King of Mine: Book 1 In the King Of Mine Series)

CHAPTER 65

"Eric! Is that you?"

"Yes," came the slurred voice on the other end, "alive and well, thank you."

Katya was shaking her head, in unbelief. This man had disappeared for over three weeks now, three weeks that had left her wondering what had happened to him, and what would happen to her if he had been hacked down because of the information he had shared with her; three long weeks of panic and horrible nightmares.

'What happened?" Why did you just disappear?" Katya quizzed, as she sat down at the edge of the bed, breathing heavily. She wasn't afraid, she wasn't out of breath either. It was more like the feeling one got after a long run; relieved yet exhausted.

"Left for dead but back stronger and more determined," Eric replied dryly, his tone sounding like the typical, 'been there, done that'.

"B-But, what happened?" Katya probed, determined to get a meaningful answer. After three weeks of waiting, the least she deserved was some answers.

'We'll talk when we see. I-I don't trust these lines you know," he inhaled sharply, and then added, "How have you been?"

Katya gave out a choke-like laughter, one that sounded like the croaking of a toad. "Rather anxious, thank you very much! You disappeared without a trace. Of course I have been uneasy."

"Yeah well, in our line of job, anything can happen so I suppose you were right to feel uneasy." Then after a brief pause he continued, "So, how about we meet tomorrow after work?"

"Yes, Yes- where?" Katya asked, her anxiety heightened. The sooner she solved the missing pieces in her life, the better for her and Eric had the answers to so many questions she needed answers too.

"I will send you an address just before you leave the office. Make sure you memorize it and delete it immediately. I think your phone is being tapped and if you have a message in your phone till midnight, it will be copied into whatever system that is storing your data. So be sure to delete the address. Understood?"

Katya let out a loud sigh. Why would they stoop so low as to tap her conversations. Why was she not allowed a moment of rest? "Y-yes, I understand."

"See you later today Katya, and – sorry for waking you up," and with that phone line cut off.

Katya shook her headphone let out yet another exasperated sigh. At least Eric was alright and no harm had come to him.

Katya still hadn't an incline on what had happened to him all this while or where he had been, but the sound of his voice was confirmation that he was okay, well, that was how he sounded. His voice had not betrayed any sign of pain or fatigue.

In fact, from the lazy way he answered her questions, he even seemed like one who had been vacationing, something Katya knew was quite impossible, given the nature of his job and the fact that he had promised to meet up with her right before his disappearance. Whatever the reason, Katya knew that their meeting would reveal what happened to him and why he had disappeared into thin air.

Katya kept still, and leaned against her bedroom door, listening to hear if Damien King was still on the phone.

He wasn't.

The living room was quiet, not a sound to boast of any living being in its confines.

Katya took in a deep breath. Had Damien King heard any of her conversation with Eric? While the walls of the house were not made from cardboard paper , the walls of her house, though cement, were not sound proof and one could easily hear conversations that were going on in different parts of the apartment, if ones ears weren't full of wax and if one was bent on eavesdropping.