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She didn't know much about cars, but his was sleek, black and shiny. Non-descript. It was the kind that your gaze lingered on for a few seconds as it stopped at a traffic light, but not one that you would recall seeing if questioned.

Perfect for a bodyguard. Perfect for remaining under the radar during sleuthing and undercover jobs. And perfect for a slithery snake of a man like Alejandro Serrano.

She tapped her foot against the pavement, making a point to look everywhere but at him. "Can we not just walk?"

"Walk?" He echoed, holding the door open for her. "It would take us over an hour to walk to the police station from here, and we have things to do later." His reasoning was fair but she wasn't ready to give in just yet.

"Maybe Detective Hardy could come here?"

"That's not really the way it works. He needs your statement on the record."

"I've already given my statement," she argued. "A couple of times now."

"I know, but this is the way it works." He sighed, knowing that there was more to it than she was letting on. "Why don't you want to go to the police station?"

"It's not that I don't want to go." She shook her head. "I just don't feel very well." The lie slipped through her lips before she could stop it and once it was out, it was too late to take it back.

His lips turned down slightly at the corners. "You seemed fine 5 minutes ago."

"Well, that was 5 minutes ago and now I don't feel great." She placed a hand over her stomach and forced a wince. "Cramps."

"Cramps?"

"Period cramps. I started this morning." That part wasn't a lie. Her period couldn't have come at a worse time. With having a new, irksome – albeit extremely handsome – bodyguard following her everywhere she went, the many visits she would be making to the police station over the next week and the inner emotional turmoil that she was going through, she could have done without Aunt Flo making an appearance but there was nothing she could do about it. Well, nothing but take advantage of the situation and force the cards to play in her favour.

Alejandro smirked at her, unfazed. "We'll grab you some tampons after you finish at the police station."

She pressed a hand against her forehead and sighed. "I feel light-headed." Another lie.

"I've got a chocolate bar in my car. You can eat it on the drive."

Layla scowled at the brute standing in front of her. "I get that you're not a woman, but period cramps are the worst!"

"And I get that you're scared, but you've got nothing to fear with me." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I'm your bodyguard. It's my job to keep you safe."

"And you take your job very seriously," she mimicked his words, the deep, gruff voice and everything. "I get that. But, it's just-" her words trailed off and she sighed, no longer capable of stringing together a sentence.

Alejandro stood and watched her. He knew what she was feeling. During the years that he had been a bodyguard, he had numerous clients whom suffered collateral damage during crimes gone wrong. They all needed protection and most of them were scared to leave the sanctity of their own house the first time after the incident.

Layla Abraham was no different.

It was human to feel scared and it was his job to make her not feel that way anymore.

"How about we take it slow?" He suggested. "I'll stay under the speed limit at all times and stop for all pedestrians looking to cross the street."

She pursed her lips but allowed her mind to dwell on the offer. He was right, she was scared even though she didn't dare admit it. For admitting it would let them win. She didn't want to live the rest of her life holed up in her apartment, scared to take a step outside. She didn't want her heart to start beating erratically whenever someone turned up at her apartment unannounced.

She didn't want to live her life driven by fear.

"And the tampons?"

He threw his head back and laughed before ushering her into the car. "After the police station, just like I promised."

If they had walked, it would have taken over an hour but on four wheels, the car pulled up to the parking lot in less than 20 minutes. It would have been 15 if she hadn't forced him to keep his word on the speed limit.

"How is thing going to work exactly?" She asked as she followed closely behind him as they walked into the station. "I sit in a dark, cold room to talk with a detective while everyone else stands behind a one-way window and listens to everything."

"Pretty much, yeah. But the lighting is better than in Law & Order and last time I checked, NYPD pays their heating bills." He chuckled. "I saw your box set."

She shrugged. "It's one of my favourite shows. Very educational too."

"Don't believe everything you see on those detective shows. I'll be waiting outside if you need me." He reassured her, ushering her into one of the interrogation rooms. "I'll make sure Hardy doesn't keep you waiting long."

"Thanks," she threw him a soft smile.

Just as Alejandro had promised, soon walked in detective Hardy with 2 cups of coffee in hand. She didn't need anymore coffee pumping through her system so early in the morning, but she didn't deny the thoughtful gesture. "Thank you," She accepted it, enjoying the way the warm cup of coffee instantly heated her otherwise shaky hands.

Layla was a little nervous.

"How are you?" He asked, pulling out a chair and sitting across from her with only a small table separating them.

Her eyes fleeted towards the glass window to her right. She couldn't see through it, but she didn't doubt that her bodyguard was on the other side, watching her every move with those deep eyes of his. She was afraid that if she looked into them, he would be able to see into her soul.

"Good," she attempted a smile, suddenly feeling nervous. It had been different at the hospital when he had asked her questions. She was on a lot of medicine and it had been too soon for her to truly comprehend the severity of the situation and the ordeal she had been through. "And you?"

"Could be better. I'm not much of a morning person." He chuckled.

"How is this going to work?" She found herself asking the same question she had asked Alejandro earlier. "You ask the questions and I answer them?"

"Pretty much." He smirked.

They spent the next hour going back and forth, repeating everything that she had mentioned in the hospital only this time, the detective made sure to get it all on tape; following standard procedure.

"I know this is difficult, trust me. But it's important to go over the same things. Sometimes it helps to refresh your memory, especially those memories that you may be trying to repress without realising."

"I understand." She sighed, and rubbed a hand across her forehead, frustrated. She felt like they were going round in circles. "I had a dream last night."

"A dream?"

She pursed her lips. "I think it was more of a memory than a dream."

"What was it a memory of?" His words were slow, intentional. Detective Hardy was good. He knew when to push her and when to ease up, encouraging her gently. This was one of the times.

"It was after they had taken me hostage at the bank." She had woken up around 6 and couldn't fall back asleep. So, she spent nearly 2 hours in bed, only getting up once she heard Alejandro moving about her kitchen.

The detective nodded and noted something down on his piece of paper, just as he had been doing the entire interview. "Could you tell me more about that?"

"I was blindfolded so I couldn't see anything. But I was in a car."

"How do you know that?"

She frowned. "I just knew it was a car. They put me in the back and someone sat next to me, holding a knife to my throat the whole time." She swallowed painfully at the memory. It felt almost surreal but it was a reality; it had actually happened. "I don't know how long the ride was, but the next thing I knew they had me in some sort of apartment. They took my blindfold off then."

"What can you tell me about the apartment?"

"Room," she corrected him. "They only took my blindfold off once they put me in a room. It was nearly empty. There was only a small bed and a chair. The guy that first took me hostage at the bank sat there to watch over me the whole time."

"How did you know it was him?"

"He wore a mask, like I mentioned before. But I recognised his voice."

The detective looked up at her, his eyes studying her before he turned to jotting something down on the paper. He didn't really bother hiding it from her and she wasn't too interested in finding out what he was writing about her.

"What did you do for bathroom?"

Layla looked down at the table and fiddled with the hem of the jumper she was wearing. "I needed to go so they put a blindfold back on me again. He took me to the bathroom and took my blindfold off then. I tried to get him to leave but he wouldn't."

"He stayed in there with you while you used the bathroom?"

She nodded.

"I'm sorry, Layla, but I'm going to need you to verbally confirm that. For the tape."

"Yes," she gritted her teeth, suddenly angry. She didn't want to talk about this anymore. She didn't want to talk about how she had to beg the man to turn around so she could pull down her skirt and use the toilet, or how when she stood up and flushed, she looked up to realise he had gone back on his word and watched her the whole time. "He stayed in there with me while I used the toilet, but he turned around. There wasn't a window. I checked."

"What happened after that?"

"He blindfolded me again and then took me back to the same room. I sat on the bed and he sat on the chair. I don't know how long I stayed like that but it felt like forever."

"And then?"

She sighed and bowed her head, resting her elbows on the table. Her fingers pressed into her temples, the beginning of a headache forming. "I woke up."

"You don't remember what happens next?"

"No," she shook her head. "I don't, I'm sorry."

Detective Hardy nodded and spoke aloud the time and a few final words before he turned off the recording machine.

"No need to apologise. On the contrary, thank you, Layla. You were very helpful." His eyes were soft and his smile warm.

She frowned. "I didn't feel very helpful."

He nodded in understanding. "Even the smallest piece of information that you might think unimportant, could make a huge difference."

She nodded but didn't comment further. A few kind words from a detective working on her case weren't going to make her feel better. "How long do I need to have a bodyguard?" She asked, making sure to send a pointed look to her right, at the one-way window.

"Alejandro is already driving you crazy?"

"I guess you could say something like that."

He chuckled. "I get it. I'm not exactly fond of the man myself, but he's the best in the business. You're lucky to have him as your bodyguard. He won't let anyone hurt you."

She exhaled. "He's that good?"

"The best. He takes his job very seriously." He stood up, and held out a hand for her to shake which she accepted with a smile. "You have my number. If you need anything, or suddenly remember something, you can call me anytime. Or have Alejandro get in touch with me."

"Will do." She murmured as he opened the door for her to be met with Alejandro leaning against the wall, waiting for her patiently with his own coffee in hand.

He stood up, binned his coffee and straightened out his tie, the whole time a glint in his eyes, one that she couldn't force herself to look away from. "Let's go get you some tampons."

-

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L A Y L A   K N I G H T

27.04.2020