Page 38 of Knight Watch

Chapter Seventeen

Sydney didn’t knowhow it happened, but after Kingsley disappeared and she screamed his name, part of her brain had shut down. The terror she had felt was so strong, so close to what she had experienced after her rape, it messed with her on a basic level.

Everything had felt like a thick fog had descended. As if she was watching an action movie on the television where James was the hero. He’d run with her into the forest, stolen a car and driven like a madman until they reached an airport and boarded a private plane, where he’d taken the pilot’s seat. She couldn’t remember which airport they had flown out of. Only once they’d boarded the plane had James relaxed enough to be concerned about her. Unable to respond or react, not knowing if Kingsley was all right, she remained in a fog-like state, where nothing could affect her, and emotions were locked away. She’d leaned against the window and closed her eyes, even if there was no way she could have slept.

The flight took a few hours and it seemed like an eternity to her, each minute dragging. It wasn’t until James steered her out of another airport, and the warm ocean air filled her nose, she realized where she was.

They were ushered into a car driven by Shane with Nick riding shot-gun. The owner of the Agency had taken a good look at them before driving away. It was the middle of the night, the darkness deep over the city, making every corner and building gloomy, filling them with menacing shadows.

Once more, James asked if she was all right, and she nodded. She wanted to be left alone, to find that small sliver of peace remaining in her soul and hang on to it as she hung onto her sanity and the unopened file against her chest. She realized it was Kingsley who’d held her together, gave her the strength to seek justice when there was nothing left.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice how far they had gone until the car turned into Alliance. They were greeted by several people waiting outside under the lights of the building, their guns drawn. Alex, Mercy, Emme, Malco, and another man. Warriors offering protection. Would that be her life from now on? Hidden away forever?

She was thankful, although she felt like a zombie, her focus sketchy. A violet lightning bolt in the form of Cleo came from inside producing an unexpected feeling of warmth in a sea of fear. The small woman didn’t waste time with empty words and after quickly introducing her to the new man, Wolf, pushed her into the showers. Emme and Mercy followed, forming a circle around her, knowing she wanted to be alone, but remaining close, nonetheless.

Sydney thought she would come apart in the shower but didn’t. Afterward, she followed Cleo into the guest bedroom where she sat on the bed feeling lost.

Emme followed soon after, holding a steaming cup of tea and Mercy was behind her, a box of chocolate doughnuts in her hand. “I heard that chocolate is the perfect treatment for almost anything.”

Emme scoffed, her British accent strong with an insult. “Tea is the only universal medicine.”

Sydney sat on the bed and relinquished the file, placing it on the bed beside her before accepting the cup Emme held out. She didn’t know if she would be able to swallow, but it felt good to have it in her hands. The comfy hoodie and track pants she was wearing, along with the hot shower started to warm her body.

Cleo sat cross-legged beside her as Emme and Mercy took the small cushioned bench facing them.

Mercy bit into a doughnut and sighed. “Oh, sugary heaven, how I have missed you.”

Emme took the box away. “Hey, don’t eat them all,” she said before taking one herself.

The violet-haired storm quickly hopped off the bed and snatched the box from her boss before sitting on the bed again. “I brought them for all of us, not only for you to scarf down. And Sydney is the one that needs a massive dose of chocolate, not you, Merc.”

Emme shook her head but smiled at their banter before turning her attention to Sydney. “Take a sip. I made it strong. It will help you, I promise. Just one sip, please.”

Looking down at the dark liquid, Sydney forced herself to bring the cup to her lips and take a sip. She held the warm liquid in her mouth for several seconds before her body seemed to remember what to do and she forced herself to swallow.

The warmth spread to her belly, relaxing her, and making her stomach grumble for more. The more she sipped, the easier it became, and she even risked taking a bite out of a chocolate doughnut. And then surprised herself by taking another.

The women, the teasing, the laughter, and the camaraderie was soothing and most of all, grounding. It reassured her that she was emerging from the fog and finding herself once more. Not the her that had been captured by her uncle, but the woman who had found her strength alongside Kingsley. The realization made her smile. She had just suffered one of the most violent episodes of panic and anxiety since her initial trauma. And she’d survived it.

“And the lady smiles!”

Mercy’s voice held laugher but wasn’t mocking. Sydney could see the relief on the three woman’s faces. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“And the lady talks! You scared us, but only because we care about you. Don’t be sorry. You were a civilian caught in the middle of a firefight, had enemies surrounding you. Nobody is immune to fear, not even the guys on our team. We women are the only ones mature enough to acknowledge that certain emotions don’t make you weak.”

Emme nodded. “Oh yeah. And that’s a lesson that some of the men should listen to, instead of turning all cavemen on us.”

“Kingsley is not a caveman.”

The three women lost themselves in laughter, making Sydney smile. “Did I say something funny?”

Cleo winked. “Kingsley might come across as tall, dark, handsome, and sophisticated, but that’s only been since you arrived. Before that, he was a complete caveman, and almost as bad as the others. Must be his British roots that he can play the gentleman so well, but I suspect it’s more you. You’re the one keeping the caveman at bay.”

As he was the one keeping her own demons in check, Sydney suspected that his caveman tendencies also hid his own nightmares.

A whilelater Emme’s phone buzzed with an incoming message. “The rest of the team are a couple of minutes away.”

Sydney was on the move before any of the women had time to blink as she headed for the front door. The others were on high alert as they went outside to greet their friends. Sydney was ordered to remain inside.