?” Jonah asks.
“It’s all your fault son.” Nathan adds.
I want to run to them. To scream for them to follow me. But the words don’t form and I can’t open my mouth. I try to lift my feet, but they are melted to the floor. All I can do is stand, feeling like my gut is being ripped out, and watch their melting bodies eventually turn to ash.
The house explodes throwing me unharmed out onto the grass. I cough and heave up dark bile. I roll on to my stomach. Red and blue lights clash against the orange and yellow tinged grass. Glancing up I catch a man pulling something from Autumn’s arm then lifting her into the back.
“Wait!” I cry out, coughing out heavy amounts of ash. I stumble a couple steps as I try to get my feet underneath my uncooperative body. “Wait!”
A man with dirty blond hair and light brown eyes glares at me, then begins to laugh. “No way dude, you didn’t save her.”
I grab the back handle as he starts to shut the door.
The other man grabs the man before me’s shoulder. “Luke it’s fine. Let him see.”
Luke groans and rolls his eyes, but steps aside and allows me in. I immediately take the seat next to Autumn, taking her hand in mine. But her hand is cold, and she doesn’t move. My gaze slides up to her ashen face and dead eyes. I feel my heart stop and my breath cease as the realization I didn’t save her dawns.
“You promised to protect me. You failed. It’s your fault I’m missing. You. Left. Me.” “This is all. Your. Fault.” Her voice echoes. The hatred in her voice palpable. I feel the air rush out of my lungs. Out of the truck. I can’t breathe.
Everything suddenly fades away leaving me floating alone in darkness. “You failed me.” Her voice repeats. “You will never find me. You. Left. Me.”
I snap awake. My back instantly straightens up on my gray suede sofa. I’m home. How did I get here? Swinging my legs to the floor, I lean over dropping my head in my hands. My head throbs as I try to put together the afternoon.
“Good, you’re awake.” Mark says coming into the room, a glass of what looks like orange juice in his hand. He hands it to me then takes a seat.
“What happened? I don’t remember how I got home.”
“I’m not surprised.” My brow knits together, and I set the glass on a marble coaster. “You passed out while on damage control.”
I force myself to think about the afternoon, but there is just a blank space. “I don’t remember leaving my office Mark.” His forehead wrinkles in confusion, his head shaking shortly. “The last thing I remember is my meeting with Jason.”
“What meeting?”
“Mark, my nine a.m. with Jason.”
“Sir, there was no meeting scheduled for this morning. Only the one with Marcus you had Vee cancel.”
“Ask Vee then. I didn’t imagine him coming in.”
“Oh I have no doubt, sir.” He stands retrieving his phone from his pants pocket.
“Vee, it’s Mark. Please get me the security footage for today. Was there a meeting scheduled for nine this morning?” He stay’s silent a moment, the lines of his face turning down as he listens to Vee. “I don’t know how he got on the books, but we aren’t dealing with anyone by that name right now.” I barely hear her shriek and apologize repeatedly. “It’s fine. You didn’t know. Just get me the footage as soon as possible.”
Mark sets his phone on the coffee table then squares himself off facing me. “Did you offer Jason a drink this morning?”
“Of course. I always do.”
“Did you pour it yourself? Or turn your gaze away at any point?”
“Mark what are you getting at?” My pulse races, my heart pumping erratically. Is he seriously telling my that someone drugged me this morning?
“Have you ever seen Jason before? You were fairly close with our contractors, especially ones that are on staff for other countries.”
Jason’s long ashen face and bright smile flashes in my mind. “No, if anything he looked, well like an addict. He seemed to know what he was talking about though.”
“To get that close to you, I’m sure he studied.” Mark hands me the glass he was carrying in earlier. “You need to drink this.” Taking the glass, I gulp down the orange beverage. Mark stands taking the glass and disappears behind me. A moment later, I hear thick liquid hit the glass as it sloshes around. He returns and hands the glass back to me.
“You were poisoned. The doctors said probably sometime this morning.” He stops, his brow furrowing as if trying to remember what someone told him. “Of some sort. You didn’t make it thirty minutes into the meeting with the media before your speech slurred, then hit the ground. It was so fast. I raced you to the hospital where they did some sort of flush on your system, and pumped your stomach. Something like that.”
My head feels foggy. “How am I home? The hospital would never—”
“Your living-will, sir.” Mark interrupts.
“You called Wolf, didn’t you?”
“Yes. He confirms that this seems to be a personal attack. However, he is still investigating her involvement.”
The familiar surge of anger flows through my veins. “He isn’t considering her an accomplice, is he?”
“Absolutely not. I meant why they took her. Was it purely to get to you, or were they attacking her as well? But he still needs the information on her family, friends, and so forth.”
My head hurts. This is too much to process. It’s been one hit after another. What for? “Could they be hitting me like this to discourage me from looking for her?”
Mark’s body goes rigid. His eyes filling with sudden clarity. “That’s a good question. It makes sense. I’ll bring it up to Wolf when he calls later. In the mean time, you should start gathering information on her family. Every little detail helps.”
With a reluctant nod I stand, down the rest of the juice, and head to my room. My eyes linger on the bed, I haven’t brought myself to sleep in yet. Will I be able to sleep in it again before I find her? The thought alone makes my stomach turn. Draping my jacket on the back the chair near the restroom I kick off my shoes and walk into the closet.
What could I have done to someone to have these attacks brought on? I have always tried to be fair in every business deal. I can only think of a few people I had issues with. An old college mate, an ex-girlfriend and her brother, and business deal gone awry.
I shake my head free of the poisonous people and try to think of her. Even though it makes my heart ache, it’s still better than pretending not to. Deciding I need a clear head, I strip down and take a hot shower, desperately wanting to wash off the days events.