Silence that Sizzles by Ivy Sinclair

If it was to make him think he was crazy, it was more than successful. Half the time, he already thought he was.
    His mouth watered for a massive shot of scotch, but that wouldn’t help him. He knew where he needed to go. He slowly opened his eyes. He was relieved to see Kelly’s face peering down at him. He could see the concern written all over her face.
    “Hallucination?”
    He figured if he was going to have any solace in the idea of starting a relationship with Kelly, it was that she already knew almost all the dark parts of him. Hallucinations, nightmares, the whole gamut of crazy. These were all things he had been dealing with ever since he left prep school. It had been part of the Army’s psychological evaluation of his mental status. Sometimes, Kyle was amazed that they had even let him in at all. But then on the other hand, he had to wonder if it was because of his profile that they had. He nodded.
    “How about we get out of here?” she said softly.
    Kyle was starting to feel the edges of reality solidify around him once again. He had been in the hotel with Kelly. She had tried to get away from him. He had an appointment with Eric. It was all coming back to him.
    “Why did you come back?” His question demanded an answer. He was pissed. If she hadn’t taken off, maybe this hadn’t this episodic break with reality wouldn’t have happened.
    “I hailed a taxi and was getting in when I saw you come out of the alley. I saw…your distress. It was obvious you needed help. I couldn’t leave you like that,” Kelly said.
    “But you could leave me just hanging in the lobby without knowing that you had decided to take off?”
    “Look, I’m sorry that I came to you. I thought you might be able to help me, but I think you’re right. I need to leave this alone before anyone gets hurt. I am sorry that I dragged you into my mess.”
    “No, I was the one who was wrong,” Kyle said. He let her help him to his feet. “You could try to leave it alone, but Oak Tree wouldn’t let you go. You have to fight. It might help you sleep better at night too.” Kyle knew that better than anyone. Once you got your hands dirty, it was incredibly difficult to wash the blood off.
    Blood. The edges of his reality started to waver again. He couldn’t think about his hands being covered in blood. Those memories wouldn’t help him now. There are so many things that he wasn’t sure about. One empty night. One gaping hole in his memory. It haunted him and taunted him.
    Kelly took his hand gently and guided him to the taxi that was waiting at the curb. She carefully got him inside. He was so much bigger than she was, and yet she maneuvered him around like he was a child. He didn’t like feeling vulnerable. He didn’t like the feeling at all. But there were so many things that suddenly felt uncertain. His tight, orderly world was in chaos. Perhaps that’s what the vision meant. Perhaps it was a warning.
    Kelly started to give the driver the address for his place, but Kyle stopped her. Instead, he gave the driver a different address. At Kelly’s questioning look, he told her. “We have an appointment with Eric, and I need to make a pit stop before that.”
    Kelly didn’t say anything else, and he was grateful. He let his head fall back against the headrest and closed his eyes. He used the calming breathing technique that one of his various therapists had taught him. He wasn’t sure if it really worked, but at least it was something.
    When he felt the taxi slow to a stop, he opened his eyes. “Stay here, I’ll be right back,” he told Kelly as he got out of the cab. He looked up at the small, decrepit looking building in front of him. No one looking at it would guess that inside, it housed a state-of-the-art care facility.
    Kyle ambled to the door and knocked on it. Hard. The small opening halfway up the door slid open.
    “State your business,” said the gruff voice.
    “It’s Kyle Frost,” he said with a growl.
    The door