Chapter 14 - The Arrest
"I don't know if I can just act like nothing's going on after what happened between us the other night... And with everything that has just happened with Brianna - I think I need some time off," Kiara whispered.
Jackson stiffened in his seat. He was certain that something had happened between Kiara and Eric. He felt a pang of jealousy rushing through his body.
"What's going to happen to my job?" Kiara whimpered. There was a pause then Kiara said, "Okay, I'll talk you later then."
Jackson was green with envy - he kicked himself for not having made a move sooner. He felt a burning desire to storm up to Kiara and beg her to forget about Eric. Instead, he took a deep breath and turned up the volume on the TV. He knew he wasn't the confrontational type or the kind of guy who went with bold gestures.
"Hey Jackson," Kiara said shyly as she sat down on the couch. "I'm taking the day off today. Do you want to go and see Brianna in the hospital?"
Jackson sighed and turned off the TV. "Sure."
"What's the last thing you remember?" Jackson asked.
Brianna took a deep breath and furrowed her brows. "I vaguely remember our trip to Sulani... But everything is really hazy."
"So you don't remember anything from the night of the incident?" Kiara chimed in.
"No," Brianna said. "But I'm starting to get flashes of the past. I feel like I'm flicking through a photo album with a bunch of random pictures inside, and it's slowly starting to come back to me."
Kiara let out a weak smile. She wondered what would happen to Kerr Industries once Brianna remembered why she was in Laurie's office the night she hit her head.
"Do you want anything from the vending machine?" Jackson asked Brianna.
"Oh god yes, hospital food is so boring. I'll take one of everything," Brianna replied.
"You'll probably need a second pair of hands then," Kiara said to Jackson as she followed him out the room. When Kiara was confident that they were out of earshot, she turned to Jackson and asked, "How well do you know Brianna?"
"Pretty well I'd say, I've known her since we were kids."
Kiara took a deep breath before continuing. "Brianna came to Laurie's office on the night of the accident with some serious blackmail against Kerr Industries. I don't even know how she got all that... And Brianna confessed that she has feelings for James when we were back in Sulani, but she showed up to the office to try and force Laurie to get back together with her. None of this makes sense."
Jackson chuckled as he scanned his eyes over the goodies in the vending machine. "You know, she used to be a really nice girl. But after her mother's death, she turned into this completely different person."
"Her mother died? When?"
"About three years ago, right after she and Laurie got together. She overdosed on a bunch of pills."
"Oh my god, that's horrible," Kiara frowned. Kiara suddenly felt a rush of sympathy towards Brianna as she remembered the death of her own father and sister. She began to tear up.
"Hey, are you okay?" Jackson asked softly.
Kiara wiped her eyes. "Yeah I'm fine... Hearing that just made me think of my dad and my sister. My dad died in a car accident on my way to my high school graduation, and my sister jumped off the San Myshuno Harbour Bridge a couple of years ago... Sorry, I didn't mean to unload all of this onto you."
"No, don't say sorry," Jackson whispered as he pulled Kiara into his arms. For the first time in a long time, Kiara unleashed all of the emotions she had been bottling up inside of her.
Before Laurie had a chance to decide what to do, two police officers entered his office.
"Laurence Kerr, you're under arrest for assault and battery. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court."
Comments
Post a Comment