Afterlife (Afterlife Saga) (62 page)

“Helloooo!”
But then I heard a guy that sounded like he was in the background saying in an agitated tone,

“Hey you have to pay to use that!” And with that, the phone went dead leaving me shaking my head.
Must have been a wrong number.
After I finished my lunch I did the rest of Libby's laundry and I decided to run a bath and try to relax before I knew what I had to do tonight. I poured in Libby's fancy bottles of bubble bath under the running water and it filled the room with the scent of a Tropical Delight. I lit a few candles and pressed play on the CD player that she had fitted in the bathroom wall. It had the sounds of the forest, with birds and waterfalls transforming the bathroom into a relaxing haven.

It was a huge room with a massive free-standing bath that you could fit more than one body in. I let my robe slip to the floor and I placed one leg in letting my skin adapt to the temperature, feeling the slight itch as it was too hot. I then braved it and dunked the rest of my body under the scented water, feeling it soothe my muscles into relaxation. I tried not to think about tonight and concentrated on the background sound of the forest but no matter how I tried I couldn't help it. I kept seeing Draven's harsh face, the way he had looked at me yesterday and it made me shiver, even though my skin was hot. Being in the bath was reminding me that Draven was like water, I didn't know when it would be ice cold or burning hot but either way I needed it...I needed it to survive!

Once I had finished relaxing I did all the usual girlie things, shaved my legs and any other area that needed attention. I scrubbed my skin with a rough sponge until it glowed and the soap that smelled like strawberries. As soon as I was done in the bath I rinsed off in the shower and washed my hair as I could never wash it in the bath with it being so long. By the time I got out Libby and Frank were back and frantically packing.

She popped her head round my bedroom door after about an hour of running around like a headless chicken.

“Hey honey we're off in a minute, thanks for sorting out my washing and going to the store for me, you’re a doll!”

“No problem. I just I used all your fancy products in the bath to make up for it!” I said and she laughed.

“Oh well, I will get you to scrub the decking outside for that one, seriously though you know you can help yourself ….are you sure you don't mind us going?” She said looking at her watch as though they were going to be late, so I got up and hugged her saying,

“I told you I will be fine...now go and have fun and don't worry about me, but if
I'm not in later when you ring then just leave me a message.”

“Ok, well I will ring you and if you have any problems then it would only take us two hours to get back home…I love you Kazzy.” She said hugging me back, before leaving and I shouted down to Frank to have fun, before I heard the door shut. I closed the bedroom door and put some tunes
on my
Laptop and listened to a band called ‘Shinedown,’ while I got ready for yet another meeting with Draven.

I put on an extra vest that had lace at the top and straps, under my black T shirt with matching fingerless gloves that met the sleeves on my top. I wore tighter fitting jeans that were one of my nicer pairs, well one of the only
ones
that weren't ripped around the edges. I dried most of my hair but thanks to using Libby’s new shampoo it went extra wavy. I put it up but some bits kept escaping so I decided to leave them as it added to the look. I checked myself in the mirror and
when I was slightly satisfied
I grabbed my jacket, my zip up sweater and keys with shaky hands and left the house.

The rain battered down on my car's windows making the weather mirror my mood as the closer my car got to Afterlife the more my heart had to work to keep a steady beat. Sophia had said that this meeting would go better than last time, with Draven's temper firmly in check, but I could never predict anything in that place. It was as though it had its own parallel universe and any other rules of the world just didn't apply. I mean, Sophia had asked me to come back to work at the VIP and that was what Draven wanted too, but could I do that? Could I just go back to normal, after everything that had happened? 

There was definitely something between Draven and myself. Some unnatural bond that kept on throwing us together... one that he kept denying. So I decided this would be my last try. I needed answers and I didn't care how I got them, whether it was in a calm conversation or a stormy argument, of course I preferred the first one but no matter how I got them, I wasn't leaving until I was satisfied.

This time this was going to be the end...

I just hoped that this time I could finally let him go.

Chapter 34 – Captured

Well, here I was, back again ready for the same thing I had done yesterday. I was just hoping this time I would get better results. Only tonight there was going to be an important difference, as now I wasn't an employee of his and now he wasn't my Boss.

I walked inside past Cameron and Jo as they eyed me curiously. I wonder if everyone knew that I had
quit.
Even so I seriously doubted they knew the cause. Hell, I wasn't even sure why but I knew one thing and that was I just couldn't pretend any more. Seeing Draven everyday was like feeding my addiction, one I knew was bad for me and little by little I just kept wanting more.  I was finding it harder each time I saw him to pretend that I didn't crave him as badly as I did and it was exhausting.

The VIP came into view and my heart missed a beat as I walked to the bottom of the staircase. The two security guys that were on guard didn't even bat an eyelid at my approach, they just moved aside without a word and I made my way up to the VIP, biting my lip. I reached the top and the room fell into a hushed silence and I automatically put my head down in shame. Well if they didn't know the reason I quit downstairs, they most certainly knew up here, that much was obvious! I walked over to the bar and noticed that none of the Dravens were sat at their table but most of the regulars were at their usual tables. It was odd without them there, like a vital part of the puzzle missing.

I had already decided that I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, so when one of Draven's men, the one called Zagan, came up to me and asked me to
follow him I said a firm “No.”

“Excuse me?” He said in a calm voice that was as equally hypnotic as Draven's. I could see him eyeing me cautiously under his long black hood and this added to the intimidation. 

“I said no, I will meet him out here or not at all,” I answered remaining strong and trying to concentrate on my own voice and not his.

“Very well, I will go and inform him of your terms, please wait here.” He said smiling as this amused him greatly. He left through the huge doors that I had vowed I wouldn't walk through again. The memory of being trapped in there with Draven was both terrifying and exhilarating. Yesterday, seeing Draven, just proved that I couldn't be trusted. Every time I saw him, it was getting harder to control the urges I had, as all I wanted was to touch him, to be close to him in ways that were forbidden to me.

Meanwhile the band had started up and downstairs was getting busier with college students piling in to hear the live band. Karmun came over to me with a friendly smile as if he'd missed me.

“Well hello there Miss Johnson, can't get enough of us I see,” he said before downing a shot himself.

“Hey Karmun, missed me?” I said being cheeky

“Of course my dear, but how about a drink?” He offered but after what happened the last time I had downed liquid courage, I decided to pass.   

“Suit yourself,” he said before leaving me to get the phone that was now ringing. I watched him pick it up knowing that this rarely happened. The whole time I had worked up here I had never heard the phone ring once. So it didn't surprise me when I saw his face looking confused, however what did surprise me was Karmun's reaction, as he was now bring the phone over to me.

“It's for you,” he said passing me the cordless handset. I put the phone to my ear expecting to hear a familiar voice but instead, all I got was a voice I only heard in my nightmares...

It seemed my past had finally caught up with me!

“Hello Ca...Umm... I guess its Keira now.” A deep voice spoke straight from my memories, but I was unwilling to accept the unspeakable truth.

“Who is this?”

“Oh Keira.... You. Know. Who. This. Is!” The voice said in a mocking tone, dragging out the words extending my pain. My heart crumbled at the sound causing tears to form in my eyes and overfill, falling down my cheeks in seconds.

“NO, NO, NO! IT CAN'T BE!” I screamed and everyone in the room shot me a look.

“I'm
back
Keira.....and guess what, I will be seeing you....very, very soon!” He said and I screamed louder than my lungs could take, I threw the phone down smashing it to pieces. People's stares were a mixture of confusion and what looked like pure joy. But there was one look I didn't wait around to analyse.... Draven had just entered the room.

I turned and ran for the staircase not stopping for anything or anyone. I had to run, I had to get away from this place...He knew where I was....He had found me and I had to escape again!!! I pushed into the security breaking through before they had
time to react. I ran down the steps letting gravity help me, using my body's weight to do the same at the other end. I launched myself through the middle of the two men that stood in my way. I crashed through them landing on the floor with an almighty thud. I didn't even react to the pain that shot through my limbs on impact with the solid stone floor. The guards tried to grab me but I crawled out of reach before getting to my feet once more and running through the crowd. My head whipped round trying to way up my options of getting out of here but with Cameron and Jo taking orders from Draven, I didn't like my chances with that exit. So I ran towards the bar knowing there was one exit that wasn't guarded. I found who I was looking for and ran towards Mike who was serving somebody.

“Hey Keira...what's wrong...you....” I cut him off, trying to control my panting and said,

“Please Mike...he, he, help me...I have to get out of here...Please!” I stammered but he just pulled me out of sight and in through the back.

“Ok, ok calm down, I will help you....” He said making his way through the back to where I found a familiar door.

“Go through here and keep going right around the building, you will then see your car...go!” He said opening the big metal door I had used once before.

“Thank you,” I said giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before bolting through the door and down the metal steps. The door slammed shut behind me and the security light illuminated showing me the way. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and rang the number that I had burned to memory.

“Merseyside Police” A woman answered in monotone.

“Inspector
Matthews’s
desk,” I said in a clear panicky voice, only the woman didn't seem to respond to it.    

“I'm afraid he's not at his desk at the moment,” she replied and my heart sank deeper at the news.

“Fine, but could you get him to call me, it's important!  Tell him it's Keira Johnson, he will know what it's about!” And with that I hung up and put the phone back in my back pocket just as she was asking for my number. He already knew it, so I didn't want to waste any more time on the phone, when the first thing I needed to do was get away from here!

My car came into view but it was even darker now and the few lamps that were dotted around didn't offer much light. My mind was trying to think where I had gone wrong...how did he find me? I had to fix this. I had to get as far
away
from this place as I could. And then the thought hit me...if he knew where I worked then it was more than likely he also knew where I lived. It then came to me, of course he knew where I lived because he had been the one to call the house today... he had been the heavy breather. Oh Shit!