I Am Not Your Pawn Anymore

The VIP room at Mount Sinai was quiet, but Barrett couldn't sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her.

Not the Anaya who pushed Adele. But a different Anaya. Thinner. Her hair lackluster. Wearing an orange jumpsuit.

The Dream:

She was standing behind bars. She turned to look at him. Her eyes were empty sockets.

"You promised," she whispered. "You said twenty million dollars."

Then, she coughed. Blood splattered onto his hands. Warm, sticky blood.

Barrett jerked awake, gasping.

The heart monitor beeped rapidly. Beep-beep-beep.

Dr. Evans rushed in. "Mr. Meyers? Are you in pain?"

Barrett looked at his hands. They were clean. But he could feel the phantom warmth of the blood.

"Doctor," Barrett said, his voice shaking. "Is it possible for a concussion to cause... incredibly vivid nightmares? Nightmares that feel like memories?"

Dr. Evans checked his pupils. "You have a mild concussion, Barrett. And you're under immense stress. The brain plays tricks."

The door opened. Adele walked in. She was carrying an Hermès bag and a thermos.

"Barrett, darling," she said, her voice grating on his nerves like sandpaper. "The board is panicking. The stock dropped two points because of the accident. We need to post a selfie. Show them you're strong."

Barrett looked at her. Really looked at her.

In his nightmare, just before Anaya died, he had heard Adele laughing in the background.

"Is that all you care about?" Barrett asked. " The stock price?"

Adele blinked. "It's our future, Barrett. Don't be naive."

"Get out," he said.

"Excuse me?"

"I said get out! Leave me alone!"

Adele huffed, grabbed her bag, and stormed out.

Barrett ripped the IV tape off his hand. He ignored the sting. He grabbed his phone.

He dialed Anaya.

Call failed. Blocked.

He threw the phone across the room. It cracked against the wall.

"Marcus!" he yelled.

His assistant ran in.

"Get me a burner phone. Now. And find out where she is."

Ten minutes later, Marcus handed him a cheap prepaid phone. "She's in New Jersey, sir. At her grandmother's house. But... there was a search history on her work laptop before she wiped it. 'Investment Visas for Portugal'."

"She's leaving the country?" Barrett felt a spike of pure terror.

He dialed her number on the burner phone. His fingers trembled.

Ring... Ring...

"Hello?"

Her voice was cool, calm. Like water.

Barrett let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Anaya."

Silence on the other end.

"Why did you block me?" he asked. It was the wrong thing to say. He knew it instantly. He sounded possessive, controlling. But he couldn't help it.

"Mr. Meyers," she said.

The formality was a slap in the face.

Anaya stood in Nana Rose's garden. She was pruning the hydrangeas. Snip. Snip.

"Mr. Meyers," she repeated. "Ex-employees are not obligated to be your emotional support animals."

"I didn't release Adele's statement," Barrett said quickly. "I stopped it. I protected you."

Anaya laughed softly. "Protected me? You've been killing me slowly for years, Barrett. A little piece of my soul for every deal closed, every lie I covered. You just never noticed."

"For years?" Barrett was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"It doesn't matter." She cut a dead branch. It fell to the ground.

"Come back," he said. His voice cracked. "I'll double your salary. I'll... I'll postpone the wedding. We can talk about the merger. You were right about the logistics accounts."

He was bargaining. He was desperate.

Anaya looked at the setting sun. "Barrett, listen to me closely. I don't love you anymore."

"You're lying. You're angry."

"No," she said. "I don't hate you, either. Hate implies passion. I just... don't care. You are nothing to me. Just a bad memory."

Genuine Indifference.

She heard his breath hitch over the phone line. She heard the beep of a machine in the background.

"Don't look for me," she said. "If you do, I'll send the files I have on the Cayman accounts to the FBI. I'm not bluffing."

She hung up.

She popped the back off the cheap burner phone she was using. She took out the SIM card and snapped it in half. She tossed the pieces into the trash can.

In the hospital, Barrett stared at the phone.

Nothing.

She was gone.

He ripped the sensors off his chest. The monitor flatlined, screaming a high-pitched alarm. Nurses came running.

"Mr. Meyers! You can't leave!"

"Watch me," he snarled.

He grabbed his clothes. He had to stop her. Portugal. She was going to Portugal.

He had to get to New Jersey before she left for the airport.