My hand clenched as memories slammed down on me, rendering me speechless for a couple of minutes. "I don't want to talk about it," I finally whispered.
I doubted I ever would.
"Okay, Kaito."
I knew I needed to tell him something. I just wasn't ready to share what I'd been through. I might never be ready to share. It was the most horrible experience I'd ever been through. I was actually surprised I was alive.
"Let's just say that they were determined to find out where Danny was, and they weren't real happy when I told them I didn't know."
"Danny is safe. I promise."
Something welled up in my throat, stealing my ability to say anything. I closed my eyes when they filled with tears. I just wanted to go home where life wasn't insane, people didn't shift into ocelots, and psychos weren't out to torture me.
"Kaito, are you there?"
I swallowed a couple of times then angrily wiped at my eyes. "Yeah, I'm here."
"We're pulling into the motel now. What room are you in?"
"I don't know." As soon as those words were out of my mouth, I choked back a sob, dropped the phone, and curled up into a ball. The sobs I'd been holding back broke free and shook my entire body.
When someone touched my shoulder, I screamed and started hitting out at them. I wasn't going to allow them to put those things on me and shock me again. I wasn't. I'd rather die.
"Sshhh," someone said as they pulled me close and wrapped me up in their arms. "It's okay, baby. No one is going to hurt you. You're safe now."
I stopped fighting and listened to the voice murmuring to me. "Jack?"
"I've got you, Kaito."
For just a moment, I sank into Jack's embrace, soaking up the strength of the arms wrapped around me. The ache of misery and fear I'd been living in since the moment I was taken faded away. I felt safe for the first time since I stepped out of Ian's house.
And then I remembered that Jack wasn't gay and only wanted to fuck me as long as no one knew about it, and my misery was back with a vengeance.
I pushed away from Jack then scooted back out of reach. I ignored the frown Jack gave me and turned my attention to the others in the room. "Thank you for coming so quickly."
"Thank you? Thank you?" Ian snapped. "We've been worried sick about you. Where in the hell have you been?"
I smiled as I held my hand out to Ian. The man had dark circles under his puffy eyes and his skin was paler than normal. He'd obviously been worrying himself sick. Neither Hank or Jack looked any better.
"I was in hell of Atkins' making," I replied, "and I pray you never have to go there. That man is truly insane."
Once Ian took his hand, I pulled him down beside me and hugged him tight.
Ian laid his head on my shoulder and sniffled. "I was so worried when you stopped communicating with me. I never realized how much I'd come to rely on being able to talk to you like that until it was gone."
"It'll come back." I hoped. "I just need some rest."
I prayed I was telling Ian the truth. I wasn't so sure. My cat had been quiet for so long, it was almost like it had been before I'd drank the jungle juice. I didn't know I'd come to miss having that furry little thing living inside of me until it was gone.
"The guy who brought me here, he told me to tell Danny to follow the money. He said Atkins' entire world is wrapped up in his money, and if we take that away, Atkins will lose his power."
"Who brought you here, Kaito?" Hank asked.
"He didn't give me his name, but he did say that Officer Curtis was his former partner and we should watch out for him because he's on Atkins' payroll." I frowned as I tried to remember what else he'd said. "He mentioned something about cameras and said he wasn't the one who disabled them. Do you know what that means?"
"Unfortunately, I do." Hank's jaw clenched. "When Danny was attacked, someone disabled some of the cameras he'd put up. We think they were trying to keep Danny from catching them on surveillance video when they went back to attack him, but they didn't know about all of his cameras. They only disabled the ones they could find."
"Oh, well, this guy said his partner disabled the cameras."
