Kia didn't expect Dimitri to follow her, but as she walked towards the elevator, she heard his footsteps following closely. She picked up her pace, and he did the same, his heavy boots slamming loudly on the concrete floor of the lobby. Finally, she grew tired of the foolish game and wheeled on him.
"What?"
"I have my orders. You need to come with me detective."
"What I need is you out of my building.
He put his fingers to his temple and massaged it gently. "Why do you all like to start like this? Can't we just skip this bullshit?"
"What bullshit?"
"In the end, everyone falls for Baglor and does his bidding. Everyone."
"I'm not everyone."
"That's exactly what everyone says. You aren't special, detective. In fact, coming with me now is the only way you can stand out. Everyone else resists in the beginning and succumbs in the end. Surprise us all and come with me," Dimitri said with a deadpan look on his face. He had clearly done this many times, acted as Baglor's messenger, and met many simple women proofing stubborn. But Kia was different, and she was going to prove it.
Kia could see the exasperation and boredom in his eyes. He really believed he had her down to a T.
"Get out," she said, pointing at the exit.
Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, he turned and strode away. He stopped at the door and turned to her just so he could have the last word. "When he comes and you melt into his arms like butter, remember I told you so and you could have had the pleasure of coming of your own volition," he said before stepping into the cold night and disappearing in the darkness.
Kia rolled her eyes at him and made her way into her room. After days of madness, returning to her calm and soothing piece of paradise was a relief. Her apartment was small, with only a bedroom, a tiny living room, and a kitchen. However, it was home, her home.
Her tiny living room was only large enough for a large couch, a television, and a small shelf that held her favorite books. A thick fur rug covered the floor, and a small coffee table which held the room together. As she pulled off her boots and sunk her beer feet into the fur rug, a soothing sense of calm ran up her spine.
She went to her room, stripped naked, and prepared a bath. Soaking in the tub of warm water and the many oils and soaps she had added, she allowed herself to forget everything, including her very own self.
She tried to stay awake, but her body was so damn tired. After slipping in and out of consciousness multiple times, her fatigue eventually won, and she slept off right there in her bath. Her body began to sink slowly, deeper and deeper into the pool of water. Miles away at the back of her mind, her consciousness screamed with urgency, desperate to save her.
But she was in too deep. Her nose touched the surface of the pool, and the first bursts of water splashed into her nostrils. A sharp pain pierced her brain as she began to drown, and yet her body kept sinking amidst painful slumber. Her lungs began to fill up with water, and the pain managed to shatter her slumber.
She woke up suddenly. Her eyes widened to see the world through a blurry lens. Trashing and struggling in panic, she tried to get her bearings and escape the watery trap threatening to claim her life. She found a grip on the side of the tub and was about to push herself up when she suddenly felt an arm around her. A new type of panic like she had never imagined gripped her soul tighter than the palm on her wrist.
Someone was in her house, holding her. The arm pulled her up before she could have another thought. She rose from the water and kept rising until her whole body was above the tub. Hanging in the air, held up like a doll, Kia stared at a fully clothed and smiling Baglor.
"Detective," he said coyly as he raised her out of the tub and set her down on the floor. He grabbed a towel and threw it at her. "Cover up," he said with a chuckle and walked out of her bathroom.
Angry, restless, and annoyed, Kia wrapped the towel around her body and stormed out of the bathroom. Her room was empty, but she could glimpse him in the living room. Hurriedly, still keeping her anger burning, she slipped on a pair of underwear, a big shirt, and shorts, then stormed into the living room.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
She sniffed in jest. "I can ask you the same thing. This is midnight. We were to meet at ten."
"Are you crazy? What gives you the right to sneak into my apartment?"
"No," he said, raising a finger in protest. "I didn't sneak in. I broke in. You will need a new lock," he said and pointed at her door.
She rushed to her door, and her jaw dropped in horror. The edge of her door was a myriad of splinters where the locks had been forced to break free from the rest of the door.
"One kick was all it took," Baglor said dismissively. "You really need to invest more in security."
She turned on him. Her face was red with anger. He was just there, smiling with his legs crossed, clearly amused and pleased with himself. In that moment, she hated him more than anything in the world. She wanted to hurt him, wipe the smug smile off his face. The first violent idea that popped into her mind was accepted immediately. She made for her bedroom.
But he beat her to it and blocked her path before she could get in.
"Going for this," he said as he pulled out her gun and held it limply before her.
She stared at it, silent as her mind tried to think of a new solution to the problem he was proving to be.
He suddenly grabbed the butt of the gun and aimed it at her head.
"You still think this is a joke," he said.
Her anger and hatred for him disappeared in the face of fear. She saw his finger slip into the trigger chamber.
"You still don't understand what his happening here," he said as he pulled the safety click off. "You are still confused. Let's change that shall we."
"Please," she managed to say before he pulled, and she felt the most powerful and concise punch ever slam into her head, followed by the worst headache ever known to humanity, exploding in her skull. She felt it all, the bullet piercing her forehead and exiting the back of her skull with a splatter of bone and brain matter. Her body and mind shut down before she hit the floor; staying conscious would have robbed her of her sanity even if she survived.