Fear.

Utter, naked panic paralyzed my senses.

I remained unmoving. My heart stopping, lungs ceasing. I watched in horror as the tip of the boots turned towards me and started walking ahead. I shuddered. I was scared I would pass out from the panic. I was terrified of moving to try and get to the gun, afraid that he would sense my movement. 

The steps stopped suddenly as the night air was pierced with loud music. I held my breath as a car whizzed past at heavy speed, loud music blaring from it. The music got louder and louder, making the very earth vibrate.

The car seemed to stop right on the road where the goons had parked theirs. I heard the man curse softly as his feet turned and he walked away. I stared at the receding feet, my body in a state of shut down. I wasn't sure if whoever had arrived was a friend or a foe. I decided to wait for confirmation before breathing.

 I remained in my stance, unmoving. The maniacally loud sound of the blaring music would drown out any footsteps and I had no way of knowing how many people were there.

After a while, I saw a pair of vaguely familiar shoes rushing towards me through the thicket of the trees. My heart leapt when the familiar face of Caleb appeared in my hazy vision. I realized he had been the blind contact and was thankful that he had had the brains to track me.

"Shit, Xav," I almost sobbed in relief when he crouched in front of me and started untying my hands. The moment they were lose enough, I slid my arms out, my wrists sore. I rubbed them together, wincing in pain. I grimaced in agony as he moved to my feet and removed the bonds tying them together. He gazed at me, his eyes wide. "I tracked you. What...what the fuck happened?"

I didn't speak. I couldn't speak. In all honestly, I was still a little wary of him after that day's incident. However, I wasn't going to bring it up now when he had saved my life.

"You're bleeding," he observed, his eyes studying me. He gently held my arm and pulled me to my feet. "Come on. Let's get you patched up."

He half dragged me along the soil and put me in the passenger seat, securing the seatbelt around me. He got into the car and muted the music as we started moving. I rested my head against the window, shivering from the aftershocks.

My nostrils inhaled the nauseous, rusty smell of my own blood. I shut my eyes and shuddered. I didn't know why, but in my lowest times, when I just wanted to hide under the earth, I had always wanted Gray. I wanted him close to me. His comforting arms around me. Somehow, he always made me better. Somehow, he always kept me safe.

We parked in the familiar parking lot of the Northern Heart Hospital and he supported my body weight on his shoulder as we slowly started making our way inside. My vision was fading in and out of black, almost ready to embrace oblivion. I was in half stupor when I finally lay down on an uncomfortable bed, letting myself fall into the blessed numbness.

                                                                                 *

I wasn't aware of time after that.

I opened my eyes to the white, unfamiliar ceiling of the hospital in what I expected was the general ward. My eyelids seemed heavy, my head throbbing and my body sore. I almost flinched when a nurse called way too loudly. "Ah! You're awake!"

I remained quiet as the motherly nurse went over my vitals. I was glad to see that despite my condition, I remained in my original clothes. I needed to get out of there as soon as possible. In all honestly, I didn't know what to do. Reznick was still after me, but I didn't have any conclusive proof. Nor did I have any support.

My heart stopped in my chest as my senses returned. Gray's gun.

Adrenaline rushed through me, turning to sheer panic when I felt my empty pocket. I couldn't remember what had happened. There were a couple of possibilities. I could have dropped it during or after the assault or the doctors could have taken it. I cursed under my breath, feeling suddenly even more vulnerable than before. Like the last visage of him had been stripped away from me. 

"Xavier," I glanced at the doorway where Caleb was standing, his eyes concerned. He slowly walked over to me as the nurse left us. He sighed, studying my face. "What happened there, Xav?"

I shook my head. "I...don't know...these men...they...I guess they followed me."

"From the cafe itself?"

The air solidified.

I stared at him, unseeing. My brain whirring. "How...how did you know...I was in a cafe?"

He was quiet, his eyes cold. It looked like his slip of the tongue had been intentional. I hadn't told anyone I was going to see Michael, much less that I was going to Dorothy's. He gazed at me intently and a chill of pure terror ran down my spine. 

Who was he?

He leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. "I really like you, Xavier," he sighed, sounding sincerely regretful. "I don't want to hurt you."

Something about the way he spoke made my spine tingle. "Forget about what happened. Forget about the account documents. Keep your mouth shut, or you'll regret it."

My blood ran cold, my heart stopped. He rose to his feet, his jaw clenched. "Your roommate is in the hospital as well by the way. Might wanna stop by him."

He turned and walked away, leaving me terrified to my core. The way he had looked, the way he had spoken. He was suddenly a stranger. I got to my feet, staggering slightly and made my way out. I went to the attached bathroom and washed my face.

I studied my reflection and cursed under my breath. My skin looked pale, ghostly. I removed my t-shirt and studied the cuts and abrasions on my skin. Most of which had been bandaged up. However, the stinging pain was annoying, if nothing else. 

Caleb was involved in something shady. He didn't want me to know about it and Reznick was still after my life. He was a billionaire and had infinite resources.

How long till one of his strikes hits the target?

I walked out of the bathroom and talked to the nurse tending to a little boy's broken leg. She pointed me vaguely down the corridor and I slowly started making my way through the hallway. I wasn't sure if I should ask the hospital authorities to return my gun.

After Caleb's dire warning, a part of me wondered if he had taken it. A shiver ran down my back at the thought. The urge to run back to Gray was stronger than ever, but I was done cowering behind him.

A masochistic part of me was happy at the prospect. Maybe I would get hurt. Maybe he would return to me. My inner thoughts sickened me.

I went toward the counter and asked for Jeremiah. He was in a post-operation ward on the ground floor. I couldn't understand what had happened for him to suddenly end up at the hospital. I reached the ward and could see him lying on his back on the bed, staring in front, looking bored. 

"Easton!"

He gave me a brilliant smile when he saw me. My heart stopped in my throat. He had saline drips on his wrists and his dark eyes were devoid of their usual twinkle. His eyes widened when I walked closer and he realized how awful I looked. "Man, what the fu-"

"Got into a brawl," I shook my head. It wasn't a complete lie. I pulled a stool from near the wall and sat on it, gazing at him. "What...what the hell happened?"

He sighed and lifted his t-shirt. My heart seized when I saw a massive, blood-stained bandaged on his waist, covering most of his abdomen. He shook his head. "Fucking kidney stone. Things got complicated and they had to operate."

My breath caught in my throat. "That's...a  massive cut."

He sighed. "The stone got really big, it was blocking my systems."

My throat closed up, my lungs constricting. He looked weak. The syringes stuck in his arm reminded me inadvertently of my mother and for a second the hospital disappeared again in a blur of colours and sounds. I had to pull myself back into the present. "Why...why didn't you tell me?"

He sighed. "You...were already pretty messed up, Xav."

I felt a pang of guilt. My stomach filled with dread. "I...I would still have wanted to know, Jem. I didn't realize it got so bad," I shook my head, my heart falling to my navel. "I'm sorry, I should've  been there."

He opened his mouth as if to say something before Caleb's voice called. "Glad to see you're awake, Jem."

I shut bit my lip, turning my gaze away from him as he came and stood beside me. "How do you feel, man?"

Jeremiah sighed. "Bored as fuck."

Caleb laughed and gently patted his hand. "Well, you'll soon be discharged I expect. I'll-" I could feel his gazed on me before he spoke, "-let you guys catch up then."

I waited till his footsteps receded and after making a split-second decision, I got to my feet. I told Jeremiah I'd be back soon and started to follow him. My senses were tingling.

Something about the entire situation was extremely wrong, and I was going to find out what. I was also going to ask him for the gun. I didn't care how much he threatened me, he couldn't bully me into giving it up.

I tailed him from a safe distance away. He talked to a few doctors and nurses, all of them had a serious expression on their faces. He walked over to the elevator and stepped into it. I hid behind the corner of the wall, not daring to peek around.

When I heard the doors closing, I quickly ran over to it and stared at the monitor as it travelled lower and lower, stopping at the first basement just above the parking. The display remained at the first basement and I waited for a few minutes before calling it back up. I entered into the elevator, my heart hammering in my chest.

The first basement was a long, tiled hallway with dim lights hanging overhead and painting the corridor in an eerie whitish glow. I walked slowly along the tiled floor, my eyes searching for Caleb. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Something was gravely wrong. 

On either side of the hallway were shut doors with tiny fogged glass set in the centre. I had no way of finding out Caleb's location by vision. It would have to sound. I almost gagged as a putrid smell in the hallway strengthened so much that I wondered if I was in the morgue. My blood ran cold with fear, nothing about the situation was coherent to me. 

The temperature dropped as I walked deeper into the hallway, almost freezing. Like I was in some kind of cold storage. I took a shuddering breath and spotted a large door at the end of the hallway. My breath was visible in smoke as I tried to steady my self.

I gazed around the deserted area and quickened my pace, trying to move as silently as possible. A large door, off white under the ethereal glow, stood ajar. I walked closer, straining my ears to hear familiar voices. The voices were muffled, I couldn't make sense of them and took a shuddering breath, trying to calm myself as I moved near the door and strained to listen to the words. It was impossible. Whoever it was, was talking in really low voices.

Were. I could distinguish two distinct voices.

I heard loud sounds of what seemed like doors and drawers opening and shutting. I couldn't for the life of me, understand what was going on. I heard footsteps speeding up and panic caught hold of me. I couldn't be seen under any circumstances. I turned to leave and bumped into a large, muscular someone.

"Why do you do this to yourself, Xavier?"

My breath caught as I gazed into the suddenly murderous eyes of Caleb Kingsley

"I...I was lo-"

Before I could finish my sentence, he had grabbed my shirt and pulled me over to the dark hallway on the side of the door. He banged me hard against the wall, knocking the breath out of me. His cold eyes bore into me. "Are you a fucking idiot?"

I spluttered, trying to get his hand off me. "I...sw-"

Momentarily, he released my collar and I took in a lungful of breath, my head dizzy from the sudden stack. Before I could do anything though, pain shot up my body, the air rushing out of my lungs a second time as he threw me roughly on the ground. I lay on my front, tasting blood as my jaw collided with the tiled floor.

He climbed on top of me, holding me in place and grabbing a fistful of my hair. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of yelling, and I was too bewildered to react anyway. He pulled my head back and growled in my ear, sending shivers through me. "I told you to fucking stay out of here. You don't realize how fucking lucky you are that I like you."

He banged my head on the floor as pain bolted down my skull, paralyzing my body. I saw stars, the smell and taste of my own blood making my still sore body burn in pain. "You're way too much trouble, Sugar Baby."

Vertigo. 

My vision fade to black.

"Who...who the fuck...are you?"

"You're not in a position to ask questions, Harber."

He turned me around so I was on my back, his fierce eyes trained on me, his mouth a thin line. He spoke in a deranged voice.

"Don't-" he punched my stomach hard as I let out a whimper. Before I had the time to react, he landed another blow on my face. "Make," I was heaving, my vision darkening. "Me" he punched my stomach again, the force almost knocking me unconscious.

He straightened up, placing his knee between my chest as he glared down at me. He pressed down on my ribs, his hands holding mine effortlessly. Caleb was much stronger than I gave him credit for. And far more insane. 

"Fuck...stop...can't...breathe-"

The pressure on my lungs was released suddenly and they expanded desperately. I curled on the floor, my entire body shuddering. My brain had reached a lockdown and refused to function.

He pulled me roughly to my feet, his eyes burning into mine. "This isn't a case for a glorified man whore, Xavier. Get the fuck away from here. And stay out of my way if you want to keep alive."

He pushed me roughly towards the empty hallway. I staggered, leaning over the wall to try and steady myself. I coughed and spluttered, my head was spinning from the brutal assault. What the fuck had just happened? Caleb Kingsley knew who I was. But who was he?

He crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared at me. "I'll kill you if you don't leave  in ten seconds, Xavier."

I gazed at him, trying to find in his eyes any visage of the Caleb I had known. I watched in horror as he reached for his pocket, fishing out Gray's familiar gun from his jacket. "It would be oddly romantic to be shot by this, wouldn't it?"

He pointed the gun at me as I finally sprang into action. I stared, horror-struck into his eyes, unable to believe what I was seeing. I wasn't sure if he would actually shoot me, but he knew too much about me and I had no way of knowing exactly how manic he was.

There was no way I could take him. His brute strength was way too much for me to handle on my own. He was armed, my body still ached from two consecutive assaults and a harassed brain. I staggered towards the end of the hallway, begging and pleading for my anguished body to move faster. I reached the elevator door and turned around, fear ravaging my heart. The door was shut again, Caleb no longer in sight.

I wondered if I was in a nightmare.

I entered the elevator and collapsed onto the floor, my lungs heaving, my body shuddering. I could taste blood in my mouth, my head painful from where he had hit it. My body felt sore and pushed to its very limits. Every inch of me was aching. 

Between Reznick and Caleb Kingsley, the odds of me surviving on my own seemed very low.