55 - SPIDER'S VOICE

KYLE’S POV

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I pulled away from Janine, my eyes shooting open instantly and sending a death glare her way

“Isn’t obvious?” she said, still crowding my space and attempting to go for another kiss but I held her wrist and stood up now

“Isnt what obvious?”

“That I want you” she finally spat out and silence that followed was loud. Me staring at her with an unbelievable look and she holding my stare with a hopeful look.

“Are you out of your mind? I’m your boss” It was surprising that I had to remind her and I felt a deep irritation run through my bones

“That fact doesn’t seem to matter when it comes to Aria” she said and my mouth fell open instantly, suddenly short for words.

“What – ”

“I see the way you look at her, nothing gets past me in this office boss” she said now, anchoring on the table and throwing my sultry gazes that I found ridiculous, this whole situation was ridiculous and there was only one situation I was worried about – Aria, and not a ditsy employee who feels like she has the eye of an owl.

“Ok Janine” I started, it was time to put an end to this senseless shenanigans. “I’m going to pretend like whatever this is did not happen, so I’m going to need you to take your bags and go back home to your husband, boyfriend or a cat, whatever it is that waits for you at home”

But she stood, unwilling to move and I raised a disapproving brow at her.

“Go Janine, Now!” I pointed at the door, sensing the seriousness in my voice and the sudden grimace that appeared on my face, I watched her scurry to the door and out of the voice while I released a breath that I didn’t even realize I was holding.

“Fuck!” I cursed to myself, readin Aria’s last text to me with a certain dread festering at the pit of my stomach. I glanced at the head of the wine bottle peeking out of the cabinet where I had hidden and fished it out. I corked the cap open and took a large gulp, letting the liquor wash over me and hoping for an instant intoxication, so I drank more and more till my head was swimming in the cloud. I was going to see her the next morning and I was going to demand an explanation on why she had to pass on her duties to Janine.

That was what I thought until I walked into the company with a dull headache, a lot of eager faces smiling at me but Aria wasn’t one of them – my heart fell, was she quiting too? Just like that, not even a goodbye?

“Where’s Miss Thorne” I spoke to air as I walked past, my eyes diligently scanning for her face incase the hangover was affecting my sense of vision but no response came forth until I heard Janine’s shrill voice.

“She’s not here yet boss” she had a cocky smile, and for some reason it bothered me but I managed to pull away from her and walked straight to my office. I whipped out my phone and sent another text

*Where are you?

Immediately, the read icon popped up with a few text bubbles but no response came forth and my chest tightened. Was she playing with me? Immediately, I hit the green button and decided to dial her number, it rang and rang but yet her buttery voice did not come up on the other end of the line. Instead, I was stuck with the metallic tone of the receiver telling me I couldn’t reach her. I felt annoyance spread throughout my entire being and a sudden urge to throw my phone against the wall, or better still go up to her house and demand answers on why she was ignoring.

*She has every right to, you told her you didn’t love her.

The tiny voice at the back of my head had began nagging me again, filling my head with possibilities that I’d rather stay hidden but instead they stayed hunting me – depriving me of the peace I sought.

Just when I was about to stand up, I began to hear voices outside and suddenly someone barged into my office with such great force that I was nearly taken aback.

“Where is she?” it was Shawn, his voice raised with bloodshot eyes like he hadn’t slept at all through the night and bursted knuckles. What was happening?

“Where is she? I’m not going to ask again!” his tone was lethal and apart from the initial confusion that was already crowding my brain, there was a slow panic building – a possibility I didn’t want to come to terms with.

“Who – ”

“Aria goddammit, she was coming to meet you last night – ”

“Wait what – ” the panic was slowly setting in, I didn’t want to believe “Aria didn’t show up here last night” I admitted and I watched all the color drain from his face.

“What the hell do you mean by that?” he yelled now

“She didn’t show up, we had work to do and she handed it over to a colleague, I haven’t seen her” I tried to stay calm but my hands had begun to slightly tremble where I hid them under the table.

“Then where is she? Because she left the house and she didn’t come back, she’s reading my text and not responding and she’s not taking her calls. We had a fight last night so I presumed she was still mad at me, but not like this. Aria would never make me believe she was in some sort of danger, you know what I’m calling the police – ” that was when it registered in my head that something terribly had gone wrong. Aria was missing and she wasn’t just missing , someone had taken her.

Immediately, and with a sudden reflex I knocked Shawn’s phone out of his hands as he whipped it out to dial the police, the phone flew out of his hands and landed on the floor with a thud, spider web crack developing on the screen immediately.

“What the hell!” he shot me an angry look.

“Don’t involve the police, I need to know what’s going on first” I said to him but with the look on his face, it was obvious he wasn’t going to take me serious.

“and why should I listen to you, it’s your fault she’s missing in the first place” he charged towards me, grabbing my by my collar and nearly throwing a punch at my jaw but I manage to dodge, I had gotten enough beatings in this week and I wasn’t going to risk another punch to my bruised jaw.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, allow me figure it out” I tried to pacify him. I knew there was only one culprit behind this, the only problem was that, I didn’t know what he wanted but whatever it was, I needed to get Aria away from him fast.

Suddenly, my phone started ringing and when I peeked it was Aria calling – immediately I froze as Shawn sensed a hesitation in my movement and he could see Aria’s name sprawled out on my phone.
I shot him the quiet sign as I picked up on the call, at first I was hesitant to put it on speaker judging from his bursted knuckles and his admission that they got into a fight, but the moment I heard heavy breathing on the other side, I hit the speaker button fast.

“Kyle – help – he got me” she sounded like she was running and the panic and dread in her voice could not be mistaken.

“Aria, where are you? Look around, give me anything, anything at all” I said hurriedly with Shawn beside me ready to whip the phone out of my hands.

“I can’t see anything, it's dark and he wants to take me away Kyle – don’t let him take me away – ” suddenly her voice sounded muffled and static taking over the receiver.

“Give me the phone you foolish girl” I heard next and immediately the phone went dead. I paused, my mind raking immediately, I knew that voice, I was familiar with that voice and that was when it hit me – it was Spider – my father’s body guard.