by Theresa Jane
The cameras flashed brightly, blinding me in the New York night. I had seen the crowds of people from the other side of the glass doors, but nothing could have prepared me for the frenzy they would erupt into when Liam and I finally made it across the threshold and out into the cold New York night.
The first flecks of snow had started to fall and my nose was already numb. Liam had me pressed tightly to his side, with Daryl and Martin coming up close behind. Two other men were in front and ensured the crowd never blocked our path. The masses seemed unfazed by the freezing temperatures. Not even the late hour had deterred them from making the trek out to the airport just to catch a glimpse of their beloved rocker boy.
After several minutes, we finally reached the waiting car and were ushered inside by our black suit escort, the door closing heavily behind us. The noise dropped to a low rumble despite the intensity of the crowd increasing.
I glanced back out through the tinted window to see airport security trying to keep the crowds at bay as our car sped away. I felt Liam slide across the seat of our extravagant limo, and instantly my attention was drawn to him.
“Was the limo really necessary?” I frowned, watching as he poured amber liquid into one of the glasses that sat beside the small television screen.
“Yes,” he answered tiredly, throwing back his drink. “It was essential.”
“Liam,” I started, but watching him from across the limo, I knew my worries were worthless. Not for the first time, I found myself repeating Harri’s words. I needed to remind myself that this was part of him. This was part of his world.
So, instead, I turned and watched the lights as they flashed past the limo windows, trying to ignore the all-too-familiar silence that continued to stretch between us and the clink of Liam’s glass as he poured himself another drink.
* * *
Thankfully, when we arrived at Liam’s apartment, there were only a few committed reporters staking it out to get one last shot of the rock star. They were easily dispersed with a few words from Daryl and Martin before we were finally free to hurry inside and out of the now heavy snowfall. It appeared New York was in for a white Christmas, with only two more days before the main event.
The elevator ride was silent, much like the limo ride. Liam leaned on one side of the elevator while I stood a few steps away, acutely aware of the distance growing between us.
I looked up to speak to him only to find his face lit by the glow of his phone, a scowl etched on his face.
He said nothing as the doors to the elevator opened but still reached for my hand as we entered the apartment. With that one small gesture, I was his again, but I couldn’t help the anger well inside myself at being so easy.
Walking through the living room, it was surreal to be back in the place we had left only weeks before. Nothing had changed, and yet I felt as if the whole world had rotated the wrong way.
Suddenly, Liam’s hand fell from mine, and I watched as his feet led him across the room to fill another glass.
I opened my mouth to say something but instead slammed it shut. He could do what he wanted. I was tired of trying to fix other people’s messes.
I muttered something about being tired and headed for my room, closing the door quietly behind me and letting out a long breath.
Feeling tired and dirty from the plane trip, I headed straight for a shower to wash everything away, hoping maybe I could wash the last two weeks away, only to concede that there were good parts too. Memories I didn’t want to forget.
* * *
As soon as I stepped out of the shower, I felt my heart leap from my chest, dread taking its place.
Music pulsed through the walls of my room as I threw on the first thing I could find. Anger fueled each of my movements until my room resembled that of a war zone.
Once I was dressed, I left my room and easily navigated the sudden party that had grown in Liam’s apartment until I reached the main living room.
Glancing around, I quickly located a blond mess of hair surrounded by guys as they listened to some story he was telling them. Thankfully, there were no women around him, but it didn’t stop the anger from swelling inside of me.
Being jostled by some of the people dancing in the middle of the room, I quickly moved to the doorway of the apartment. I wasn’t willing to spend another night hidden in my room, waiting anxiously for Liam’s guests to leave.
Slamming the button for the elevator button, I waited impatiently for it to reach me. When it finally did, a stream of party guests stumbled out, obviously already a bit tipsy. None of them spared me a second glance as I disappeared inside the elevator and slammed the button for the lobby.
I bounced impatiently on the balls of my feet, grateful that it made no stops on the journey down.
When the doors finally opened in the lobby, I darted out, only to slam into another body. I stumbled back, an apology on the tip of my tongue until I realized who it was.
“Did he kick you out already?” he smirked, his dark eyes dancing with amusement.
“Jebediah,” I hissed back at him, my skin rippling with discomfort.
“Where are you heading? Can’t imagine your boyfriend would want you out in the city at this time of night,” he mused as I heard the doors to the elevator close behind me. “Although he has been very distracted recently. Almost back to his old self, I’d say.”
“You must be so proud,” I sneered, trying to step around him, but he quickly blocked my path.
“It was tricky at first, after the last party he had here, but I managed,” he shrugged. “It was only a matter of time before he got tired of you.”
“Goodbye, Jebediah,” I spat, pushing past him.
“Careful Freya, wouldn’t want you to get into any trouble. The city is dangerous at night. Never know who could be lurking around the corner,” he warned, and I couldn’t fight the temptation to look back and see his smug expression.
He held his phone in one hand and was tapping away as an unsettling feeling passed through me. I was about to shoot back a retort when he disappeared inside the waiting elevator and I was left alone in the bright lobby.
Despite the unsettling feeling from my run-in with Jebediah, his presence only acted as motivation to get myself as far away from Liam’s apartment as possible.
* * *
Once I had walked a few blocks, I realized I couldn’t wander the city streets all night. Despite all Jebediah's shortcomings, he was right. It wasn’t safe for me to be out here, alone. Not to mention the thick fall of snow which had already started to soak through my coat.
Pulling my phone out as I turned the corner down another street, I saw that I had several more messages from my brother. He probably heard the news that I was back in the city and wanted to try and talk with me again. Now, seeing very limited options in front of me, his couch was looking like a pretty good place to crash.
I hadn’t ventured too far from Liam’s apartment, doing laps mostly. Sighing in defeat, I pulled up my brother’s number and was about to dial when I heard hurried footsteps behind me. Instantly, my heart sank and my head snapped back to find an empty street.
My heart was already racing and my chest was uncomfortably tight as I scanned the street. I looked frantically for anything suspicious, but there was nothing. Not even footsteps in the thin layer of snow.
Calming my breathing and convincing myself it was just paranoia, I turned back to the direction I was headed and made to dial Mase's number again.
Then I heard it again and when I turned back, this time, I caught the leg of someone disappearing down one of the alleyways I had just passed. Feeling myself begin to tremble, I quickly dialed Mason's number as I picked up my pace, moving rapidly down the street. I could still hear the footsteps behind me but I didn’t stop to look, even when I heard them start to speed up.
“Pick up, Mase,” I hissed at the still ringing phone, but it was late. He must have been in bed already.
“Hey there, sweetheart,” he purred before he spun me around to face him.
“You,” I gasped, remembering the face from under the baseball cap and the car in Amsterdam.
“You’re one hard woman to reach,” he smiled, causing my heart to flip-flop uncomfortably as my veins started to pump full of adrenaline. “That boyfriend of yours has kept you very well protected since Amsterdam.”
“How…how did you-”
“Find you?” He chuckled. “I always know where you are, Freya.”
“How?” I stuttered, my mind racing with all the times this man might have been watching me.
“The people who hired me keep me informed. They’re very interested in your boyfriend, but it seems he has become less interested in you.”
“Let go of me,” I hissed, trying to pull free of the hold he had on my shoulder. I didn’t even want to think about who might have hired him. I couldn’t think past the terror in my mind as my eyes grew impossibly wide.
“But you see Freya, you were meant to be gone by now,” he sneered, his face inches from mine. He was so close I could almost taste what he had eaten for dinner as his breath slithered across my skin. “Don’t you get it? You’re nothing but this month’s favorite flavor. Your precious rock star is probably finding your replacement right now.”
“You’re wrong,” I whispered, feeling a shard of ice stab through my heart. Doubt was a troublesome weed and once it started to take root in my mind, there was nothing I could do to pull it out. I would be lying if everything this man said wasn’t ringing true. Who knew what Liam was doing up in his apartment? I bet he didn’t even know that I was gone.
“He’s not yours, Freya," he taunted, his grip on my arm tightening.
“Why are you doing this?”
“You’re just collateral, sweetheart. A reminder,” he shrugged. Suddenly, his hand was on my throat, and a terrified gasp escaped my lips as I tried to pry it away. I vaguely heard something clatter to the ground, but it was a distant thought.
“A reminder of what?”
“Don’t worry, this’ll straighten everything out once and for all,” he promised as my feet lifted off the ground. With adrenaline pumping thickly through my veins, I clawed at his hand, trying to make a sound, trying to draw someone’s attention.
My lungs were burning as his dark eyes watched me struggle. His face was emotionless as he shifted his grip before applying more pressure. A yelp managed to escape and echoed off the walls of the alley before he could hold me again.
“Hey,” someone shouted. “Let her go.” I heard the guy holding me curse, his fingers becoming impossibly tighter as dark spots started to invade my vision. I heard hurried footsteps heading toward us before suddenly the pressure on my neck was gone.
I crumpled to the floor, scrapes and cuts burning across my skin. My body trembled in the puddling snow as I tried to breathe in icy air.
“Harri, call the police,” the man called, and I looked up to see a familiar figure slam a fist into my attacker’s face.
“Freya,” a woman’s voice gushed as I tried, again, to take a deep breath of air. Each one felt like several sharp knives sliding down my throat. “Hey Freya, are you alright?” they cooed.
Slowly, I turned my head to see Harri’s familiar eyes watching me. She knelt beside me, worry filling her face as she pressed a glowing phone to her ear. I sat beside her as she rubbed circles on my back in an attempt to calm me.
“It’s going to be okay,” she promised as I cast a glance at the two men scuffling beside us. I now recognized the man as Marc, her fiancé. He had both of the man’s hands held tightly behind his back, making certain he didn’t escape his hold, pinning him to the ground with a knee in the center of his back and his face buried in the dirty snow.
Still trying to calm myself, I vaguely heard Harri telling the police where we were before she turned her attention back to me.
“What were you doing out here, Freya?” she asked softly, pulling me closer to her side.
“I-I just wanted some air,” I stuttered, my voice hoarse from where the man had held me.
“Freya, it’s late. You shouldn’t be out alone.” She frowned, pulling me closer again. “Where’s Liam?”
“In the apartment,” I answered flatly, ignoring the confused look on Harri’s face.
“Is this the same man?”
“It’s always the same man,” I answered, wrapping my arms tightly around my knees and looking away. Harri was silent beside me as we waited for the police to arrive.
My heart finally started to slow, allowing me to notice a distant voice that sounded like it was calling my name. Confused, I looked around the alleyway and found my phone. The screen was lit and I pulled it over to find a call to Mase still going.
“Mason?” I asked doubtfully.
“Frey, what’s happening?” he shouted down the line. “Who was that man? Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”
“I-I…there was…” I couldn’t force my mind to focus as sirens approached. Two squad cars pulled up and men in uniforms climbed out, leaving their doors open as they hurried over to the scene. Blue and red lights flashed harshly on the walls of the buildings, illuminating the night in flashes.
“Thank god,” I heard Harri breathe beside me, getting to her feet and walking over to one of the men in uniform.
I watched the entire scene with unseeing eyes, Mason still calling down the phone for me.
“Dad’s looking for you, Freya,” his voice finally broke through, and I nearly dropped the phone again.
“What?”
“When I got the call and you didn’t answer, we got worried. He left to go and look for you,” he explained, but my attention was on the mouth of the alley, terrified I might see a familiar face.
My eyes scanned the now-gathering crowd as two of the officers tried to hold them back. One had sidled up to me and was trying to get answers, and another was with Marc placing the man in cuffs.
“Miss?” the officer asked again, but my eyes and all my thoughts were on the crowd. My heart was racing, my memories were surfacing, and as soon as I saw his dark eyes I felt the world start to spin.
His shouts rang out through the alleyway as the officers tried to hold him back. He was frantic, his movements dangerous, and I found myself shuffling over the grimy, wet floor until my back was pressed firmly against a cold brick wall.
He was struggling to break their hold, the rest of the crowd watching on in fear and curiosity until finally, he spoke the words that would grant him entry. The words that would allow him to get to me.
“She’s my daughter.”
Chapter 41: Explanations and Revelations
The station was abuzz with activity. The phones rang incessantly, voices mixing with their shrill cries over the hum of the fluorescent lights that bathed the room in artificial light. Desks were lined around the room, drowning in paperwork and stained with rings of coffee.
I sat beside one of those desks, unmoving. I had watched as they had brought in the man who had attacked me. I had watched as Marc moved with determination through the station. He entered the room they had led the man into and emerged an hour later, his face drawn and his anger undeniable.
I heard Harri leave countless messages with increasing agitation on Liam’s voicemail. I felt numb to his ignorance. I was strung out. My nerves had burned to the end of their limits. There was nothing left. I had nothing left.
What seemed like moments later, the station doors opened and a woman was being led in by two officers, her shouts of protest silencing everyone else in the room. Even the phones seemed to wait a beat in anticipation.
“You can’t prove anything,” she shouted, and when I caught a glimpse of her blonde hair, I felt my heart sink. What was she doing here? “I’ve done nothing wrong.
”
“What the hell is she doing here?” I heard Harri hiss. “I thought we were done with her.” However, I was distracted by the people who had entered after her.
“No,” I gasped, clasping my hands tightly in my lap as panic raced across my skin.
“Freya? Freya, what’s wrong?” Harri asked, trying to pry my hands apart and I looked down, realizing I had drawn blood.
“He’s here,” I whispered. I thought I had imagined it back in the alleyway, but there he was again.
“Who’s here? Liam?” Harri asked, glancing around the station with an angry look on her face.
“No, he’s…he’s my father,” I answered, his eyes finally resting on me when Mason pointed to me from across the room. I watched as an officer approached them, and I couldn’t help but pray that he would throw them out. However, they had the magic words that could get them through almost any barrier. I watched as they told the man that I was his daughter and immediately they were pointed in my direction.
Trembles ran through my body but otherwise, I remained frozen in my seat. I could feel Harri’s worried eyes on me, but mine were trained on his. I felt memories fighting to the surface of my mind, and suddenly the station started to slip away.
Black spots danced on the edges of my vision, and I watched as panic swept across Mason's face before he darted through the station. I felt detached as he crouched beside me, Harri turning to him with an angry expression on her face and telling him to back off. Mase told her to go away, pushing her aside, only making her more determined to get to me, to protect me.
“Freya, Freya," his voice finally broke through, and I blinked my eyes a few times to refocus.
“Mase,” I croaked, realizing he had grabbed my shoulders at some point and was squeezing them tightly to get my attention.
“Eyes on me, Freya, just focus on me,” he continued, his familiar words filling me with comfort. It was what he would always do after he first took me from our father’s home. I would suffer panic attacks whenever the memories became too vivid. He would force me to see him, to focus on him because he was real, my memories were in the past.