Interrogation

As my senses slowly reeled back into focus, I became acutely aware of the sterile, clinical environment surrounding me. The harsh glare of fluorescent lights pierced through my eyelids, casting an unforgiving brightness upon the stark white walls of the hospital room. The air was heavy with the overpowering scent of antiseptic, a constant reminder of the sterile environment I found myself in.

"I don't think you should tell him," a voice says waking me up after what seemed like no time.

"He already asked what happened. I would have told him if it wasn't for the concussion that caused him to lose consciousness again."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" the other voice says.

"He's going to ask. He already asked what happened. It's only a matter of time before he asks about his family. He's so freakin' stubborn that he's not giving up until he finds out what's going on. I think it will be better coming from us and not some nameless guy in a white coat."

The voices sound familiar, but my mind is foggy, struggling to place them amidst the confusion. Yet, their words penetrate the haze, sparking a flicker of curiosity within me. What are they talking about? What happened to me? And why do they seem so hesitant to tell me the truth?

I opened my eyes once to a sea of white and anti-septic. But, this time my head isn't in complete agony. I looked around the room. I once again see Jasper in his police uniform and Lollipop.

"Hey guys." I drawled out.

Both sets of eyes look at me.

"Good to see you awake, Alex." Lollipop says. "I'll cut your shifts for you."

"It's good to be awake." I  answerd with a lopsided smirk.

"How's your head?" Jasper asks.

"Lots of complaints." I said honestly.

Lollipop nods understandingly, her expression a mix of concern and relief. "That's good to hear. We were all really worried about you."

Jasper leans forward, his brow furrowed with worry. "You were in a hit-and-run accident," he explains, his voice gentle but serious. "You managed to push Travis out of the way, but you took the brunt of the impact."

My heart skips a beat as the gravity of Jasper's words sinks in. I was in an accident?

"And Travis?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper, fear clutching at my chest.

Jasper's expression softens, but there's a flicker of sadness in his eyes. "He's alive, thankfully. He's banged up from you pushing him over, but he's going to be okay."

Relief floods through me, but it's quickly replaced by a surge of dread. I had put myself in harm's way to save Travis.

What if I hadn't been so lucky?

Then something hits me. Where the hell is Travis? He was with me at the property after we had left the thrift shop. Jasper said that i was the victim of a hit and run but I managed to save Travis. So, where the hell is he? The kid has such a bleeding heart, i figured that he would be at my bed side. Unless....

"Where's Travis?" I asked.

Jasper and Lollipop look at each other.

"I'm going to get Dr. Schmidt. He wanted to check on you when you woke up." Lollipop says quickly as he leaves the room.

I look to Jasper. "What's going on? How long have I been out?" I ask, my voice betraying a hint of anxiety as I brace myself for Jasper's response.

"I got here about an hour after you got here. When you woke up before I was already here for eight hours. Then you fell asleep for two days."

As Jasper's words sink in, a wave of disorientation washes over me, mingled with a growing sense of unease. The memory of pushing Travis out of harm's way flashes vividly in my mind, accompanied by a surge of adrenaline that leaves my heart racing.

Eight hours and two days. The realization hits me like a physical blow, leaving me reeling with disbelief. How could I have been unconscious for so long? And where is Travis now?

But as I look to Jasper for reassurance, his somber expression only serves to deepen my apprehension. Something isn't right, and I can feel it in the pit of my stomach.

"I need to find Travis," I declare, the urgency in my voice betraying my rising panic. "We need to figure out what happened to him."

"Wait." Jasper said. "I don't know exactly where he is, Alex," he admitted, his voice heavy with concern. "He hasn't been here since you woke up. But he'll be back later, I swear."

I let out a shaky breath, the tension slowly ebbing away as the truth sank in. "Well, that's a relief," I muttered, rubbing my temples wearily. "I guess I was worried for nothing."

Jasper offered me a sympathetic smile, understanding flickering in his eyes. "It's understandable, Alex. You've been through a lot," he said gently. "But Travis is okay. That's what matters."

"Ok."

"What did you act like he died for-"

But before i can insult jasper, Lollipop entered the room with a doctor. The 40ish doctor smileing at me, "It's good to see you conscious, Mr. Todd. How are you feeling?"

Suppressing a sigh of frustration, I forced myself to relax as a man who introduced himself as Dr. Schmidt approached. His calm demeanor did little to soothe my frayed nerves, but I knew I had to cooperate if I wanted any answers about Travis.

"I'm feeling like I got hit by a truck, but other than that, I'm peachy," I replied sarcastically, mustering a half-hearted smile. "Where's Travis?"

Dr. Schmidt sighed, his expression sympathetic but firm. "I understand your concern, Mr. Todd, but patient confidentiality prohibits me from discussing Mr. Lombardi's location without his consent."

I clenched my fists at my sides, struggling to contain my anger. It felt like I was hitting a brick wall, unable to get any answers about Travis's whereabouts.

"You have several bruised ribs and a broken wrist. Now that you are awake and your CT scan came back negative for any bleeding and swelling in the brain, I can give you some pain meds."

"I don't want any. I want to see Travis. Why won't you let me see him?" I asked aloud.

"I don't know anything about Mr. Lombardi's location. But, Im being paid for to look after you secretly by Travis so he should be back soon." As the doctor left the room, leaving Jasper, Lollipop, and me in tense silence.

Jasper shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes avoiding mine. "Alex, I know you're worried about Travis, but you need to trust us. We'll tell you everything once you've taken the pain meds and calmed down."

Lollipop reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "Alex, please. We're trying to help you and Travis. But you need to take care of yourself first. Once you've taken the pain meds, we'll explain everything."

I let out a frustrated sigh, feeling defeated but knowing that I had no other choice. Reluctantly, I nodded, silently conceding to their demands.

Suddenly, Travis burst into the room, a triumphant grin etched across his face, I couldn't help but feel a surge of relief wash over me. Despite my earlier suspicions, there he was, standing before me, unharmed and seemingly in high spirits.

"Travis!" I exclaimed, a mixture of surprise and joy coloring my voice. "Where the hell have you been?"

Travis' grin widened as he approached my bedside, his eyes alight with mischief. "Sorry for disappearing on you like that, buddy. But I had to take care of some business."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his cryptic response. "Business? What kind of business?"

Travis waved off my question with a casual flick of his hand. "Oh, you know, just some personal stuff I needed to sort out like getting the motherfucker who hit you. Nothing to worry about."

"Seriously?" I exclaimed, my admiration evident in my voice. "You caught the driver?"

Travis nodded, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. "Yep. It wasn't easy, but I managed to track them down and hand them over to my guards."

"Thanks, Travis," I said sincerely, meeting his gaze with a grateful smile. "You really came through for me."

Travis waved off my thanks with a dismissive gesture. "Hey, what are friends for, right?"

Travis informed me that the driver was locked up at his house. The original plan was that he'll be kept there until I'm good enough to be discharged, but I thought he should do a FaceTime with whoever is guarding him so we could get to the bottom of who was on our ass now.

"That's a solid plan," Jasper nodded in agreement, impressed by Travis's quick thinking. "We need to find out who's behind this, and the driver might have some valuable information. This way none of us will directly get our hands dirty."

Travis pulled out his phone and dialed a number, putting it on speaker so I could hear the conversation too. After a few rings, someone picked up on the other end. "Hey, it's Travis," he said, his voice firm and authoritative. "I need you to do something for me."

Once Travis finished speaking, he hung up the call and turned to me with a determined look in his eyes. "We'll get to the bottom of this, Alex. I promise."

I nodded, grateful for Travis's unwavering support and determination.

Ten minutes later, as the FaceTime call connected, the screen displayed a man who appeared to be tied up, his panicked expression evident even through the pixelated video feed. His eyes darted around the room frantically, searching for an escape that was clearly out of reach.

Travis guard wasted no time in getting straight to the point. ""You know why you're here,"" he said sternly, his voice commanding authority. ""We need answers, and you're going to give them to us.""

The man's eyes widened in fear as he realized the seriousness of the situation. He stammered out a response, his words coming out in a rushed, jumbled mess. It was clear that he was terrified and desperate to say anything that would get him out of his predicament. ""I don't know what you mean!""

Travis leaned in closer to the phone, his gaze unwavering. ""Who hired you?"" his guard demanded, his tone leaving no room for evasion or lies.

""If you want to kill me then just kill me!"" the beat-up driver yelled defiantly, his voice filled with anger and frustration.

"Slap him a few times," I demanded, my own frustration boiling over as I watched the guard following my instructions. It was a mixture of anger and a desperate need for answers driving me to resort to such measures.

The guard delivered a series of sharp slaps, each one landing with a resounding thud and causing the man to cry out in pain. It was a brutal sight, but I couldn't afford to show mercy.

When the man was crying and swollen, I said for the guard to stop, feeling a surge of satisfaction mingled with a tinge of remorse at the sight of the man's bruised and battered face.

"Who sent you to hit someone with your car?" Travis asked, his voice cutting through the tense silence that followed.

""Fuck you! I didn't do shit to anyone with my car!""the man yelled, his defiance unwavering despite the punishment he had just endured.

"Do it," Travis's words sent a chill down my spine, his tone carrying a weight of determination that made me wonder what he had in mind.

""Your wife and son seem to be living a good life! And your daughter is just adorable. I know a good man she can be sent to,"" the guard threatened while showing a picture of what I assumed was the man's family.

As the guard continued to pressure the man, revealing personal details about his family and making veiled threats, I felt really impressed by the quality of his work.

The man's face contorted with a mixture of fear and anger, his eyes darting between us as he struggled to maintain his composure in the face of such intimidation.

""Are you even human?! My daughter is only twelve! You hurt her and I'll get you! I won't go down without a fight!""

The guard kicked the man across the face. ""Who sent you as a scapegoat? I'll give you five seconds. If the time runs out, someone will immediately get the message to beat your son to a pulp. If you say nothing your daughter will also be paired up,"" the guard said.

""Do you even have evidence? You've got nothing on me!""

"5," I started.

""You can't prove it was me!""

"4," Travis joined in.

The driver's eyes widened in sheer terror, his face drained of color as he struggled against his restraints, the fear palpable in his every movement.

""I swear, I didn't do anything!"" he pleaded, his voice quivering with fear and desperation. ""I was just following orders, I swear!""

The guard's threats hung heavy in the air, each word driving home the gravity of the situation. With each passing second, the driver's panic intensified, his breaths coming in ragged gasps as he frantically searched for a way out of this nightmare. Travis's guards gaze bore into the driver, his expression unreadable as he silently counted down the seconds.

"1," the guard said.

As the countdown reached its final moments, the driver's resolve crumbled, his defiance giving way to a sense of resignation as he realized the futility of his resistance. With a defeated sigh, he finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

""I'm just a no name and the boss knows nothing about this. It was a woman! She didn't show her face but she said to make sure that we find a way to make Travis Lombardi disappear for good because he's the last link to her brother. After she gave us 50,000, she just left us.""

Travis listened intently, his brow furrowed in concentration as he absorbed every detail, his mind already racing with the possibilities presented by the driver's confession. "Anything that can be easily identified?" Travis asked.

""I really didn't see much! She didn't leave her car! The license plate just said Softie on it. Or Beauty! One of the two! I really don't know which!""

As the driver's words trailed off into a defeated whimper, a heavy silence settled over the room, the weight of their revelations hanging thick in the air.

It hit me like a ton of bricks, a sickening realization that sent a chill down my spine. Emily, my own sister, had orchestrated this twisted plot against Travis.  Travis, my loyal friend who had stood by me through thick and thin, was now in the crosshairs of Emily's vendetta.

Anger bubbled within me, hot and fierce, as I clenched my fists in frustration. How dare she target someone as innocent as Travis? How dare she involve him in her twisted games of manipulation and deceit?

"Did you tell her you finished the job?" Travis's question hung heavy in the air, the weight of its implications pressing down on us like a suffocating blanket. The man's nod confirmed our worst fears—that Emily believed her twisted plan had succeeded, that I was gone for good.

"Keep him alive," I ordered. "Don't beat him anymore either."

With a final nod of acknowledgement, Travis ended the call, his expression unreadable as he turned to face me. It was clear that our journey was far from over, but we found out what we needed to.

As I closed my eyes, I couldn't shake the image of Emily's face from my mind, twisted into a cruel smile as she believed herself victorious.

While she believed she had emerged victorious, little did she know that her triumph would be short-lived. I would bide my time, allowing her to ascend to the heights of success she so desperately craved, all the while laying the groundwork for her inevitable downfall.

But revenge was a dish best served cold, and I would take great pleasure in watching Emily's empire crumble beneath her feet, knowing that it was I who had orchestrated her demise.