"Are you okay?" Dean asked again, concern showing in every word. I nodded.
"How did he get in here, Dean? I didn't let him in. I was in the kitchen, and then he was just there."
"I don't know, but I'll find out. I'm sure he just bribed someone or stole a key from housekeeping. I'm so sorry, Kaylee. This never should have happened."
I looked up at him, not wanting him to feel guilty for this. This was Roger's fault and no one else's. "There is no way you could have known he was going to do this. I should have been safe here."
Dean sighed and pulled me closer. I liked how secure he made me feel, like the way I did when my dad would keep me safe from monsters. "I still feel bad. It's my job to keep you safe."
"You did. You saved me."
Dean gave me another squeeze, my body still shaking from fear and adrenaline. I felt like I would never stop shaking.
"How did you get here in time? I thought you were still going to be gone for a while," I asked glancing at the clock. My water in the kitchen was boiling. I should turn it off before all the water evaporated.
"There was a sandstorm coming, so I hurried back. I'm afraid I didn't get your cilantro."
I felt a smile crack my face. The cilantro didn't seem so important anymore.
My phone chirped across the room, a text coming in from Owen. Dean and I both looked at it, knowing that we were going to have to tell him. Neither of us moved. If I didn't tell him, maybe I could convince myself it didn't happen. If Owen didn't know, then it was all just a bad dream.
My phone chirped again and Dean released me, standing up and retrieving my phone. I clicked on the message, not quite brave enough yet to call him.
We've been invited to go deep sea fishing on Rashid's yacht. If things kept going this way, Roger and his father would be permanent fixtures in our lives.
My phone slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor. I didn't even bother picking it up. In my head I could see exactly what was going to happen. The sheik was going to ask Owen for a last minute business meeting, and I would be on the boat alone with Roger. He would come at me again, and this time, there would be no Dean or Owen to save me. I started to cry again at the memory of him touching me, the smell of his cologne, the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Dean's arms were around me again in an instant as I crumpled back to the floor. "I can't do this..." I whispered, my lungs too compressed to get much more than a wheeze out. A cold panic sunk into my bones, every muscle in my body trying to "fight and flight" at the same time. Outside, the sandstorm hit, the wind howling with anger at being denied entrance.
"He's going to be everywhere, Dean. He will never leave me alone. Especially not after today." The fact was like an ice cube in my mind, always bobbing to the top and making everything cold. "He really does own the city, Dean. He and his father have connections to everything. I can't stay here; I'm not safe here anymore. I just want to go home."
Dean pulled out his phone, hitting a speed dial number and waiting patiently until a voice answered on the other end. It was Owen. Just hearing his voice on the other end of the phone sent elation and fear through me.
"Sir, there's been an incident." Dean was the perfect professional.
"What happened? Is Kaylee alright?" The phone wasn't on speaker, but I could still hear his voice clearly. I wished so much that I could bury myself into Owen's chest, let his arms wrap around me, and let this bad memory drift away. I wished I could have made the past thirty minutes different. I felt horrible that this incident would probably sour his relationship with the sheik. I wished I had another option, one that wouldn't have the possibility of destroying what he was working so hard on. I knew I shouldn't be the one feeling guilty, but I couldn't help it. Yet another wave of anger washed through me that Roger would completely and utterly betray my trust and personal space.
"Kaylee is fine, sir. A little shaken, though. I got here just in time." Dean glanced at me. I was still shaking like a leaf in an autumn breeze. He gave my shoulder a slight squeeze, then stood and headed toward the kitchen to tell Owen what had happened. I was grateful that he was giving me space so I didn't have to hear the words happen again.
I looked out at the sand beating against the window. It was beautiful in a way, but I knew I could never survive out there. Lightning flashed amid the swirling brown clouds. There was no moisture out there, only swirling, hateful sand. It was as if Mother Nature herself was telling me that I didn't belong in this place.
"Yes, sir, I understand. I'll see to it. Thank you, sir." Dean came over and handed me the phone. My hands were shaking so badly that I almost dropped it.
"Owen?" I was surprised that my voice didn't come out as a squeak. It sounded normal.
"Are you alright, Kaylee? I'll come home right now, sandstorm be damned." He sounded angry, but I knew his anger wasn't directed at me though.
"I'm okay. A little shaky, but I'm okay. Really." If I told him I was okay and he believed it, then maybe I really would be. "Please wait until the storm is over. Dean is with me and I don't need you getting turned into a sand zombie."
"Kaylee, I want you to know that I'm not going to let this kind of behavior slide." Owen's voice vibrated with a quiet rage. I was very glad he was on my side.
"Thank you, Owen," I said softly.
"I'll call back in a little bit, okay?"
I nodded, not caring that he couldn't see me as the line went quiet. I let the phone fall to my lap as I just stared out at the raging storm that would never yield any rain.
When the storm finally ended, the world returned to too-bright sunshine and blue skies. Down below, I could see workers with brooms pushing piles of sand from the sidewalks, the clean-up already beginning. Owen was ho