by Tia Siren
“So you decided to ask her again?” I asked. “Why?”
“Look, not that it’s any of your fucking business, but I owe some people some money. I needed some extra cash, fast. I figured Kate was the answer to all my problems. I just had to convince her to be an escort for me.”
“And?" I pushed. I looked around the ICU quickly, seeing that it was still empty.
“And she fucking said no, again. I think I got pissed off. Wasn’t paying attention. That’s how we got in the accident.”
"So what now? Why were you so insistent on seeing her when you woke up?"
He chuckled bitterly. "The amnesia, Doc. I figured if she didn’t remember anything about her past, I would have a much better chance of convincing her to work for me. Well, I was trying to tell her that she already worked for me as an escort. And that she owed me money for her apartment. And that we were dating, too.” He laughed again. “I may have been overreaching on that last one, but I figured, fuck it, why not give it a shot?”
“You really thought that would work?” I asked him.
“Who knows? Maybe. I didn’t know she had a pissed off doctor looking out for her. But like I said, I need money. I’d love to be all noble and shit, but these people I owe, they’re gonna do worse than break my arms if I don’t pay them back. So if I have to con Kate, I’m gonna do it. That’s the best angle I got right now.”
“She won’t believe you,” I said.
“Eh, she doesn’t know what to believe right now. And I can be real persuasive.”
It was odd, but I actually felt a sense of relief as the information sunk in. Some might call it bad news, but to me, it was the best news I had heard all day. As far as Danny was concerned, Kate was nothing to him. All he really wanted was money, and he would leave her and me alone.
"So, if your debt got paid, then you would leave her alone? Is that right?"
"Yeah, pretty much,” he said. “I don’t have anything against the girl. She’s actually kind of sweet. Which is why she was an easy target. But yeah, if my debt was gone, I could just get by with my regular girls. She will never hear from me again. And then you two can ride off into the sunset or wherever it is the two of you wanna go. Doesn't concern me in the least." His smile was repulsive and sleazy, and yet, it was the best thing I had seen all day.
“How much do you need?” I asked.
“It ain’t pocket change, Doc.”
“How much?” I asked.
“Twenty,” he said.
“Twenty thousand dollars?” I asked.
“No, twenty bucks. Of course, twenty thousand, numb nuts.”
"Consider it done," I said, getting to my feet. As I did, Danny let out an audible sigh of relief at me letting go of the morphine drip. I would never have turned it down. That was against the law and would see me in jail. But it still made a nice threat.
And besides, I was in too good a mood to think about anything like that. As I made my way to the break room, all I could think about was how happy I was that Danny was out of the picture. It would be tight, but I had just enough money in savings that I could give Danny the money, and that would see Danny gone from my life forever. And Kate’s life, too.
It might not be a cure all, but it was a start. Hopefully, once Kate heard what I had done, she might be more inclined to forgive me. If nothing else, I could dispel all the lies Danny had told her. I could put her mind at ease that she had never dated Danny, and that she had never been a prostitute. And, even if she didn't and still wanted nothing to do with me, I felt an odd sense of relief at knowing that I had helped set her on the right path.
It was another sign that I was in love with her. If she never spoke to me again, I could spend the rest of my life knowing that she was happy. As sad as that was for me, this was bigger than me. This was about her. I would do anything for Kate, even sacrifice my own happiness. Maybe I really had changed.
CHAPTER 16
KATE
By the time I had gotten home later that same night, my rage hadn't subsided one little bit. If anything, it had only grown. There was so much I was mad at, and I wasn't even sure that it had anything to do with Liam.
Sure, I was angry that he lied to me and didn't tell me right away that Danny was awake. But was that really what was getting to me?
As I fell back in my bed and really thought about it, I came to realize that it was my amnesia that had me so riled up. I was sick of feeling helpless. I had felt that way since I had first woken up, and it was a feeling that refused to go away. From not knowing my own damn name to having to be shown where I lived. From being approached on the street by strangers who knew me, right on through to having my own lover thinking he was better off lying to me.
Really, I shouldn't have been so harsh to Liam. He was only trying to protect me. Although the reason he thought that he had to was beyond me. I was so sick of people feeling sorry for me. I wasn’t a little girl.
I wasn't going to call Liam, though. I wasn't going to give in. He was still going to have to prove to me that he truly cared. I had a sneaking suspicion that him not telling me was also serving his own self-interests. Although again, I had no idea what those might be.
Even though it was early in the night, barely past eight, I was all but ready to crawl into bed and fall asleep. There was no need for me to be awake. There was nothing out there for me. Not that night. And I would have fallen asleep, too, were it not for the sudden knock on the door.
Whoever it was clearly wanted to see me. They hammered on the door like they were trying to knock it down, and if it wasn't for the fact that they might just have succeeded, considering how old the door was, then I would have left them. But as it was early and they were making enough noise to wake the entire building, I relented and skulked out of bed toward the door.
"Okay, Jesus,” I yelled as I made my way to the shaking door.
I assumed it was going to be Liam, and I mentally prepared myself for the confrontation that was sure to take place. But to my relief, it wasn't Liam. It was Liana, looking frazzled.
"There you are!" she screeched, storming into my apartment. "I've been calling you all night. Don't you check your phone?"
I instinctively reached for my pocket, only to notice that my cell wasn't there. "Sorry. It must be in my purse. I've been distracted."
I sighed as I closed the door and followed Liana into the kitchen.
"I'll say,” she said. “I heard that Danny woke up?"
"Yeah, he did,” I said. “Pretty crazy.” I paused and looked over at Liana. “Wait, how did you know that?"
“Wait, didn’t you talk to him?” Liana asked. “You know he’s our boss, right?”
I shook my head in frustration. “Goddamn, amnesia. Although, I guess I can’t blame the amnesia for this. He did tell me he owned the strip club. Maybe I was just trying to block out our whole conversation, considering what else he told me.”
"What else did he tell you?” she asked before turning around and throwing open the refrigerator door. "Do you have anything to drink?”
I made a disgusted sound. "He told me we were dating, which is just gross—”
Liana poked her head out from behind the refrigerator door. “Bullshit.”
“What?” I asked.
She closed the door and turned to face me. "You and Danny never dated,” she said, laughing. “He fucking wishes.”
I frowned. “But he said we were.”
Liana shook her head. “Well, that’s straight up bullshit. I mean, yeah, he’s been trying to get into your pants since you started working at the club, but you’ve shot him down every time.”
I let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank Christ. It didn’t feel right to me when he said it, but with my brain all wonky, I have no idea what’s true and what isn’t. Why did he lie to me, then?”
Liana shrugged. “He was probably just trying to take advantage of your current memory loss. Like if you thought he was your boyfriend, you might let him get a little actio
n.”
“Scumbag,” I said.
“You got that right,” she agreed. “What else did he tell you?”
“He said that I asked him to work for his escort service. Because I owed him money.”
“For what?” she asked, shocked.
I gestured around my apartment. “For this. He said he’s been paying my rent, and I needed a way to pay him back. And that’s why I was in the car with him that night because he was taking me to my first escort job.”
Liana whistled through her teeth. “I knew Danny was kind of a bastard, but I didn’t think he’d lie to you about shit like that.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “What do you know? Tell me I wasn’t about to be a prostitute.”
“Of course not,” Liana said. “And that son of a bitch wasn’t paying for your apartment, either.”
I groaned and held my head in my hands. “God, I hate this fucking amnesia shit. Nothing feels real anymore. I actually believed him.”
Liana came over and placed a supportive hand on my shoulder. “I know things suck right now, but they’ll get better. I mean, it could be worse. Everything he said could have been true.”
I laughed at that. “I didn’t want to believe it about myself. Any of it. But he seemed so goddamn sincere.”
“Yeah, he can be a charming dude when he wants something from you,” Liana said. “He’s been hounding you for a while. First, he wanted you to stop waiting tables and strip for him. When you said no to that, he’s been trying to recruit you to his escort service.”
“If I kept telling him no, why would he keep trying to convince me?”
“Well, it wasn’t a secret at the club that Danny had run up some serious debts with some serious people,” Liana said. “I’m pretty sure he thought pimping you out would get him the cash he needed to pay off the debt. Don’t let it bother you. It’s not a problem anymore. You’re off the hook.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I just talked to him. He told me to apologize to you. I didn’t know what he was talking about, but it makes sense now, after what you told me he said. But he also said his debts been paid off.”
“Oh, that was quick. I mean, he just tried to rope me into his bullshit this morning. What changed since then?”
"He told me he cut a deal with a doctor there. He gave him enough money to pay off the debt and then some. I tell you, Kate, you are one lucky birdy. Danny would have kept trying to pressure you into his slimy business. Now you don’t have to worry about it.”
I had trouble paying attention to anything she said after she mentioned the doctor that Danny cut a deal with. There was no way that it was Liam. Although, I couldn't imagine who else it might have been. If it was Liam, then that alone was probably cause to forgive him. But then again, I had to be sure.
"Liana, thanks for the visit, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to go. Feel free to stay here if you like."
"Going? Where are you going?"
"The hospital." And with that, I grabbed my purse and headed for the door, leaving Liana where she stood, watching me in total surprise.
--
The hospital was even worse during the night time than day time. The people that frequented the place seemed to be the very underbelly of society. Nothing about the place was appealing, and I couldn't believe that I was back there again. I swore to myself it would be the last time.
The first thing I did was approach the information desk and double check that Liam wasn't working. I wasn't there to see him, and I didn't want to risk bumping into him. Luckily, his shift had ended a few hours earlier, and he was most likely home. I felt a stab of guilt at that thought, wondering what he was going through. He probably thought that he would never see me again.
From there, I made my way through the busy hallways and to the ICU where Danny was still being kept. When he saw me approach, a creepy smile spread across his face. Seeing him, I couldn't believe the lies he’d told me, about having sex with him or about having sex with other people for money.
"Look who it is," he said in a very creepy manner. "Came to give your old boyfriend a goodbye kiss?"
"I came for some answers," I said. I didn't sit when I reached his bedside. Instead, I stood over him, trying my best to look intimidating.
"Answers? About what?"
"Well, you can start by telling me why you lied to me?”
He grinned. “Ah, you know about all that? I guess you talked to Liana?”
“What the hell, man?” I asked, fuming. “You said that we were lovers? And that I owed you money? And that I wanted to work as a whore for you?”
"Yeah,” he said slowly. He almost sounded embarrassed. Almost. “Look, like I told your boyfriend, it wasn’t personal. I was in a bind, and I figured you were my best option to get me out of this jam.”
“You would have taken advantage of me, just so you could make some money?”
He looked me dead in the eye. “I was desperate. I would have done anything to save my ass. That includes selling your ass to the highest bidder.”
“Ugh, I feel sick,” I said.
Danny leaned his head back against the bed. “Well, you’re in the right place for it. Anyway, it’s all good now. That handsome doctor came through and gave me everything I needed. So your tight little snatch is safe. Although, if you ever change your mind, give me a call.”
I ignored the disgusting words coming out of his mouth. There was only one thing I really wanted to know now. "Did he say anything else? The doctor?"
"Yeah, he told me to stay away from you. Not that I needed telling. You aren’t worth the damn trouble.”
I turned and walked away, leaving Danny behind. Hopefully for good. As I did, I felt my heart soar. Not only had Liam gotten me out of a very tight spot, but he had done it for what seemed like the most selfless of reasons. He hadn't come and bragged about it to me or held it over my head. Instead, he did it for me so that I might have a chance at getting my life back on track.
That elevated feeling that accompanied me as I left the hospital didn't last for very long, unfortunately. As I walked back to my place, I replayed the fight I had with Liam over in my head. Again and again. And each time that I did, I couldn't help but realize how terrible I had been. He had tried to apologize, and I had shoved it in his face. On top of that, I had all but told him that we were done. Or at least, I implied it.
Without even noticing, I suddenly found myself running. And not in the direction of my apartment. Thoughts of Liam, home alone as he wallowed in self-pity dominated my thoughts, and each time they did, I felt that stab of guilt drive itself through my gut.
I had to get to Liam's place as soon as I could. There was no time to waste. All I could do was hope that he would find it in his heart to forgive me. All I could do was hope that it wasn't too late.
CHAPTER 17
LIAM
I had never been a big drinker, but some nights just called for it.
Getting Danny out of debt was easy enough. Giving up a huge chunk of cash like that hurt, but I didn't care. I did it for Kate, and I would do it again.
Not that I would ever get the chance to help Kate out again. That was kind of why I was so deep in my current bottle of whiskey. After helping Danny out, the first thing I wanted to do was call Kate and tell her the good news. But I couldn't bring myself to do it.
I didn't want to sound like I had only done it so she would forgive me. It was so much more than that. I had done it so that Kate would have a chance to start fresh again. I needed to know that scummy assholes like Danny wouldn’t prey on her and try to take advantage of her.
After everything she’d been through, she deserved a real chance. So few people got that chance, and I wanted to be able to give her that. Even if I wasn't going to be a part of it.
I sat in my apartment, half a bottle of whiskey in front of me. The other half burned a hole in my stomach. I was sure that I wouldn't see Kate again. She had a new life to live, and my best gu
ess was that she wouldn't want me to be a part of it.
Hell, it wasn’t like I deserved a second chance with Kate. She’d been mine a year ago, and I threw her away like an idiot. And then she comes hurtling back into my life, and I screw everything up again. It would have been so easy to be honest with her about everything, our past, both good and bad, and how much I regretted what I had done. Instead, I fucking lied to her.
It made me feel like a real piece of shit. And that’s probably why I was so quick to pay off Danny and get him out of Kate’s life. He was lying to her, too. Admittedly, for much worse reasons than me. But maybe it was a way to atone for my own sins against Kate.
Maybe she would never find out what I did for her, but that didn’t matter, so long as I knew she was safe and happy.
It was because I was so lost in my head that I didn't hear the knocking at the door at first. For all I knew, it had been going on for several minutes before I finally lifted my head and listened. It was soft yet persistent, and I got the sense that it wasn't going to stop until I answered.
Letting off a groan, I pushed myself to my feet and stumbled toward the door. I guessed it to be Clint. I had told what had happened before I left the hospital, and he said he was going to come around and cheer me up the moment that he could. Even though I would rather be alone, it was still a warming thought that at least I had one stable relationship in my life.
I threw open the door, and for a moment, I assumed that the alcohol had hit me harder than usual. In fact, for a moment, I was certain of it. Standing in the door with a smile on her face was Kate.
"Kate?" I asked stupidly, squinting my eyes as if it were Clint and doing so might bring him back into focus.
"Can I come in?" she asked. Her voice was soft, with zero anger behind it. It was in stark contrast to how she had spoken to me earlier that day.
"Yeah, of course," I said, stepping to the side and letting her enter.
She walked into the apartment, her eyes gazing around the place. She was clearly a little bit put off by the grand nature of the place, at least in comparison to her apartment. Although it wasn't anything luxurious, it did have walls to separate the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, and living room. And I also had decorative hangings on the walls and rugs on the floor. Really, it was about as far from her place as an apartment could be.