The text messages didn't stop, but there were no more words, only a series of odd pictures like the ones she'd found on Hilda's phone. She had been trying to avoid telling Ren about it, considering that he had requested that she tell him, but she found the wish not to end up like Hilda was more overriding than that of giving Ren any sort of satisfaction.
Finals came and went, which Rey (surprisingly) passed. She was thankful that she had a few weeks off now, but in the back of her mind she felt that strange anxiety that things were not as they should have been. It had gotten colder, and her bike rides were now a mixture of trying to stay warm and keeping her nose from falling off. When she got home that day, she turned the heater on full blast. She had gotten a book case and a new desk after the first few paychecks from SoloTech. It was all cheap stuff, but it would work for now.
She made herself a cup of tea, putting it in a mug that she'd stolen from Rose without meaning to. She turned, realizing the window was open. She couldn't remember if she'd left it open again. Why would she leave it open? She shut it, wondering if she should call the land lord and have the maintenance guy come and look at it. She heard her phone ping, a sound which she had come to dread.
She took a sip of tea and moved to look at it, glad to find that it was from Finn.
Are you off tonight? Poe and I want to take you out!
Rey was relieved. She realized she wanted to get away from the apartment and try to forget all of the weird goings-on. She agreed to go out, and they set a time.
Rey got dressed in a pair of black jeans. She tucked them into a pair of knee-high boots. She tugged on an over sized sweater that would keep her warm, but it was nice enough to go out. She let her hair down and used her curling iron to curl it, before putting out a smokey eye and a bright red lip. She grabbed her things and met them out in the front of the apartment. Before she left, she paused to look at the window. It was closed.
"This place is probably a downgrade," Finn said, smirking.
"Yeah, definitely is, but I couldn't afford to stay in that other place," Rey hopped up into the back seat.
"Could have moved in with us," Poe offered.
"Oh, that's okay, I figure I have to get out on my own sometime," Rey replied, surprised at the kind offer. "Where are we going?"
"Food and then booze," Finn replied, shooting out of the parking lot at what she was sure was record speed.
Rey tried to ignore the creeping feeling at the back of her neck each time she thought she was getting comfortable. She tried to ignore the fact that she just felt off. She felt off, the night felt off, the entire world felt off. It was as if she'd brushed up against something and now the quills were stuck in her for life. She had fun with Finn and Poe, but there were a few times during the evening where it was obvious she was distracted, and she had to ask for them to repeat what they'd said. Both of them seemed unaware of the fact that something was off, which she was glad for. Maybe she was simply making it seem like she was easily distracted.
Finally, she got up to use the restroom in a crowded, trendy bar that closed at midnight versus two am. She found the rest room was strangely empty, and she took a moment to wash her hands and look at herself in the mirror. She had that same strange feeling of someone breathing down her neck, but when she looked in the mirror, nothing was behind her.
She took her phone out, her thumb pad hovering over Ren's number. She had saved him in her phone as 'asshole', which was not the most creative she'd ever been, but she figured he would never see it. Finally, she pressed the number.
"Ren," He answered after a few rings. By the time he had answered, she was out of the restroom.
"Hi, Mr. Ren?" She questioned, unsure of how to begin this story. She was half way through before she realized she shouldn't have called him.
"Miss Beckett, I'm busy," He said flatly. "What is it?"
"You told me to call you if something strange happened," She said back, her own tone irritable.
"Where are you?"
"Um, it's called Poseidon's Place,"
She heard the phone click, and realized he had hung up on her.
"Hello?" She tried, lamely, before scoffing irritably and shoving her phone into her pocket.
She sat back down at the table Finn and Poe had secured. They were drinking and whispering to each other, something that made Finn laugh before they both looked up at her.
"You okay?" Poe shouted, over the noise. "You look whiter than usual,"
She laughed a bit.
"I'm fine, just not feeling so well,"
"You want us to take you home?"
"No, that's OK, I'll be fine in a few moments,"
"We can order you something to eat,"
They ordered french fries that were battered in something special with some sort of super special ranch. It wasn't something Rey usually ate, but it would probably help settle her stomach, which was currently sloshing around with too many vodka martinis. They shared, and Rey began to smile again, feeling better after having eaten something and swallowed down a glass of cold water.
Finn and Poe made her laugh. They had the sort of easy connection that made her believe they'd been friends for years, and she never really felt as if she was a third wheel, though there was plenty of opportunity for her to feel that way. She was distracted when she saw Finn and Poe staring at the door. She turned to follow their gaze, and she realized Ren had come in. He brushed right past the door man, before he spotted Rey. Rey flushed and sunk down into her seat. She hadn't realized he would come to find her immediately, but she supposed she should have known better.
Ren barely looked at Finn and Poe before he held his hand out to Rey. She looked at it as if she was unsure as to what she should do with it, before outright ignoring it.
"Guys, this is my boss, Ren," She said. They both smiled and waved, but she knew better than to expect Ren to be polite in return.
"Yes," He said simply. "Well? Come on,"
"I called him," She said awkwardly. "I have something I need to do,"
"Goodnight, Rey..." They both said, obviously surprised by the sudden appearance of a man in a suit.
Rey followed him out of the bar, shoving her phone and wallet back into her purse. The car was idling across the way, and Ren barely looked both ways before he went out into the street and opened the door. Someone honked. Rey waited and followed, before sliding into the backseat with him.
"That was rude," She said, looking at him. He was looking at his phone.
"Tell me what's been going on," He said flatly, uncaring about her friends. She didn't expect much more from him.
"I don't have much to show, but, here," She handed him the phone, opening up the texts from 'Missing'. "I feel like someone's been following me for weeks. When I leave the apartment, the window is closed, and when I get home, it's open," She paused, taking a breath. "I thought I saw someone in the apartment the other night,"
Ren scrolled through the photos. His face was hard to read, but when he reached the beginning of the string, he seemed to recognize something. Those would have been the strange words: sleep tite, blood rite. She wondered what it meant. It seemed like Ren already knew. He handed her phone back to her.
"Go to her apartment," Ren said to the driver, who merely nodded and put the car into gear.
"I don't live in the same place anymore," She said, before giving the driver her address.
"You smell like vodka," Ren said, casually. "What were you doing with those men?"
"They're friends," She said, suddenly feeling the need to be defensive.
"Friends?"
"I'm pretty sure one of them is gay, so yes, friends,"
She wondered at his line of questioning and felt like tossing it back into his face. What about Amalia, huh? She stayed quiet, though. A man like Ren was most certainly a playboy, he had to be. He was rich and a sharp dresser, why just settle for one woman?
"I'm not sure which is worse, the fact that you didn't tell me about this sooner, or the fact that you're stupid enough to go out into a public place when someone has been following you,"
"You're such an asshole," She said, the alcohol loosened her tongue.
"Excuse me?" He said, his voice ticking down a pitch in a dangerous way.
"Why would I want to tell you about anything? Talking to you is like having bamboo shoots shoved underneath your fingernails," She paused, grabbing her phone back from him. "Chinese water torture!"
"Miss Beckett-"
"Shut up, just shut up," She said, looking at him with ire. He looked dumbfounded by it. "My name is Rey,"
"Miss Beckett," He repeated, as if to make this whole situation worse on purpose. "You do realize I'm your boss, yes?"
"Fine, fire me," She crossed her arms over her chest, she was tired of taking his meanness. "Bosses don't come in the middle of the night and drag their employees out of bars. Bosses don't take someone to their house because they're concerned about them,"
"You told me something strange was going on, considering that Hilda was murdered, I thought it was important to deal with it right away," It was impossible to get a reaction out of him.
Rey seemed to have forgotten, or was trying to, about the murder. She hoped that this wasn't what Hilda had been experiencing before she'd died. That meant that Rey herself might be next. She had to wonder if it was Ren who was perpetrating it, but he seemed as confounded as she was by it. They sat in silence for the duration of the car ride until the big sedan pulled into the parking lot of her new place. Ren got out and she followed, having long since given up on the thought that the might open the door for her (he never did).
He waited for her to unlock the door, but he didn't wait for her to go in first. Instead, he went in ahead of her. He saw that the window was standing open. He looked through the closet and the bathroom, and Rey suddenly found herself wishing she hadn't hung her underwear out to dry on the shower rod. There was no one in the apartment but the two of them, but he seemed like he was looking for something.
"Close the window," He said, before exiting the apartment. She did as she was told, shutting it and latching it.
Ren came around the side and she could see him through the window, rattling the latch until it fell from it's spot. He slid the window open easily. So easily, in fact, that it gave Rey the creeps. She realized that it was probably someone that was doing it, and her idea that somehow it was sliding open without any help suddenly seemed very silly. When Ren came back inside, she was staring at him. He looked even larger in this small apartment.
"What's going on?" She finally asked.
"I don't know any more than you do," He admitted.
"But you know something," She said simply.
"I know that this place isn't secure at all," He replied, and she frowned. "I know that based on those pictures, this is probably what Hilda was experiencing before she disappeared,"
"Was she in line to be your next assistant?"
"No," Ren said, immediately.
"What happened to the last one?" She remembered what Amalia had said.
"She disappeared, much like Hilda,"
"Great," Rey said. "So you hired me into something where it's likely I'm going to get murdered, or at the very least, disappear,"
"I didn't make the connection until recently," He said, moving around the apartment. He ran his hands along the upper cabinets of the kitchen. He was still looking for something.
"Well, I think we should call the police,"
"No," He said flatly. "They won't be able to help you unless someone outright tries to kill you, and by that point, it might be too late,"
"But the text messages-"
"None of which are outright threatening. You haven't actually seen anyone, you can't prove that someone has been opening that window. What are the police going to do?"
"I don't know,"
"I do," He said. "They're going to make a report, file it away, and tell you that they need more evidence to prove that something is actually going on,"
"I quit," She said firmly. Ren tilted his head and looked at her in an 'oh really' sort of way.
"You think that that's going to solve the problem?"
"Yes," She murmured. "I had no idea what you were getting me into,"
"Listen, Miss Beckett," He paused, looking at her face. "Rey,"
"Mhm?" She said through her teeth.
"This is obviously about me," He said. "If I can keep you safe until I figure out what's going on, will you agree to stay on?"
"Why do you care so much?"
"It's hard for me to keep a good assistant,"
Well, that was becoming increasingly apparent.
Ren had wanted her to move in again. She said no. They argued about it for a few minutes before he relented. She would change her number, and he would pay for a security system to be put in. It felt ridiculous for a small apartment with no valuables in it, but she didn't want to die. It was the last thing she wanted, actually. Especially not after she'd passed her finals.
The apartment manager had told him no the first time around. Ren seemed to have unusual powers of persuasion, though, and he flippantly disregarded the no and continued to persist for a yes, which he eventually got. Rey had been expecting that he would have to pay them money, but he'd weaseled his way out of it and said that the apartment could keep the upgrade when she moved out. Rey sat in the apartment the day that they came to install it, watching the workmen go back and forth. There were bars, and a key pad, and they uninstalled the regular old lock and key on the door and made it so the door was code only. The window would be impossible to get in, now, but Ren seemed to think even it wasn't suitable. She had a feeling he knew what he was dealing with.
He came by that night in a tuxedo. He had a white cashmere scarf around his neck and was wearing a bow tie. His hair had been perfectly done, and she wondered where he was going. She saw Amalia in his car, and frowned. He walked around the outside to where the window was, and found it secure for now. She wondered if he would find a way to install a bubble around her whole apartment. When he came back inside, He had something in his hand. He dropped it and held onto the chain, and she realized it was a necklace.
"What's this?" She asked, curiously. She wished he would leave.
"It's a gift," He said. "Don't get too excited, just do me a favor and wear it,"
"I don't want it,"
"I don't care," He said in reply, setting it at her desk. "Even if you carry it in your purse,"
"Fine," She said, taking the necklace from him. "You'd better go, your date is waiting,"
He stood there for a few moments, watching her, before he left. She was to go to work that night, but she guessed she would be alone in the office. She remembered his calendar having something on it about a charity gala, but she hadn't realized he would bring a date. An annoyingly pretty date.
"What's wrong with me?" She asked herself, shaking her head in an attempt to shake the thoughts off.
"So many things, Miss Beckett," She heard him say from the doorway. She hadn't realized he wasn't completely gone.
She flushed, looking down at her desk. She stood up and slammed the door behind him, pressing her back up against it, waiting until she heard the car drive away. She wished she had someone to talk to about this, so she called Rose up. She felt bad for trying to dump her problems onto someone else, but she knew that no matter what Rose was going through, she would listen.
"Hey Rose," Rey said.
"Hey Rey, how are you?"
"I'm fine, how's your mother?"
"She's doing as well as can be expected. Going through treatment,"
"How's your dad holding up?"
"He's worse off than she is, but he loves her,"
"Aww," Rey said, frowning into the phone.
"Why'd you call?"
"Just felt like hearing a friendly voice,"
"Uh oh," Rose said. "Spill it,"
Rey explained it all, from the disappearing assistant to the murder. Rose was shocked. She explained Ren's odd behavior, and his overall oddness, and told her that he'd made her come home with him that night. Rose was obviously concerned, and told her to call the police.
"Ren told me not to," She said, pulling her legs up onto the computer chair.
"He's obviously worried about what's going to happen," She said. "But it's a little weird he doesn't want you to call the police,"
"Yeah, the whole thing is awkward,"
"Awkward because he's hot?" Rose asked, unable to help the jibe.
"Yes, no!" Rey shouted, unable to help the giggle that escaped her. "Actually, he's mostly terrible,"
"He doesn't sound terrible," Rose admitted. "I mean, rude, yeah, but maybe he just doesn't know how to be sociable. I don't know of many bosses that would install a security system just because they're concerned you're gonna get hurt,"
"That's true," Rey said. "But he makes me uneasy,"
"Uneasy because he's hot?"
"Rose, shut up," Rey said, playfully.
"Rey, I have to go, but call me tomorrow, okay? Now I want to find out what happens. And be careful. Call the police if you see anything else,"
"Will do," She sighed. "Talk to you later, Rose,"
Rey wasn't one to call off from work, but she didn't feel like going that night. She called Jo and asked her to let Ren know that she wouldn't be in. Jo agreed, and told her that she hoped she felt better. Rey could do a pretty good fake cough, after all, and if Ren asked she could tell him that it came on her suddenly, that night. She left the necklace on the desk. It was a weird piece of jewelry, with a thick silver chain. The pendant was a skull with it's mouth open, and it held a black marble stone in it's mouth. When Rey held it up to the light, she realized she could see through the stone. It looked like a star-lit sky with slender silver filaments connecting the stars together.
She got a weird feeling when she looked at it for too long. She wondered how bad it would be if she wore it on her person.
She made herself a bowl of ramen and sat in front of her computer watching TV shows for awhile (she didn't have a TV yet), and then she began trying to get through some of the reading she'd been putting off during the school year. She couldn't focus. She kept thinking of Hilda, and then Ren would flit across her consciousness every so often. She wished she could get him out of her head. Finally, she stood up and got dressed, deciding she needed to walk it off.
She shoved the pendant into her purse, feeling it's weight there at the very bottom. She hadn't gotten any weird texts since she'd changed her number, but Ren had downloaded what had been sent onto his own phone. She wanted to keep a record of it herself, but before she realized it, Ren had deleted it. He wanted to keep her safe, maybe, but he was still hiding something from her.
Rey walked down to a nearby bookstore that had a small cafe in it. She ordered a small cup of black coffee and gathered up an armful of magazines to look through while she sipped at it. She heard her phone ding, and she glanced down at it. She pulled it out and opened the message. It was Ren.
Where are you?
She replied: At home.
It was a lie, but she didn't expect him to be there to suss it out.
Another ding.
You're lying. I'm standing in front of your door. No answer.
What are you doing there?
No reply for a few minutes. She decided just to ignore it, until another text came through.
Where are you?
She didn't reply. Another text came through.
Miss Beckett, I'm waiting...
She replied.
Go back to your party.
Miss Beckett, if you're ill, you should be at home in bed.
Rey sighed, aggravated. She gathered her things and made the quick walk home. She had to admit, the presence of the necklace made her feel as if she wasn't being watched, for once, but maybe that was merely her imagination. She slowed down when she came upon her apartment, finding him standing there in all of his suited glory. He looked hazy. She wondered if he'd been drinking. She looked at the car and found that Amalia was gone, which gave her a bit of relief.
However, Ren's energy put her off almost immediately. Something crackled beneath the surface. It wasn't anger, but he had this sort of intensity in his eyes. Hunger, maybe? She saw that strange red pinprick that she had just convinced herself was in her imagination. He smelled like claret and cigars; like he'd spent the night at an old boys' convention.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, obviously confused by his sudden appearance.
"I have something I want to tell you," He replied, abruptly.
"Couldn't have called?"
"No," He said. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"I wasn't, no,"
She stood stalwart, in front of her door. If she didn't open it, he wouldn't be able to get inside. She had the very distinct impression that she should not let him inside, especially when he was feeling whatever way he was feeling right then.
"I like you, Miss Beckett," He finally blurted out. No tact at all.
"What?" She asked, obviously in shock from the statement.
"I like you. I want to see you, outside of work,"
"This is strange, coming from a man who insults my clothing, my intelligence, and generally just ignores me each chance he gets,"
"Miss Beckett, you have to understand, someone in my position and you-"
"You're drunk. You have to be drunk,"
"I don't get drunk, Miss Beckett,"
"Go home, Ren. Sleep it off. Tomorrow we can pretend like you were never here,"
She turned around quickly and punched her new code into the door. She fumbled with it, and it gave a bad piano noise before she realized she'd put it in wrong. She was in such a hurry to get inside that she didn't put the correct code in. She tried it again, this time a little slower, but she paused from her actions when she realized that he was still standing there. She couldn't quite read the expression on his face. His lips were pursed together and his eyes were on the ground. He looked a bit crestfallen.
"You're right," He finally said. "You're right to be so frank," He blurted out. Rey blinked, surprised by him swinging so completely back. "Goodnight, Miss Beckett,"
He turned away from her, leaving her standing, stonewalled, on her porch. He got in the back of his car and drove off. She watched him go, her face registering plain shock and then concern. Had he been serious? She finally got her code into the door, thankfully. After three tries, it would lock her out of the apartment and she would have to call the security team. The window was closed, and she hit the code into the alarm so that it wouldn't go off. The door latched behind her.
She heard a small ding on her phone.
I expect to see you tomorrow, Miss Beckett. Even if you're bleeding from the head.
She sighed, realizing she might have just made things worse for herself.
that's some high key pining, space prince kylo ren darcy. way to go.