FACELESS

CONNOR

Connor had walked out on me without the slightest remorse after I tried to speak to him about how wrong he was for setting Lola up like that.

Standing there as I watched him leave, I felt like a little pawn in Eddy's board, my thoughts in a shattered mess, and my shoulders hanging above my head as the guests around the bar walked around me, murmuring and pointing fingers.

That was the least of my worries.

Since the previous day, I had been busy reaching out to the various media houses and blog operators that had Lola's incident on their site, asking them personally to take the pictures down.

After the last time I saw Lola, I had been trying to reach her to no avail. It bothered me, but not enough to make me want to endure sleeping under the same roof with Eddy last night.

I had spent the night in my own house, even gone to the hospital to clear some work load off my desk — these were well against the rules in honor of the week, but standing before Mr. Gregory Langford, having to endure his rage and endless questioning was way better than having blood on my hands with Eddy's head on a platter.

Parked in a secluded corner along the old Riverside highway, I killed the engine.

The air was cool, and the silence perfect as my knuckles whitened against my grip of the steering wheel as I tried to process the series of thoughts that had been webbed in my head since Eddy's ridiculous proposal.

Peering straight into the road ahead, my brain jumped on a memory causing my veins to relax slightly into acceptance.

I rolled my eyes at nothing in particular trying to remember where I had dumped the invitation — the thick black card with gold letterings one of my VIP patients had pulled in my face yesterday.

Finally, my gaze flickered to the front passenger seat and there it was, lying like it had been waiting to be finally picked up.

My eyes scrolled across the information on the card.

FACELESS

86 OldMill Road,

WestHaven

11:00 P.M.

I sighed, flinging the card back on the seat, but I couldn't stop thinking about the old man's words yesterday evening.

"Sometimes, life gets too hard for you to crack even with support from your closest people. Try strangers."

I shut my eyes, drawing in a long breath and finally, exhaling slowly.

My fingers moved blindly until they found the card again.

Pulling it to my face, I traced on the letters slowly, finally coming to a conclusion.

"Whatever!"

---

Pulling my car into the driving lot, I saw a lot of other cars covered in trampolines.

As soon as I got off mine, a man wearing dark clothes and a mask concealing most parts of his face strode up to me.

He handed me a small basket with a card in it.

Thereafter, I had to give in my phone and car keys.

As I proceeded towards the building as directed by the instructions on the new card, I turned to see him pulling another trampoline over my car.

"What's the big deal," I muttered, but deep down, I was satisfied seeing them keep to their standards of anonymity as the description promised.

The card guide led me to a small clean room that I was sure could not accommodate another human if we wanted to move around freely.

There was a chair and a table with a bottle of water, packaged snacks, and a pair of head sets.

I noticed several tiny fixtures on the wall which I suspected were ridiculously mini speakers.

Carefully, I inspected every corner of the room for anything else that was out of the ordinary.

I didn't feel weird or strange even with how much my brain over analyzed things to get my suspicions up.

I drew out the chair and sank in, adjusting the headsets over my ears.

Silence.

So, I cleared my throat and spoke first.

"I think I am in love with the wrong woman. At the same time, I feel like it is a trap. Now, it's beginning to look like I have to choose between two people that ___," I hesitated, my pulse gathering.

I blew out a hot exhale.

"It's beginning to look like I have to choose between two people who mean the world to me."

Caring less about if I was even going to get any reply, I pulled my weight against the table, my head slumping into my palms as I tried to catch my breath.

I had just pointed out my mess to myself aloud.

I had barely exhaled after the deep inhale when a voice, electronically distorted, cracked alive from the speakers around me, causing me to slowly sit back upright in total awe and visible curiosity.

"I know exactly what you're going through. I have been there."

Silence. I listened again.

"(Deep rumble) Seems really tough. That is why I don't allow myself to get too invested."

I listened again, trying to decipher if the two answers came from different sources, if there were other people listening from different parts of the huge building, if this was truly safe, a lot of things that I needed answers to.

Then, I was forced to focus again when another answer cracked through the speakers.

It started with a low sound that sounded like the person finally got the perfect answer to my predicament.

Then...

"Forbidden romance?"

My breathing missed a beat.

"It doesn't sound like it is going to be related to incest, you are ahead by that. That leaves us with the last consideration."

My adrenaline shot up in high expectations. I thought about the many things that could go wrong, and prevent me from getting the remaining parts of the current speaker's answers.

My fingers clutched in tight knuckles against the table, my breathing a slow pattern of inhale and exhale as I listened expectantly.

"Between us, you already have a side. Something is probably holding you back from standing at all cost on the side you have chosen."

I adjusted in my seat. It was the same speaker — the same deep, knowing voice.

"And let me guess, you know your answer. No pity. No obligations. Stand your ground. Own your choice."

There was a loud beep after the last word, and the wave signals suddenly disconnected abruptly.

My eyes stared hard against the table top, and in that moment, it seemed as though my thoughts were tearing apart, standing as individual strands of emotions, then finally starting to connect, in line, every thought leading the other and finally...I felt strong on a decision.

Then, the speakers yanked alive to a new wave signal.

"Women are like good food, you can always find another item on a new menu. Maybe...."

I didn't wait for whomever it was to finish his nonsense, I yanked the headsets off and hurried out.