The Secrets Duet

by Brownell, Rachael

  “Good girl. Now, stand up.” His voice shows no emotion. It scares the shit out of me. I’ve never heard him like this before.

  I push against the wall and try to stand up. I fall back into a heap on the floor twice before I get my feet under me. My legs are wobbly and I’m not sure how long they will hold me up, but it doesn’t matter. The second I’m on my feet Brett is lifting me over his shoulder and carrying me up the stairs. I close my eyes, trying to block out the light. My head is still pounding and everything around me is bright.

  Once he reaches the top of the stairs I open my eyes. We’re standing in a small kitchen. He doesn’t stop. He turns and keeps moving through the house until he’s setting me down on the toilet in the bathroom. I look up to see Bethany and Brett both staring at me firmly.

  “Get yourself cleaned up,” Brett says before turning and leaving.

  I look to Bethany. I expect to see remorse on her face or any sign that she’s sorry for what’s happening. I don’t. What I see scares me a little. She looks pleased with herself, like she’s happy to see me the way I am right now.

  “What the hell, Bethany? Where am I and why?” My voice is soft, hoarse. My throat is dry and talking makes it hurt.

  “Really, Courtney?” Shit! “Think about it long enough and you’ll figure it out.” What I hear in her voice is disdain. What have I ever done to her? How the hell does she know who I am?

  She shuts the door behind her and I hear a lock slide into place. I’m locked in from the outside. I take in my surroundings. No windows. There’s no way out of here. That’s when I pray, for the first time since I lost my dad and my brother, I pray. Someone will notice that I’m missing, that I’ve disappeared.

  I grab the towel off the counter and turn on the shower. I do as I’m told and get cleaned up. I hear the door open while I’m in the shower and my body tenses up. It closes a few seconds later and I hear the lock slide back into place. I peek around the curtain to see that someone, probably Bethany, has put fresh clothes on the sink for me.

  I finish in the shower, dress and brush my teeth with the new toothbrush which was left for me as well. I search the bathroom for something to kill my headache, but there is nothing in the bathroom. Everything is empty. It’s almost as if no one lives here.

  I sit on the toilet and wait. I know they will come back for me it’s just a matter of when. The longer I sit there, the more I wonder if they left. It’s not like I can get out of here. Just to be sure, I try the door handle. It moves but as soon as I try to open the door I realize the lock must be attached to the doorframe. I am trapped.

  “Think about it long enough and you’ll figure it out.”

  Bethany’s words are racing through my mind. They’re all I can think about. I should know why they kidnaped me? I close my eyes and think. What do I know about Bethany? Where is she from again? Georgia? Alabama? Somewhere southern, I think. Why doesn’t she have a southern accent then?

  What has she told me about herself? The more I think about it the less I can come up with. Whenever I asked her about her life she always turned things around on me, asking me questions or changing the subject. I don’t really know anything about her at all.

  What about Brett?

  Brett is her boyfriend. They’ve been dating for… a few years, I think. They went to high school together, I remember that much. What was the name of their high school? Where was it? He has a shirt he likes to wear. He left it in our room. It’s orange and black. It has a… panther on it? That sounds right.

  I close my eyes and try to picture the shirt. I never paid much attention to it. Why would I? It’s not like it’s a big deal that he left a shirt at our place. I can see it. Orange and black. He ripped the sleeves off. On the front is a panther. What’s on the back? I flip the shirt over in my mind. I can almost see it… Oh My God!

  It’s from my old high school in California. Brett went to high school with me? Why do I not remember him? Or Bethany? That explains why they know my real name, why they know who I am, but it doesn’t explain why they would do this to me. I don’t even remember them.

  I don’t have time to think about it. I hear the lock slide and the door opens to reveal Brett and Bethany standing on the other side. I look at them as if I’m seeing them for the first time. I still don’t recognize either of them, not from my past life. I still don’t understand.

  “It looks like she’s figured it out, Nikki. What should we do with her now?” His voice is laced with sarcasm. He knows exactly what he wants to do with me next.

  Nikki? I look her over again, but it still doesn’t click. I wasn’t friends with anyone named Nikki. I’m not even sure I knew anyone by that name. Unless…

  “Yep, it looks like it all just clicked for her. Did you figure it out, Courtney? Did you figure out who we are? Why we’re doing all of this?”

  I shake my head, afraid if I admit my thoughts out loud that I would indeed be correct. I knew who she was. That’s where it ended though. I still had no idea who Brett really was. Why are they doing this? That’s a question I think only they will be able to answer.

  Brett grabs a hold of my arm and jerks me to stand. He doesn’t let go as he pulls me out the door and into the living room. He pushes me down on the couch and sits across from me in a chair. He doesn’t speak. He stares at me for a long time and I stare back at him, trying to prove to him I’m not scared. But I am. I’m really scared. The more I look at him the more familiar he looks but I still can’t place him.

  I think about Nikki, or Nicolette as I use to call her, and try and picture them together. I never hung out with her so I have no idea who she used to date. She was what my friends and I used to call a “social outcast.” Maybe that’s why she’s doing all of this. Maybe because I was mean to her in my past life she was going to get revenge on me. It made sense, but it seemed to be bigger than that.

  Plus, why would she track me down to get her revenge if she thought I was dead? Everyone thought I was dead. I watched my funeral. They broadcast it on television because they buried the entire family together. I watched my family and friends grieve on national television.

  I’m still staring at Brett, not giving him an inch, when I finally find my voice. “Why?” It’s only one word, but it’s all I need to know.

  “Seriously? You haven’t figured it out yet? Have you even figured out who we are yet?” He’s laughing at me.

  “I remember Nicolette, but I don’t remember you.”

  “That’s fucking unbelievable. Let me give you a hint, Courtney.” The way he said my name, drawing out every syllable, made my body shiver. It was the response he was looking for I’m sure. “My father killed your family.”

  Shit!

  I close my eyes and try to calm my breathing. The reality of the situation is weighing on my heart. When I open my eyes, the way Brett is looking at Nikki, strikes me as odd. I stare at him, trying to figure it out, when it suddenly hits me. Nikki is his sister. Brett’s real name is Thomas. We use to call him Tubby Tommy.

  I know exactly who he is now. My dad was investigating his father when he was killed. His father was responsible for blowing up our house, killing me and my mom. His dad is the reason we are in Witness Protection. If he knows that I’m alive, I won’t be for much longer.

  “Why? Why are you doing this? Why is your father doing this?”

  “My father is dead. Your ‘Dad’ Greg killed him.”

  I look over my shoulder where Nikki is standing, arms crossed over her chest, watching all of this unfold. The look on her face tells me she could care less what happens to me at this point.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you want me to say. I didn’t kill him.” I try to sound bold, but my voice is shaky. The reality of the situation is setting in. I’m probably never going to get out of this house alive.

  “You may not have loaded the gun or pulled the trigger but the fact that you are alive and he was looking for you was the reason he was killed.” Her voice is soft.
She sounds almost like she’s scared to say it and when I look up at Brett I see why. He’s angry with her, probably for spilling the entire story.

  Cam

  When I walk into Kat’s dorm room the reality of the situation hits me hard. Her desk is laying on its side, all of the drawers pulled out and emptied. The picture of her and her mom which was sitting on top of it is face up on the floor, the glass and frame shattered. Her text books are scattered around the room. Her closet has been emptied. Her clothes and shoes flung around the room.

  It’s obvious someone was looking for something. The question is: did they find it? If they didn’t, what are they going to do to Kat until she gives them the answers they are looking for?

  Greg’s eyes meet mine and I see the worry. He knows as bad as this all looks, the situation is probably worse than I can even imagine. He knows more than he’s telling me. He knows who’s taken her.

  “Tell me Greg. Tell me who took her. Tell me how we’re going to find her.” I keep my voice flat, firm, so he knows I’m not giving him an option. I’m a part of this now. He’s going to tell me what I need to know.

  “I don’t know. I have an idea of who may have done this, who may have taken her, but I have no idea where to start looking.” You can hear the defeat in his voice. After all the years that he’s been protecting her, you can see this is tearing him apart. He’s failed her in his mind.

  What he doesn’t realize is that failure is not an option. I won’t lose her again. I will find her, with or without his help. “What can I do to help?”

  “Right now, I don’t know. I’ve called my boss. He’s sending a team and they should be here within the hour. I’m not sure how long she’s been gone. Time is not on our side right now, the longer…” He stops talking mid-sentence and bends over to pick up a shattered picture frame.

  He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t even finish his sentence. I’m about to ask him why he’s staring at a picture of Bethany and Brett when my brain finally kicks in. My mind flashes back to the picture of Kat on Facebook, the guy standing in the background. It was Brett. His hair was red and he was chubby, but it was most definitely Brett.

  Without thinking, I pull up the photo on my phone. “I need you to look at this, Greg.”

  He takes my phone and looks at the picture. You see it all click. “Who is this?” I ask him.

  “He’s the one who has Courtney.” He hands me back my phone, lays the picture frame on Bethany’s desk and turns to look out the window.

  “I get that but why? Why would my roommate kidnap her?”

  “Who’s the girl in the photo with him? Is that Courtney’s roommate?”

  “Yeah, Bethany.”

  “Her name is not Bethany. It’s Nicolette. Your roommate’s name is Tommy.”

  “What are you talking about? I thought you screened her roommate. I thought you checked them both out, handpicked them?” I’m confused. He just explained all of this to us over breakfast.

  “I did. Those are not the people I chose,” he says, gesturing to the photo he had been holding. “Somehow they found her. Those two are the children of the man who killed Courtney’s dad.”

  I try to process what he’s saying. My roommate is not who he said he was. I’ve been living with a stranger for the past month. I have no idea who he really is or what he’s capable of. Apparently, he’s capable of kidnaping.

  “Where do we start?” I can’t sit around and wait for someone to start looking for her. It’s getting close to sundown. We need to start looking for her now.

  “We don’t. They will communicate with us. We have to wait for them to reach out. I have her phone. They will probably try to contact us that way. When my team gets here, we’ll set up a base camp. You and Lilly, Courtney’s mom, need to be moved to a safe location. You’re both in danger now.” He’s still looking out the window. His tone screams defeat and we haven’t even started to search for her yet.

  “If you think I’m going to sit around while you wait for them to call you are out of your fucking mind. So, either you can accept my help or I’m going to start looking for her without you.”

  “You won’t be able to find her. They’ve been planning this for a long time, I’m sure. They have every little detail worked out. If they were able to steal the identities of two people and deceive both of you, then they are every bit as good as their father was.”

  “Maybe it’s time you filled me in. All the way.”

  He slowly turns to face me. “If I tell you everything… you can no longer be you. You have to be willing to give up your life, your family, everything. If I tell you, you have to enter the Program. It will be the only way to keep you safe.”

  I don’t even have to think about it. I would give everything up to get her back. I didn’t get the choice last time. I was not about to lose her again after finding her. “Start talking.”

  14.

  Courtney

  We sit in the living room for what feels like hours. No one is talking. The television in the corner is off. Nicolette is sitting on the other end of the couch, watching me. Tommy is sitting in the chair across from me, watching me. Neither of them has taken their eyes off of me since we stopped talking.

  I want to ask more questions, but I know they aren’t going to give me the answers I’m looking for. This can’t all be about their father. First of all, he killed my dad. Second, I’m not the one who killed their dad. Third, well I’m sure this mental list could go on and on but I can’t think of anything else right now.

  I glance around the room, trying to commit to memory everything I’m seeing. There’s not much in here. The couch, a chair, and the television are the main furnishings. I don’t see a clock anywhere and the fact that it looks dark outside means it’s after eight. Greg should be looking for me by now.

  What about Cam? I wonder if he’s okay. My thoughts are fleeting as I hear a car pull up outside. My senses go on high alert as Tommy gets up and leaves the room. It’s only Nicolette and I left. Maybe this is my chance to get her to talk.

  “What’s your plan? Are you guys going to kill me?”

  “That sure would put an end to all of this wouldn’t it?” She’s snickering at me. Obviously, I don’t have all the information I need. I thought everything was over, at least for me.

  “An end to what? We’ve both lost our fathers. Isn’t that enough?”

  “No. That’s not enough. You need to pay for his sins. You need to pay for Greg’s sins. My father would still be here if your dad had kept his nose out of our business.” She stands and in two steps, she’s in my face. I stand to meet her eye to eye. I’m not backing down from her. “This is all his fault. None of this would have happened if your dad had minded his own damn business.”

  I want to defend him, but I feel the same way. It’s his fault we are in this position. It’s his fault I’m here right now. It’s his fault Cameron died that day in the car with him. It’s his fault I’ve been running.

  “I agree.” The look of shock on her face makes me smile. That was the last thing she thought would come out of my mouth. “Tell me something, though. If it’s all my dad’s fault, why did you guys take me?”

  “Greg. He’s the one who shot my dad so he’s the one who has to pay. He’ll come looking for you and when he does…”

  She doesn’t finish her sentence and she doesn’t have to. I know exactly what will happen when he finds me. And he will, find me that is. It’s what he does. He protects us, keeps us safe. How did he not see this coming?

  “Why don’t I just call him and have him come get me then? Let’s get this over with. Why drag it out?”

  “Because. This is the way it has to be. It’s not our decision. We answer to people and they want you as much as we want Greg.” I don’t look over my shoulder at him. I know his voice. It’s always scared the shit out of me when he’s angry and right now is no exception. He’s definitely angry.

  “Taylor. What are you doing here?”

  I f
eel him approach and I have to calm my breathing. I can’t let him know he’s getting to me. When he touches my waist my body deceives me and shivers. That is not the kind of reaction I want to have right now. I don’t want him to know he still affects me that way.

  “Well, my beautiful girlfriend, I wanted to see you again. We left things… unfinished.” He’s whispering in my ear, causing my body to tense. His voice isn’t soft and sensual like it used to be. It’s edgy and powerful. What happened to the boy I used to date? This is clearly not him.

  I know what he means by unfinished. We had planned to move our relationship to the “next level” but never got to take it there. After Taylor, I decided I would wait until I found the one I would marry. I have found him, but I have a feeling I might never see him again, let alone have the chance to marry him.

  I don’t know what to say to him so I don’t say anything. I can’t tell him I have moved on, found someone else. That would cause him to get angry with me. The last thing I want right now is to make him angry. Angrier than he already is, anyway. I have no idea who he is anymore, or what he’s capable of.

  Tommy’s voice breaks the silence. I didn’t even notice he had come back in the room. “It’s time. We need to make the call.”

  “So, make the call. Court and I are going to catch up.” The way Taylor says catch up makes me nervous. He’s still close to my ear. I feel his breath on my neck. That used to drive me crazy in a good way. Now, nothing about this is making me feel good.

  I hear Tommy leave the room. I see Nicolette out of the corner of my eye, watching us. She’s staring at Taylor in a way which makes me take notice. I’m watching her instead of paying attention to what Taylor is doing and by the time I remember that he’s standing close, he’s already removed my shirt. This situation just went from bad to worse.