Hi All,
Sorry I'm uploading nearly a week late.
I work full time and it's been rather hectic but I haven't forgotten about everyone who's reading my story.
Please enjoy and as always, feedback is appreciated but not expected.
xx
Chapter Ten
She paced back and forth in her room, thinking about her next move as she waited for the phone to ring. The plan had hinged on the team's naïve attitude towards trusting people, and on them being so overjoyed to have her back, they wouldn't ask too many questions about her time away. But they hadn't accounted for their tenacity. They'd been relentless with their questions and the more she tried to dodge them, the more wary they were becoming.
She needed their trust so she come and go without suspicion as well as to push them into the place they needed them to be. However every new approach she tried was failing miserably. She had underestimated their thoughts and feelings towards her in addition to how much they had changed. She certainly hadn't expected them to tell her they would have to discuss her re-joining the team and they wouldn't make any announcements. Or to be refused when she asked to see where Ray and Kai lived. Or to be asked if she had her own place sorted.
At this point she should have been an official member of the team again. If anything, she was being treated like they couldn't wait for her to leave. Not to mention, all her attempts to get Kai alone weren't working either. When he hadn't agreed to simple dates, she'd even tried subtle seduction. But that was failing her too. She was at the point of brazen seduction if that's what it would take to make him hers. When he phone rang, she took a deep breath and answered.
"Hilary speaking," she greeted.
"Has there been any progress?"
"No," she sighed, "If anything it's going backwards."
"This plan has to succeed Hilary. At any cost. We can't have them interfering."
"I know that but they don't trust me anymore. They won't tell me anything and I can't get Kai alone."
"Then I suggest you take advantage of who you can & do whatever it takes child."
"Yes Auntie."
She sighed when the call disconnected. The call had gone better than she thought it would but she knew she had to make some progress if she wanted to avoid repercussions. With a renewed determination she left the room trying to find one of the boys. When she realised everyone was gone, she headed to Tyson's room. Surprisingly, he was laying on his bed looking at old photos of the team.
"Where is everyone?" she asked.
"They've gone home for the night & Grampa's out with Stanley till the morning," he answered.
"Are they all of our old photos?" she asked curiously.
"Yeah," he answered, "You know, the old Hilary would have been honest when we asked her a question. She didn't keep secrets from us. This new Hilary in front of me, we can't trust her."
"Because I won't discuss my life the last 2 years?" Hilary asked, "Did any of you thing that maybe I don't want to talk about it because I want to move on and get my old life back?"
"You didn't call, you didn't email, you dropped off the map," Tyson yelled as he stood up, "You disappeared and didn't look back so don't try to turn this back on us."
She stood there stunned. They'd argued in the past but he'd never yelled at her like this before. And he wasn't done…
"We were your family and you left," he stated, "We looked for signs of you everywhere. Stanley used every resource he had to find you. You didn't want to be found though, so we took the hint and gave up. We didn't think we'd ever see you again so we got on with our lives."
"Tys…"
"No. You pushed for this, have the decency to wait your turn," he growled as he stood in front of her, "You didn't care about how you disappearing without talking to us would affect us. You didn't even care about how we'd feel not hearing from you. Then you turn up and assume things will just go back to how they were. It doesn't work like that Hilary. You don't get to just come back and pretend like you never left. Not when you left us. And you aren't fooling anyone with the fake interest act. It's obvious you still don't give a shit about how we feel and what we've done the last 2 years so do us all a favour and leave."
His chest was heaving with how angry he was and she was breathing heavily, stunned by his anger and at being caught out.
"God, you can't even deny it can you?" Tyson asked in frustration stepping away and sitting down on his bed again, "Why did you even bother coming back if you don't care?"
"You kinda took me by surprise and you didn't exactly give me a chance to actually answer you," she stated, "You're right, I didn't care how any of you would feel about me leaving. I was only thinking of myself at the time. But be honest, would any of you have actually helped me? You all made it very clear I should just give up despite how I felt about it."
"That didn't mean we wouldn't have helped," he answered, "All you had to do was ask us. But even then you were keeping secrets and showing fake interest. Especially in those last few months."
"Face it Tyson, none of you would have helped me."
"I would have," he stated firmly, "In fact I was trying to help but you never once noticed. You couldn't see past yourself long enough to see we were all trying to help one way or another. You can't see past yourself enough now to see you need to earn our trust again before assuming you can make suggestions, plan nights out and inviting yourself to people's homes."
She sighed and went to walk to the door before she stopped and turned back to him.
"For the record I am sorry I left without telling any of you. But I had to go alone. It was something I had to do for myself," she advised, "And this new harsh side of you've got going on, I like it."
"It's not harsh, it's just me being blunt and honest. If you're taking it as me being harsh then that's because you don't want to hear it."
"Maybe but I still like it," she said moving to stand in front of him, "It's kind of hot."
"What are you doing?" Tyson asked confused seeing the smirk on her face.
"Something I wanted to do before I left," she whispered as she straddled his lap, "But if you don't want to, all you have to do is say no."
Kai was sat on the edge of the stage, watching as everyone set up for the night. He and Ray had been told as they'd been 'kidnapped', they wouldn't be allowed to help set up this time. When she'd told him he only had 15 minutes to get ready she had meant it. She'd been about to knock on his apartment door when he'd opened the door. She even had something to tie his hands together but he'd put his hands up in surrender and announced he would go willingly.
She'd led him down to a car waiting outside which had a tied up Ray in the back seat. Apparently he hadn't gone willingly when the 2 women had picked him up on route to get Kai. Once Liana had started driving, her and Alyssa had explained that Stanley has 'sanctioned' their kidnapping so they could have a break, a fun one before facing Hilary again and that Ryuu had requested the kidnapping. Ray at that point had instantly surrendered and asked to be untied.
They'd had a fairly interesting afternoon at the club, watching the 2 women practise their sets for the night as the staff began to trickle in and started to set up. Each one was told not to let them help and to tell them if they tried. Even Alastair was joining in, in making sure they didn't help by telling all of them he'd have to start paying them if they kept helping.
In the end, they found other ways to keep themselves amused. They talked with the staff, they offered their thoughts on sets, they watched as both Alyssa and Liana 'bullied' Alastair. In general, they just enjoyed the atmosphere, though currently Ray was talking with Alyssa whilst Liana had gone to get changed. Which is why Kai had chosen to sit on the stage and just watch everyone.
"You aren't bored are you?"
He looked behind him and saw Liana walking towards him from the back of the stage. She was dressed in an off shoulder crop top, black skinny jeans and a sleeveless jacket that reached her thighs.
"I'm not bored," he answered as she sat beside him.
"You sure?" Liana asked.
"Have you known me to lie since we met?" Kai asked back.
"True," she smiled.
"And I'm quite enjoying my kidnapping," Kai informed with a smirk.
She smiled but before they could talk any further Kai's phone rang. He answered it and put it on loudspeaker.
"What's up Max?" Kai asked.
"You are not going to believe what I pretty much walked in on. Is Ray with you?"
"He's talking Alyssa. I'll let him know later. But Liana's listening."
"Hi Liana," Max greeted.
"Hey Max," Liana returned.
"Ok so I went back to the dojo to see if I could get Tyson to join us," Max stated, "But he was already having fun by the sounds of it. So in snuck in to make sure I wasn't imagining things."
"Max, if it sounds like he was 'having fun' as you put it, it's usually a good idea not to investigate," Liana stated bluntly.
"Yeah well I heard someone else too."
"Could have been porn," Liana suggested.
"Yeah I thought that too," Max said, "But they were saying his name and I got stupidly curious."
"I thought there was a bro code about not spying on a bro when they're getting laid?"
"Let him finish before you start cracking jokes," Kai chuckled.
"And how are you so blasé about this?" Max asked.
"Exposure. Plus it's kind off a golden rule, that if it sounds like fucking, it probably is fucking and you should exit stage left," Liana quipped, "But carry on."
"Ok," Max chuckled, "Anyway I found them on the decking outside. He was with Hilary."
"Well, that's unexpected," Liana stated.
"This isn't good Kai," Max stated.
"We'll keep an eye on him. Where are you now?" Kai asked.
"On the way to the club."
"Good. We'll talk then," Kai stated before hanging up.
"I get the feeling this is more than just bad news," Liana said quietly.
"Tyson was in love with Hilary," Kai advised.
"Oh, that's really not good," she responded.
"And she's been asking about the club and the photo's."
"She's asking about us?" Liana asked.
"Not that we told her anything."
"Guess we all need to keep an eye on things from now on then."
He looked at her expecting her to show a calm expression from the tone of her voice. But instead her expression gave him the impression she was about to face an enemy who just played their hand. When she caught him staring, she just smiled at him. Soon enough though, they were caught up in the fun atmosphere the staff exuded when Max arrived. Whilst Alyssa and Liana had gone backstage to sort something out, Max had re-told the story to Ray about Tyson and Hilary. They made a plan to make sure Tyson wasn't left alone with Hilary in future and then put it to the back of their minds so they could enjoy their night.
When they weren't on stage, Liana and Alyssa were up in the VIP area unless the staff needed them. For once Liana was taking the night from dealing with the scumbags and lowlife's personally. She'd also showed Max how to spot someone 'having fun' on the dancefloor which had made them all laugh when he declared she'd destroyed the last of his innocence. By the end of the night, it was like their week and the exhaustion had been forgotten. The boys had tried to help the clean up but they'd been ordered to sit in a booth and keep Alastair entertained.
They'd done as they were told and once all the staff had left for the night. Alyssa and Liana sat with them to enjoy a drink with them all. Max had been telling everyone silly stories to keep them all laughing. At least he had until Alastair yawned, prompting Liana to yawn.
"We should get going so you can go home," Max said.
"Do me a favour and kidnap the girls," Alastair stated.
"Uncle!" Alyssa chided.
"Is now a bad time to say your meddling grandfather requested your kidnapping as well and already had clothes left for you at Kai and Ray's place?" Alastair asked with a smirk.
"You could have told us a little sooner," Alyssa sassed.
"I didn't get any warning, so I say it's fair," Ray commented.
"I surrender," Liana joked holding her hands up and making them all laugh except for a scowling Alyssa.
So that's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.
For anyone who's an Escaflowne Fan, please check out my story 'Return to Gaea'.
As always, any feedback is great feedback, but it's not expected.
Next Upload will be: 6th April.
See you next month xx