Chapter 17

Once we'd safely put enough distance between ourselves and the warehouse, Eden called the police and gave them as much information as possible. We still don't know the exact address, but he did his best to explain where the warehouse was when he saw the first street sign. He also told them one of our abductors was injured during our escape, but he kept it brief. We just have to hope Jeremy doesn't bleed out before the paramedics arrive.

I should feel relieved, glad that we made it out alive. But a sack of rocks sits heavy in the pit of my stomach. For all I know, Jeremy is lying dead in a pool of his own blood. How can I be glad that we escaped when I've potentially killed a man? A man who, despite all his wrongdoings, has a heart beneath it all. Jeremy cared for us in his own fucked up way.

We've been sitting in the car outside the hospital for several minutes in stilted silence. It's as if we're too afraid to step outside and face the real world again, knowing they'll want to pick and prod at us until we have nothing left to give.

Eden twists in the seat, and his large hand lands on my knee, giving it a comforting squeeze. His other hand rests on Emiliya's shoulder.

"Kai, Emiliya, listen to me."

I blink away tears to focus on what he has to say. My mind is fog-filled, and my body feels like I'm carrying double my usual weight.

"I shot Jeremy, ok?"

My eyes protrude, and I push his hand off my knee. Why is he doing this?

"No, Eden," I snap.

"Az ne razbiram," Emiliya's voice wobbles, and she looks back and forth between Eden and me in utter bewilderment.

"We're telling the police I shot Jeremy."

Eden points at his chest, then gestures, shooting so Emiliya can understand. Her face scrunches up, and she rubs her brow line like what he's trying to tell her is going to make her brain spill.

"Why, Eden? I don't get it. Why would we lie?" I sputter as more unwanted tears escape.

Eden grabs the side of my face and strokes my cheek, gathering my tears with his thumb.

"Kai, you have to trust me. If there are any consequences for shooting Jeremy, I'll face them. I can handle it."

He sounds so sure, but his words feel like a punch to my empty gut. Again, he's risking everything for me. I've taken so much from him already and he's still willing to give up more.

"But it was self-defence. He stabbed you."

"Yes, he stabbed me, but he wasn't attacking you, was he? So, God knows if it counts as self-defence. I won't risk you going to prison because you saved me."

"Eden, you've been saving me since the first day we met!" I say, raising my voice.

"Then one more time won't hurt, will it?"

I let out a resigned sigh and squeeze my eyes shut, trying to gather my scrambled thoughts. Eden interlocks our fingers and brings my hand to his mouth, kissing it firmly. Opening my eyes, I see the resolution spread across his face and succumb to his wishes. I'm unsure if this is the right decision, but his mind is made up. Plus, his fingerprints are all over the gun. He made sure of that.

"Ok. I'm just scared for you. What if they don't see it as self-defence?" I murmur.

"Don't be, I'll be ok, baby," he soothes.

I lean forward and slam my lips against his in a brutal kiss, dragging my hand along his jaw, which is now covered in days-old scruff. I pull away, and both our chests heave.

"Thank you," I force out, knowing it's not nearly enough to express my gratitude for everything this man has risked for me. I'm not sure If I'll ever be able to repay him for saving me.

He smiles at me ruefully, then releases my hand and turns to face Emiliya. "Emiliya, please. We have to tell them I shot Jeremy."

He repeats the gestures from earlier several times until she can fully understand.

"Dobre, ok, Eden. You did Jeremy," she mumbles.

Eden pulls her into a tight embrace and roughly kisses her temple.

"Yes, thank you." He lets out a sigh of relief when he pulls away from her.

"Right, let's go. My leg really fucking hurts." He winces.

We climb out of the car, and I take both of their hands in mine. Walking towards the entrance, we get curious looks because we're covered in blood, but I don't care. We made it out alive.

* * *

Sitting on a cold plastic chair, I watch as the nurse tends to Eden's leg. He clutches my hand tightly and hisses as the needle penetrates his skin and comes out the other side.

"Focus on me, honey," I say softly.

Eden turns his attention to me, and his face softens. I've looked into those eyes countless times since we were captured, but there's something different today. I can see past them right into the centre of his heart. He's overflowing with love and protectiveness for me.

In reality, he barely knows me, yet he treasures me. I've never been treasured. I'm not a rare jewel. I'm nothing. Yet here he is, trying to prove me otherwise.

"Kai Ellis?"

My eyes shoot up to find a middle-aged woman with a dark complexion, wearing a grey tailored suit and a bright white shirt approaching the end of the bed. Two uniformed police officers stand behind her with stoic expressions.

"Yes, that's me."

"Hello. My name is DI Caroline Shaw, and I'll be one of the lead detectives on your case. I was wondering if we could go somewhere more private to discuss what happened."

A burst of panic slams through me, and my eyes swing back to Eden. He gives me a reassuring smile, leans forward and lifts his hand to stroke my face.

"I'll be ok. I think we're almost done here."

"Alright," I anxiously reply.

Standing on weak legs, I give Eden a light peck before reluctantly following the officers to a private family room.

The overwhelming scent of hand sanitiser fills my nostrils as we cram into the small room. I think the room is supposed to look welcoming and cosy, but the dull sofa with what looks like a scratchy carpet spread across it screams misery. There's a hideous 80s-style painting of a vase of flowers, and right next to it, an NHS poster saying, ‘I should seek help if I'm grieving.' Pfft. I wonder how many people have received world-shattering news in this box room.

"Please take a seat, Kai," Detective Shaw insists, giving me a gentle smile.

She has warm chocolate eyes and a peaceful tone that almost makes me want to trust her. But after days of imprisonment, I feel reluctant to let anyone in but the people I shared my prison with.

My heart violently thumps in anticipation of the lies I'm about to tell. I want to be honest, but they've already spoken to Emiliya, and if our stories don't corroborate, we're screwed. I sit on the edge of the seat, refusing to get comfortable.

"Firstly, I want to apologise for everything you've endured. We want to help find the people that took you. I know you're probably exhausted, but the more information we get in the early stages of the investigation, the better chance we have of finding these people and giving you the justice you deserve."

Swallowing hard and shuffling back slightly in my seat, I nod in agreement.

"Ok, thank you. So, starting from the beginning, I want you to tell me what happened the night you were taken."

"Sure, but before we start, can you tell me if Jeremy's ok?"

I pick at the skin around my fingernails, knowing full well from the stinging sensation my nail beds are probably bleeding.

"Who's Jeremy?" she asks. I'm sure she knows who he is at this point, but I'll play along.

"The guy at the warehouse who was shot."

I do everything in my power to keep eye contact and a blank expression when I say this, but my hands vibrate in my lap, giving me away.

"Oh yes, he's been detained and is receiving medical assistance."

Without realising it, I blow out a rush of air, and my shoulders uncurl.

"You seem relieved by that news."

"I erm, I don't know," I mumble, struggling to find the words to explain how I feel about Jeremy not being dead.

I shouldn't be glad, but I am. Not just because I'm relieved I don't have to live with his death on my conscience, but because I felt some weird kind of kinship with him.

"It's ok to have mixed feelings about the people who took you. We're not here to judge. We just want to piece it all together."

"He was different, kind to us even. I think maybe he was abducted too, and they forced him to work for them," I rush out, not even taking a breath before continuing, "he was scared of them and Dr Evil. I mean, Lorence beat him up a few days ago. We didn't want to hurt him, but it was our only option if we wanted to escape."

Gasping by the time I'm done, I feel light-headed. Fuck, I've said too much.

"Ok, I see. We'll look into Jeremy's involvement, but let's try to take a few breaths and start from the beginning."

She places a light hand on my upper arm for a few seconds, and it's surprisingly comforting. I push on, including as much detail as I can remember, until I get to the escape, and then I slip into dangerous lies. I think she buys it. Her kind expression doesn't change, and I force myself to look directly at her while I explain the escape. By the time we're done, my head's banging, my mouth's dry, and my eyes sting from crying. I just want this to be over.

"Can I see Eden and Emiliya now?" I ask, my voice hoarse from talking nonstop for the past hour.

"Of course. I'll take you to them."

She leads me back to the ward, and when we reach Eden's bed and I find an old man passed out on it, my stomach plummets. I anxiously scan the room, but can't see him anywhere.

"Where is he?" I ask the detective.

"One moment, Kai, let me speak to my colleague."

She strides over to the reception where another officer I haven't seen before stands beside a dark-haired woman with a tiny baby strapped to her chest in a carrier. A blond-haired man rubs circles on her back, trying to soothe her as she argues with the officer. Is that Eden's sister? I search my jumbled brain for her name. I swear he told me it on our first date, and then it hits me.

"Olivia," I call across the room to a complete stranger.

Her head snaps to face me, and there's no doubt it's her. Her features are much softer, but the resemblance is uncanny. She barrels towards me and my body clenches. What if she's mad? What if she blames me for Eden's abduction? Please don't let her hit me.

"Are you Kai?" Her voice jitters.

"Yes, you're Eden's sister?"

"Oh god, come here, darling." She wails, pulling me into a deep hug, crushing the tiny human between us. I relax my body and allow myself to hug her back. I don't know this woman, yet she holds me like family. It's weird, but it feels safe. Olivia pulls away, taking both of my cheeks in her hands, and inspects me like a grandmother would.

"We've all been so worried; Nola is beside herself."

Her hands slip to my upper arms like she doesn't want to let go now she's caught me.

"You've spoken to Nola?" I whimper as fresh tears tumble down my puffy face.

"Yeah, she's on her way now. My parents are as well, but it will take them a few days as they're flying from New Zealand. We didn't even realise Eden was missing until three days ago. Someone messaged us pretending to be him. We thought he was out of town on a business trip. But then Nola contacted me. She found my old LinkedIn profile through Eden's and got my number. She told us you'd gone awol and weren't being yourself over text and that Eden was the last person to see you. When we reported you both missing to the police, they wouldn't take us seriously. They tried to convince us that you'd probably gone on some romantic getaway."

Olivia speaks so fast that I'm having trouble processing everything she's saying, but I caught the end.

"Ha, romantic getaway. I wish. We've been through hell and back." I scoff.

Eden's niece is still trapped between us and starts to fuss. I take a step back, needing some space to breathe. Nausea washes over me despite my empty stomach.

The blond guy, who I can only assume is Olivia's husband, Tom, stands beside her and slips a dummy in the baby's mouth, but she spits it back out, chubby cheeks scrunching up in disapproval.

"I know, darling, but it's almost over now."

She frowns heavily like she knows something I don't.

"Hang on, where is he? Are they still questioning him?"

"Officer fuck face said they've taken him to the station for further questioning." She flicks her thick hair out of her face and scowls at the officer behind us.

"Livvy, please don't get arrested."

She tuts and rolls her eyes at her soft-spoken husband.

"I'm not going to get arrested. I just want to see my baby brother after he's been abducted. For Pete's sake, I'm not asking for much."

"I know, Livvy, but they're saying he shot someone, and with his history, it's probably routine procedure."

"Routine procedure, my arse, he's a victim," she snaps, making her husband's face contort. When Olivia realises she snapped unnecessarily, her face softens and she takes his hand lovingly.

"He didn't do it. I mean, it was self-defence," I blurt out, feeling my legs buck beneath me.

"Of course, we all know he wouldn't hurt a fly. But they're being prejudiced because of his previous record."

"He has a criminal record?" I ask, stunned by this new information. Nothing about Eden screams ex-con.

"Oh shit, he didn't tell you?"

"No, what does he have a record for?"

"So, Eden has always been scarily good with computers. He was like some sort of child genius growing up. When he was 15, he thought it would be fun to hack a government official database just to see if he could." Olivia rolls her eyes, then continues, "He managed it, of course, but unfortunately, he left a trail. Next thing you know, swarms of police are searching our home and he was arrested. He did just over a year in a young offenders' institution."

"Shit," I say, shocked at this revelation but also kind of hurt that he never shared it with me after how open I'd been about my family.

I have no right considering what he's risked for me, but anger stirs in my chest. Eden knew he had a record yet still convinced me to let him take the blame for shooting Jeremy. What was he thinking? I'm pretty sure kiddy prison has nothing on adult prison. Why would he sacrifice himself like that? I wish he would stop trying to throw his life away for mine. The guilt I harbour for everything I've put him through is suffocating. I feel like I'm drowning in it. I promised myself I'd give him his life back, but he's traded one prison for another.

My vision blurs, and a dizzy spell hits me like a train. I stumble back and slouch against the wall for support.

"Oh god, are you ok? You look pale. Let's sit you down."

Olivia circles my wrist and leads me to a plastic chair. I close my eyes and let my head fall between my legs to stop my head from spinning under the harsh hospital lights.

"I can't remember the last time I ate," I mutter.

"Wait here. I'm going to get the nurse and a Snickers, maybe."

I can't help but let out an amused scoff, like a Snickers is going to fix this shit show.

I try to lift my head but feel myself drifting. A rush of coldness swirls around me, and then nothingness.