Chapter 28
It’s been a few hours since the incident, and we’ve had no word from the arseholes who kidnapped Storm. The officers came by earlier to inform us that they were looking into acquiring security footage from nearby residences to see if they could get a number of the van’s plates.
Eden’s resting in her room. It”s taken a major toll on her, and after Asher took her tea that Catalina prepped for her, he left her alone as per her request.
Seeing her having that panic attack put me through a loop I’ve never found myself in. We all know she had a heart condition as a child, and while she says she’s fine now, that scar on her chest serves as a reminder that regardless of how tough she is emotionally, she needs to take better care of herself.
The guys are busy doing their own thing. Haze is on the phone with an agency that specializes in missing persons, trying to get whatever info he can to start looking for Storm. Asher is also on the phone and on his laptop simultaneously, and from the conversation, he’s talking with different animal shelters in the hope the dog was abandoned there. Jagger is on the phone with the record label, explaining the situation and following up with them from our meeting this morning.
I look towards the kitchen, and Catalina seems to be quietly wiping down the already clean surfaces, trying to appear busy. She’s taken off the plasters the medic had put on her face, and now her pale, aging skin shows signs of bruising and swelling.
Feeling utterly useless, I get up to go to my bedroom, stopping outside Eden’s room. Asher said she wanted to be alone, but I can’t help but think she just didn’t need the three of them coddling with her. That’s not something I can offer her because she isn’t my girlfriend, but I can provide support from a kindred spirit, which is probably what she would prefer. Things haven’t been good between us lately, and maybe this is an opportunity to let her know I’m still here for her, regardless.
I tap my knuckle on her door, but there’s no reply. Sensing she might be asleep, I open the door and pop my head through. The bed’s unmade, and she’s not in it. I step further in.
“Siren?” I call out, looking around.
The teacup, I assume Asher brought up to her, sits on the dresser.
The bathroom door is ajar, but I don’t hear anything.
“Eden,” I say, shoving the door slightly more open. I hesitate, but upon not hearing a reply, I wonder if she’s actually snuck out. My eyes catch the bathtub and the body in it.
“Fucking ‘ell siren, if you wanted me in here, all you have to do is ask,” I joke, but the anxiety quickly hits me, and I rush inside to grab Eden’s head that’s partially submerged in the water.
Fuck. Eden. Fuck.
She’s completely zonked out. I check her pulse, and she’s alive.
“Eden, darling, can you hear me?”
She makes a whimper, but not much else. I scoop her out of the water, and everything drips wet over us, but I don’t care. I take her to the bed and lie her down.
Removing my soaked leather vest and my t-shirt. I stare down at the woman beneath me on the bed.
She lies here, unmoving, as if she’s dead, but I can see her chest rising up and down. I look around to check if she’s taken any illicit pills but find nothing that catches my eye.
Grabbing a towel from the bathroom, I dry her as best as I can and then take the blanket that’s folded neatly at the end of the bed and cover her body with it, tucking her in.
Standing at the end of her bed, I observe her. She’s entirely out of it. Running my hand through my hair, my mind races, and I quickly strategize.
This is more than just some sleeping pill she must have consumed. I could probably prick her with a needle, and she won’t wake up. Whatever she took was pretty heavy-duty stuff, so why the fuck does she have access to something like this?
I carefully open the bedside drawers, my curiosity pushing me to search for the location where she keeps these mysterious pills. To my surprise, the only questionable items I find are over-the-counter prescription pills meant to aid sleep. It’s nothing that would justify the current catatonic state she’s in.
My attention shifts to the teacup on the dresser.
The tea cup’s empty.
I pick it up, inspect it closely, and sniff it.
“She needs to sleep.”
I turn towards the doorway where the voice came from to find Catalina scowling at me.
“What was in the tea?” I inquire, putting the cup back down where I found it.
“Exactly what one puts in a tea,” she responds, adjusting the thermostat on the wall and tending to Eden, drying her wet hair with the towel I had used.
“You cannot leave her like this with wet hair. She will wake up with a dry throat and a possible infection,” she barks accusingly. “She won’t be able to sing for days.”
I eye her suspiciously.
“Seems like you have much experience with Eden passed out like this. She’s dead to the world. What drug is she on?”
Catalina abruptly stops what she”s doing, giving me a hostile glare, confirming that I have struck a nerve.
“Eden doesn’t use drugs. How dare you suggest something like that,” she retorts with a hint of anger. ”She doesn”t deserve any of you.”
“She may not do drugs knowingly. Does she know her tea is spiked with enough barbituates to put out an elephant?” I counter with the insinuating suggestion.
“This poor girl has been through enough and all because of you. You and your friends are nothing but trouble. She wouldn’t have been here if it weren’t for you, and that dog would be enjoying his retired life with his owner,” Catalina retaliates.
Anger spikes through me as she dares to blame us for what happened to her and Storm.
“You know nothing about us.”
“I witnessed enough.”
Seemingly agitated, she rises from the bed and heads to the bathroom with the wet towel. She walks over to where I stand, picks up the teacup from the dresser, and hesitates before addressing me.
“I witnessed the aftermath ten years ago of what you beasts did to her. Getting involved with likes of you was always a mistake. I returned to LA and found her a shell of the girl she was. It was I who brought her back to the land of the living. I took care of her, fed and bathed her for years. Not one of you cared. It wasn”t until you needed her that you came knocking on her door. You will use her, treat her like your whore, and then dispose of her. But I will still be here and bring her back to life as I did before.”
I want to wring the old woman’s neck. But, as much as I’d like to destroy the woman, I refrain from it.
“You haven’t answered my question, Catalina,” I say, biting my tongue as I’m one second from exploding on the woman. “What did you put in Eden’s drink?”
“Tea, herbs. Nothing illegal. It aids in her sleep. She doesn’t sleep well.”
Angrily, I walk over, grab Eden”s hands, pull her to sit up, and let go. She flops back down like a stuffed doll.
“This isn’t just herbal. Don’t start playing the witch with me. Eden is dead to the world. I could cut her finger off, and she won’t wake up.”
“You disrespecting imbecile,” she mutters, resting the cup on the bedside table, grabbing the blanket that’s drifted to Eden”s waist, uncovering her breasts. She drapes it back over her body and tucks her in.
“Leave her alone! She’s had a tough day. She needs sleep. This is the only way Eden is able to find peace.”
Thoughts fly through my mind.
Eden must be aware of this.
It can’t be that Catalina’s been secretly giving her heavy doses of barbituates for ten years, and she hasn’t questioned it.
“You need to leave,” I say, my voice getting deep and dark.
She ignores me and sits down on the armchair.
“I’m one second from physically throwing you out,” I say, glowering at the woman.
“Lay one hand on me, and I’ll have you arrested for assault.”
The truth is I have no right over Eden; she isn’t my girlfriend, and neither is this my house.
One glance at Eden lying in that bed, aware that this old bat is responsible for her current condition, sparks a protective fury within me, casting everything in a red haze. I’m one step away from unleashing my anger when a thought occurs to me.
Swiftly exiting the room, I dash downstairs to the kitchen, recalling the sight of Catalina leaving her purse there. Ignoring the presence of the others, my eyes scan the room intently.
Where the bloody fuck is it?
Finally, my sight locks on the brown leather purse on the ground inside the pantry. The door’s been left slightly ajar, and I guess one of the guys had opened it to grab something from inside.
I snatch the purse and empty the contents on the marble counter.
“Mate,” Jagger asks, coming over to me. “What are you doing? And whose purse does that belong to?”
“I found Eden out cold in the bathtub. She was one step from drowning. She’s completely zonked out, stone cold,” I explain quickly as I rummage through everything. “Catalina put something in her tea, and I suspect it’s been going on for a while. Whether Eden’s aware or not, I need to find what the fuck it is.”
“Bruv,” I hear Haze approaching, but ignore them all, determined to find what Eden took.
Inside a small compartment is a small plastic bag. There’s just white powder residue in it.
“Bingo!” I say and hold it up to them. “This is it! She’s drugged Eden with this.”
“What is it?”
All the guys have now surrounded me.
“No idea. But it’s some kind of strong barbiturate.”
“It could be anything. It’s just white powder.”
“Did you confront her about it?”
“Eden? No, she’s completely knocked out. But Catalina hadn’t denied it.”
“There’s nothing you can do if Eden’s got some prescription,” Asher explains. “We all know she doesn’t sleep well.”
“She nearly drowned in the bath….” the realization suddenly hits me. “She doesn’t know about these drugs. Catalina made t her tea. Eden had a bath without knowing she had consumed these drugs. If she needed them to sleep, why would she take the pills and then go take a bath?”
“She’s not someone who would top herself either,” Haze says firmly, and we all agree with that, except no one ever really knows what goes on in someone’s deep mind.
Except in Eden’s case, I’m sure they were put in her tea without her knowledge.
“She said her nightmares became worse when she returned to LA,” Haze is contemplating out loud as he steps away. “She was using pills she got from a local pharmacy without a prescription. I’ve spent enough nights with her to know she was never out cold like you described.”
“So you think she took something heavier?”
“Or Catalina gave it to her.”
“Something we won’t know until Eden wakes up.”
“Where is Catalina now?” Jagger asks, sighing because this day is just getting more intense.
“In her room refusing to leave.”
“We should get her away from Eden for now,” Haze suggests. “I could convince her that she’s been asked to make a statement at the police station.”
“Or just throw her out.” I prefer my suggestion better.
“If it turns out she’s innocent, Eden will follow her out that door.”
“And that powder could be anything.”
Asher chuckles. “Sure,” he says, amused, “Catalina’s a user.”
“Users could be of any age or race. Addiction does not discriminate.” I explain, opening the bag.
Within seconds, it’s snatched from my hand. “What the—”
“Have you completely lost the plot?” Haze pockets the bag, glaring at me. “What if it’s cocaine?”
“Then you try it, knobhead.” I retaliate. We need to be sure of what we”re getting ourselves into. None of these plonkers have ever sampled drugs, but I would know what it is.
“I’m doing no such thing,” Haze scowls. “The manufacturer supplying protein shakes for my online business is based here in California. I’m going to call in a favor and ask their lab to identify what this white powder residue is.”
“That could take a while, and we need answers now.”
“We’ll find a way to keep Catalina busy and away from Eden. For now, I’ll drive her to the police station and then back to Brittney’s place.”
Haze steps away to leave and hesitates to depart the room.
“If Eden should wake up,” he suggests, “let her know how you found her, but don’t accuse Catalina of anything. Not yet. We need to have solid details and not throw accusations. It’ll force her into a corner, and we know Eden’s bite is stronger than her bark.”
“Haze is right,” Jagger looks at Asher and me. “She is protective of Catalina. The woman remained with her despite everything. We have to give the old lady the benefit of doubt.”
”I believe inquiring about her sleep aids at an appropriate time is acceptable, as long as we approach it without making any accusations.”
Rather than reply, my brother simply nods thoughtfully and departs.
I carefully place the contents back into the purse and leave it where I discovered it. There”s no doubt in my mind that I will unravel the truth. Witnessing Eden nearly drowning has grounded me mentally. I am resolute in ensuring she does not tread the same dark path that consumed me for years. My determination to resolve this issue is unwavering and fueled by a profound sense of responsibility I feel for her.
Instead of going back upstairs, which was my original intention, I grab my metal box from the coffee table and head out back to roll myself a fag.