"I'm so sorry. I love you so much baby girl. Please don't hate me. I have to do this by myself."
Drew takes one last pained look at me, his voice croaking on the last word. Then he rushes out, slamming the door behind him and locking it from the outside with my keys.
My heart sinks like a stone. This was not happening. I run to the door, trying to open it, knowing it wouldn't budge. This was the only college building in the USA that still had lockable doors from the outside.
"Drew." I shout. I start hammering on the door. "Come back here now. If you don’t die tonight, I will kill you myself. Please open the door. Please."
I fall against the door, sobbing. The floodgates had opened and I couldn't stop them. He had gone.
After a few minutes of desperate crying, I stand up, trying to kick the door in like Drew had done to Samanthas earlier. It was no use; I was a lot weaker than him and the door would not shift. I grab my phone off the bed kicking myself for not thinking of calling the cops as soon as he walked out a few minutes ago. Was wasting precious time.
I dial the emergency services before hitting cancel. The cops couldn’t do anything even if I rang them. I had no idea where Bretts house and it would be too late. For Samantha…For Drew. It would be no use.
I dial my landlords number, he would have a spare key, then I could get to the club and tell John Evans everything. I explain in garbled, panicked sentences to the landlord that I need a spare key and I was locked in my room. He was on an errand and was half an hour away from the building, but when he heard how much I was panicking, he said he would try his best to be there as quickly as possible.
Twenty-four minutes later, I was sitting on my bed, staring at the door, willing it to open when the key finally turned in the lock. I jumped up grabbing my phone, thanking the landlord as I ran out. I didn't stop running until I got to the club.
Mr Evans was in the same place behind the bar as he had been earlier.
"I need Bretts address. I need his address and you need to call the cops. He has kidnapped Samantha, he left us a note and there is a picture of her, she is knocked out cold. Drew locked me in my room to try and be the hero. He is there by himself and your crazy step-son is about to kill them both. We need to hurry."
To my frustration, John just looks faintly amused at my ramblings.
"Brett, you have a visitor again." He yells.
Brett comes sweeping out from the back room, a smirk on his stupid face.
"So I heard, I can deal with this. Why don't you go and finish the paperwork I was doing?"
"If it is all the same to you Brett, I would rather you escort Miss Hart off the premises. She no longer works here and now she’s accusing you of kidnapping. She’s insane.I want her out."
I cry out at the injustice of it all.
"Brett is the insane one. He killed Drews Mom. He killed Libby. He is going to kill Samantha and Drew. How is this information not sinking through your tiny skull? Call the police."
They both laugh at me.
"You are either blind or stupid, but Brett is here in the same room as us. And he certainly doesn't look like he is killing anyone right now."
John looks at Brett.
"Get her out of here."
Brett nods and walks towards me. I needed his address, I had to find Drew and Samantha.
I jump over the bar and start running for the back room. There had to be something with his address on. A letter, the computer, anything.
I wreck the office in search of it. Papers and utensils get scattered around as I look for anything that might help me. Brett watches from the doorway for a few minutes, his arms folded across his chest, a look of amusement on his face.
"I’m glad you ran into this room. Now you can exit the back door way. No need to make a scene in front of the customers. Less humiliating for you.”
"Where are they Brett?"
"The customers? They are out the front, watching the girls dance."
"Don't bullshit with me. What have you done with my best friend? Drew has went to find her and I need you to tell me where they’ve gone."
He stalks me around the room, edging closer to me, looking more menacing by the second.
"Why don't you come with me and find out? I have my car out the back."
I try to keep it together in front of him.
"So you do have Samantha then. Clever cover, must have taken some brain power. Abducting her, leaving terrifying notes and then going to work calmly. How could John ever suspect you when you have been such a good boy at work all night?"
He bows, clearly proud of his accomplishments.
"Oh you have no idea what I am capable of. But you will find out soon. Are you going to come with me then?"
"So you can kill me? That would be a real smart move on my part wouldn't it?"
I flinch as he grabs my elbow, squeezing me with a biting pressure.
"It's either you or them."
My eyes widen.
"You… you mean… if I come with you, you won’t hurt Samantha or Drew?"
He shrugs.
"It's a much better deal for me. If I kill you and let them go, I get to watch Drew suffer every day. It's no fun if I kill him, he will be dead, he won't feel any pain."
It may have sounded crazy to anyone else, but in that moment, I wasn't scared. The choice was easy for me. I die and Drew and Samantha survive. If I refuse to go with Brett and something happens to them, I wouldn’t want to live anyway. I would have lost everything.
Drew existing in this world was the only thing I cared about. The thought of anyone hurting a damn hair on his head was too much. I had no fear. Maybe I was always meant to die so young, maybe I would see my parents sooner than anticipated.
I stare into his cold merciless eyes.
“Fine. Let's go."
He laughs, gripping onto my arm even tighter.
"You are going to die for him, just like that?"
"Of course, It's called love. I might not have known him for long but we are made for each other. That I am certain. Love is something you will never know anything about. But I do have one condition."
He raises an eyebrow.
"Are you really in any position to ask for conditions?"
I nod, never breaking eye contact for a second.
"I think it's reasonable if I am giving you my life Brett."
"Go on."
"Before you kill me, I want to see you let them go. Let them go in front of me, then you can do whatever the hell you want with me."
"Sorry Louise, that's not going to work. If I let them go in front of you, then they will see you and make a fuss and you will all have to die. You need to think things through better than that sweetheart."
I have to know that they are safe before I….before I die. My brain scrambles for ideas.
"You said you have your car right? I will stay in the car. Drew is at your house, he thinks you are keeping Samantha there. If they are there, then I will wait in the car while you let them go. And Brett, Drew will be in agony about this for the rest of his life, so I am asking you to leave him alone. I think killing everyone he loves is punishment enough."
"OK. We can do that. But if you make a noise from the car, if they get suspicious in any way, they die, you got it?"
I nod. And I mean it. I would not be risking their lives. He takes my phone from my pocket and crushes it under his feet. It didn't bother me. I wouldn’t be needing it. And maybe it could be used as evidence after I am dead? Maybe John would find it and finally believe what his precious Brett was capable off.
He drags me outside, opening up his car roughly shoving me in the passenger seat.
He starts the engine.
"Put your seat belt on sweetheart, we don't want you getting hurt do we?"
I scowl at him.
"Oh aren't you funny. Glad to see you still have your sense of humour at a time like this. I will take my chances thanks."
He does the annoying shrug he liked to do so
much and we start driving.
"If you have hurt Samantha bad, or if you touch them before you kill me, then you won't get a chance to bump me off. Because I swear Brett… I will get to you quicker than you can shout for help."
"Oh, Feisty Louise. No wonder Drew has fallen under your spell, you are actually very sexy you know. You were wasted on him."
I give a shudder as he speaks about me in past tense, then pull myself together. There is no way he gets the satisfaction of seeing me scared.
We drive in silence. I didn't want to waste any more of my time on this earth talking to him. The drive was surprisingly short. As we pull up to the house, I notice a light on.
"Are they in there?"
"I guess. I hope they haven't left already. It would be rude to leave my light on like that and waste my electricity."
I shake my head in despair, he was actually being serious. He was a serial killer worried about wasting electric. You couldn't make it up.
"Right, Let's get this show on the road Louise. Get one last look at lover boy. And remember, any noise, they are dead."
I still felt no fear as he slams the car door and walks inside the house. I knew the hardest part would come when I looked at Drew for the last time.
Chapter Eighteen - Drew
Drews heart was in his mouth at the thought of what he was about to do. He didn't want to do it, He knew it would make Louise lose trust in him, but she was so bloody stubborn that she really hadn't given him any choice.
He nearly backed out, locking Louise in her room was a desperate last resort, but it was either that or take her with him and there was no way she would be going anywhere near Bretts house. It was bad enough Samantha was in danger, but to think of Louise in danger made his whole body hurt. That was why he had to do it by himself. He knew that if they called the police like Louise insisted , Brett could snap and then Samantha would be dead anyway.
The cops might not even take it seriously, after all, they didn't believe a word he said about Mom and Libby, so why would they believe this? No. It would be better this way. Maybe he could talk Brett out of it?
He watches Louise as she walks over to the window in her tiny room to retrieve her phone so they could call the police. Or at least, that's what she thought was going to happen. It was ironic really, he had hated this shit hole of a place she lived in ever since he saw it, but tonight, it was the safest place for her.
Why was life so fucked up? He had only just begun with Louise. After all this time, he had made her realise that they fit. She had been perfect this weekend. He felt like all his dreams had come true, then Brett came along to shit all over it.
He felt brave earlier, he felt like a big man getting back with Louise despite Brett warning him not to. He thought he was finally standing up for himself. If he had realised it would lead to all this then he would have stayed away from Louise for good. It hurt like hell not being with her, it felt like somebody had dripped poison into his veins, but it was better than her being in danger.
He watches her as she does a sad laugh, saying how Samantha would have sent her a bunch of texts by now if they hadn't had a fight and if of course, she hadn't been taken by his fucked up step brother.
It was at this moment he wanted to reassure her. He wanted to tell her everything would be OK, but he didn't know if it would be. He couldn't promise her that, but he could try and do something.
"I'm so sorry. I love you so much baby girl. Please don't hate me, I have to do this by myself."
He takes one more look at her beautiful, confused face then walks out of the room, locking the door behind him.
He listens for a few minutes as she frantically bangs on the door, calling for him to come back. It was so tempting to run back in to her, but he knew she would be safer this way. It was that thought that kept him going as he went downstairs and exited the building.
He couldn't think of Louise now, or the look on her face as he walked out of the room. He had to get to Samantha and make sure she was OK .
He runs all the way to Bretts house. His chest hurt and his lungs felt like they couldn't get any air. It wouldn't be any good storming into the house like this, He had to take a breather for a few minutes against the wall otherwise he wouldn't be able to help Samantha in this state or defend himself if Brett came for him.
Once his breathing had steadied, he walked to the house. It had gotten dark quickly tonight, and all the lights in the house were off. He knocked on the door .
"Open up Brett. I know you are in there. Open the fucking door before I break it down."
No answer. He carries on banging. Maybe they weren't here? Maybe he had it all wrong. But he could have sworn the picture was taken in Bretts house. He goes to the front window, using his phone as a light to see if he could see anything. Of course he had his phone on him earlier when Louise had suggested calling the police. He just knew she had left hers in her room, it was the perfect excuse to get her in the room and make sure she was safe.
There was nothing he could see in the front room. He decides to check the back before he starts breaking the windows, he couldn't waste much time here if Brett had decided to take her somewhere else.
He lucks out when he goes round to the back of the house, there was a gap in the blinds and as he looks through with his phone light, he sees Samanthas foot. It looked like she was still knocked out, this wasn't good. Where the hell was Brett? Maybe he was keeping quiet so he could sneak up? If he was waiting to do that, then they had to get it over with. He tries the back door, it isn't as solid as the front door so he kicks it in. To his surprise, it caves in as easy as Samanthas had earlier.
He rushes into the room where she is and turns the light on. He keeps an ear out for Brett and tries to wake her. She was out cold, but still had a pulse.
"Samantha?" He whispers at first. He shakes her, hoping it would rouse her. "Come on Sammy. Wake up. We need to get you out of here."
Nothing.
He runs to the sink, cupping his hands to get water. He chucks it over her face. He didn't know what he was doing, but he had seen it on T.V. To his relief and surprise, it worked. She groans and holds her head in pain. He had to try and get her moving without startling her too much, he had no idea where Brett was. They needed to move fast.
"Samantha." He’s gentle with her, hoping she would be aware enough to realise what was happening. It looked like she had quite a knock to the head. He wanted to get it cleaned up, but he wanted them to get out of there more. "It's me, Drew. You are safe, I'm going to get you out of here."
She tries to sit up, but the effort was too much. He softly places his hands behind her head, helping her up.
"Look, I know you must be scared and in pain, but we have to get out of here. Do you think you can do that?"
She looks at him bleary eyed, still clutching her head.
Her eyes widen as she recognizes me.
"Drew. You shouldn't be here. You have to go, before he comes back."
Her voice is husky, she sounded like she had been screaming. It wouldn't have done any good, Bretts house was cut off from everyone.
"Where is he Samantha? Tell me what you know, then let's get out of here."
She blinks in confusion. He goes to the sink again while she thinks about things, grabbing a wet paper towel. He goes back to her gently trying to mop up the blood on her face, he urgently wanted to get out of there, but it didn't look like she was in any fit state to move.
"I uh…I went to work. But… but as soon as I got there, Brett told me to go home. He said he was there to do my shift. So , uh… so he erm."
She gasps, clutching her head in pain again. He rubs her back, feeling useless. He didn't like seeing her in this much pain but there wasn’t much he could do about it.
"It's OK. Take your time."
She takes a minute, before speaking again.
"I, I told him I was working anyway. I had to give Louise the money from the shift." She takes her hand away from her head,
looking at him in horror. "Louise?"
He knew what she was asking.
"She's safe Sammy. She's safe. We just need to get you home and safe now."
She nods at this news, holding her head again. Never mind home, he would have to get her to the hospital by the looks of things. Brett had definitely done a number on her. She continues with her story.
"So, erm… Brett told me it was OK to work, and to go in the back to put my bag away. I didn't think anything of it, it was what I done at my last shift there. It's where we keep our belongings. As I put my bag under the desk, Brett c-c-came up behind me and he, he had a knife."
She stops again. Every time she went quiet, he wondered if she was about to pass out.
"He forced me into his car with the knife, then told me he was going to use me as bait. That he wanted you to come and find me."
It was a trap. He knew it. No doubt he was lurking somewhere ready to pounce.
"Then, we, we pulled up here. I thought he was going to kill me with the knife, but then he, I don't know, he used a bat or something. I saw it coming, then I blacked out. I woke up a bit ago and started screaming. But the effort must have knocked me out cold again."
Drew couldn’t get over the fact that Brett was still free to roam the earth after what he did to his Mom and sister. Nothing would stop him.
"I'm sorry this happened to you Samantha. It's me he wants to hurt. Not you. Come on, let's get you out of here. Do you think you can stand?"
She nods weakly, and he helps her stand up.
"How did you know I was here Drew? How do you know Louise is safe? Last thing I knew, you two had broken up, what's going on?"
"Brett made me dump Louise yesterday. He said if I didn't, he would kill her. It absolutely tore me up to break her heart. But I had no choice. Anyway, today at NYSSA, I was sitting eating lunch, well… staring at my lunch and wallowing in heartache, when I saw Brett making moves on Louise. I walked over to see what was going on, she had agreed to go on a fucking date with him."
Out of everything that had happened that day, the fact she agreed to go on a date with Brett still baffled him.
"I told her she was insane; I knew you didn't want to break up with her. I could sense something was up, but she had no clue. I can't really blame her after everything she has been through, she's scared of getting close to anyone."
Take A Bite Of My Heart Tonight Page 17