The Brunette Luxe

Chapter Seventeen: Ghosts

My heart leapt into my chest the moment Nick told me. I struggled to breathe knowing that my past was well and truly about to catch up with me. I knew I wasn’t ready to revisit anything related to Kyle, but if I didn’t get it over and done with they could very well call my bluff and force me back to Australia. The one thing I knew for sure, if I returned...it wouldn’t be as easy to escape the second time around.

“Nick, Show them up. Please stay with me though. No matter what happens, I need you to be there.” I responded, my voice cracking beneath the pressure.

“Of course Miss. Reid. I’ll make them give you five minutes and we will be up. Please don’t answer the door to anyone but me.” He responded calmly. Something in his voice told me that there was more that he wasn’t telling me, but I would revisit that another time.

I walked into the bathroom and threw my phone onto the bench. Almost as if on cue it continued the playlist I had been listening to prior to Nick calling. The sound of Lighters by Bad Meets Evil ft. Bruno Mars reverberated around the room, bouncing off the walls and shooting straight through my heart. As I stared at my pale reflection in the mirror, I burst into tears. I watched the salty liquid cascade down my cheeks and felt the weight of the world caress my shoulders while gripping the edge of the basin as tightly as possible. I turned the faucet on cold and ran my fingers through the water as I listened to the lyrics. The moment the chorus struck I splashed water across my face and decided I wasn’t going to hurt anymore.

“If you really want a fresh start, it stars now” I said to myself. I knew what I had to do but it didn’t make things any easier. Stepping away from the mirror, I fluffed my hair and straightened down my dress as I heard the door bell to the suite ring. It seemed like that was the quickest 5 minutes of my life! I walked reluctantly towards the door and looked through the peephole. It was time.

I opened the door and watched the expression on Nick’s face as he realized I had been crying. I had tried to cover it up, but he knew me well enough to know exactly what kind of break down I had just endured.

“Miss. Reid, Thank you for seeing us. I am Federal Agent Tanner Lucas and this is Federal Agent Daniel Rothwell. May we come in?” The look on Nick’s face said it all, I was about to go through hell. As soon as I looked into Agent Lucas’s dark brown eyes I felt like I had seen him before. Something was off, His strong jaw-line and cold hard features were ones that I couldn’t place, but his warm yet hardened eyes were so familiar.

“I don’t have a choice” I said in a small voice as I stepped aside to let the agents in.

“Miss. Reid, we are not here to cause you any further pain. We only want to get to the bottom of what happened to you” said the tall mediterranean Agent Lucas, who was insanely attractive as he walked past me. As much as I wanted to believe it, I knew that I would end up in pain either way. Nick closed the door as I sat down opposite them in the lounge room. I wasn’t going to offer them anything to drink, this wasn’t a comfortable conversation and I didn’t want them to get too comfortable. Nick walked around and stood behind me as agent Rothwell began to speak, placing his hand on my shoulder which instantly reassured me.

“Miss. Reid, do you think it is possible for us to have this conversation alone?” His question made me feel sick to the stomach. I didn’t want Nick to go anywhere. I struggled to breathe at the thought of having to go through this alone.

“I...” I couldn’t even get the words out.

“I can’t leave her, unfortunately you’re stuck with me” Nick was my saving grace. He spoke at the moment I needed him the most.

“I understand that Nick, but you’re a witness as well. We can’t have your statements mixed up. You have to be interviewed separately” The informal tone that Agent Lucas took with Nick caught me off guard. It was almost as though they knew each-other. I would have to ask him about that later.