Gross.
“Silas?” Jessica’s voice called from somewhere in my bedroom. I was sure of it. But I couldn’t figure out why it sounded like she was in a vacuum. “What’s wrong?!”
I could hear the panic in her voice. I opened my mouth to reassure her that I was fine. Unfortunately, the only thing that came out was more watery vomit.
Her hands were on my face.
“You’re burning up. Silas, this isn’t good.”
Yeah, I knew that.
I wanted to make some kind of comment that would make her at least half smile and ease the situation, but I couldn’t seem to open my mouth.
“I need to get you to a hospital,” she stated.
“No, we can’t. You’ve been kidnapped, remember. I have to keep you hidden for now. Until I can figure a way to fix all of this.”
“Silas, I don’t give a fuck. You need help. You could die.” It was easy to tell that the thought alone scared her.
I took a deep breath. It took all my energy to get to my feet. I held onto the edge of the counter for support as she wiped my face with a damp cloth.
“Can you get me some water, please?” I asked her.
She paused and met my reflection in the mirror. She knew something was up but didn’t say anything.
I had no clue why I couldn’t just do what I needed to in front of her. I guess, I just didn’t want to remind her of the connections I had and why I had them. The less she was reminded of my life, my job, the better. Maybe I was a little ashamed that I’d let her down with the paths I’d chosen. Even if she hadn’t come right out and said that, I could tell that she’d thought I would have done something better.
Though she would be around later to see everything. I just wasn’t thinking all of that right now.
“Sure.” She gave a nod and then left.
I shuffled across my room and slid open the top drawer of my dresser.
Not long after that, I was making a call on the new burner phone I’d pulled out.
“Yeah,” Dalton’s gruff voice barked after the third ring.
“It’s me,” I sighed out.
“Took you long enough.”
“Shit went sideways,” I told him trying to sound normal.
“I told you not to trust Hayes.”
“Actually, it didn’t really have to do with him. There were… surprises and complications.”
That was an understatement.
“Well, you’re calling me, so I guess you made it out alive.”
I let out a low chuckle.
“Just barely,” I told him. “But, yeah.”
“How bad?”
“A few scrapes, a couple of gunshot wounds, and I might have gone over a balcony and almost plummeted to my death. You know, nothing too bad.”
