Chapter 47
I walked into the building with a new found sense of determinism and purpose. If Daniel was one of the few people who could actually help me keep my family safe, I was prepared to forget everything that had happened. But the real question was; would he do the same?
I asked the ditzy receptionist where Daniel was and surprisingly she pointed behind me, managing to give a direction without me needing to force my way inside. Shouldn't she be stopping me or something? I thanked her and turned around, realising why she didn't bother trying. Daniel was stood right there, staring at me.
"What are you doing here?"
-
Arissa's POV
Tyler had left lunch midway for some unknown reason that I was desperate to uncover. But more importantly, I couldn't sit back whilst Jake (or whoever it may have been) prepared for another attack. The incident had to be reported and since Tyler wasn't in agreement, I'd have to do it myself. His reaction was my last priority given the circumstances.
"I'm done," I told my parents, standing up from my seat. I tried to leave ten minutes ago but they forced me to eat something first. I wiped my mouth with a napkin and pushed the chair in, backing away from the table. "I'll see you later," I said.
"Where are you going?" Mum asked, just as I thought I would get away without being questioned.
"I'm seeing Heidi," I lied. "It's been forever."
She smiled, nodding.
"I think it's better if either your mother or I drop you off. With the way things are, there's no way we're going to work and leaving you all alone," Dad said. He stood up, "I'll go get my keys."
"Dad, no!" I exclaimed. My parents looked at me strangely. "I mean, I can't have someone with me 24/7 and Jake's problem is with Tyler, not me. I love you for looking out for me but I'll be OK, honestly."
They didn't look convinced, uncertainty cloaking their faces. "We can't risk it. What if somethi—"
"I'm not a child, Dad! I can protect myself, I swear. Now please, let me go alone. I'm not going to live my life in fear of someone who has no intention of harming me." Despite what I was telling them, I didn't believe the words myself. Being Tyler's girlfriend made me a prime target and that fact had already been proven after Jake kidnapped me.
"Okay, I guess you're right," he agreed.
"Just be careful," said Mum. I nodded. Then I left before they could change their minds.
I drove straight to the police station. Seeing Daniel was going to be so awkward, and I felt guilty approaching him only when I was in trouble but I was helpless. The only other person I thought was trustworthy was the chief inspector, but asking for his help meant Keith finding out was guaranteed and I didn't want that.
The car park was fairly empty. I left my car towards the back and began walking until I noticed a familiar black vehicle. Unable to believe it, I approached the car and peeked inside, instantly noticing the tear on the passenger seat that I had a tendency to pick on. It was definitely his.
Why would he be here?
I rushed inside. "Excuse me, is Daniel King here? I really need to see him," I asked the receptionist. She continued to type on the keyboard of her computer.
"Well, he's popular today," she muttered to herself. Her eyes remained on the illuminated screen and after a while she looked up at me, "yes, he is. You'll have to wait though because he's with someone at the moment."
"Do you know who?" I asked, hoping to find out whether my suspicion was correct. Who else would Tyler come to see, if not Daniel?
"I don't sit here to ask people their names," she snapped. "I'm busy, take a seat or leave." I glared at her, about to reply when she piped up. "Thank you!" She said to me cheerily.
"For what?"
"I'm glad I could help," she smiled the fakest smile I'd seen in a long time.
Now I was really confused. I caught the sound of the entrance doors opening and turned around in time to see a uniformed lady walking out. Oh, so that's why she acted so pleasant. When I faced the receptionist again she was wearing that same old frown. "Whatever," I said to her and walked away to take my seat.
Fifteen minutes passed and there was still no sign of Tyler or Daniel. My patience was quickly turning into impatience and I was in the right mind to go back home. But that wouldn't go any good.
Instead, I decided to sneak past and find Tyler myself. It wasn't very difficult since the receptionist was so shockingly bad at her job. I quietly passed through the double doors and tried to hide the guilty look from my face, smiling at the few police officers who were there. They were all either sat with paperwork or a computer infront of them. Their job really wasn't as glamorous as shown in films. I kept walking, acting as though I knew where I was going. I really didn't.
"Are you okay, miss?" one of them asked me. I halted and looked back. The man looked like he was in his mid-forties, with greying hair and stubble that only added on years.
Asking for help couldn't possibly make me look suspicious.
"Actually, no. I was told I could find Daniel here but I'm not sure exactly where," I lied. Well, half of it was true so I wasn't a complete liar.
"Oh, his office is just round the corner, there," he pointed, directing me. "Anything serious?"
"Thank you," I smiled. "And no, nothing like that." He stared at me intensely, as if trying to read my mind. I felt a little uncomfortable. "Is something wrong?"
"No, sorry. You just remind me of someone," he said. I nodded. Normally, I would have asked who but not in this case. I couldn't afford to prolong the conversation when Tyler could be talking to Daniel that very moment. If so, I wanted to know what about.
I turned the corner like that officer, whose name I hadn't found out, told me to. It led me to two doors, both looking exactly the same. I couldn't knock; if I did and Tyler was in the room, I wouldn't be able to talk to Daniel like I was supposed to. So I pressed my ear against the door to try and make out any of their voices. Nothing. I slowly twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, revealing an empty room. All that was inside was a wooden desk and a couple of chairs.
I took a breath of relief. Daniel must have been in the room next door. Again, I tried to eavesdrop on the conversation but all I could make out was a very soft murmur, nothing clear enough to indicate who was actually in there. I was glad nobody could see me from here or I would certainly have been caught out and sent away.
I leaned against the wall, waiting. I wasn't really sure what for. After a minute or so, I saw the doorknob twist and heard a click from the door. In a panic, I raced into that still empty room, leaving the door ajar so I could hear.
"Just have a think about it." It was Tyler's voice. Definitely. I could recognise it anywhere.
"I have done and you already know my answer," Daniel answered him. "Bye, Tyler." I heard the door shut accompanied by a grunt from Tyler.
Answer to what? What did Tyler say to Daniel? What did he want him to think about? There was only one way I'd find out and it wasn't through my boyfriend.
I carefully walked back out when I decided that the coast was clear. Sucking in a deep breath, I rapped on the door. "Come in."
I opened the door and took a few steps in. The office was kept tidy; no work scattered about, no dust, and everything seemed to be exactly in place. Daniel was already absorbed in his work, keeping his head down as his pen moved swiftly across the pages in front of him, not even taking the time to blink. "Hey," my voice came out as a squeak and I felt my throat drying up. His pen instantly stopped moving and he placed it down.
"Arissa," he said, not looking at me. "What are you doing here?" I could hear the strain in his voice. "If you came for Tyler, you just missed him."
"I know, I saw him. But that isn't why—"
"And he still let you see me? Wow," he scoffed.
"I saw him but he didn't see me," I clarified.
"Ah," he said. "Now I understand." He picked his pen up and continued to write.
"I need to talk to you," I said.
"I'm listening."
I looked at the floor before starting to speak. "I know this will sound selfish and it is, I admit that. But I'm scared and I don't know where else to go—" I glanced at him and he was gently humming, still getting on with his work. "Can you at least look at me when I talk to you?"
"Why? I don't listen with my eyes, do I?" He snapped. He was being so mean. I tried not to let my growing anger get the best of me.
"Why are you behaving like this? I don't understand."
He threw his pen onto the floor and stood up in a flash, I feared he would flip the entire desk over. His feet met the floor with thuds as he stomped across to me. "Why? Are you kidding me?" He yelled. "Maybe because I feel like you're using me. It's the first time you've even tried to talk to me in ages and it's all about your bloody boyfriend and his criminal issues! Yes, I know about the whole problem with Jake because that's exactly why he came here. I guess you two are the perfect couple, you're just the same," he spat. He brushed his hand across his forehead, turning away from me. "And you ask why I'm not looking at you?" His voice was a lot calmer. He turned back around, cupping my face as he stared at me with his longing eyes. "Because every time I do, I think back to that night and all I want to do is kiss you."
I felt my breath get caught in my throat. How was I meant to respond to that? My heart couldn't accept what he was saying but my mind was unable to think of the right words to say to him. "Daniel..."
"I know, I know. It's wrong. You're in a relationship but I can't help it. That's why I said no to Tyler. He wants me to help him find enough proof against Jake to have him locked up for good but I can't. How can I when I know you'll be around? Believe it or not, he was my friend once and I don't feel comfortable helping him when all that's running through my head is you, his girlfriend."
I had no idea he felt so strongly about this, about me. I knew there was something there and a year ago I would have been over-the-moon about it but everything was different now. I didn't see him the way I used to and our kiss was nothing more than a mistake. One I regretted every day since it had happened.
Tyler was obviously really desperate if he came to Daniel for help and I fully supported him. I now felt more terrible coming here for help but Jake was dangerous and we couldn't handle him alone. "Tyler knows," I said. "He knows about that night, I told him everything."
This really got his attention. "What? And he's okay with that? Why didn't he say anything to me?" Saying he looked shocked was a massive understatement.
I gulped. Lying to him was the only way he would agree to help. If he believed that Tyler knew and was ready to look past it, then maybe he would feel better about helping. At this point I was all out of other options. "I told him not to. Tyler is really learning to control his anger and even though he didn't speak to me for a while, we're good now. He wants to forget it all and move on." I was spinning a huge web of lies and it didn't feel good at all.
"Wow, this is a real surprise. The only reason he's willing to move on is because he needs me. You know that, right?"
"Yes," I clenched my jaw. "We do need you. We tried going up against Jake once before and that didn't work out so well. We need to be prepared and we need your help. Please. I know you won't let someone innocent like Gabriel receive the punishment when you can make a difference. Jake is a vicious, manipulative, black-mailing—"
"Murderer? Like Tyler, you mean?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest with a glint of humour in his eyes. I certainly didn't find that amusing.
"They are nothing alike," I said firmly. Daniel was going too far now. I listened to everything he had to say before but not this. "It was self-defence and no matter how you feel about Tyler, you know he would never have killed someone without reason. He's not a bad person."
He remained silent. "You really think it wasn't Gabriel?" He asked, changing the topic. Why did I get the feeling that he just didn't want to see any good in Tyler?
I nodded, "we know it wasn't him."
He trailed off into deep thought. "Maybe I could help," he shrugged. "Maybe."
A big smile formed on my face. "Thank you!" I exclaimed, leaping forward to embrace him until I realised what I was doing. I quickly retracted my steps, standing further away from him now than I was previously. "Thanks," I said again, a failed attempt at trying to ease the awkwardness in the air. "Um, guess I'll see you later?"
Turning around, I took the few steps between the door and me, feeling relieved yet tense at the same time. A lot of hidden feelings and thoughts had just been revealed and I could barely process the words we had exchanged; well, mainly what Daniel had said.
"...I think back to that night and all I want to do is kiss you."
I should have never kissed him back. I should have never let it progress any further even after I kissed him. It wasn't only a betrayal to Tyler, it also gave Daniel the wrong idea and led him on. He had to move on from me. There was no chance of anything happening anyway.
"Arissa?" I stopped, hearing his voice from behind me. "I'm doing this only because Tyler told me what Jake said to him, that anyone he loves is a target. That includes Alec. And you."
-
"Just let me, please," Keith begged his son.
When I reached home, my parents told me that Tyler hadn't even returned there. So, desperately needing to talk to him, I ended up at his doorstep. I felt annoyingly clingy but nobody seemed to mind since they were occupied elsewhere. Kyle had let me in, probably a way to escape the drama for a minute or two and I foolishly threw myself into it all.
Thanks to Heidi, Keith now knew about Tyler's dream to become a pilot. However there was a huge obstacle standing in the way of that; money. If he wanted to be an airline pilot, he'd have to hold an 'Airline Transport Pilot Licence' which required a certain amount of hours in the air and experience, something Tyler lacked. Of course, there were ways to achieve that. Ways that cost thousands of pounds.
"No! This discussion is over, I don't need your money," Tyler said.
"Son, I haven't been around for your sister and you all these years but I'm trying to change that. Money isn't a problem so why won't you let me help you?!"
"That's just it! You think you can waltz back into our lives, throw money around and everything will be fine! I'm sorry but that isn't how it works!" He yelled. Keith opened his mouth to speak but closed it just as fast. He was rendered speechless.
Tyler took hold of my hand and pulled me out of the room with him, racing upstairs. He pushed open the door to his room and led me inside, locking it behind him. I comfortably sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard as I pulled my knees to my chest. Tyler lay down beside me and stared up at me, smiling. "I'm so glad I have you," he said.
"Me too," I grinned. I leaned down and placed one hand at the top of his head whilst the other rested on his cheek, giving him a soft peck on the lips. He boosted himself up with his elbows and intensified it, his tongue slipping into my mouth. I bit his lip and he moaned, pulling me on top of his hot body. We continued like this and soon he was taking off his jacket and shirt, still leaving eager kisses and licks along my jaw and neck.
"Tyler," I breathed, pushing one hand down on his chest as I sat upright, straddling him. "We need to talk."
"Right now?" He groaned. I nodded and a defeated look crossed his face. He also sat up and then adjusted me so I was more comfortable. "What is it, baby girl?" He started to run his fingers through my hair and I found comfort in that.
"I saw you at the police station today and I know why you went," I told him. The concerned look on his face dropped and was replaced by an emotion resembling anger. Clearly, he thought I had followed him there. "I didn't follow you," I quickly added. "I wanted to file a complaint against Jake even though you said not to but then I overheard Daniel and you speaking," I admitted. "He refused to help, right? But I convinced him!"
"How?" He asked, dismissing anything else I had said. In all honesty, I was thankful for it. It would only cause an argument.
I stuttered, thinking of a satisfying excuse. "I just told him how Alec was at risk too and that's all it really took," I lied. I had been doing that a lot lately. I knew this was an opportunity to finally tell him about the incident with Daniel but I couldn't. Not now, when things were so well between us. Maybe I wouldn't ever have to tell him and this would all blow over?
I didn't want to risk losing him. Despite telling Daniel that Tyler was controlling his anger, which was true, I knew a betrayal like this would break him. Especially since he was in a coma when it happened. It wouldn't be as simple as not-speaking-for-a-few-days, it would be much, much worse. The fact that it was with Daniel would only enhance his anger and pain, rightfully so.
"Strange. I said the same thing and it didn't work," he said. He stared at me and I knew he wasn't in confusion, he just wanted me to truthfully explain what had happened.
"I promise that's all I said. Maybe he didn't hear you say it," I shrugged, regretting the stupid words as soon as I said them.
"Or maybe he fancies you and couldn't say no," he raised his voice, jealousy beginning to overpower him.
I quickly pressed my lips on his, holding his face in my hands. After a few seconds I pulled away and rested my forehead against his as I spoke, "forget that, Ty. What's important is that he's on our side, and what matters even more is that I only love you," I prodded his chest.
He smiled again, squeezing me in his arms. "You're right. I love you."
"One more thing," I added. "Accept your dad's help." He was about to speak but I pressed my finger to his lips, silencing him. "Please don't argue with me on this," I almost pleaded.
He sighed, nodding. That was easier than expected, he probably just wanted to shut me up. He cradled me in his arms for a while before looking at me.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just remembering something you did to me this morning," he said. I furrowed my brow in confusion until I realised what he meant.
"I did not do anything!" I argued playfully.
"Oh, but you did."
"Maybe," I gave in, thinking back to how I teased him when getting changed then left him to eat breakfast. "I mean, we could just get back to it now but I don't want you to hurt yourself further," I said with mock concern, speaking to him like one would with a child. I pointed to the injuries on his torso and arm, believing it would stop his advances and tease him a little more.
"Funnily enough, I was thinking about that too," he said. I had to say this surprised me. "So I present to you a solution." Of course he would have one. He leaned in towards me and tilted his head slightly so he had access to whisper in my ear. "I propose that you take control."
"What?" I jerked my head back.
"What?" He mimicked me.
"I can't," I told him clearly.
"Why not? Is somebody scared?" He asked, knowing exactly what to say. Lately, I wasn't one to take down a challenge and I particularly hated when someone told me I was afraid.
"Not scared," I crossed my arms. I contemplated it, a thousand disastrous and mortifying scenarios running through my mind.
"Prove it," he challenged me, a smirk playing on his lips. He looked so hot when he did that.
I looked right into his eyes, making it unclear what I was thinking. Then, too quick for him to process, I pushed him back into his lying position, running my hands over him. "Fine," I whispered.
-
Damn. Three freaking months since I last uploaded! I am terrible. I do hope to upload more during the Christmas break though when I'm not revising! It's my final year at college so it's pretty hectic, I'm really sorry. But I am 100% determined to finish this story!
Love you xo