Chapter 5 #2
“Regi, wake up.” Maya’s fearful tone pulled me from the dark. She shook me. “Regina!”
I jolted upright, a scream lodged in the back of my throat.
“It’s me,” Maya said in near panic, cupping my face in her hands. “You’re safe.”
I scrambled out of the bed, not wanting to be touched, and scurried to the kitchen, switching on the hallway light. I tried to swallow the knot in my throat, but my mouth was too dry. “Water.”
I snagged a glass from the drying rack, filled it to the brim, and choked down half the contents before the constriction in my throat eased.
“Are you okay?” Concern etched the corners of Maya’s eyes as she cautiously approached me.
“Yeah,” I croaked out the lie and finished the water.
“Want to talk about it?”
I shook my head, not wanting to voice the nightmare, fearful that it might happen again if I talked about it.
Maya studied me through the speckled red-framed eyeglasses that she never wore in public, before she turned her eyes back to the wall clock. I followed her gaze, and to my surprise, it was only four minutes after three in the morning—I’d barely slept at all.
She blew out a heavy breath. “Okay. Then I’ll tell you what happened after you left the fight. You have no idea.” She dropped onto the sofa and tucked the small, gray rectangular throw pillow under her chin.
“What is it?” I asked, welcoming the change in topic. I sank into the chair next to her, curious on what went on after I left the fight, especially if it involved Krew.
Threading her fingers repeatedly through her messy hair, Maya’s teary eyes appeared haunted. I’d never seen her so distraught. “Kane was murdered. Someone shot him in the head.”
“What?” My spine snapped straight. “Who shot him?”
“I don’t know. The second Kane hit the ground, everyone scrambled out of there so fast, I lost sight of Jess. I ended up huddled behind a damn folding chair like that piece of metal was going to protect me from a bullet.”
I placed my water glass on the coffee table, moved onto the sofa next to my friend, and hugged her. “I’m sorry. But I’m glad you’re safe.” And I was.
However, I was a bit baffled at Maya’s extreme emotional reaction to Kane’s death. Being upset at witnessing a murder was normal, but I thought she hated the man. Maya often said she wished him dead, and described different scenarios how it was done.
“Why are you sorry? You didn’t pull the trigger. Besides, Kane was a jag-off anyway. He probably deserved it. But Jess…” she choked out.
“Is he okay?” I hugged Maya tighter, since she was trembling in my arms.
“I think so. He was in the cage with Kane when… I don’t…” Maya burst into tears, while she kept talking. “He sent me a text message an hour ago.” Maya didn’t explain further, and I didn’t push.
“Were the cops called?” I doubted it—who would do that at an illegal underground fight?
“I don’t know. Everyone was in crazy panic mode, trying to get out of the building. I’m just glad the cops didn’t show up before I left.”
“So, the cops were called in?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah—I think so. I heard sirens when I was a few blocks away from the warehouse.” Maya dipped her chin down and sniffled. “I was so afraid, Regi. I should have gone home with you.”
“How did you get home?” I asked, as guilt at leaving my best friend in that terrible mess swamped me. But I’d had no choice. Not when he was there.
“After I realized Jess wasn’t coming for me, I ran until I was several blocks away and then called an Uber.”
I wanted to tell her that her boyfriend was an utter douche bag for leaving her alone there, but I kept that opinion to myself.
“Tell me what you were dreaming about.” Maya straightened and moved away from me. “I need to think about something other than the bullet hole in Kane’s skull, or if Jess is safe.”
“I… umm, don’t remember now,” I lied.
Maya’s watery eyes narrowed on me. I was sure she knew I was lying, but my friend didn’t call me out on it.
“Okay.” She hugged me and got up. “I’m going back to bed since I have to work tomorrow morning. Whenever you want to talk about it, you know I’m here,” she added with a slight touch to my arm.
“I know,” I replied calmly. “Get some rest. And don’t worry about Jess. I’m sure he can take care of himself.”
Maya’s brown eyes flashed with a hint of ire. “Yeah. That bastard just left me there.” She went to her room and closed the door.
I didn’t say anything. Though, I’d called it. Another boyfriend bit the dust.
I guess it was a good thing I left the fight when I did. I certainly didn’t need another violent incident in my life. Seeing someone shot—someone I knew personally… Even though I thought Kane was a certifiable ass, I hadn’t wanted to see him dead.
I sat there in the shadows thrown by the hallway light, trying not to envision Kane with a bullet hole in his forehead.
Then the darkness of my nightmare crept back in, which left me shivering.
I slumped back against the sofa cushions, covered my mouth with both hands, and silently cried until I had no more tears and their tracks had faded away like ghosts.
It had become crystal clear that, no matter what I did to make myself feel safe, I was never going to really be safe, now that Teke was in my city.
Glancing at the wall clock again, I drew in a long, tired breath. I got up and refilled my glass, then headed back to my bedroom. Desperate for a few more hours of sleep, I pulled open my underwear drawer and rummaged around inside it until I found the bottle of prescription sleeping pills.
Normally, I didn’t mix medication, but tonight of all nights, I needed the extra kick. I uncapped the bottle, took out a pill and popped it into my mouth, then chased it down with water. “Dreams, dreams go away. Never come back another day.”