“Move two bodies, then, because there’s no way in hell I’m helping you get away with murdering our friend,” Adam roared back.
“Yes, you’re helping. Because you’ll go to jail too,” Liam said menacingly.
“What are you talking about?”
Brianna slowed down her crying and looked over at Liam, hanging on his every word. As soon as she looked close to breaking, she was able to pull it back together. “Liam, he’s dead. He’s really dead. Oh God, oh God—”
Liam shushed her. “Bri, we’re going to be fine. I need you to lock it all away. Pretend none of this ever happened. We all will. We will do what needs to be done and never think or talk about this again.”
“Do we kill him?” she asked in a faraway voice. She motioned with her head to Adam on the floor below Liam.
“Liam, you fucked this lunatic? And got her pregnant? Is this a hoax? Or am I hallucinating this whole thing?” Adam said, laughing manically. Sweat poured down his face as he struggled against Liam’s heft on top of him.
“No, we’re not killing Adam,” Liam told Brianna. He sounded as if he was explaining what was right and wrong to a child. “Adam is on heroin and has probably a felony’s worth of drugs in his luggage. He’s not dumb enough to get the cops involved.”
Adam banged his head back on the floor. “I didn’t kill anyone.”
“You’ll still go to prison. Lose that cushy job of yours in your dad’s company. Didn’t he tell you one more screw-up and you were cut off?” Liam said mockingly.
Adam let out a hysterical laugh. “You’re going to blackmail me?”
Liam shrugged. “What’s done is done. There’s no bringing Derek back now. I’m not only trying to protect Bri. I’m trying to protect all of us.”
Adam gaped at him. “Slitting Derek’s throat was protecting us?”
Liam nodded empathetically. “It was. I’m fucked up right now too. I don’t know what kind of trouble we’d get into if the police started investigating us.”
“Aren’t the police going to be involved anyway? It’s not like we can pretend Derek is still alive,” Adam snapped.
“We have to get the body out of here. Hide it somewhere, maybe in the woods to help get rid of any evidence on his body. We’ll also have to destroy our clothes and the knife….” Liam seemed to be speaking to himself, ticking off a mental checklist he had created.
“What about Taylor and Chelsea? They’ll never go along with this,” Adam warned.
“They shouldn’t be back from the spa for at least a couple hours. Maybe longer if I know Taylor. That gives us enough time to do what needs to be done. We’ll make up a story to tell them. We’ll say Derek went somewhere. When he doesn’t come back, we’ll pretend to be worried. By the time we get around to calling the police, the H will be flushed out of our system and even if they decide to do a drug test, by the time they get a warrant, our pee will come back clean.” Adam and Brianna were hanging on his every word. The revulsion was gradually fading from Adam’s face as Liam’s words penetrated. He was honestly starting to believe Liam had his best interests at heart.
“But it’s Derek….” Adam started.
Liam nodded in understanding, softening his hardened features. “This is horrible, no doubt. But you and me have always had each other’s backs. Ratting Bri and me out to the cops won’t fix anything and won’t turn you into a hero. If we do everything right, no one else has to get hurt.”
Adam’s sigh was resigned. “How do we convince anyone of our story? I’m not an actor.”
Liam’s relief was palpable. “Remember what I told Brianna? Put this shit in a box in your brain and forget about it. Convince yourself Derek simply went out and we never saw him again.” Liam turned to Brianna, who was twisting her arms together. “You have to do it too, Bri. We keep all of our stories straight, repeat it to enough people, it will become the truth.”
Brianna gave a shaky nod. But from Liam’s scrutiny, it was clear he was more concerned with her being able to pull it together enough to lie to the police. She was incoherent, unable to compose herself long enough to truly listen to Liam’s advice. He added more emotion to his tone, dropping the authoritarian manner. “This wasn’t your fault. You weren’t in your right mind. Derek would want to protect you and the baby.”
Liam’s words reached her and she set back her shoulders and lifted her chin. She looked only at him, completely avoiding Derek’s bloodied corpse a few feet away from her. Liam backed off of Adam with Adam then climbing into a sitting position. The fight had completely gone out of Adam. With a few choice words from Liam, he had decided to throw away a decades-long friendship. He seemed to truly believe his actions were sanctioned because Liam dictated them so.
“Get into the shower, Bri, and give me your clothes once you’re done. We’ll handle everything else,” Liam said soothingly.
She lifted her arms out to invite a hug from him. He complied and patted her on the back of the head. “I promise you nothing bad is going to happen.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Declan sputtered awake. His mouth felt like sandpaper and his eyes burned as if they had been soaked in acid. He fought against the fog. He felt reality closing in, but just out of his reach. And his mind begged to escape the scene of Derek’s murder. He had to get back to the sanctity of Jenna’s arms and light-years away from the callousness of Liam, Adam, and Brianna. When Derek died, he was no longer their friend and love. He was disposable—a problem they needed to get rid of by any means necessary.
When he managed to open his eyes, it was beyond excruciating. The world was too bright to bear and even rapid blinking didn’t relieve the irritation. Damn, what had happened? Declan tried to make sense of his fugue. His memories were jumbled—half of him felt back in time and half of him vaguely remembered being attacked in the living room of the beach house. Whatever had been used to incapacitate Declan was some hardcore stuff. He’d never felt a hangover like this, even in his pill-popping days.
Declan kept up the blinking while attempting to shake his head–any kind of movement to help get him out of the stupor. He felt close to losing consciousness again and he had a strong instinct that passing out again was a really bad idea. He tried to move his body, but felt his arms and legs put up resistance. Something was very, very wrong.
What felt like hours later, he managed to lift his eyes fully open. Momentarily, he wondered if he was back in his vision, since he was lying down in bed in the same room Derek had died in months ago. Declan thrashed to get control of his body, but he wasn’t budging. Soon after, he noticed the zip ties around his ankles.
“Oh shit,” he muttered although the words were indecipherable. He sniffed the air and wanted to double down on that “oh shit.” The smell of gasoline was unmistakable in the air.
“Good morning, asshole,” a voice said from the end of the bed. Although the lighting in the room was dim from a lone desk lamp, he was able to make out Liam across the room. He was dressed head-to-toe in all black, complete with a black skullcap. If he wasn’t in such an obvious position of power, Declan would’ve made fun of him for the cliché getup.
Declan didn’t try to answer. Instead, he took the time to further assess his situation. As he regained movement in his limbs, he found his arms were immobile too. Liam likely had used the zip ties to bind his wrists too. When he tried to roll his wrists, the skin burned. He squirmed in place, trying to free himself when he bumped into something solid. Lying unconscious and tied up next to him in bed was Jenna.
A rush of adrenaline cleared his mind instantly. “Jenna!” he called out in alarm. She didn’t stir, but he could see the clear rise and fall of her chest. Checking her head to toe for injuries, he didn’t see anything evident. The relief was short-lived as he noticed Liam with a gas can dousing the floor around them. He started to make a trail from the bed toward the door.
“Stop!” Declan cried out.
Liam submitted to his request, but only to sneer at Dec
lan lying on the bed. “This is your fault.”
Declan tried to sound reasonable. “Sounds about right. How about you get Jenna out of here and let me take the blame then?”
Liam squinted at him in disbelief. “Don’t you want to know why I’m killing you?”
“I’m perfectly fine with dying without hearing your reasons, if it’s all the same to you. But there’s no reason to hurt Jenna. Please let her go,” Declan pleaded. As he spoke, he kept casting sideways glances at Jenna to confirm her breathing.
Liam tilted his head to stare at him, mouth agape. “You really don’t have any questions for me?”
Although Declan felt annoyed over giving Liam a platform, maybe buying more time would help get Jenna to safety. “Sure, I’ll bite. Why are you trying to kill me, Liam? We just met.” He almost sounded sarcastic which by Liam’s caustic expression wasn’t a smart play. Declan should’ve been scared to death, but he couldn’t force himself to feel terrified by Liam. He wore too many sweater vests to elicit any true fear.
“I called Taylor after leaving here before. She swore she never told anyone about Brianna and me. But she did tell me about a rumor she heard about Jenna spending all of her time with a psychic who was helping her solve Derek’s case,” Liam said. “A little help from Google and I was able to find out all about Jenna’s new friend, Declan Brayden.”
“Cool story, bro,” he said with derision. “So, you figured it was only a matter of time until I saw that you and Brianna kill Derek. And then you came up with this poorly concocted idea to kill Jenna and me to prevent us from going to the cops.”
“Pretty much,” he snorted.
“How dumb are you? I mean, honestly. Even if I did finger you as a murderer, do you think the cops are going to charge in and toss you in jail based on my word? I’m sure the trial with me as the only eyewitness would be a slam-dunk for prosecutors.”
Liam didn’t allow himself to take the bait. “I’m not taking the risk.”
Declan took his time exhaling. “Untie us and walk away. There’s nothing you’ve done so far to permanently ruin your life. There’s no evidence in Derek’s case against you.”
“I’m setting it up like Jenna did all of this. I hacked her email and Facebook, posted some weird, cryptic shit. I’ll plant the gas can in her car and I’ll untie her at the last second. She was questioned too about Derek’s murder because she didn’t have an alibi. She offs you because you find out the truth, but then decides to kill herself too.” Liam folded his arms across his chest. For a plot concocted on the fly, it wasn’t half-bad. However, the idea of Jenna killing her beloved brother was ludicrous.
Jenna moaned softly, the sound filling Declan with panic. He had wanted her to wake up when she was somewhere safe and very far away from Liam’s craziness.
“Does Brianna know you’re doing this?” he asked.
Liam grunted, the sound demonstrating his contempt. “Brianna can burn in hell from now on for all I care. I tried to be a good guy and step up when she told me about being pregnant. But she got rid of it and never wanted to speak to me again afterwards.” He scrunched up his nose in distaste. “This is to keep Adam and me out of trouble. He’d never have the stomach for this, so I’m taking over. If I could turn Brianna in for the murder, believe me, I would. But she has the power now since we were dumb enough to help her.”
Jenna continued to make whimpering sounds, getting very close to waking up fully. He hated her being in a completely vulnerable position. They were both immobile with no give on the zip ties. He couldn’t feel his cell phone in his pocket, so he didn’t have an option to call for help. By the overwhelming gas smell in the air, Declan doubted he could get Jenna out of the house in time before they both went up completely in flames.
Liam was done talking. He picked up the gas can; resuming the trail he had started earlier. Evidently, he planned to make a path right from the hallway into the bedroom. Once finished, he took a pocketknife out of his pants and headed to Jenna. Declan had seen what Liam was capable of with a knife. He yelled, panicked as Liam brought the knife near her body.
Liam first cut away her leg restraints and then sawed away at the ties around her wrists. Her hands fell down limply back onto her body once he finished. He shoved the knife back into his pants, before pulling out a pack of matches. He waved his fingers at Declan.
“Wait, no!” Declan bellowed as he started to walk away. Once his back was turned, he felt the bed shift next to him. Instantly, Jenna was catapulting off the mattress and diving towards Liam. She climbed on his back before he knew what hit him and savagely clawed at his hair.
Liam roared and tried to fight her off of him, but Jenna was feral. Scratching at his face, pulling at his ears, and attempting to gouge out his eyes. As Liam tried to shake her loose, she only held on tighter and refused to let go of him. While still fighting him, she used her right hand to reach down into his pocket and grab the knife. She managed to free the blade, but the knife plunged to the floor before she could get hold of the weapon.
Rolling off the bed, Declan hit the floor hard. His face fell into a puddle of gasoline and he coughed as he felt the liquid choke him. He tried to army-crawl his way over to where Liam and Jenna were struggling. However, being tied up made every movement laborious and exhausting. His hope was to somehow make it over to the knife and use the blade to cut his bonds.
Rounding the bed, he was less than a foot from where the knife had fallen. His attention was diverted as Liam threw his elbows out, knocking Jenna with full force in the chest. She was pitched backwards, landing with a thud on her backside. Without waiting a beat, both she and Liam made a mad dash for the knife. Although Jenna won the race, Liam was quick to try and wrestle it from her grasp. As they struggled, Jenna pulled the knife free and drove it down onto his foot.
As the razor edge tore through the leather of his sneakers, Liam cursed. Jenna removed the blade and went to cut him again. Before she had a chance, Liam punched her violently across the face. Declan saw red as Jenna’s head snapped backwards. He was going to rip Liam to pieces. A slow, agonizing death was too good for him.
Jenna crawled away from Liam as he brought back his fist to pummel her again. As she crouched behind Declan, she carved through the plastic ties and set the knife in his hand. As Liam went to pounce on Jenna, Declan knew he had one shot. As soon as he was a hairbreadth away, he took the knife and slammed it as far as he could into Liam’s side.
Liam’s hands went around Jenna’s neck as he attempted to squeeze the life out of her. She whimpered as he choked her brutally. Liam was so far gone that he didn’t even seem to notice the bleeding coming from his side. Declan saw red. Before Liam could hurt Jenna any further, Declan removed the knife and stabbed at Liam’s torso again and again. Finally, he slumped forward and loosened his hold on Jenna. As Liam collapsed on top of Jenna, Declan had no way to see if Jenna was safe.
Feeling like he barely had a second to spare, Declan sliced off his ankle restraints with the blood-covered knife. With a cry, he shoved Liam off of Jenna. He let out a relieved cry as Jenna reached out for him. Her nose was bloodied and her neck battered, but otherwise she looked fine. Although his instinct was to kiss her senseless, he wouldn’t make them vulnerable. Liam was only stabbed with a pocketknife; he could start attacking again at any second.
He looked at Jenna and then at the knife—back and forth. The best move would be to slit Liam’s throat, cosmic justice for what Liam had done to Jenna’s brother. Instead, he placed a foot on Liam’s back to ensure he stayed down. Although he wouldn’t stab him again, he wasn’t checking vitals either. If he bled out before the ambulance arrived, he’d chalk it up to God’s will.
“I should call 911,” Jenna said, out of breath.
He opened his mouth to agree, but felt the blood drain from his face as he heard a door slam downstairs. A thousand thoughts raced through his brain at the sound, but he settled on the most obvious answer: Liam had arranged backup. He crouched low
er and got ready to use the knife on Adam or Brianna—whoever was dumb enough to come help Liam finish the job.
Seeing the barrel of the gun come through the doorway sent his stomach straight through the floorboards. He had failed. He had wanted to protect Jenna, but instead she had saved them both from a crazed murderer, only to be killed minutes later.
“Declan,” Jenna said, the fear rising in her voice. He jumped to block her body from the first gun blast. She might not survive either, but maybe his act would buy her a few more minutes. He wished he had the luxury of time. Because he was going to die without telling Jenna he loved her. He hoped somehow he’d have a chance to tell her in whatever waited for them beyond this life. His eyes connected with hers and he wished she could see all he wanted to say with a single look. I love you, Jenna. I love you more than I thought possible. I wanted it all with you. But I’ll settle for living my very last seconds on Earth with you next to me.
“Damn it, Jared! I told you we were going to be too late to the party.”
Kate? His eyes started at the gun before following a trail to the arm of the person holding the gun: Jared Corbett. The last person in the world he expected to see. Jared lowered the gun and then reached his hand out to him. He took it while wrapping his arm around Jenna’s waist. Jared helped them both to their feet while keeping his eyes trained on Liam.
Kate stepped out from behind Jared, expecting them both closely. Satisfied with what she saw, she grinned. With a bow, she said, “And the reinforcements have arrived.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Hours later, Kate walked alongside Declan as they left the police station together. The detectives expressed their skepticism over both of their statements, but they had eventually released them. Luckily, Jared had vouched for them and he was still inside wrapping up his own statement with the police.
“I’ll drive you to the hospital,” Kate offered quietly. Declan had attempted to climb in the ambulance alongside Jenna, but she had insisted he speak to the cops first. She wanted to ensure Liam, Adam, and Brianna were held responsible for what they had done to Derek. All things considered, Jenna seemed only mildly bruised and battered. He relented and promised to get to the emergency room as soon as humanly possible.
Deadly Prophecy: A Second Sight Series Spin-Off Page 19