Chapter 15 – A broken girl
Eric comes back into his office, I really want to get out of this office, but I have no transportation except for Eric. He closes the door behind him, and then reaches for the blinds and closes them too. He's tense; I can see it in the way he moves. He sits in the chair across the desk, and places his head in his hands.
"Eric, I'm sorry." My emotions are taking over and for once I can't stop them, I'm too tired to hold back my tears. "I didn't mean to hurt you; I'm just a huge mess right now. The one thing that kept me sane in this crazy world was killed. His wife is held captive, and that can't be good for the baby. I'm just a mess right now. I never have lost someone so close to me, those two were my family. They were.." My body heaves with sobs, and I just drop my head and let all the tears flow. "I need you, Eric. I'm sorry. I'm just so sorry…"
Eric gets up from his desk and kneels down on the floor in front of me. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his arms. My instinct yells at me to pull away, I don't need another person to lose. I've already lost everything. Yet, there's just something that draws me into Eric, it's not just his arms, it's him. He runs his fingers through my hair trying to calm me down. He's still tense though; I pull back and look up into his eyes. There's pity, confliction, and tears. "Eric?" I choke the words out; he can't look into my eyes. I reach up and place my hands on his cheeks and pull his face so that he has to look into my eyes. "Eric?" He pulls himself back, and rises to his feet and sits in the chair next to me.
He swallows, and shifts in his seat. "Ummm… we have information on Cassie." He won't look into my eyes anymore, he looks strung out.
My heart stops. "What? Do we know where she is? Is she okay? What?"
He hesitate, he's look for the proper words, "Jack sent Sydney and Vaughn to check out the Trager's house. It was a set up. Cassie never was kidnapped; it was a trap to get you to show up." I can't breath. I didn't hear him right. "She's been working for Sloane for years…" I can't even hear Eric anymore. How could she betray us? What about the baby!?! Calvin! She betrayed Calvin! She used him. I gasp for air, it doesn't seem to come. I gasp again, still no air.
Eric jumps out of his chair and grabs me again air pours into my lungs, "I'm so sorry." My head is swirling, everything that I had comfort in was a lie. I want to hurt him, he has to be lying.
I push him away, "Don't lie to me! Please Eric stop. I don't know… I can't… Tell me the truth." but he just grabs me harder and pulls me in again. "I'm so sorry; so sorry" he's crying now. He isn't lying. My whole body is shutting down; people aren't meant to deal with this kind of stuff. I don't care how much training they gave, there was nothing that can help me deal with this. Everything; a lie; a trap.
We stand together for eternity. The air is slowing coming in with more and more ease; my body isn't trembling anymore. I can't even think. My whole body is shutting down. I'm numb; I can't feel anything except for Eric's arms. The tears stop coming, there's just nothing left in me.
Eric pulls back and looks sheepishly into my eyes, "There's more." He waits to read my reaction, I stare at him blankly. "They captured Vaughn, and let Sydney go. They left her with another card, arranging a meeting place to retrieve Sark." Eric just watches me as the words sink in. "Sydney is heading back; she'll be able to give you more information than I will."
Time seems to stand still. I fall back into all my memories, I remember the wedding. I remember the parties. I remember it all, and the whole time a lie lingered in the air; a lie that for once I didn't see. I finally feel an emotion; revenge. "What do I need to do?"
"Right now, I think you should go see Dr. Barnett. Jack wants you to talk to Sark, but…"
I cut him off, "No, I'm not going to let another person die in this mess. Take me to Sark. I need to find out who he is, and why in the hell did they pick me." Eric nods and gives me a few minutes to gain what composure I can.
"Ready?" I nod and follow him down the hall. We travel through security two guards check us in and walk us down the hall of multiple steel doors. We approach the glass cell, and there is a man lying down on his bed, I instantly recognize him. "Joshua?"
He sits up and cocks his head to the side, his face has a twisted smile on it, "Actually I'm going by Sark now."
Eric comes back into his office, I really want to get out of this office, but I have no transportation except for Eric. He closes the door behind him, and then reaches for the blinds and closes them too. He's tense; I can see it in the way he moves. He sits in the chair across the desk, and places his head in his hands.
"Eric, I'm sorry." My emotions are taking over and for once I can't stop them, I'm too tired to hold back my tears. "I didn't mean to hurt you; I'm just a huge mess right now. The one thing that kept me sane in this crazy world was killed. His wife is held captive, and that can't be good for the baby. I'm just a mess right now. I never have lost someone so close to me, those two were my family. They were.." My body heaves with sobs, and I just drop my head and let all the tears flow. "I need you, Eric. I'm sorry. I'm just so sorry…"
Eric gets up from his desk and kneels down on the floor in front of me. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his arms. My instinct yells at me to pull away, I don't need another person to lose. I've already lost everything. Yet, there's just something that draws me into Eric, it's not just his arms, it's him. He runs his fingers through my hair trying to calm me down. He's still tense though; I pull back and look up into his eyes. There's pity, confliction, and tears. "Eric?" I choke the words out; he can't look into my eyes. I reach up and place my hands on his cheeks and pull his face so that he has to look into my eyes. "Eric?" He pulls himself back, and rises to his feet and sits in the chair next to me.
He swallows, and shifts in his seat. "Ummm… we have information on Cassie." He won't look into my eyes anymore, he looks strung out.
My heart stops. "What? Do we know where she is? Is she okay? What?"
He hesitate, he's look for the proper words, "Jack sent Sydney and Vaughn to check out the Trager's house. It was a set up. Cassie never was kidnapped; it was a trap to get you to show up." I can't breath. I didn't hear him right. "She's been working for Sloane for years…" I can't even hear Eric anymore. How could she betray us? What about the baby!?! Calvin! She betrayed Calvin! She used him. I gasp for air, it doesn't seem to come. I gasp again, still no air.
Eric jumps out of his chair and grabs me again air pours into my lungs, "I'm so sorry." My head is swirling, everything that I had comfort in was a lie. I want to hurt him, he has to be lying.
I push him away, "Don't lie to me! Please Eric stop. I don't know… I can't… Tell me the truth." but he just grabs me harder and pulls me in again. "I'm so sorry; so sorry" he's crying now. He isn't lying. My whole body is shutting down; people aren't meant to deal with this kind of stuff. I don't care how much training they gave, there was nothing that can help me deal with this. Everything; a lie; a trap.
We stand together for eternity. The air is slowing coming in with more and more ease; my body isn't trembling anymore. I can't even think. My whole body is shutting down. I'm numb; I can't feel anything except for Eric's arms. The tears stop coming, there's just nothing left in me.
Eric pulls back and looks sheepishly into my eyes, "There's more." He waits to read my reaction, I stare at him blankly. "They captured Vaughn, and let Sydney go. They left her with another card, arranging a meeting place to retrieve Sark." Eric just watches me as the words sink in. "Sydney is heading back; she'll be able to give you more information than I will."
Time seems to stand still. I fall back into all my memories, I remember the wedding. I remember the parties. I remember it all, and the whole time a lie lingered in the air; a lie that for once I didn't see. I finally feel an emotion; revenge. "What do I need to do?"
"Right now, I think you should go see Dr. Barnett. Jack wants you to talk to Sark, but…"
I cut him off, "No, I'm not going to let another person die in this mess. Take me to Sark. I need to find out who he is, and why in the hell did they pick me." Eric nods and gives me a few minutes to gain what composure I can.
"Ready?" I nod and follow him down the hall. We travel through security two guards check us in and walk us down the hall of multiple steel doors. We approach the glass cell, and there is a man lying down on his bed, I instantly recognize him. "Joshua?"
He sits up and cocks his head to the side, his face has a twisted smile on it, "Actually I'm going by Sark now."