Chapter Five - He Knows Me

Sydney 

I opened my eyes to a lot of commotion outside. What was going on? Why were people creating a ruckus? Where was I? 

It took me a minute to remember my ordeal from last night. I looked around the RV pad and at the neat bed beside me. Hadn’t Killian slept here last night? Where did he sleep?

There was silence in the vehicle, which meant Killian wasn’t there. Where was he?

I sat up straight, remembering what was in store for me today. Did my dad already launch a search party for me? Did he have my photographs published in every newspaper in the city? Were the cops here already? Maybe that was what the mayhem was all about. 

Panic gripped my heart, and I dreaded going out to check. My glance fell on my luggage at the foot of the bed. Quickly, picking up a set of fresh clothes, I dashed into the washroom of the vehicle. I might as well stay locked in here than go out to face the music. What if the cops captured me? No, I didn’t want to go back to my house to face my dad. He would punish me or maybe kill me the way he had killed my mom. 

I trembled with fear. After ten minutes, the commotion died down, and I emerged from the washroom. Where did they go? Maybe they were hiding nearby and waiting to capture me. Drawing the blinds up, I peered through the window, but there were no cops in sight. 

My stomach grumbled for breakfast, and I inched towards the door. With Killian nowhere in sight, I would have to go out and fend for myself. I had to find a café first. Later, I could explore the place for a convenience store nearby. With my dad hunting for me everywhere, I couldn’t leave the sanctity of the vehicle for a few days. I had to stock up to survive.

The moment I stepped out, I saw Killian near the pier, far away with a group of almost thirty tourists. There was a humongous luxury yacht anchored nearby. My heart constricted with dread. Was he leaving me here? How would I live here all by myself? 

I ran towards him as fast as I could before he boarded the yacht and left San Diego forever. It was the fastest sprint of my life, and I reached him just as the last of the guests had boarded the vessel. 

“Killian! Where are you going? How can you leave me behind?” I yelled breathlessly as I ran up the walkway. 

He froze for a second and then turned to glare at me. I stopped a few feet away from him, watching him scowl at me furiously. What had I done to make him so angry? Wasn’t he fine last night? 

“Please take me with you. I can’t stay here all alone.” I ignored his scowling face and closed the distance between us. 

He clenched his jaw as if restraining himself somehow. “What are you doing here? Go back to the vehicle.” 

I gaped at his face, watching him tremble with fury. “I was hungry. Please don’t leave me here.” I looked away, feeling lost. What had I done to make him so mad at me? Where was the man I had met last night? He was sweet, flirty, and had treated me like a princess. He had called me so, despite knowing my name. 

“I’ll send you food. But stay locked in. Go,” he barked at me as if I had committed a crime by stepping out of the vehicle. Maybe I had, but how would he know? I hadn’t given myself away to him. I watched him closely, trying to understand the sudden change in his behavior towards me. Something was amiss, and I couldn’t understand it at all. 

“Okay, but are you going somewhere?” I had to know if he was escaping. 

He gave me an impatient look. “Why? Do you expect me to babysit you all day?” His cold eyes held so much bitterness and hatred, it shocked me. What was wrong with him? Was he the same guy? Or had I met his twin last night? 

“No. I was just asking.” I looked away and trudged back to his RV pad. 

I knew he had boarded the yacht without me. I turned to watch the yacht sail away. It seemed I was a misfit everywhere. No one wanted me. 

I retraced my steps to the RV. There was a tiny café nearby overlooking the beach, and I went towards it. Maybe I would buy some food to last me all day. What if Killian forgot to send food? 

The place was empty, with a lone tourist having his coffee at the far end. I smiled with satisfaction and bought a lot of goodies on sale: burgers, sandwiches, donuts, coffee, cakes, and pies. Happy with my purchase, I returned to the vehicle and helped myself to the food. It was good that I bought them, as Killian forgot to send me anything all morning. 

I ate the food I bought for lunch too. With nothing to do, I slept and watched television all day. With my phone switched off, I had no information about what was going on around me. After Killian’s warning, I didn’t step out of the vehicle even once. Although I was dying to buy a newspaper to check, I curbed the urge. Maybe it would be wise to wait for Killian instead. 

My food had almost run out as I waited for Killian’s return. It was evening, and the sun had set two hours ago. Was he still sailing on the yacht? 

In that case, I would have to step out to buy myself dinner. A strange apprehension gripped my heart. Had Killian found out about me? Did he know who I was? Maybe he had abandoned me to evade a clash with my dad. After all, no one wanted to face my dad. He had a notorious reputation in the corporate world. Everyone knew him as a hard taskmaster and a shrewd entrepreneur who had tricked his partner and confiscated the business long ago. 

Hunger pangs made me double up, and I sighed. I had to go out now or I would die of hunger. Picking up my wallet and the keys to the vehicle, I opened the door to leave when I collided with Killian on the steps. 

“Oh! You’re back!” I grabbed the door to keep myself from tumbling down. 

The moment he saw me, his eyes sparkled with fury. “Were you going out again? I had asked you not to, right?” He sounded so cross, a tremor went down my body. Would he hit me like my dad always did? “Maybe you love to break the rules and disobey everyone around you. Aren’t you a spoiled rich brat?”  

I gaped at him in disbelief. “No, I’m not that way at all. I was hungry.” What was wrong with him? 

He shoved me backwards and entered the vehicle. “Hungry? Why didn’t you have your dinner?” 

I closed the door and followed him to the kitchen. “I was going out to get dinner.”

I tried to remain calm, since I needed his help this time. He didn’t need someone like him in his life. He had every right to misbehave with me. I was an added responsibility on his head. 

He whirled around to scoff at me. “Why? Was the dinner I sent not up to your standard? Maybe you’re used to exotic, star-rated restaurant food! Right?”

“When did you send dinner? You promised, but you didn’t send me a morsel of food all day. I’m sorry for troubling you. I didn’t intend to impose on you. Don’t get yourself so worked up. I’ll go away to a hotel.” Tears crept into my eyes, and I whirled around and walked back to get my luggage.

How could I expect him to take care of me? He wasn’t obligated to feed me or shelter me. I should have realized it and left already. 

When I carried my luggage towards the main door, Killian was on a phone call. He disconnected the call and came striding toward me in a fit of rage. “Where the f*ck are you going now?” he gritted out, glaring at my luggage. 

“To a hotel. Thanks for everything you’ve done for me, Killian.” 

His control snapped, and he snatched the luggage out of my hands. “You aren’t going anywhere. I’ve spoken to my assistant right now. There has been a miscommunication on my part. He didn’t know whom to deliver the food and handed it to guests in another vehicle.”

My decision was made now, and nothing could stop me from leaving. “You don’t owe me an explanation, Killian. I’m indebted to you for sheltering me. But now I won’t impose on you anymore. It’s time to leave.” I tried to get the luggage from him, but he refused to let it go. 

“Are you out of your mind? Where will you go?” He sounded desperate, and he snatched back my luggage and walked over to the bedroom. 

I ran after him. “Killian, please give me back my luggage. I can’t stay here anymore.” 

He gave me a look full of hatred. “Do you have a choice, Ms. Sydney Bardot? Your dad has published your photograph in all the leading dailies of the country. The cops are combing the entire region for you. They’ve captured your car from Joe’s shop this afternoon. Do you think you can get away without disguising yourself?”

My jaw fell to the floor. He knew me.