3 months ago...
Kaya sat with her back to the door, her hands pressed over her ears. Even if they said nothing, she knew they were there. She could still hear their shouts and screams. The breaking of glass.
"We'll see how long you hold out."
The words circled the air in that tiny apartment, like wisps of black ink in a nightmarish spell. If only her mother were there. If only things hadn't turned out this way. If only... If only...
"If I ever leave, you have to make the final decision."
This time, her mother's words. The woman had always been wise, but Kaya didn't understand what this particular bit of wisdom meant. Couldn't her mother have left any clues?
Once more, the sky outside faded from blue to red to black.
Kaya's phone trilled, only two terrorizing words on the screen: unknown number.
Present day...
Persistent vibrations tore Kaya from her slumber. She slapped a hand across her mattress until she felt the hard metal of her phone beneath her palm.
Six missed calls from Zoren. Eight from Lina. One from Jade. One from Noel.
No new voice messages.
Go figure. Why would any of them leave a message when they needed something important?
Kaya ran her fingers back through her hair. She should get up. Move on with life. Go to her job. Do something.
For one day, she wished she could forget tabloids and paparazzi and fan clubs. Yet, for now, that was the world she lived in.
The phone vibrated again. Kaya flipped it over in case it was someone important.
Unknown number.
Her heart beat faster. Her breaths came shallower, rasping in her chest.
Kaya dropped the phone against the sheets and skittered backward to the other side of the bed. She couldn't answer that. She couldn't relive that again. Even Zoren's declaration couldn't save her from the nightmare before her.
"What do I do? What do I do?" Kaya gripped her head in both palms. Her whole head hurt just from looking at the caller ID. "What do I do?"
"When it happens, remember I warned you."
Ransom. She still had the business card... somewhere. She hadn't thrown it out, right? He worked in PR, he would know what to do about this. Where Zoren couldn't help because he didn't know, Ransom must have dealt with this before.
Though Kaya had promised herself never to get in a position where they could find her, she was already there. She might as well get the help she needed.
Kaya scrambled off the bed and rummaged through her drawers.
She had to have the card somewhere. She didn't remember tossing it, but she might have. With his arrogance, Kaya doubted she thought he would ever be helpful.
None of the bedroom drawers held the card, but it might be in the living room.
Kaya shuffled through boxes and containers, hoping against hope that she hadn't gotten rid of Ransom's card.
She still couldn't focus, couldn't catch a breath. Her phone buzzed with another unknown number. Kaya whimpered as her hands closed around a business-card-sized piece of paper.
Not Ransom's, but close enough. Kaya dialed the number and tried to inhale some oxygen.
"Tobin Crestley."
"Tobin..." Kaya's voice came out wispy, raspy. "Tell... I need... Ransom's h-help... help me."
"What happened? Miss Parker, are you alright?"
"Help..." Kaya sank against the wall and leaned her head back. Maybe if she slept for a while, the headache would go away.
"Miss Parker? Kaya?" The voice sounded farther and farther away with each passing second.
Kaya couldn't hold her arms up anymore. The phone slipped to the floor. "Help me..."