Wake Up ||ONC 2021|| GxG

20. Conversations With the Enemy

The long stretch of empty road eventually branched off into neighborhoods and finally into a small city. Grey and Jett Financials' towering building glittered in the sun. It was impossible not to see even from two blocks down where Esme had parked.

Paula was quiet in the back, it had only taken three potholes to get her that way. She'd tried screaming for a while, but Esme drowned her out with some soft rock ballads. Now she was wondering if the potholes had been necessary. Maybe, Paula just enjoyed soft rock. Esme chuckled and tugged at the ends of her braid.

All of the answers she'd been trying to get her hands on the last few days were in reach and here she was debating how her hostage felt about her music tastes. She sighed and slumped down in her seat. This would have been the right time to call a friend for help.

She was exhausted, all the way down to her bones. Even her nose hurt. That could have had something to do with being slammed around though. Sleep was definitely a close second to answers at that moment, and for a few moments on the drive she had moved sleep to first place.

"Hey, Paula? You okay back there?" Esme twisted in her seat to call towards the trunk. When she didn't hear anything she reached back and tugged out the drink holder in the back seat to make a clearer path to the trunk. "Paula?"

"What?" Paula snapped, kicking the back seats.

"Just checking in," Esme called out.

"Oh I'm just peachy."

"Cool, awesome. I'll have you out of there soon enough," Esme assured her.

"You could just let me go," Paula suggested. She waited a few minutes before trying to convince Esme further. "I won't tell anyone you caught me and I'll never bother you again. My agency might but I swear I won't"

Esme thought it over, scratching of a bit of dried blood from her wrist. She'd been scratching at it the entire way. Etched into the rust smears were faint white lines from the scratches she'd left behind. The skin would definitely be raw later. She wished she could leave her body and the sore muscles and the blood and the heartache and fall into someone else's body. She'd take anyone at this point. Maybe not Paula's.

"So?" Paula asked again, thumping against the backs of the seats when she spoke.

"Nah, I'd rather not. I don't trust you Paula," Esme laughed. She started the car up and made a slow drive the last two blocks to the building. After parking in the back, she paused by the trunk. "I'll send someone out for you soon." Esme smacked the trunk and strolled up the steps, very aware of her bare feet again. The cold tiles inside felt like frigid blocks of ice.

Gina was the first to notice her, hands going to cover her mouth. She stood slowly and shuffled out from behind the desk.

"I don't look that bad, do I?" Esme winced, looking down ay her stained clothes. "I'm sure I've looked worse."

"It's just so good to finally have you back," Gina sighed. She opened her arms to hug Esme but lowered them just as quickly. "On second thought, maybe I'll wait till you're cleaned up."

"By the way, there's a woman in the trunk of my car," Esme jerked her thumb to gesture to the parking lot. "Actually, it's her car."

"You have a what now?" Gina sputtered.

Esme laughed and turned to take in the lobby in front of her. Everything looked as she could remember, or at least what she could remember from the memories slowly resurfacing. The elevator to the lower levels looked like it had new doors, she wondered how the security on the inside had changed. Would her codes still be accepted?

She turned as the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the room. A sigh mixed with a sob tore its way out of her throat when she saw Easton and Nevaeh running towards her. Esme started to run to meet them halfway but paused when she saw the man behind them.

Phillip K Teigan, a tech she'd worked with dozens of times. His work had always been impeccable, and she'd never had any reason to complain. Seeing him, standing there, frozen and staring at her with wide eyes, it chilled her to the bone.

She could see him, standing in front of her, handing over a stack of folders. The little smirk her shot her way as he walked by her. Her hands had itched to reach out to grab him, but the restraints kept her in place. She'd heard him say her name to Lars before he left. She'd seen a glimpse of him as they sedative filled syringe inched towards her neck, and again when they strapped her down tighter and tighter till it felt as if her lungs would implode.

The memories were hazy but they were there. Hazy memories were better than the crystal-clear ones they'd forced into her mind. Besides, there was also the new crisp memory of his face in the hallway, just barely visible as the door shut behind Lars. The feel of Nevaeh's hand in hers, the ropes tight around their wrists, his gleaming teeth in a satisfied smile.

Esme pushed past Nevaeh and Easton, shoving them out of the way as she lunged for Phillip. He'd started to run back the way he'd come but she snagged his collar and dragged him back.

"Ah, Esme," he stammered, His hands were trembling as he tried to pull her hand off him. "Good to see you again."

Esme pulled back her arm and drove her first into his nose.