Later that day, drained from work and everything that had happened, I collapsed onto my bed, dozing off as soon as my head hit the pillow, but someone out there with evil intentions wouldn't let me rest.
As soon as I drifted off, a loud knock shook the walls of my small apartment, dragging me back to consciousness.
I tried to resist, to pretend that the world out there doesn't exist. I fucking need the rest, because nothing that happened today makes any fucking sense, and my brain needs to reboot, but the bloody monster out there was fucking persistent.
When I couldn't stand the noise any fucking longer, I forced my eyes open, a heavy scowl on my face, my thoughts filled with all the ways I was going to murder whoever was at the door.
I sat up, my entire body vibrating with fury. I brushed the dark strand of hair falling in my face aside and got out of bed.
I slipped my feet into my slippers and stormed toward the door.
Almost there, the knock came again, impatient and forceful.
"Why don't you get a hammer and break down the door?" I yelled sarcastically as I pulled the door open.
My partner in crime stood on the other side of the door, holding a brown paper bag and a lazy grin on his handsome, stubble-faced face.
He looked amused by the annoyance on my face. Seeing that he loves pushing my buttons, that isn't surprising.
"It's you," I hissed, my tone disgruntled.
"Expecting someone else?" He teases, fully aware that I wasn't. As much as it pains me to admit, the man at my front door is my only friend, and he knows it.
I glared at him before turning around to walk back into my apartment. His low chuckle followed me into the house, even as his feet carried him inside.
As I traversed the short corridor leading to my living room, he immediately jumped into the reason behind his visit.
"How did it go?"
Daniel has never been one to beat around the bush when it came to work or the Blackwells. They are his Achilles heels.
Just like me, the man trailing behind me has a bone to pick with the Blackwells, and we are going to bring them down together.
As much as I love to see the Blackwells' empire burn, that doesn't mean I want to talk about them early in the morning.
It is fucking two in the morning.
"Do you know what time it is?" I growl at Daniel, still pissed at him for interrupting my sleep.
"I am sorry. Finished work late. I was impatient to know how the interview went. Everything hinges on you getting this job."
I could hear his eagerness to know. Daniel seems more desperate to take the Blackwells down than I am. I know his reasons, though something tells me there is more.
I settled onto the couch, an antique piece I bought at a flea market. Though the brown Victorian leather couch looks like it's seen better days, it still feels sturdy and ready to last another fifty years.
Most of the stuff in my one-bedroom apartment is from the flea market. Why spend good money when you can get quality things for a low price?
Daniel sat on the longer couch, setting the bags he had on the wooden table between us.
My stomach growled at the smell from the bags, and I immediately reached for it, ready to feed this hungry beast. I missed dinner because I was too tired to cook.
Dan moved quickly; he sprang like a rattlesnake, snatching the bags before my hand could reach them.
"What are you doing?" I whined, looking up at him with a pout.
"No food for you until you give me what I want, " he says, seeming unaffected by my sad puppy face. "So?" he emphasized, his brown eyes staring at me intently.
I looked away and pulled my legs onto the couch, curling up as I gazed into the distance.
I knew what he was asking, but it wasn't easy to answer. Seeing him again today drained me. I needed some time for my mind to recover.
Yes, he seems different from the way he was years ago, but that doesn't erase what he did to me. Seeing the man responsible for my demons for the first time since he ruined my life and disappeared was hard.
I flinched when I felt a touch on my shoulder, pulling my body out of reach.
Since that incident, I hate being touched—especially without my consent.
So why was I okay when he touched me?
My conflicting reactions to Ryan confuse me and disrupt my heart.
"I'm sorry," Daniel said immediately, taking a slight step back. He had seen my distress and came over to comfort me.
He's one of the few people who know what happened to me seven years ago.
Daniel and I met in a group therapy session a year ago. He's a policeman on the verge of losing his career due to alcohol addiction, having already lost his wife and young child.
We share similar problems, but for different reasons. I drank to drown my demons; Daniel drank to cope with the stress of his job, especially dealing with the Blackwells.
They are the bane of his existence.
That's another thing we have in common. Daniel believes the Blackwells are evil, committing crimes and getting away with it because of their social status.
And it frustrates him that they can't be brought to justice because of who they are. Dan believes no one is above the law, and I agree.
Six years ago, he lost his partner in a car accident, and he suspects the Blackwells were responsible.
His life took a dark turn when his obsession to prove the Blackwells guilty of his partner's death and other murders in the city consumed him.
In therapy, we got close, sharing our stories and realizing we had a common enemy.
When Daniel found out Ryan needed a new personal assistant, he suggested I apply.
I was hesitant, unsure if I dared to face Ryan after what he did, but Daniel convinced me that the Blackwells needed to pay for their evil deeds.
For me, and for his partner.
He convinced me to take the job, and here we are. The first stage of our plan is complete.
"It's okay. I'm fine," I tell him with my head on my knees. But I'm not really fine. Seeing him again brought up many feelings, and with all these conflicting emotions, I feel like I'm being torn apart.
Daniel doesn't buy my words.
"You don't need to act strong with me, Lyra. Remember, we're in this together."
His soothing voice loosened me up, and my tensed shoulders relaxed. I faced him and whispered in a low voice. "Thank you, but you don't have to worry about me all the time."
Daniel acts very protective toward me, like an older brother, but I am not that fragile and won't break under minimal stress.
Those years are behind me. I am stronger, partly because I have a purpose and partly because of the man beside me. We have been each other's rock. Helping each other stay sober and get through each day.
Daniel nods, letting go of the subject.
"So, did you get the job?" He looked so eager for my answer.
I let him wait to tease him, and when I saw his brown eyes flash impatiently, I smiled at him before nodding.
He shakes his head at my teasing before praising me for a job well done. I wonder what he would say if I told him how I got the job.
That part still confuses me.
I am still confused about the whole day and everything that happened.
"Hey!"
I hear Daniel call to me and turn to him, a questioning look on my face.
"You looked a bit absent-minded for a second. Did something happen?"
I remember the panic attack. It is odd that Ryan didn't mention it, even though he witnessed the whole thing.
Again, the question of whether he recognized me resurfaced in my mind. His actions indicated otherwise, but still...
"I had a panic attack," I admitted quietly to Daniel, with a hint of shame in my voice. Before going for the interview, I had believed myself strong enough to face him, but my mind let me down this morning.
Proving that I am not yet over the strong grip of my past.
I didn't tell him the other odd things that happened because I wasn't sure how he would take it.
Probably think Ryan is messing with me, which is a possibility, but I do not have the strength to dive into my boss's crazy mind and figure out what he is thinking.
"Hey!" Daniel unintentionally places his hand on me again, but this time I don't flinch. I know it is him. Despite knowing that, I stayed stiff under his touch until his hand dropped. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are courageous for what you are doing."
"Let's hope it pays off and they don't end up killing us," I say with a nervous chuckle.
Daniel doesn't laugh. He stares seriously into my eyes as he says. "That might happen, Lyra."