AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Listen, Kassandra. You’re not yourself. Go home. Take the rest of the day off and don’t come back tomorrow. I’m mandating that you take some vacation time and figure out some things before you return on Monday,” she said, and I knew better than to refuse.
I nodded. I must have looked dejected or something because her face drew tight with concern.
“It’s not a punishment. You’re just not yourself. You look strung out, to be honest and if I had the funds to pay for it, I’d send you to a spa for the weekend. Just go home, get some sleep, and come back fresh next week. I’ll put you to work on profiling someone else, without connections to Antonio. Whatever he did to you, you’re different. You’re one of my most valuable agents, Kassandra, and I want that woman back,” she added, much more gently than before. She looked really worried and it saddened me that I had disappointed her.
“Thanks, Lynn. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” I replied quietly, and it was true. She’d helped me rise in the agency and I wouldn’t have gotten to where I was now without her. Sure, she was a hard ass sometimes, but it was really for my own good. She pushed me and that’s what I needed.
She shooed me away and I left her office. I returned to mine and gathered my things, before leaving for the day. It was only two o’clock. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nicole watching me and I decided then that I was going to lock my door this evening and not come out. I didn’t want to deal with any more of her questions. At least not tonight.
But first, I needed a fucking drink.
In a rush, I hurried to the subway and then to the nearest bar only a few blocks from my apartment. Finley’s. It was a small Irish pub, but the bartenders there were good at making any drink you
wanted. The beer was good, but their cocktails were even better. And cheap.
My friend Donna was already there. It wasn’t even happy hour yet. She grinned when she saw me and winked, her expression salacious.
“I’m skipping class, but what’s your excuse? Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere in Europe on some secret world-saving mission?” she teased, her mouth tipping up in a playful grin.
I laughed. Donna was a good friend. She was a grad student at the nearby university and knew only very vague details about what I did for a living, which is all I could really share. She understood I worked in a highly classified position for the government and that I helped persecute dangerous criminals, but that was pretty much it.
I sat down next to her.
“Two shots of tequila. Chilled. With a lime, please,” I said.
“Damn, that kind of day, huh. What happened, you get fired?” Donna asked, her face quickly turning serious. “You know, if you did, I could always use another roommate. We could share my bedroom. There’s easily room for another twin bed in there.” She was sweet. I could always count on her to listen and I needed that from her today.
The bartender slammed two shots down in front of us and I grabbed both of them, downing one after the other before sucking hard on the slice of lime. The tequila burned going down, but I relished it because it felt normal. I needed something normal.
My vision wavered for a moment, waves of gray masking my sight before I saw his face. It was as though Markos was standing right in front of me, staring at me as though I was his possession.
“You were always meant to be mine. It’s your destiny, Warrior of Light.”
I stared up at him.
Was any of this real?
Beside me, Donna started shaking me. Markos disappeared, and the tall lanky redheaded bartender took his place.
“Kass, you okay? You were just like, ogling that bartender. You’re freaking him out. You’re not high or anything, right? I mean, those shots shouldn’t have hit you already,” she asked worriedly.
I shook my head, trying to shake the chilling feeling that Markos was watching my every move. Maybe I was losing my mind.
“No, I’m not on anything. I think I’m just tired,” I answered.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she pressed, looking pretty concerned.
The bartender had left us both at the corner of the bar. Since it was early, we were two of only a few patrons here. I stared at Donna, wondering if I could trust her and at first, I shook my head, but then I began to talk. I told her about Antonio and then what had happened with Markos. I told her that I had fucked him, but I left out all the embarrassing, shameful details. And then, I told her how I had woken up in New York with absolutely zero recollection of how I got here.
Her concerned look only grew stronger, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t, now that I had started. The words just fell out of me as I blurted out my story.
I told her that I was seeing him. Hearing him when I shouldn’t, and she began to look uneasy and more anxious than before.
“Kass, are you sure? I mean, nothing really adds up. And now you tell me you’re hearing his voice? Seeing him when he isn’t there?” she asked, and I saw her knuckles whiten as she leaned toward me. She was trying to hide it, but I was scaring her.
“I just need some sleep. My boss made me take tomorrow and the weekend off. Told me not to come back till Monday,” I replied, trying to fix the situation.
“Kass, I think I should get you home. Finley, put her on my tab and I’ll settle later,” Donna said, and the redheaded bartender nodded in agreement. He looked at me nervously and I could tell my earlier episode had freaked him out. He probably just wanted me out of his bar, no matter the cost. I mouthed an apology to him before Donna led me out and onto the street.
