Page 81 of Red Rabbit
The day I came back to civilization, the media had a frenzy.
Apparently my disappearance was the big trending topic.
It was overwhelming and I spent the first few weeks hiding in my house, avoiding the press and trying to not hyperventilate.Phox said to take as much time as I needed but I couldn’t sit in my house for much longer without literally going crazy so I went back to work. They seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when I came back and not only hit the ground running but attacked my job with a vengeance.
Tyler had been frantic when we were finally reunited in the hospital where I was taken initially. He tried to pick up where we left off but after I had a hysterical breakdown when he tried to initiate sex, he backed off. He didn’t understand why I wouldn’t tell him what happened and why I was so mentally unstable. I broke off the engagement with him a few days after that. I knew it was the right thing to do when all I felt was relief.
The gala I organized was geared towards raising money to combat human trafficking, a cause I suddenly was very vocal about. However, I insisted adamantly there wouldn’t be a live auction. The planners frowned at that but didn’t fight me when they saw the firm set of my jaw. There would be a silent auction instead and the tickets per plate were steep so I knew we would still pull in the number I set out to achieve. The event was held in one of the beautiful art museums in the city. It was always a favorite of mine and we had the entire massive foyer and second floor dedicated to the event. It was sold out and everyone who was anyone was there.
I caught sight of my reflection in one of the panes of glass as I stepped through the doors. I worked hard on myself the last six months. I started therapy, got enrolled in self defense classes and even learned how to shoot and handle a gun. I still had the occasional panic attack and sometimes my hands would shake uncontrollably, but I was slowly coming back from the shadows. The dress I was wearing was in a way my debut back to myself. It had taken a huge amount of strength for me to step out of the house wearing it. Two panic attacks later, I almost changedbut now as I stepped through the doors and heads turned, I told myself I could do this.
Ironically yet intentionally, I chose a red dress that was just a shade off the color of blood. It was a luxurious fabric that bunched around my shoulders and dipped deep between my breasts, tightening around my waist before falling in waves down to the ground. There was a slight train and a slit up to my thigh that showed when I walked. It dropped low in the back and displayed a fair amount of my scars. My hair was curled and half up in an elaborate nest woven with a few braids and my earrings and my shoes were gold.
It was simple but not understated.
I immediately grabbed a glass of champagne and wandered through the crowded room, stopping to chat with people I knew or being pulled into circles to meet people. I didn’t care how many panic attacks it would take me, I was done hiding.
I checked in on the silent auction and went down the line of the vast array of items available. I stopped at a large painting, nearly the height of me. It was of a forest scene where the light was filtering through the trees illuminating a scene of three deer grazing near a river.
It was one of mine.
I painted it and included it in the silent auction. It was one of the scenes from the first few days with Graham when I came to appreciate the beauty of the forest.
Painting was another form of therapy for me and I rented a studio just to paint in. I had hundreds by this point. A few were in my house and at my office but there were also some I never wanted anyone to see.
I saw there were already plenty of bids, the most recent going well into the tens of thousands. I was glad to see it.
I thought about Graham every day. I didn’t even know if he was okay. We parted so abruptly and I felt an ache in mychest when I thought about the possibility of him dying from his injuries. When I went back to work I tried to find him. I scoured the internet, pulling out all my tricks and even learning some new ones to try and find something that would tell me what happened to him. All I found were things from his past. I latched onto anything, drinking in any bit of information I could find. But there was never anything recent.
I still dedicated a day every week to search in hopes of something popping up one day. One of my biggest regrets was not making Cal give me his contact info although I was slowly going through my military contacts in hopes someone had a connection.
I grabbed another glass of champagne from a passing server and moved away from the silent auction. I heard a glass clink and the voice of Todd, Phox’s CEO, blasted across the sound system. Everyone wanted me to speak but I knew that was pushing it. I wasn’t ready to be in the spotlight like that.
He spoke about the organization we were supporting. No one knew about the human trafficking ring in the woods. I tried to tell the police but with it located in a different country, the jurisdiction was tricky. I made several other calls to specific organizations but no one did anything. It was disheartening and made me sick to think about the atrocities still happening in that forest but no one would help me and I don’t think they believed the human experimenting piece.
So I decided to take matters into my own hands as best I could. I started hacking into Cooper’s systems and I’d been spending the last six months compiling evidence against him. I also spent a fair amount of time sabotaging him. It was entertaining for me to come up with different ways to corrupt his systems. But he had to know who was doing it and everyday I was terrified he’d come for me.
Todd spoke about my involvement with the gala and said a little piece about my strength after surviving for two months in the wild. He talked about my accomplishments at work and in my career and my involvement and dedication to the charity. He was so genuine and complimentary I found myself blushing as everyone looked my way and toasted me with a round of applause before Todd said a few more things about the night and signed off after everyone in the room raised their glasses in salut.
Todd made his way over to me and put a hand on my arm. I ground my teeth to stop the flinch that still accompanied any touch by a man and tried to smile.
“Todd, you didn’t have to say all that,” I said.
“You deserve it, Kaelin,” he said, grinning. “This company wouldn’t be what it is without you—”
He continued to talk but suddenly I saw a face I didn’t think I’d ever see again across the room.
Kraven.
Kraven was here.
I heard a glass break and realized I dropped my champagne flute. It shattered at my feet, bringing me back to the present.
“I’m so sorry—” I sputtered, the sounds of the gala roared back into stark relief momentarily overwhelming me. I buried my hands in my dress, trying to hide the tremors.
“Don’t worry, that’s not the first casualty tonight and I’m sure it won’t be the last!”
Todd laughed and signaled to a server to help clean the mess. I looked back through the crowd but Kraven was gone. Shaken, I excused myself from Todd and made my way to the restroom. I kept my eyes peeled for him the entire way there but it was like he disappeared. Or maybe he hadn’t existed. Was I seeing things? Was that even him or was I attributing his face onto someone who looked similar?
