UNMASKED: Sequel to Behind the Mask
Page 48
Remi slyly peeked up at him, and said, “Have faith.”
Liam kissed the tip of her nose then murmured, “For you, I’ll try.”
She closed her eyes, and whispered, “Thank you.”
They both knew there were only a few minutes left and the end was near. No amount of faith or hope could change that. “I wish I could break you out of here,” she whispered, grabbing a hold of his shirt. Liam laughed. “I think you’ve been hanging around me too much.”
She chuckled, but a knock on the door was their cue that there was nothing humorous about the current situation. “Three minutes,” a male voice shouted from behind the door. Remi reluctantly withdrew from Liam’s arms but remained close. With her head dropped, the tears that she had kept at bay were flowing freely now. There was zero point in hiding how sad she felt. Liam lifted her chin up with his thumb and index finger, forcing her to look at him. A few blonde strands of her hair framed her face, and at that moment Liam’s mind drifted back to the vault and wished they could start over. “What are you thinking about?” she asked, smiling as she sniffed. He brushed the tears off her cheeks then declared, “Just how you’ve managed to do the impossible.”
Tiny lines on her forehead wrinkled, clearly perplexed. “What’s that?” she asked, running her fingers up and down his bare arms. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “You made me fall in love.”
Before a shocked Remi could react, he moved back, looked her in the eyes, and uttered the three words she never thought she’d hear from him. “I love you.”
Producing a thousand-watt smile that could have illuminated the entire city of Philadelphia, Remi immediately asked him to say it again. Liam laughed but obliged. “I love you,” he whispered as he kissed her. The kiss began innocent enough, but just then a voice over a loudspeaker announced, “One minute.”
Remi and Liam ignored the message and amped it up, knowing this was it for them. They kissed as if there were no tomorrow, and in actuality, there wasn’t. “I would have given you the world,” he proclaimed, his lips still skimming hers. “I never wanted the world; I just wanted you,” she said, as he tightly embraced her and quietly uttered, “My sweet mistake.”
She started bawling at that point. Then suddenly, Weston, who felt bad for interrupting, walked in and informed them that it was time for Liam to go. He nodded then held Remi’s hand. “It’s going to be okay, trust me.”
Her lips quivered as Liam kissed her hand. But the second he released it, she desperately tried to grab it back, but two big armed guards intervened by handcuffing Liam and shackling his ankles. Liam looked at Remi, who had tears streaming down her red puffy cheeks while her once blue eyes were so bloodshot that they were barely recognizable. Seeing her like that was excruciatingly painful, and he couldn’t comfort her, or take the grief away. So, instead, he just mouthed, “I love you,” to her and in turn, she barged past the officers and ran up to Liam. Due to the restraints, he was unable to touch her, but she snaked her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “I love you so much, and I will wait.”
Liam smiled as her lips quickly brushed his before a guard shoved her out of the way. Penny yelled at the guard for being insensitive then told Liam her and his father would be following the van to the prison. Special Agent DeGrazerio arrived just in time to escort him as well. And right away the agent had a sharp comment for Liam. “You didn’t think I’d miss this, did you?”
Liam smirked. “No, I knew you’d be here.”
With that, they headed out towards the holding area to await transfer. Penny took Remi down to where Chris and Melanie, along with Beth and Tony had been waiting. She was no longing crying she had become anesthetized, even more so as they all made way towards the holding area. Much to Remi’s chagrin though, Liam wasn’t there anymore, he was already inside the transport van. She could see it through an oversized window, but there were too many people blocking her view, which in hindsight was probably just as well. The sight of him all shackled up, being treated like some monster, scared and angered her at the same time. Liam was no saint and yes he was a criminal, but she felt the harsh treatment of him was unnecessary. As Melanie joined her, Remi groaned, “Save a person’s life a couple of times and make sure the bad guys get caught and you still get sentenced to twenty years to life; it’s not fair.”
Melanie agreed. “No it’s not, but he could still get paroled, that’s at least something, right?”
Remi had told Liam to have faith, but as she stared out at the soon-to-be departing van, no amount of comforting words were going to lessen the sting of what was transpiring. Just then, Penny joined the two young women and informed, “Liam’s truck has been officially released, and Warren had it detailed for you.”
She handed the keys to Remi, who finally managed to smile as her fingers clasped around the remote. “He didn’t have to do that,” she said, in awe of the kind gesture. Penny placed her hand on Remi’s arm and said, “He wanted to.”
Emotions soon took over, as Remi unexpectedly hugged her. “Please thank him for me.”
“I will,” she said, appreciating the embrace.
“Where is Marlene?” asked Remi.
“Warren took her home as she didn’t want to stick around for his final departure.”
Remi understood as she could barely deal with it herself. Penny glanced over Remi’s shoulder and spotted Warren’s Audi R8 parked behind the van. She then saw Weston motioning for her to come outside. Penny sighed, and Remi instantly sensed, Liam was about to go. She said goodbye and told Remi that she’d call her later. All Remi could muster was a simple nod, because she suddenly couldn’t find her voice. Chris strolled up at the exact moment Penny left and slipped his arm around her shoulder while Melanie took hold of her left hand. Tony and Beth stood behind her, proving that she had an excellent support system. However, even with all of the love surrounding her, watching Liam disappear from her life, wasn’t like he was just going to prison, it was more like he had just died. As the van slowly pulled away, her heart began to beat faster, and it wasn’t long before she could no longer see the van or Warren’s car. In a blink of an eye, the love of her life vanished.
With an armed-guard seated in front of him and another behind, Liam sat quietly, silently preparing himself for what was in store ahead. He kept thinking of the worst-case scenario, figuring that was his best bet. He could more than handle himself it was fear of the unknown that worried him. About thirty minutes into the ride, he shifted the focus back to Remi. The irony of finally falling in love and letting someone into his life felt like a cruel twist of fate. Of course, it was his own doing; he wasn’t blaming anyone but himself for fucking it all up, he just wished it didn’t hurt so badly. He imagined though that the pain for Remi was tenfold and that ate him up inside. Liam had little time to dwell because soon, the van pulled onto a long and winding road that led up to an old gray stone and mortar building, that Liam was about to call home for the next few weeks. He soaked it all in, the double electric barbed wire fence, the gun-toting guards posted at various points of the congregating yard, where Liam spotted fifteen inmates all dressed in standard blue prison garb, watching the van slowly make its way through the main gate. Liam assumed their curious eyes were jumping at the bit to spy the new kid on the block.
When the vehicle stopped, Weston was the first one to help Liam step out and escort him towards the entrance. On their short trek, he could hear hoots and holler from the yard, mostly vulgar things which Liam did an admirable job blocking out. Fortunately for him, he’d always had a thick skin. Once inside, Liam asked his mother how Remi was. She replied honestly and told him Remi wasn’t doing great but that she now had the truck and hopefully would be okay, it would just take time. Liam sighed, filled with many conflicting emotions. He again thanked his parents for all their help. Warren sidled up to his son and whispered, “Even without the ability to appeal; we won’t give up on you; we promise.”
Then Warren embraced his son and told
him he loved him more than anything. Penny joined in on the tender family moment, but unfortunately, it was short-lived, as it was time for Liam to begin his journey into the prison system. Penny kissed him on the cheek then Liam told them both that the past was just that—the past. And that he loved them. Everything had come full circle.
After everyone had pleaded with Remi to give her a ride or at least drive her home in the truck, she insisted on going alone. Though, greatly appreciating the unwavering support and encouragement from all of them, being by herself is what she desperately needed and wanted. So, as she sat behind the wheel of Liam’s black Ford F-150, she took a few minutes just to regroup. Breathing in the fresh, clean scent from the detailing, she fiddled with the sapphire charm dangling from her wrist and glanced over at the passenger side all the while reminiscing about the many conversations they had in there. Lots of good memories, she thought then sighed somberly, feeling a terrible sense of loss and grief. No point in wallowing though, this was now her reality, and it was time to face it head-on. “No time like the present,” she uttered, as she stuck the key into the ignition and turned it slowly. When the engine rumbled, Remi smiled from ear to ear, instantly aware of Liam’s lingering presence and envisioned him grinning proudly at her. And it was at that exact moment she knew, she’d be all right.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The unwavering support and encouragement that I’ve received from my family and friends have been invaluable. And to all of the readers of Behind the Mask, who have patiently waited for this sequel to be done. I cannot thank you all enough for having faith in me and my writing.
A special thank you to Lisa Sommer, who delicately pointed out my overuse of the phrase ‘that said’ and took the time to edit this book for me.
And to the two most important people in my life, my husband, Phil, and son, Matt, both inspire me not to give up, and to always keep dreaming.