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“Layla, you’re embarrassing me,” Gabe says with gritted teeth, although still manages to smile for the cameras as he urges me to move, grabbing my waist a little harder than appropriate.
I slap his hand away and turn away from him. “Give me a second.”
“Did you get the present I left on your pillow?” the mystery voice asks.
My lips part. “I got it.” I remember every moment of that dream, too.
“So why were you just about to fuck someone else?”
Jesus.
Gabe snaps, “Layla…Come over here. Now.” Gabe looks feral as I bow my head to better hear the voice, the crowd watching me.
I ignore him like his life depends on it…because it does.
The Archer continues, “I’m going to count to three, then I’m going to blow his brains out, baby.” My eyes shift to Gabe, an icy dread prickling my skin. The small red dot dances erratically between his eyes.
“One…two—”
“Wait!” I cut him off before he can finish his sentence. “Don’t do it. Please stop.”
A terrifying pause as the red dot swirls in a playful circle on Gabe’s face, who is oblivious to the fact he’s a moving target. “I’m listening.”
I grip the phone tighter as a cool breeze blows against my face. “What do you want me to do? I’ll do anything.”
His voice is crystal clear now. “You need to dig deep inside that pretty head of yours and remember who I am, baby.”
The line goes dead, and my world falls silent as my breath catches. Then, seconds later, something whizzes past my ear, hitting a light fixture between Gabe and me and shattering it in a shower of glass. I stand in stunned silence as Gabe and I stare at the glittering debris at our feet. I’m the only one here who truly grasps what just happened, and it takes everyone else a moment before chaos breaks loose. While people scream and dive out of the area, the pill Gabe gave hit me hard, and my legs buckle beneath me.
Chapter 5
The next morning, I stumble into Regina’s office and flop on the couch, hiding under an oversized hoodie with my hair pulled up in a messy bun. My head is pounding, and my palms are sweaty despite showering before I got here.
Whatever Gabe gave me didn’t mix well with the other drugs Regina prescribed, and my head is paying the price.
Large bags hover under my eyes…I spent the entire night at the hospital, where the police showed up asking questions I can’t answer. Their initial investigation came up empty. They couldn’t locate a bullet at all. The only evidence is a shattered glass that spooked everyone on site, especially the onlookers who witnessed my wild behavior. When I collapsed, everyone assumed the worst.
I said absolutely nothing about the red dot and nothing about the Archer. The police checked my phone, but the messages and any trace of the phone call were gone. I’m aware how crazy I look, but the Archer is out there, and he’s coming for me. I heard his voice clear as day. My memories are real even if I’ve spent the better part of three months convincing myself otherwise. For whatever reason, I’m protecting him.
Regina sits in her usual seat, looking demure as always, and presses her glasses up her nose before she pulls me into a deep hug. “Are you okay?”
I almost had my brains blown out, and no one believed me. The whiz of a bullet is a sound I will never forget. Of course I’m not okay. “Yeah, I think so,” I mutter.
My body, however, is still shaky, and I can’t seem to take a normal breath without my lungs hurting. Beth sent a car this morning as soon as I got home for an emergency evaluation. She also wants someone to watch me day and night so police will be stationed outside of my apartment for the foreseeable future. She’s not worried about a shooter but wants eyes on me. It’s not about my safety, but control.
A numbness overtakes my entire body as I take a sip of hot tea, as the rain patters against the window and the fog rolls over the water. Eventually, I shift my attention to Regina who is studying me as carefully as I study the rain. “I need to remember what happened to me in the bunker. It wasn’t Toby Myers who did this to me.”
Regina flattens her lips. “We can’t jump to that conclusion yet. It could have been anyone for various reasons. Let the police do their job and figure this out, and I will do mine. Let’s work together to unravel that mind of yours, okay?”
The Archer’s aim was impeccable. He knew exactly where I was going to be and when I was going to be there. He knows everything about me, including my childhood nickname. I wipe away the tears starting to trickle out of my eyes. Somehow in the last few days I’ve woken up to a living nightmare. “Okay,” I choke out.
As soon as I’m done, I plan to call Sarah Crawley. I’m praying she still pings me the spot where she wants to meet. I tried calling her earlier, but she didn’t answer.
I pull off my sweater, run my hand through my damp hair, and lie down. “Something’s happening to me. I’m losing my mind, Regina.”
She crosses her legs. “You believe that someone shot at you. That was your reality. The light shattered. That’s also a fact, and that could happen for various reasons. Mainly the leak in the tent, causing moisture to the bulb and temperature swings.” She straightens her back. “Now, I need you to be completely honest with me.”
“Of course. Always.” If she thinks I’m slipping, it will be over for me, all the progress I’ve made, and I’ll revert to what I was when I was rescued.
