She tried to be as quiet as she could, 1:00am, that's when she got home. she had taken off her heels and carried them by hand alongside her purse. Their flat in New York was on the 20th floor, and gave a spectacular skyline view. She hit the switch and almost jumped on seeing him, "Jesus Kyle!" she exclaimed. Supporting herself with the wall to her right, she was a little drunk. Not too much, just a little.
"Welcome home." He told her calmly. He had been sitting there in the dark for God-knows how long. She was evidently startled, and it was not because of the fact that he had been sitting there in the dark like a creep. "Honey you should be in bed."
"You were with him right?" He looked straight into her eyes.
"What?"
"Camron, you were with him tonight right?" He knew the answer, just wanted to hear her say it.
"Where's this coming from?" she asked, still holding her heels and purse. "I was out with the girls, Lisa, Breanna and Kenzie."
"Are you sure about that?" Kyle asked standing from the rock chair he was on.
"Are you calling me a liar?" She threw at him.
"I didn't say that." He told her calmly. "I just wanna know where you were. That's all."
"I told you the girls and I were going for a night out, that's where I've been." She answered.
"Your phone was off." He pointed out.
Was he paranoid? Yes, yes he was, but he had every right to be. He had invested and sacrificed a lot for this relationship.
"Jesus Kyle, my battery died. Where's all this coming from?" She asked again. "You can call any of them, they'll tell you." She shot at him. "Though I doubt any of them will be sober enough to recall anything." With that she started walking towards the stairs.
"There was an accident Jessica!" He broke the news and she froze but didn't turn. "It's Kenzie, she's in critical condition right now, Lisa called looking for you, said she couldn't reach you, so she called me, told me they need you." He paused to let it sink. "But I guess I'm mistaken and talking nonsense. You were with them right?" And he walked past her.
"What!" She found her voice before he could get to the top of the stairs. The heels slid out of her hands.
He turned to her, "You heard me Jess. Your friends needed you but you were out there with him doing God-knows what!" He was almost shouting. "And you know what the worst part is?" He had gone a step lower. "You don't even have the guts to admit it." He was done for the night. He didn't let her reply, just proceeded upstairs into their room.
The news of Kenzie's accident sobered her up, she fumbled her purse, got her phone and tried Lisa and rushed to the door, picked up the car keys on the sideboard.
From upstairs, Kyle heard the door shut, she was gone, probably to the hospital, he took a deep breath before getting on the bed.
In the car, Jessica had tried Breanna, Lisa hadn't picked up. "Where the hell are you?!" Breanna sounded pissed or worried, Jessica couldn't really tell.
"Hey I'm on my way okay?" She herself sounded terrified.
The roads were somewhat clear at that time and she skipped a couple of lights and in less than 20, she was at the hospital.
Lisa and Breanna were at the waiting bay, Lisa had blood stains all over her. Breanna had blood trailing from the left side of her head down her face.
"Oh my God!" Jessica exclaimed when she got to them. They both looked up but Lisa was quick to look away, disgust written all over her face.
"What happened?" Jessica wanted to know.
Brenna was about to answer but Lisa beat her to it." If you had come for the dinner she invited us to you would know " That was harsh. Lisa was bitter with her and she didn't make an effort to hide that fact.
"There was an explosion at her apartment." Breanna told her.
Jessica's palm found its way to her mouth. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed again. Her eyes were wet. "How is she? Is she ok?" That was a dumb one. How could she be ok?
"If you had bothered to check your phone you would know. " Lisa threw at her again.
Jessica had tried her best to contain herself, she had noted Lisa's bitterness towards her, she couldn't blame her. Kenzie had invited them for dinner, telling them she had big news to share and she had bailed out at the last minute.
"Where's this coming from?" She asked for the umpteenth time that night
"Seriously Jess? We agreed we'd go for the dinner and you cancel out at the last minute saying something came up, really? As you were God-knows where, Brea and I needed you, Kenzie needed you, and you failed us all, do-"
Breanna was fed up." Enough! Both of you. Kenzie is in there fighting for her life. This isn't the time to be doing this." She pause and gave both of them stern stares. "I need some air." She walked out and Jessica followed.
"What happened? " She asked as they both leaned in the protective railing, staring into the dead night.
"We were a few steps away from her door when it happened. It came from inside."
"How huge was it?" Jessica inquired.
"Huge enough to throw us against a wall." Breanna answered.
"God, I'm so sorry Brea. Is that what happened to your face?" She went on and raised her hand to try and push Breanna's hair away from the wound. Breanna moved her head from her.
"Oh c'mon Brea, not you too." Jessica cried.
"Just because I don't show it doesn't mean I'm not mad at you." It was gonna come out at some point. It might as well have been then. "We needed you tonight Jess, Kenzie needed you twice," she dared to add "and you-" Jessica cut in.
"I Know I let you down, all of you. And I'm sorr-" Breanna didn't let her finish.
"Where were you?" She wanted to know. "What was so important that you had to bail out on us like that?"
"It doesn't matter. I'm here now-"
It hit her, "Oh My God Jess! You're unbelievable you know that."
It was Breanna's turn to express her bitterness. "You were with him weren't you?"
"C'mon Brea, that's absurd."
"Is it though? Tell me I'm lying." Breanna dared her, looking her straight in the eyes.
Jessica didn't answer, but she had. Her silence had only confirmed what Breanna was saying.
"I can't believe you stood us up to go get laid!"
"It's not like that Brea, it's complicated-" Breanna cut in.
"You know what Jess, I don't even wanna know. All I'm concerned about right now is Kenzie, someone you clearly don't care about." And she started walking into the hospital.
"How can you say that?" Jessica cried out.
Breanna turned, "Jess she said she had big news she had to share with us and you went ahead and cancelled just to go be with some guy, that doesn't look like a person who cares to me."
Jessica was left there alone, left for the darkness of night to devour her whole.
When she finally went inside, a guy had joined the two ladies, Jim, Kenzie's colleague.
"I don't think this was an accident," Jim was saying.
"Why's that?" Breanna posed.
"You think it's connected to the lawsuit?" Lisa asked looking at him.
Jim didn't say anything but his body language answered.
"I mean it's no secret that Harris International has been trying to run us over and halt this lawsuit." Jim pointed out.
"I know my father has his demons but I don't think he is capable of such." Lisa told them.
"Lisa you can never fully know a person," Jessica was saying.
" Do you mean to imply that my father was behind this?" Lisa shot with fierce eyes.
"I didn't say that." Jessica tried to defend herself.
"But she has a point Lisa." Jim told her. "You can never know."
"Or maybe it was someone else in the company." Breanna added.
"Why are you hell bent that my father or Haris International is behind this?" Lisa wanted to know. "I know with Kenzie behind the lawsuit she is a target but maybe it wasn't Haris International."
She really didn't want to believe that her father or family was behind the attack.
"Damn it Lisa!" Jim bit out. "Open your eyes, Haris International stands to lose millions if not billions of dollars if Kenzie wins this case. You think your father will just sit around and watch that happen?" He was almost loosing his temper. He got a paper from his pocket, unfolded it and handed it to the girls.
"YOU'RE NEXT!!" It read, it seemed to have been written with someone's blood.
The note gave the girls chills.
"That was slid under my door a few minutes after the explosion. You think it's a coincidence? You think it's a coincidence that the lead prosecutor behind the lawsuit is bombed and her fellow prosecutor gets a death threat?" Jim was furious. He read the horror in the girls'faces.
"Jim I'm so sorry. I -" Lisa was speaking but the doctor appeared. she folded the sheet of paper as she stood.
The doctor was a stocky man, he wore glasses and was holding Kenzie's file.
"How is she doctor?" Lisa asked.
"I'm afraid I don't have any good news, things are really bad."
Lisa almost collapsed, Breanna held her as a tear rolled down from her eye. "Anyone related to the patient?"
"Umm... I'm her girlfriend," Lisa answered.
"What about her family?"
"They are unavailable at the moment." Jessica answered.
"Ok, can I talk to you in private?" He requested pointing to a white door at the end of the hallway. Breanna let go and Lisa walked towards the door and the doctor followed .