Chapter 74 THE SAVIOUR PART 1
"Kai?"
Relief flooded through Vivienne so fast her knees almost gave out.
"Vivienne?" He jogged the last few steps toward her. "What are you doing out here?"
She opened her mouth but she didn't speak.
Kai took in her appearance. The evening gown. No coat. Her arms wrapped around herself. Shaking from cold. Makeup still in place, thankfully not ruined, but her hair was already falling out of its style.
"Jesus, you're freezing." He immediately shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. The warmth felt like a gift. "What happened?"
"I got lost," Vivienne managed.
"Lost? How did you end up all the way out here?" He looked around the empty street.
"I just... I needed air and then I couldn't find my way back and my phone died."
It sounded ridiculous even to her own ears.
Kai's eyes stayed glued on her. "You missed your speech."
"I know."
"Alexander was looking everywhere for you. He was worried."
Vivienne pulled his jacket tighter around herself. "I'm sure he was."
"He still is. The whole crew is. They've been calling and texting." Kai pulled out his phone. "I should let them know you're okay."
"No. Please. Not yet."
Kai's thumb hovered over his screen. "Why not?"
"I just need a minute. Before I have to face everyone."
"Vivienne, it's been more than a minute. You've been gone for over an hour. The gala is wrapping up."
An hour? She'd been wandering for an hour?
"How did you find me?" she asked.
"The guard said I'd find you out here." Kai pocketed his phone. "So I left the gala to look for you. Figured you couldn't have gone far. Started checking the streets around the Plaza." He gestured at the intersection behind them. "Lucky guess, I guess."
"Thank you," Vivienne said quietly.
"Don't thank me yet. We still need to get you back." He looked at her again, more carefully this time. "But first, you need to tell me what's really going on."
"What do you mean?"
"Come on. You don't just wander off during the most important night of the project. You don't miss your speech for no reason." His voice was gentle but firm. "Something's wrong. Something's been wrong for days. I've seen it."
Vivienne looked away. "It's complicated."
"Then uncomplicate it."
"I can't."
"Can't or won't?" When she didn't answer, Kai sighed. "Alright. You don't have to tell me everything. But at least tell me if you're in some kind of trouble."
The concern in his voice almost broke her.
"Yes," she admitted. "I'm in trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
"The kind I can't explain without making things worse."
Kai was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Does it have to do with that woman who was following you earlier?"
Vivienne's head snapped up. "What woman?"
"I'd seen you earlier at the gala. In the lobby before you disappeared. I noticed someone was watching you. I didn't think much of it. She was standing by the entrance to the ballroom, and when you walked past, she pulled out her phone like she was taking pictures."
So Vivienne hadn't imagined it. That woman at the studio was real.
"I don't know who she is," Vivienne said, which was technically true.
"But you know why she's following you."
"I think so."
"Have you told the police?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Because telling anyone meant exposing who she really was.
"Because I can't," was all she said.
Kai ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. "Vivienne, if someone's stalking you, if they're threatening you, you need to report it."
"It's not that simple."
"It is that simple. Someone is harassing you. That's illegal."
"You don't understand."
"Then help me understand." Kai stepped closer. "Because from where I'm standing, you're terrified of something and you won't let anyone help you."
Vivienne pulled his jacket tighter around herself. The street felt colder suddenly. Darker.
"I have a son," she said finally.
Kai blinked. "Okay."
"He's nine. His name is Noah." She didn't know why she was telling him this. But the words kept coming. "He's the most important thing in my life."
"I'm sure he is."
"If something happens to me, if I lose my business or get arrested or..." She couldn't finish. "He's all I have. And I'm all he has."
Understanding dawned on Kai's face. "Someone's threatening your son."
It wasn't a question.
Vivienne didn't confirm or deny. But the silence said enough.
"That's why you couldn't go to the police," Kai said. "That's why you missed your speech. Someone threatened Noah and you panicked."
"I got a text," Vivienne admitted. "During dinner. They told me to meet them. And I thought if I didn't go, if I didn't do what they said..." Her voice broke. "I thought they'd hurt him."
"So you went."
"Yes."
"And?"
"They led me through the hotel. Down into the basement. Through all these corridors. I kept following their directions, thinking I'd find them. But there was no one. It was just..." She took a shaky breath. "They were playing with me. Making sure I'd miss my speech."
Kai's jaw tightened. "That's messed up."
"I know."
"Did they say anything else? Make any other demands?"
She shook her head.
Kai was quiet, thinking. Then he said, "You need to get out of here. Away from New York. Take Noah and go somewhere safe until we figure this out."
"I can't run."
"Why not?"
"Because running makes it worse. If I disappear, they'll..." She couldn't explain without revealing too much. "They'll find me. And it'll be worse than if I just stay and face this."
"Face what exactly? What do they want from you?"
Vivienne couldn't answer that.
She knew she was oversharing at this point.
And to Kai of all people. Someone she just met and barely knew.
But she couldn't stop herself. She was desperate and terrified.