Poseidia (23 page)

Chapter 2
3

W
rapping my fists around the daggers, I stepped into the black swirling portal.
I arrived in the same hallway Roman took me to, what now seemed like ages ago.
Good, it worked. Hooray
.

After
I spent a few seconds celebrating having accomplished something on my own, I hurried to the bedroom.

Frantically
, I changed clothes and put on a heavy layer of makeup. Not wanting to lose the ear clip, I removed it and placed it on the top of the dresser.

Grabbing
another purse from the closet, I put the two daggers inside, and slung it over my shoulder.
Thank goodness they are well-stocked.
A black leather jacket hung in there too, which I slipped on. As I passed the room Roman had changed in, his scent permeated the air. My thoughts drifted to him and I stopped myself. For a split second, I swore I sensed his presence. Focusing again on keeping the mirrored bubble on, I scolded myself for my momentary lapse.

Don’t forget you’re a part of
the Connective now. If you think of anyone, they may sense you.

Nervous,
I ran down to the kitchen as the final rays of the Pacific sun streamed through the windows.
Which cabinet had the cash and key box?
I opened several before I found what I was looking for. Shaking, I fumbled and dropped the keys several times. By the time I finally opened the box, my hands trembled so badly I had to stop and take a few breaths. Now, I truly felt criminal. The walls close in on me, mocking my weakness.

No—I can do this.

Breathe deep, count to ten.

I regained my composure, and stuffed a large wad of cash into the purse.
I’ll bribe David for the knife. There must be at least a hundred grand here. That’s David’s weakness.

Unsure which keys went with what cars, I simply took a set. It would be easy to figure out which car it went to since they were all newer with keyless entry buttons.

Slipping on a pair of sunglasses, I tucked my hair up into a black ball cap, and re-slung the purse over my shoulder. Feeling the passage of time ticking in my head, I walked out into the expansive garage.

Out of the four cars in the garage, the keys I’d
grabbed fit a small black Mercedes SUV.
This car will blend in, no problem.
New car smell permeated the air and I inhaled, settling my nerves
.
I pulled out of the garage as the sun was setting. The time difference would give me a few more hours of night.

Briefly, I stopped in the driveway and checked my reflection in the mirror.
Do I look recognizable?
I turned my head from side to side, then pulled a few long locks of hair down from the cap to cover the receptors down the side of my neck. Although I’d concealed them with makeup, they had texture and stood out from my skin. No one would notice unless they got too close, and I didn’t plan on that.

I rolled the windows down and cranked the radio up, singing along with whatever came on, even if I didn’t know the lyrics. It helped to settle my nerves and build my courage.
It was a clear night and the fresh scent of the ocean wafted through the car windows, reminding me of home.

My anxiety turned into an inappropriate giddiness. For a second, I simply enjoyed the moment.
Scared and nervous as hell, an adrenaline rush ran through my veins.

I feel so free
.

When I got to David’s house, he wasn’t home.
He’s probably at work. I might as well re-check the house.

As I approached and searched the planters, I remembered Roman was the last one to have the spare key.
Damn.

Doesn’t matter
, I’ll head to the hospital.

I made it to Stanford with no problems and pulled into the parking lot at the hospital,
easily finding David’s car.

So far, so good.

In the hospital, I headed to the cardiology wing. With my head down and sunglasses on tight, I turned up the collar of my leather jacket.

While passing the nurses’ station, I hear
d, “Excuse me, can I help you?”

Startled,
I turned, “Yes, can you tell me if Dr. David Sohon is still in surgery?”

“Let me check,” said the young nurse with long
blonde hair. “He got out of surgery about ten minutes ago. Can I page him for you?”

“
No, no, I’ll just try him on his cell again.” I snuck down the hallway toward David’s office, slowing my pace, afraid the next person rounding the corner would be him. My heart hammered in my chest, betraying my seemingly calm outward demeanor. Panic rose into my throat. The sterile smell of the hospital mixed with the scent of death and decay causing me to gag.
Calm down. I can do this.

S
lowly, I strode by his door and tried to look in through the frosted glass bordering the door. The lights were off.
Search his office.
Nonchalantly, I turned around further down the hall and returned to his door.
It’s the only place I can think of where he would hide Roman’s knife outside the house.

The knob was cold as I
closed my hand around it and turned, opening the door.
Thank goodness, he left it unlocked.
Inside, I leaned back against the door and let my breath out.

Now what?

Familiarity brought an onslaught of memories. I helped him decorate this office during his first week here. In fact, I’d bought him the motivational poster. Now, it screamed at me, reflecting back my naivety. Time I’d wasted on someone who didn’t return my devotion.

At his desk, I pulled open and searched all the drawers. The bottom drawer on the left
was locked and I kicked it in frustration.
Of course.

The sound of v
oices at the door sent a surge of panic through my body. I looked around, but there was nowhere to hide.

Crap, what do I do?

As the door opened, I froze. David stood silhouetted before flipping on the lights. When he saw me, for a moment, he looked startled, but quickly recovered his composure as his face darkened and his mouth slowly turned into a crooked smile. He closed and locked the door behind him.

“Well, well,” he said, walking over to
me. “I’ve been expecting you.”

Expecting me?
What?
My eyes darted to the door and back to him. “What do you mean?” My pulse skyrocketed.

“You left something behind last time you were at my place and I’ve seen your gorilla boyfriend following me. It must be valuable to him,” he said, calm and in control. “I figured you’d be back to retrieve it.”
David sat on the desk and attempted to grab my hand and pull me to him as I backed up against the window. I easily twisted my arm out of his grasp.

“Where is it?” I asked, suspicious of his change in behavior.

“It’s good to see you, Anna.” Ignoring my question, he reached out again and grabbed ahold of my arm, digging his finger into a sensitive spot near my elbow.

In pain, I rotated it again, trying to free myself, but now unable to do so.
With a death grip on my arm, he managed to pull me into him. “You have good timing, I just finished my shift. I was going to go out and grab some dinner—why don’t you join me?”

Yielding to
his anger-driven strength, I squirmed and then spat, “You’ve got to be kidding. No way in hell will I ever go anywhere with you.” I barely controlled the rage welling up inside of me. Again, this far away from the Connective, I lost the link to the group euphoria.

“You should be nicer if you want your knife back,” he
taunted, the arrogance in his voice infuriating me.

“
Give it to me and I’ll go.”

“Go where? Wh
ere are you living these days?”

“It’s none of your business
.” Finally able to free my arm from his grip, I started to snake around the desk, when he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back. “Let me go David.” I pushed at him, keeping my voice low. “Or I’ll scream.” The feel of his hands sent me reeling back into all the bad memories. Part of me became paralyzed at his touch. Maybe the knife wasn’t worth it.

No, I have to get it back. I can do this.

David’s eyes slid to the door. “I won’t hurt you, I’ve missed you.” Too tender for the David I’d grown to know. Always charming in the beginning of our relationship, I knew his dark side too well now to fall for the charade.

Unexpectedly, he
grabbed my face and kissed me hard.

I pulled back
intending to slap him when he grabbed my hand midair.

“Come on, go get dinner with me, and we’ll talk. Then I’ll take you to your knife, if you want it that bad. Be a good girl, cooperate,
and you will get what you want.” A malevolent glint in his eyes belied his pretty words.

“
You swear?” A cold shiver crept up my spine.
What other choice do I have?
Maybe he’ll give it back to me, then this will all be over with, and I can move on with a clean slate.

How many times have I fallen for
his manipulation in the past?

What other choice do I have if I want to get the knife back?

“Of course, honey,” he said. “It’s only a silly little knife. I believe you really came back for me.”

N
ot in a million years, honey.

Play along and maybe this will go better.

“Okay, let’s go talk,” I muttered, swallowing my emotions, my rage.
Play his game, but know he is up to something.

Do not ever trust him.

I can do this—I’m a pro at his game now.

“Let me grab a few things
, close up my office, and we can leave,” he said, turning to open a small wooden locker made to blend with the wall. David arrogantly undressed and stood there naked, as if we were still a couple who changed in front of each other all the time.

I
averted my eyes.

He
watched me keenly as he changed, apparently wanting to see my reaction, to see if I snuck a glance. It would only inflate his ego if I did.

What
I wanted was for him to be scared of me.
Damn it, he should be scared, I can hurt him now. I’m stronger, aren’t I?
I was, physically, but now my emotions were growing weak.

H
e turned off his computer and grabbed his suit coat. Taking my hand, he led me out of the door and locked it behind us.

A
s we walked out, passing the nurse’s station, he kissed the back of my hand as he waved to the nurses sitting behind the counter.

Putting on a show, David?

When we were
past them, he gripped my arm by the same tender spot on the elbow, digging his fingers in so hard it hurt, and led me to his car.

“Will you ease up? That hurts.” I tried to wiggle out of his grip. “I’ll follow you in my car to wherever it is you want to go.”

“No, I’ll drive,” he insisted.

I have a bad feeling about this.
The same old feeling of being out of control grabbed me around my heart and squeezed. Hating it, my hands started shaking as I felt myself falling into an old pattern of compliance.

How can he still do this to me?

David opened the passenger door and I slid into the front seat of his silver BMW. I put the purse in my lap and touched the outline of the daggers through the leather.
I’ll use them if I have to.

I can do this. Take back control.

“Where are we going to eat?” I plastered a fake smile across my face.

“
Someplace special,” he said coldly, as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, remaining stoic as he drove down Highway 101 in the direction of Mountain View. Exiting the highway, he headed toward a suburb.

“
Are there restaurants this way? It looks residential,” I said, warning lights flashing in my mind.

“I thought we’d stop by the house and I can change,” he
informed me with no expression on his face.

“What house?”

Remaining silent, he drove with his lips tight and his eyes vacant.

Oh, now I get
it, that was all for show. His colleagues had been there, so he wouldn’t want anyone to see me. They all think I’m dead
.
Man, he’s smooth, and with my sunglasses on and hat pulled tight, no one would’ve recognized me unless I’d caused a scene.

How can I be so stupid?

Darn it girl, when will you ever learn?

David
pulled into a circular driveway, leading up to a large house. Whoever lived here was rich because this house was enormous.

“Who lives here?”