explosion (jay halstead / one chicago)

chapter 14

liz's pov

I gave Jay an apologetic smile and picked up the phone, still startled at why my mum was calling. We rarely ever talked without texting or setting a time before, and seeing that it was evening in Chicago, it must have been way past midnight in Madrid.

"Mum, what's up? I'm busy." I made no secret of the fact I didn't want to be on the phone right now. I was having a fun night out with Jay and the last thing I wanted was to be reminded of my past in the meantime.

"Hey babe." I froze at the voice on the other end of the line. No. This wasn't possible. There was no way he could have gotten to me. There was no way this was happening. "Bet you didn't expect that," the voice I knew just too well spoke again, letting out a dark laugh. "You should have known I would find you, Elisa. I'll always find you."

My hand was trembling as I gripped the phone tighter. No one had called me Elisa since I left for Chicago. Being called by my old nickname made me feel a lot of things, but above all, it frightened me. If he was able to find me, what else could he do? And what did he even want? Jay studied my face in a mixture of concern and curiosity. I let out a shaky breath before I spoke.

"Vince?"

I knew it was him, there was no doubt. But something in me still asked for confirmation, prayed that this was just my imagination or some stupid joke. It wasn't. "I knew you'd be happy to hear from me, babe." Vince chuckled while I tried to keep calm. Jay seemed alarmed; he remembered the name from when I talked about my past. I faced him in panic, in search for something to keep myself from freaking out. I had to act tough if I wanted to find a way out of whatever this was going to be. Jay grabbed my free hand and squeezed it. I looked at him and met his eyes. Something in them, something in the way he looked at me and gently touched me gave me the reassurance I needed to speak. I was not alone.

"What did you do to mum?" I asked, careful not to let my voice give away any emotion. If he had her phone, he most likely had her, too. Vince laughed again. "Why so cold, darling? Your mum is in good hands, some of my best guys are taking care of her." I knew what that meant. They were detaining her somewhere, and it was all my fault. They wouldn't harm her though, not if I played along. Vince was smarter than committing a crime that could easily be traced to him when it wasn't necessary.

"What do you want, Vince?" I questioned, swallowing all the anger that was building up inside of me. Keeping control over this situation was decisive. I knew that the moment I lost control of it, Vince won. "Thought you might want to know I'm in Chicago." My ex chuckled. "We should hang out some time."

Had I been able to keep myself together before, I completely lost it this moment. Vince couldn't be in Chicago. If he was, it was over. He would destroy everything I had worked so hard to build here. He would destroy me. I pulled my hand out of Jay's grip as I suddenly felt the urge to run from everything that I had gotten comfortable with. Like the ground shifted beneath my feet to uncover a giant black hole ready to swallow me. It was all a lie. The life I was living was a huge lie. None of this was me. Liz had little in common with Elisa, the girl that left Madrid a few months ago, devastated. The people here didn't know me, the real me, and if they did, they would never want to talk to me again. I avoided looking at Jay.

"What do you want, Vince?" I repeated.

"I need your help with business. I'm planning to settle in Chicago."

I let the words sink in and swallowed hard. There was no way I could be in this city while he stayed. It was obvious he was here for me, however, and I was certain he wouldn't leave me alone.

"If you found me, I'm sure you also heard I'm out of business." I had a respectable job in Chicago. I couldn't let him take that away from me.

"Oh, I heard. But I know you, Elisa. And I know there is no way you are out of business. I don't know what you've been telling people. But I know where you belong, and you sure as hell aren't out of business."