Secrets Kept

by Allie Everhart

  "You're explanation didn't make sense. And it was wrong." He lets go of my hand and his arms wrap around my waist and pull me toward him. "If you love me and you've been trying to call me, then that's all the proof you need that we belong together. Our differences don't matter. The only thing that matters is that we love each other."

  Turning to him, I say, "Gavin, it's not that—"

  "Simple? Yeah. Actually it is. And I'll prove it to you."

  "How?"

  He leans in and kisses me and the feel of us joined together again like this has my heart soaring, like it's finally back where it belongs. Back with its match. The person it loves.

  Gavin talks over my lips. "I love you."

  "I love you too." The words fall from my mouth. I can't hold them back because I love him too much.

  I can't do this anymore. I can't not be with Gavin. There has to be a way to make this work.

  "I'm not letting you go again," he says. "I don't care what you say. I don't care what excuse you give me. You're not leaving me again."

  "Okay," I whisper.

  He lets out a laugh. "Okay?"

  I nod. "Yeah. I agree."

  "Well, shit, that's all I had to do? Kiss you? Why didn't I do this sooner?"

  "It wouldn't have worked. I needed some time to think. But you're right. If we love each other, why can't we make this work?"

  "Let's get out of here." He takes my hand and pulls me to his car.

  "Where are we going?"

  "To my room. To make up."

  "What about my car?"

  "Leave it. We'll get it later." He opens the car door for me, then kisses me before I can get in. "God, I've missed doing that."

  "Why don't we go to my place?" I ask as he gets in the car. "It has a bigger bed."

  "It takes too long to get there. My place is closer."

  "My apartment isn't that much farther."

  "We'll go there later. Right now, we need someplace close. I can't wait any longer to be with you."

  Truthfully, I can't either. He speeds on the way back to his dorm and then we race up to his room, ripping off clothes as we make it to his bed. An hour later, after having sex twice, we lie there recovering, our bodies tangled together.

  I stretch out over Gavin and breathe out a happy sigh.

  "You ready to go?" Gavin asks.

  I rest my head on his chest. "Where are we going?"

  "Back to your place, to continue this."

  "There's more?" I ask, popping my head up.

  "That was just a warm up." He smiles. "Let's go."

  They say love makes you do crazy things and it's obviously true because I know I shouldn't be back together with Gavin but my love for him overpowers all the reasons I have for keeping us apart.

  He takes me to get my car and we go back to my apartment.

  "Where's the—" Megan stops when she sees Gavin next to me. "Ink," she says, finishing her thought.

  "Oh, shit. I totally forgot. Megan, I'm so sorry."

  "It's after ten. They're closed. What am I going to do?"

  "What color?" Gavin asks. "Black?"

  "Yeah," she says.

  "I have some. You can have mine. In exchange, could I have some printer paper?"

  "Sure." She looks at us both. "Did something happen at the office supply store?"

  "Nothing really happened there but..." I smile at Gavin. "It started there."

  "And ended in my room," Gavin says, smiling back.

  "It ended?" I ask, sounding disappointed.

  "Just part one." He nods toward my room. "Ready for part two?"

  "Go." Megan shoos us away. "I don't want to know. Just keep it down."

  "Here." He tosses her his keys. "The ink is in my desk drawer."

  "Thanks." Megan gets up to leave as Gavin and I go down to my room.

  He spends the night, and for the first time since we broke up, I finally get a good night's sleep. Because I'm back in Gavin's arms. Back where I belong.

  ***

  The whole next week, Gavin and I make up for lost time, both in his room and mine. Spending so much time together leaves little time for anything else. His school work suffers and I end up late for work three times. I tell Carol I keep having car trouble and luckily she believes me. She noticed what a good mood I've been in and I tell her it's because I've been working on my restaurant plans. I'm not telling her I got back with Gavin. If she finds out, she can ask me about it but I'm not going to offer it up.

  I'm not telling my dad either. He calls me every day to say hi and so far, I've been able to hide the fact that I'm back with Gavin. But if he saw me in person, he'd know something is up. He can read me too well.

  On Saturday morning, I call my dad from the parking lot in front of Gavin's dorm. I'm spending the day with him and don't want my dad calling and interrupting when Gavin and I are...doing things.

  "How's it going?" I ask when my dad answers.

  "You're calling early."

  "I have a lot to do today. I thought I'd call before I got too busy. So any news?"

  "Actually, yes. I think I might have something."

  My dad's still following Niles around but so far, he hasn't been able to catch him doing anything.

  "What is it?" I ask.

  "Well, it's not him specifically. It's some other man."

  "What other man?"

  "I'm not sure. I haven't figured that out yet. But this other man has been keeping an eye on Niles. Following him. I think he might know something I could use against Niles. I need to go talk to him but I'm not sure how to approach him yet. I don't want to spook him or have him suspect something. He works at a garage in Hartford, close to where Niles grew up. I'm wondering if this man is someone from Niles' past, maybe someone planning to blackmail him for money."

  "So what's your plan with this guy?"

  "I'll find out what he knows. Maybe we could work together to take Niles down."

  "If he's a bad guy, you shouldn't work with him."

  "The good guys work with the bad guys all the time. They can be a valuable resource. I just need to find out what he wants in return and then we'll make a deal."

  "Dad, this sounds dangerous. I don't think you should do this."

  "I'll be fine."

  "But Niles is dangerous. He has a—"

  A loud knock on my car window interrupts me. I turn and see Niles' face looking right at me, showing off a big grin.

  "I have to go," I say to my dad. "I'll call you later."

  "Is everything okay?"

  "Yeah. Bye." I end the call, but then wonder if I should've left my dad on the line. I might need him to listen in, but it's too late now. Niles is motioning me to get out of the car. I'm not sure if I should, but I know if I don't, he won't go away.

  Glancing around, I see students coming in and out of the dorm and walking through the parking lot. Niles wouldn't do anything to me with all these people around.

  I get out and stand in front of him, my back to the car, heart pounding.

  "Hello, Kate," he says.

  "Hi, Mr. Bishop."

  "Please. Call me Niles. You're dating my son, after all. There's no need to be formal."

  So he knows I'm dating Gavin. Did Gavin tell him that or has he been spying on us?

  "I'm surprised to see you here," I say, doing my best to hide how nervous I am. "Don't you have to be at a campaign event?"

  The election is just over a week away. Niles has advanced in the polls and is now the frontrunner.

  "The event is this afternoon. That's why I'm here. I need to tell Gavin to be there."

  "Couldn't you have just called him? That's a long ways to drive just to tell him that."

  "Yes, but I felt an in-person visit might be needed in order to convince him to help out his father rather than fuck his girlfriend all day." His fake nice act disappeared when he said 'fuck' and now his eyes are dark and staring down at me with that same threatening look he had the night he killed that man.

>   "Mr. Bishop, I mean, Niles, I'm sure Gavin would be happy to attend the event. You won't have to convince him."

  "Have you told him?" he says, his teeth gritted.

  "No. Of course not."

  "Then why did he ask if I have a gun?" Niles steps closer, backing me against the car.

  "I don't know. When did he ask you that?"

  "A few days ago. He wouldn't just ask me that out of the blue. You had to have said something to him."

  "I didn't tell him anything. I swear."

  "You told your father."

  "No," I say, hoping he'll believe my lie.

  "Then why has he been following me?"

  "He's not following you. He has no reason to. I never told him anything."

  He grins, an odd, sickly grin. "What are we going to do with you, Kate? You poor confused little girl."

  "I'm not confused. And I'm not a little girl."

  "You're confused about what I told you. What did I say that night?"

  I gulp as he leans closer. "What night?"

  "You know what fucking night," he snaps. "What did I say?"

  "To keep quiet," I whisper.

  "And did you?"

  "Yes. I did. I promise."

  "Then why the fuck would Gavin ask me if I had a gun?"

  "I don't know. I really don't."

  He slowly backs away, his eyes on mine. "If I find out you're lying, your father's house will end up like his shed. And this time, I'll make sure he's in it."

  "No!" I shake my head. "Please don't. I didn't say anything. I swear. Leave my dad alone."

  "I will," he says, walking away. "Unless I find out his little girl is a liar."

  He goes inside Gavin's dorm as a text pops up on my phone.

  It's from Gavin. You almost here? You're late. I'm getting worried.

  Maybe I should make up an excuse and not go in there. But then I look up and see Gavin standing by the window, motioning me to come up to his room.

  When I get there, Niles is standing by Gavin's desk. He smiles when he sees me. "Kate, it's good to see you again. It's been a long time."

  "Yeah," I say, playing along.

  Gavin comes over and puts his arm around me, his face beaming. "I didn't tell you this yet, but Kate and I are back together."

  "How nice," Niles says. "Your mother will be pleased. You're so much happier when you're with Kate."

  Gavin looks at me. "My dad needs me to attend a campaign event today. I know we had plans but do you mind if I go to the event?"

  "No, go ahead."

  "Why don't you come with me?"

  "Um, I think I'll stay here. I have a lot to do."

  "I probably won't be back until late."

  "That's okay. You need to help out your dad. The election is coming up fast."

  "Isn't she awesome?" Gavin says to his dad. "She's always so supportive."

  "I see that," Niles says. "You've got quite a girl there."

  Desperate to get away from Niles, I say, "I should go. Let you spend time with your dad."

  "He's not staying," Gavin says. "He was just in the area so he stopped by to tell me about the event."

  "Actually, I was hoping you'd come home with me," Niles says. "I have some issues with the website I need to work out."

  "Go ahead," I tell Gavin. "We'll see each other tomorrow."

  "You sure?"

  "Yeah. Definitely."

  "I'll call and check in with you later." He kisses me. "Love you."

  "Love you too." I glance at Niles, who has a smirk on his face.

  I leave and race down to my car. Back at my apartment I call my dad but he doesn't answer so I send him a text. Niles thinks I told Gavin. He threatened to blow up your house. Get out of there!!! Go stay somewhere else!

  A few minutes later my phone rings. It's my dad. "Kate, are you okay?"

  "Yeah, but I'm worried about you. Niles was at Gavin's dorm just now. He—"

  "Gavin's dorm? What were you doing at Gavin's dorm? You two aren't back together, are you?"

  I hesitate. "Um, yeah. We are. I didn't tell you because I knew you'd be mad but—"

  "Kate, I realize this is your decision but you have to know how dangerous it is being with Gavin, knowing what his father is involved in."

  "I know but I love Gavin too much not to be with him. I tried and I couldn't do it."

  My dad sighs. "You really do love him, don't you?"

  "More than anything."

  He's quiet, then says, "So tell me about Niles. You said he showed up there just now?"

  "Yeah. He came up to me in the parking lot and accused me of telling Gavin about that night."

  "Why would he think that?"

  "Because Gavin asked his dad if he had a gun. And now Niles doesn't believe me when I tell him I didn't tell Gavin anything. He said if he finds out that I did, he's going to blow up your house."

  "He used those words?"

  "No, but he said your house would turn out like the shed and that this time he'd make sure you're in it. You've gotta get out of there, Dad. Go stay with someone until we can be sure it's safe."

  "I'm not moving out of my damn house. He made a threat. That's all it was. He'd need to set up a hell of a lot of explosives to blow this place up. I'd know if that was going on."

  "He could just blow up your bedroom. What if he rigged something to go off when you opened the door to your room? Or set a timer to have it detonate while you're sleeping?"

  "Kate, stop worrying about this. I'll deal with it."

  "Dad, I'm really scared he's going to do something. You didn't see how crazy he was acting. He had this weird grin on his face and his eyes were dark."

  "Honey, I told you I'd deal with it. He's not going to hurt me. He has no proof that you said anything to Gavin."

  "He doesn't need proof. He'll do it just because he can. Or because he thinks I lied to him."

  "It would be too risky for him to do something like that this close to the election. Even if he hired someone to do it, there's always a risk it could lead back to him. He's not going to put a possible senate position at risk just to prove a point."

  "I'm still worried about you."

  "Stop worrying. I'll be fine. I'll call you later."

  We say goodbye and I turn on the TV, trying not to think about Niles. But his campaign ads are on every channel. I can't escape him.

  I go in my room and take a nap. When I wake up, it's afternoon and I hear my phone going off. I see it's Gavin and answer it. "Hey, what's up?"

  "I'm heading back."

  "I thought you wouldn't be back until tonight."

  "That was the plan but I decided to come back early."

  "Why? Isn't the event still going on?"

  "I'll explain when I get there. Are you home right now?"

  "Yeah."

  "I'll meet you there." He hangs up without saying goodbye. He sounded rushed, like something is wrong, which it must be if he's coming back this early.

  When he gets to my apartment he hurries inside, then stops to give me a kiss.

  "What's going on?" I ask.

  He takes my hand and leads me to the couch to sit down. "Remember when you were drunk and saying all that stuff about my dad?"

  "Yeah," I say, my heart beating faster. "What about it?"

  "When you said my dad might've..." he pauses, "done something...were you really making it up, like you said, or were you telling the truth?"

  I swallow. "I was drunk. I don't even know what I said."

  "You said my dad shot someone. I didn't believe you because my dad doesn't even own a gun but..." He looks down.

  "But what?"

  "I found one."

  "A gun?"

  "Yeah." He looks at me. "More than one."

  "When did you find them?"

  "Today. Just now. That's why I left." He shakes his head. "I still can't believe it."

  "Okay, wait. Back up. What exactly happened?"

  "My dad asked me to get his laptop fr
om his car. I couldn't find it in the back seat so I checked the trunk. It wasn't there but I noticed the panel that covers the spare tire wasn't in place so I went to fix it and when I lifted it up, I saw there wasn't a tire under it. There was a gun. More than one. There were five. Five hand guns."

  "Maybe they weren't your dad's."

  "It's my dad's car."

  "I know but other people drive it, right? Like his campaign people?"

  "No. They use their own cars. Those were my dad's guns." Gavin stands up and starts pacing the room. "Why the fuck would my dad have five guns? He hates guns. He always has."

  "Maybe someone's been threatening him and he felt he needed them for safety."

  "Then why didn't he tell me?" He stops pacing and looks at me. "I asked him. Just recently I asked him if he owned a gun. I kept thinking about what you said that night you were drunk. I couldn't figure out why you'd say that if it weren't true. So I asked him."

  "You didn't tell him what I said that night, did you?"

  "No. I just asked him if he owned a gun. He said no, that he hated guns and would never own one. Why would he lie to me, Kate? Unless he was trying to hide something. Something he did."

  I get up and meet him by the window. "I don't know, but just because he has guns doesn't mean he did anything."

  "Then why did you say that? Why would you make up a story about him shooting someone? I know you, Kate, and I know you're not someone who just makes up stories. You said it because you know it's true. But how did you know? Did you see it happen?"

  "Gavin, I don't want to talk about this." I walk away but he grabs my hand, stopping me.

  "Kate, please. Tell me. I have to know. What did you see?"

  I keep quiet, my heart pounding even harder.

  "Kate. Look at me." I do and his eyes meet up with mine. "We always said there'd be no secrets between us, so if you know something, tell me." He holds my hand. "I love you and want a future with you so don't start it with a lie. Did you see something or not?"

  I hesitate, not wanting to tell him this but realizing I have to.

  "Yes," I say. "I saw something."

  Chapter Thirty

  We go to the couch to sit down and I tell Gavin the truth. I couldn't keep hiding this from him. It was destroying me to lie to him and hurting our relationship to have this secret between us. So I tell him everything, including the part about his dad threatening to hurt my family.