Page 18 of Kaine

Chapter Nine

HER

“Dude. I. Am. Out.”I sigh, exhausted, resting my head on my desk.

Harriet’s chair creaks as she turns around to face me. “That last solitaire game got the better of you, did it?”

I hear Harold snort from his office.

“Excuse me, I’ll have you know...it was Bubble Witch Saga and I’ve run out of lives,” I raise my voice for Harold’s sake. “Anyway, it’s my cue that it’s time to split. I’ll see you at home.” I get up and shove my phone into my handbag, waiting for my computer to shut down.

“Just give me a minute to finish this file and I’ll come with you.”

“No!” I throw both hands out in front of me, like a traffic cop trying to stop three lanes of cars during peak hour.

The shock on her face makes me laugh.

“Sorry.” I bite my tongue, trying to push down the giggles as she continues to look confused, her eyelids working overtime as she blinks, waiting for my explanation. “I just need to be by myself for ONE minute. I am so grateful for your help and relentless, continuous surveillance, but I really need to...you know, not be breathing the same air as you. Just for a little while.”

Harriet’s confusion changes to concern.

“And before you say anything, you’ve been watching me like a hawk at work for the last three days, and even you have to admit, I’m fine!”

She opens her mouth just as the gruff male voice speaks up from the office next door.

“Oh, just let her go, Harriet. Go! Jade! Before she can catch up with you! But be back at Harriet’s apartment in two hours!”

I grin and grab my bag, I run over to press a quick kiss to Harriet’s cheek before she can even react and skip out of the office, yelling a “I owe you, Harold!” as I pass his open door and make for the exit.

I push on the heavy door with both hands and take a deep breath of the cooling air.

Freedom!

“JADE!” A chorus of voice suddenly calls out to me and I turn to notice a throng of people and the blinding light of flashbulbs to my left. By sheer instinct, I pivot to my right to escape them, only to be greeted by a similar group of about ten to fifteen people yelling my name, phones and cameras in their hands. The mob meet in the middle and crowd around me. Closing in a circle around me, blocking my path and escape, all I can see is a flurry of arms and faces, each one getting blurrier and blurrier.

I close my eyes for a moment, trying to focus on what is happening. Over the pounding in my ears, I can barely make out any words. Only the fuzzy, familiar sound of my own name. I need air. Badly. And my head is starting to throb.

I push forward with my body and arms, but that only seems to strengthen the mass of bodies. They push back against me, still throwing questions and queries at me in waves and waves of sound that I can’t process. Where have they come from? And what did they want?

“Please. Please,” I beg, trying to shield my face with my arms. “I need some air... I’m going to faint. Please.” The sky suddenly grows dark and the sun becomes the size of a pinpoint.

“Get the fuck out of the way!” I hear a voice say.

A voice.

His voice.

I feel my body being lifted, weightless.

And then the voice, his voice speaks again, in a whisper, quiet, just for me to hear.

“Jade, can’t you ever stay out of trouble?”

And then the sun disappears altogether.

***

“What a sweet littleneck you have.” His voice grates over my ears, scaring me to my bones, like the aural equivalent of nightmare. “It’s a good thing you’re not wearing any jewellery, I wouldn’t want it to get stained by your blood when my knife slits it.”