Ninety Three

"Are you sure Hope sent you to me?"

???

"Who else would send me to you if not her?" He replied with a question, intentionally questioning her insecurities.

"Are you sure she's okay? Or are you…lying to me?" she asked.

"She is fine. " he forced on a smile. "i'm curious though, why do you care so much?"

"i might be hidden in this dark place but I still priorities and Hope is one of them."

Kyle pondered on that statement. It sounded strange coming from a stranger who obviously isn't a stranger anymore. How come? She even calls her by her most cherished name.

"That's great." he smiled and she nodded.

Kamila really did a good job.

He thought. But where the hell is she now to complete it?!

"Jude Kam was a successful business man so yeah, he had a lot of enemies. Just like you you guys, the cops, do."

She answered willingly.

"we do?" Kyle smirked.

"i hate policemen. All of them!" she spat.

Kyle swallowed. "Why, if I may ask?

"Conspiracy. They're failed in a lot of ways. They always have a price and when you are able to pay that price then they'll do anything…" she trailed off. "anything."

She stopped.

"jude Kam was the friend of the police. They ran unholy errands for him. They favour the elites more."

"Now you sound like Mrs Steele." He grinned widely, hiding his

shock. 

She smiled, a smile that almost intoxicated Kyle. He had never imagined this kind of Paige, never! And he wished Kamila was here to see the smile— that genuine smile that caused her broken lips to bleed. Kyle suddenly felt an ice on his heart. 

I'll find her.

"Hope was right. You're different. She is lucky. And…" she trailed of picking on the marks on the table. "i am luckier. I know she's gonna find my mother. Though I was scared but now that you…" she swallowed.

"She will." She stopped

Find her mother? Annabelle Steele is dead!

Don't ask questions yet. He told himself.

"But there's this man…" she continued. "i do not know who he is but I know his name. He's Brainne Hooke. He'll be happy now that Jude is dead. He's also lucky."

"Brainne Hooke?"

"Do you…know him?"

"no but I'm just curious. How you got to know his name yet you don't know him."

"oh…" she sighed. "Then I hope you're recording this conversation. I wanted to tell hope myself. I…remembered when she left the other day. "

"Sure, it is recorded." he gestured to his phone which was on the table.

"I once had someone I really liked and…I felt like the luckiest in the world having him by my side and…" she sniffed. "we were young and… well, weak. One day we got kidnapped together and the other he was killed right in front of me and another, I saw a video of how he was killed and another…"

"He appeared again. He…never died. Though, Jude had wanted him dead. His friend, whom I have never met rescued Damien and kept him…for me. That's Brianne. "

She swallowed. 

"he has a goal. He wants all that the Kam have. So he kept Damien so that he would use him to get rid of our family. Unfortunately, that didn't work. Or… I ended it before it did. I was…faster. I guess."

"wow. " Kyle sighed. This wasn't a waste of time afterall. "You mean Jude Kam asked that Damien be killed?"

"In fact, Damien is basically dead in Albany. It was all over the news. A body was found. It was…" she choked on her tears. "so true. Jude did it. You don't need to believe me, just tell Hope that I'm saying all these for my mum. If she ever gets any threat, then it's Brianne Hooke. My mum is the only one left of our family. And she's out there, probably lost. She has to find her. She needs to find her. "

"Noted, Paige." He nodded.

They were quiet for a while both thinking. Kyle broke it.

"What about Damien?"

She hissed. "He left. "

"i don't get."

"He left the country. I don't know where he went but he told me he wouldn't come back. He gave up on me. " she paused, her red face steamed rage. "Not his fault though. I am trouble. It good that I'll be gone soon. Than everyone would be free from my trouble."

"How are you trouble?"

"you ask more questions than Hope."

He smiled. 

"You loved Damien?"

"Don't ask me."

He discovered he was getting to understand her bit nothing that she had said so far has justified, her crime. Jude Kam may not have been the father that she wanted but that isn't worth wishing him dead.

"You know I loved the guitar so much and… it was my life. Maybe that was what I had for him. It was the guitar I liked. The instrument he played. I'm not Hope and I'm not you. I shouldn't be the one to love. It was my guitar…" she sounded as if she was trying to convince herself that she never loved Damien but his craft. " The guitar."

"oh…Kay." he muttered. "Kamila wants you to go to court. She wants to defend you in court and… Right now I also don't know if I can still call you a criminal cause you don't look like one…"

"it's not always on the forehead." she whimpered.

"i know. I'm a policeman and I know that there are cases where murder wouldn't be counted as murder just because it isn't. We need to know your reasons, you might be Justified."

She hissed. "it's useless. I don't wanna be justified. "

"are you sure?"

"Id rather die than tell the world what the does to me. Just help me find my mother. I need to see her before I die."

She really wanted to die. What then give Kamila hope? He thought.