Zariah sat at the long, cold table in the interrogation room. The air felt stale, pressing against her skin like heavy fog. Her hands were locked together on the metal surface, knuckles pale. The overhead light buzzed, flickering slightly. Her head throbbed.
Detective Hayes stood across from her. His arms were crossed, jaw clenched so tight it looked painful. His eyes scanned her face like he was trying to find guilt where there was none.
After that night somehow she found herself in her room safe and confy. With no rememberance or clue of how she got there when everything begun to dawn on her.
She had been kidnapped by a man in the club and next thing she saw were bodies laying in the floor covered in blood.
Who rescued her ?
She couldn't even remember what the men looked like at all.
It all felt stupid.
And when the news broke out she decided to turn herself in ,hoping maybe she'd understand what the hell was going on.
"I'm gonna ask you again, Zariah," Hayes said, voice firm. "Is there anything and I mean anything you're not telling us?"
Zariah swallowed hard. "No. I already told you everything."
"You were fucking kidnapped . By the same kind of people who left a dick on your doorstep in fact one of the most wanted hot headed criminals ….Then all of them end up dead clean kills. No evidence. No DNA. No surveillance at alllllll. Who the hell are you involved with, Zariah?"
Her voice cracked. "I don't know!"
" Goddamned," Hayes slammed his hand on the table. She flinched.
"You expect me to believe that?" he barked. "That these people are after you, and you don't know who they are? You're either lying, or you're the unluckiest damn woman I've ever met."
"I'm not lying," she whispered. "I wish I was."
Hayes pinched the bridge of his nose and turned away for a second, breathing hard.
Another officer entered, dropping a folder on the table.
"No prints. No witnesses. Same as before," the officer muttered, walking back out.
Zariah felt her chest tighten. She looked up at Hayes.
"Why would someone want to hurt me like this?" she asked. "What did I do?"
Hayes looked at her, something soft flashing in his eyes for a second before it was gone.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," he said.
Then silence.
After what felt like hours, Hayes finally uncrossed his arms. "You're not under arrest. But we're asking you to stay away for a while, stay away from work , people and anything that involves you socializing with any one. Till we guarantee your safety and find who is behind this."
Her heart dropped. "What?"
"You need rest. Time away. Somewhere …safe. We'll work on that for you and we'll have officers tag along with you for a while just for safety."
"I'm not going anywhere. I have clients. I have court—"
"You almost got raped and murdered, Zariah!" he snapped. "Do you not understand how serious this is? It's either you do as I say or we'll lock you up for your own safety."
She looked away, embarrassed and angry and lost all at once.
Hayes sighed. "Look. We're not punishing you. But something's clearly going on, and until we get answers, I want you far away from anything that could put you in danger. Please."
She said nothing.
"You need to disappear for a while. Let us handle it."
Later that day, she had returned to her apartment, with the police as an escort like she was some huge celebrity.
Maya teased her as she tossed a pair of bikinis into the Zariah's suitcase. "Girl, I don't even know why you're still fighting this. You're going. You need this."
Zariah sat on the edge of her bed, arms folded. "It just feels like I'm running away."
"You're not," Maya said, zipping the suitcase shut. "You're taking a break before you literally break."
"I feel stupid. Like... this whole thing started with a damn Tinder date. A mystery man. And now I'm in the middle of some horror movie."
"Well, at least you looked hot during the horror," Maya teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Zariah let out a small laugh. "You're the worst."
"I'm the best. And you're flying out tomorrow. End of story."
It was final and settled that she was going to fly out to a small remote island away from the city. But would that realyy solve what was going on ? Let's be real …. Whoever was behind all this killing wouldn't stop for nothing.
But it still confused her . Who could it have been and whoever it was really keeping an eye on her because how did they know she was in trouble and the exact place she was being k kept hostage.
Maybe she was being paranoid , officer Hayws did mention that that gang had enemies and it could be possible one of there rivals was responsible.
But if that was the case wouldn't she have been killed too?
Maya volunteered to stay for the night , as a way to help her feel safe and comforted after what happened. She'd make some stuff worse with her terrible sarcastic humor but it wasn't something she was used to.
The night went on fast and it was time for her flight.She was escorted once again by Maya and a bunch of police men.
Till she reached the check point and boarded her plane. The flight didn't take to long and she was wide awake throughout it.
Still traumatized from everything.
She had been picked up and was driven safety to the new place she'd be staying at.
The rental house was gorgeous too gorgeous for how she felt inside. The ocean was outside her window, blue and calm. The air smelled like sea salt and sunscreen and everything but the environment was so soothing, maybe that's what she really needed even though she protested so many times.
She took a tour of the place and it was wonderful.
Heading upstairs, she unpacked her safe and took a shower and decided to take a short nap.
But even in her sleep all she could hear and see was the kidnapping, the sound of the gun shots , the bodies falling right infront of her and blood splattered everywhere.
She jolted up in her bed mumbling a small prayer as sweat beads flowed down her forehead.
She liked at the time and it had only been 30 minutes and yet it felt like she had slept for hours.
Her life just took a turn , she though it was her final destination meanwhile it was just a roundabout.
She'd gone out to eat, walked along the sand, even bought herself a ridiculous cocktail in a pineapple.
But she was alone.
And bored.
And honestly?
A little too turned on.
Her phone had no new messages. No texts. No mysterious notes. No danger. It was like the world went quiet.
And her mind started wandering.
"God, I need a distraction," she muttered to herself.
She headed back to her room, tossing her phone on the bed.
She opened the drawer of her bedside table and pulled out the small but cute , rose-gold vibrator she'd packed at Maya's very aggressive suggestion.
"Emergency situations only," Maya had said, winking. "And girl, this is an emergency."
Zariah let out a half-laugh, half-sigh and fell back onto the bed. She stared at the ceiling again, holding it in her hand, debating.
"I'm so pathetic," she whispered, eyes stinging.
But the tears didn't fall this time.
Instead, she turned the toy on, letting the soft hum fill the silence.
It wasn't even about pleasure at this point it was about feeling something other than the hollow ache she'd been walking around with for days ….weeks .
She closed her eyes and let her mind drift, not just to the faceless man, but to the feeling of being wanted. Held. Desired. Touched like she was something rare, not broken.
And for just a moment, she wasn't Zariah the attorney. Or the woman questioned by police. Or the girl who let a stranger inside her soul.
She was just a woman, in a bed by the ocean, trying to breathe again.
She was lying on her back, her legs spread wide. Her breath came fast as she held the vibrator in her hand, feeling the buzzing start.
She brought it down to her wetness, gasping when it touched her.
Slap. Squelch.
The sound was soft but clear, her wetness making everything slippery. She moved the vibrator up and down, her body already reacting, hips pushing against it.
Vrrrrrrrrr. Whirr. Squelch.
She could feel the vibration deep inside her, every movement making her moan louder. The sound of the vibrator moving in and out mixed with her own soft, wet noises.
Slosh. Slap. Squelch.
Her fingers dug into the sheets, her breathing getting harder, faster. She pushed the vibrator deeper, feeling the pressure build inside her.
"Oh, god... so good," she whispered, her voice shaking.
The sounds of her wetness and the buzzing grew louder, more urgent. She was close now, her whole body starting to tremble.
Slap. Squelch. Whirr.Vrrrrrrrr
Her back arched, the pleasure so strong she could barely keep her eyes open. She gasped and moaned as she came, the vibrator still buzzing inside her, pushing her through the waves of pleasure.
She finally stopped, her body shaking with the aftershocks, the vibrator still buzzing quietly between her legs. Her breath was slow, but her skin was hot, every part of her still alive with the feelings from just moments ago.
Oh Zariah.
Then everything little feeling of pleasure instantly disappeared as she heard footsteps in her house.