"Don't. You mustn’t think like that Drew. We will get through this together. I'm not in danger, he's not going to touch me, And he’s never going to hurt a hair on your head. I will make him pay for what he did."
My words weren’t getting through to him at all. Nothing I said could alleviate the panic in his eyes.
"He will never pay for it. He got away with double murder, pure and simple. The only thing I’m certain of is that he will never get to touch you."
I lay down on the bed, pulling him with me. Our bodies merge together, we both needed the closeness right now.
“No, he won’t. But I can look after myself. I don’t need your protection. I got along just fine without you all these years. I can handle Brett.”
Despite the pain still etched on his face, he manages to crack a smile.
"I hate to break it to you beautiful, but you were doing a terrible job of looking after yourself. You weren’t eating, you were in an awful state. That is not looking after yourself."
I sigh, running a hand through his dark hair.
"I meant before my parents died, you jerk."
He looks briefly alarmed at my words, but when he sees me smiling and knows I’m joking, he relaxes.
Now I was back in his arms, I knew it was where I belonged.
"You know, Samantha had your back in all this, she warned me not to go on a date with Brett. She could tell you didn't want to end it yesterday."
I listen to his heartbeat as I snuggle against his chest. His low chuckle makes his chest vibrate. Even though we hadn’t been separated for long, I had missed his laugh.
"Wow, who'd have thought Samantha would have my back? Crazy. She's a good friend to you Louise."
Guilt rushes through me as I remember the way I spoke to her earlier.
"I know. We had a fight about Brett. And you. I was awful to her. I need to go make it up with her."
"We can go knock on her door now if you want? As much as I want to stay here with you in my arms all night, we have to move anyway because it's way more comfortable at mine. In case you had forgotten, I have the most enormous bed and we can…"
I sit up in a panic, my pulse racing.
"Drew."
My voice sounds way calmer than what I feel.
"I was only joking baby. I don’t care where we are as long as we are together.”
"Samantha."
My brain could only seem to say one word at a time. Fear was clutching my heart again, just like when my parents died. It was the same sense of dread as when Drew had told me what Brett did to his Mom and sister. I couldn’t shake the feeling.
Drew clambers off the bed, bringing me up with him.
"Yes, let's go and make it up with her. We can tell her we are back together."
I am rooted to the spot. My mouth is dry. I can’t swallow.
"She's not in her room, she's at Lacy Lolas. She is working tonight. She's doing one of my shifts just like she promised."
I see his eyes widen, and for a fraction of a second, he looks as worried as I am. Then he composes himself, not wanting me to panic further.
"She’ll be just fine. It's me he wants to hurt, not Samantha."
"That's not true, He will do anything to hurt you, he is after your loved ones, not you. What happened when I left you two in the food hall? What did he say? You took a while to come after me. You must have exchanged words when I left?"
He scratches his head, and looks like he is trying to remember what was said.
"I don't know, I was so worked up after seeing you two together and seeing him … touching you." He shudders. "You walked off, and I told him if I caught him anywhere near you again, I would kill him, just like he has threatened to kill me and the people I love all these years. He laughed and told me to do my worst. I told him that you and I were going to be together again no matter what he said or did. And that I would always look after you. He said I couldn't look after everyone forever, I shoved him into a table as hard as I could and ran off after you."
I couldn't stop the fear rising as he explained what had happened.
"What did he mean by 'You can't look after everyone forever'?"
He shrugs his shoulders; he was trying not to show how worried he was.
"Why don't we go check on Samantha, put your mind at rest?"
I nod, I had lost the ability to talk again. I grab my keys not knowing if I needed anything. I was trying not to panic. I mean, what would Brett want with Samantha? It wouldn't make sense if he tried to hurt her.
We were both silent as we walked to the club. I breathe a sigh of relief as I see the club all lit up and open for business as usual. I didn't know what I was expecting. But I was glad everything seemed as it should be.
We walk through the doors, and I start panicking when I can't find Samantha anywhere. Drew squeezes my hand reassuringly.
"It's OK, she will be out the back somewhere."
We see Drews Dad behind the bar and head straight for him. He grimaces as he sees that the two of us are holding hands.
"Hello Father. Louise will no longer be working here as from tonight. We are looking for Samantha, could you let her know we are here?"
I nudge Drew hard, trying my best not to show how annoyed I am.
"What are you on about? Of course I will still be working here, I need the money."
He scoffs, not even bothering to disguise his disgust.
"Let’s talk about it another time Lou. Not here. But how you can even think about stepping in this place again after what I’ve told you is beyond my comprehension."
His Dad watches the conversation with interest.
"I do hope you haven’t been running your mouth off son. That wouldn’t be advisable. At all.! "
"I couldn’t give a flying fuck if you think it’s advisable or not. Now is Samantha here or not?"
John Evans disappears out the back, muttering under his breath something about disrespectful kids these day.
My parents would have grounded me for life if I dropped the F bomb in front of them. As always, I felt a pang of sorrow at the thought of them.
"You can’t talk to him like that, he’s your Dad."
The angry Drew from earlier had come back. He steps away from me, clearly needing his own space.
"He stopped being my Dad the day he refused to believe that his fucked up little step-son killed my Mom and sister. And it isn’t just you that won’t be working here anymore. As soon as Samantha shows her face, she’s coming home with us and never returning here again."
I had to stifle my laughter at the thought of him trying to stop Samantha do anything. She was too stubborn for anyone to order her around.
"You are quite cute when you’re all protective and angry you know."
He smiles, despite himself. His smile soon fades as he sees his Dad walking back over to them, with Brett trailing behind.
"What are you doing here? Weren't you meant to be on a date tonight?" Drew snakes his arm around my shoulders. “Oh, wait…She chose me. Ouch. That’s got to hurt.”
Now it’s my turn to step back from Drew, I wasn’t interested in him trying to one-up his crazy step-brother.
"Just act like an adult for ten seconds would you?” He looks sheepish as I turn my attention to John. He seemed like the most sensible person in the room right now. “Where is Samantha?”
Brett leans against the bar, a strange look on his face.
"After my date cancelled on me, I decided to come into work and let Samantha off the hook. I took her home."
His voice sounded creepy somehow, calculated. I realised with a jolt that it had always been his voice, I had just been blind to it before now. Before I knew what he was capable of.
"No. She’s not at home. You’re lying."
My voice came out higher than I expected. I had that feeling of dread back.
Brett helps himself to a beer while John glares at him. This was obviously a habit of drinking while at work. He takes a sip before speaking ag
ain.
"How do you know she’s not at home? Did you even check her room before you came marching in here?"
We hadn’t. We just assumed she would be working. So why did I feel so sick?
"It's true Miss Hart, I saw him escort her off the premises with my own eyes. He came back just ten minutes later to take over the shift."
John Evans speaks to me as if I am having trouble understanding. I try to ignore his obvious distaste for me.
"Come on, this is Samantha we are talking about, why would she let you take her home? She doesn’t even like you. I doubt she’s ever let a man ‘escort’ her home in her entire life."
I wanted to hug Drew. He was right, Samantha could walk herself home.
Brett shrugs, taking another sip of beer.
"She didn’t speak too highly of you either. To her, you are the scumbag that has just broken her best friends heart."
Drew squares up to Brett, his fist clenching by his side.
"And why did I have to break her heart? Maybe you want to explain in front of Dad? Let's see if you have the guts to confess how crazy you actually are."
Before I knew what was happening, Brett punched Drew hard in the jaw. John Evans had to drag them apart as Drew tries to return the punch. I hold Drew back, begging him to calm down and find Samantha with me.
He tries to resist at first, clearly wanting to do more damage to Brett.
"Drew, baby…he’s not worth it. We should go and find Samantha. Please."
He tries to calm his heavy panting. He already has a purple bruise coming up where he’s just been punched. It looks swollen and painful.
“Come on, we need to get some ice on that. Let’s go." I glance at Brett who was back to chugging on his beer. “If you ever touch him again, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
I hear him laughing behind us as Drew and I walk outside.
It’s freezing out tonight. I felt chilled inside and out.
"Sorry you had to see that."
I link his arm with mine, rubbing I soothingly.
"Don't be sorry. Are you OK?"
"I will be once we find Samantha and I can take you home. Hopefully you can make me feel better. I have a few ideas to take my mind off the pain.”
I giggle.
"How can you think about sex at a time like this?"
He tries to grin the pain of his injury is too much. He winces.
We arrive at my murky dorm room building in no time. As we climb the stairs, Drew is suggesting the things I could do to cheer him. All of them were filthy suggestions, and I had to admit….I was looking forward to going back to his. I knock on Samanthas door, loudly. She usually takes ages to answer so I wait for a while.
I knock again after a while. I wouldn’t let the fear set in. Just because she wasn't answering didn't mean anything. She could have been with Becks or something.
"Samantha, if you don’t answer, I’m going to kick the door in. I’ll give you three seconds.”
It scared me that Drew was obviously worried.
We count to three, then three again just to be safe.
I yelp as Drew keeps his word and kicks the door in.
I feel foolish as I realise she’s just out. The room was as tiny as mine and she was no where to be seen. Drew suggests we leave a note telling Samantha to come to his when she gets back. Anyway, she had no option but to stay at his now, we had just kicked her door in.
"Where does she keep her pens and paper?"
I shrug. She wasn’t really the type of girl who carried pens and paper on her. She was a bit of a scatterbrain to be honest.
"Try her bag." It was the only place I could think of.
As Drew searches for her bag, a slip of paper in the middle of her bed catches my eye.
"Wait, what’s this?"
I pick it up, the paper was folded in half and has Drews name scrawled on it.
"Uh… it's for you."
I hand him the paper, puzzled.
He takes it, looking as confused as I was.
"What? Why would Samantha leave me a note? She doesn't even know me that well."
I put my hands in my pocket, biting on my bottom lip. I had no idea what was going on.
"Wait, that’s not Samanthas handwriting. Somethings going on. Quick, read it."
With shaking hands he opens the letter, carefully reading the words on the paper. I wasn’t an idiot, I could see terror in his eyes as he finishes the letter, folds it back over and clutches it tightly in his hands.
I wait for him to tell me. When he doesn’t say anything, I try to snatch the letter from his hands, my impatience getting the better of me. He is too quick for me and whips it behind his back out of reach.
"What's going on?" Wave after wave of horror washes through me. I knew this was bad. Real bad.
"I need you to do something for me Louise. Go to your room, lock the door and stay there until I get back."
There was no way I was going to do that, not until he told me exactly what was going on.
"No. Tell me what the letter says."
He reaches out to touch me, then realises he still has the note so thinks better of it.
"Please just listen to me. Go back to your room and wait for me, for us, I will bring Samantha back. I’m begging you to just this once not be stubborn and listen."
He sounded desperate.
"What do you mean you will bring Samantha back? Where is she? What does the letter say Drew?”
I am shouting as I reach behind him to grab the letter. He swings out of my way, knocking his elbow hard on the dresser, causing him to drop it. I dive for it before he can stop me.
DREW…LITTLE BRO….OH DEAR. I TOLD YOU TO BREAK UP WITH LOUISE BUT YOU WOULDN'T LISTEN. YOU HAVE CAUSED THIS. SHE ISN'T DEAD. YET. BUT BY MIDNIGHT, SHE WILL BE.
Underneath the black scrawling words, a picture of Samantha. Blood trickled down her head as she lay on a cold floor in a dingy room.
I start hyperventilating. I couldn’t stop the tears once they started, I was hysterical.
Chapter Seventeen - Louise
"Louise, it’s going to be alright. We will find her. Calm down. She will be OK."
Drew wraps me up in a tight hug, willing me to calm down. My sobs soon give way to anger. This was fucked up, he wouldn’t get away with it again.
"We have to call the cops. It’s nine, the letter said she will be dead before midnight. We have to hurry Drew."
"We can't go to the police. I have to do this by myself."
He had officially lost it.
"Are you out of your fucking mind? Do what yourself? He’s a maniac who has killed people. He’s going to kill Samantha, maybe even you. The clock is ticking. We are calling the cos right now."
He runs a hand through his hair, pacing Samanthas room.
"I recognize the room. The picture of Samantha, it's Bretts house. I’m going to go, if I’m not back by ten then you can call the cops. I will write down the address, you can send them there. But it will be fine, I will get her out of there. "
I laugh manically, I must have dreamt this conversation up. This is not happening.
"You are not going there on your own. You are being selfish. My parents are dead, my one friend has been kidnapped by your mental step brother and could be killed any moment, and now you are offering yourself up on a plate to get hurt or worse. That leaves me alone. And yes, maybe I'm the one now being selfish. But forgive me if I don't want to lose anyone else in my life. You are not going. I can’t lose you."
I brush a tear away from my cheek. The thought of him doing this by himself was unbearable. All the things that could go wrong. I couldn’t stand it.
"This is just the beginning for us and it sounds like you already want it to be the end. Because that is what's going to happen if you go there alone, he will kill you. Let's just act like any normal person and call the cops. Please. For me?"
He lets out a deep breath, then cups my face, kissing me hard. The kiss is differen
t, it is intense. Just for a second, I forget everything else. All I see is Drew. The kiss is everything. It feels like our first kiss, it feels like our last kiss. He’s kissing me with such ferocity and longing that the room is spinning. It is everything.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight. You are right. Let's call the police."
Finally.
"Thank you." I whisper, eyes glistening with tears.
He reaches into his pocket for his phone.
"Oh shit, I left everything at NYSSA when I came running after you earlier. Can I use your phone? I should be the one to speak to them, I know the address."
My phone is shut away in my room, we left so fast earlier to check on Samantha that I forgot to take anything but my keys.
"It's in my room. Let's go get it."
Drew nods, a look of guilt crossing his face.
"What?"
He was starting to scare me. The kiss, the looks, the shiftiness that had suddenly come upon him.
"Nothing. It’s nothing. Let's go get your phone and get this over with."
He leads the way out of Samanthas room and takes the keys gently from my hand, opening my dorm room door. I was glad he did, I was still feeling shaky from everything that had happened.
"Where abouts did you leave it?"
I quickly glance around the room, trying to remember.
The window. I had left it on the window ledge after Drew had come in earlier and confessed everything to me.
I pick it up, feeling delicate as the realisation of what was happening right now hits me.
I laugh gently, staring at my phone screen.
"If I hadn't have been such a cow earlier to Sammy, and you know... if Brett wasn’t a fucking nutcase and hadn’t taken her, I would have had about twenty texts by now. She must drive Becks mad. She acts tough but she's just… she's insecure really. It's weird seeing my phone with nothing on. She’s become more like a sister to me lately. It's real. She's really been taken hasn't she?"
I look at Drew standing by the door, feeling a fresh wave of upset sweep over me. I knew I was being a baby, but I was so scared for my friend. The cops had to find her, they had to see how dangerous Brett was and lock him up for good. It was the only way this could end.
Take A Bite Of My Heart Tonight Page 16