Lies Inside

by Lindsey Gray

  “Looks like five is open. It’s been pretty slow, well except for that football player. I heard some girl broke his nose.” She giggled as Murphy ushered Finn and Lucy back to an exam room.

  “That’s her!” Lucy turned to see who was yelling as they walked through the ER.

  “Lucy.” Her dad was standing next to a cart, which had a bloodied Rod sitting in it.

  “Aren’t you going to arrest her for attempted murder or something? She could have killed my son.” A taller, older version of Rod was spouting commands at her dad.

  Lucy and Finn both let out a soft laugh at the thought of attempted murder. Who did this guy think he was?

  Lane saw the look on Lucy’s face. “Let me have a word with Mrs. O’Malley; then we will talk about charges.”

  “Are you kidding me? He attacked me!”

  Her father came to her side and took her elbow in his hand. “We will talk.” He enunciated each word. “I’ll be back, Mr. Jensen.”

  When they made it to the exam room, Lucy was infuriated. “You can’t possibly believe him, Dad. I was just defending myself!”

  “Just tell me what happened.”

  Lucy sat down as Murphy went to find someone to take an x-ray.

  She recounted the whole ordeal with Rod to her father. She felt a tear run down her cheek as the next thought came into her mind. “I thought of all the times Viktor had me, and I couldn’t do anything. When he came at me, I just…did it. It was an instinct.”

  Finn took her face in his hands and brought his lips to her forehead before pulling her into his arms. She didn’t know how to feel. Happy because she finally did something to protect herself. Sad that she never had the guts to do it before. All that she could seem to do was cry and cry and cry.

  Just then, a technician with an x-ray machine came into the room. Lucy wiped the tears from her eyes as he asked everyone to leave. He slipped the lead vest over her shoulders. She shuddered at the feel of his fingers when they barely touched her neck. More tears flowed as he continued to snap several x-rays.

  “Does it hurt that bad?”

  She turned to focus on him and what he was asking.

  “You’re crying. I just thought you might be in a lot of pain. I can check with Dr. O’Malley to see if we can get you anything for it.”

  Lucy just nodded as she pulled off the vest and handed it back to him.

  He left her in the dimly lit room. She laid back on the bed as hundreds of images raced though her mind.

  Viktor’s hands on her shoulders, holding her on the counter, his lips on her neck. Camille brushing her hair, watching her shower, tracing her finger across her lips.

  Lucy turned on her side, shaking her head, willing the thoughts to go away. Then they did.

  She saw her husband. Finn’s magnificent hands gliding across her bare shoulders. His long fingers in her hair. The way he scrubbed her stomach in the shower, drawing circles around her belly button. Him cradling her in his arms. His thumb caressing her lips just before giving them a soft kiss.

  The thoughts allowed her to let go of all the tension she’d been holding in. She knew she would never forget how Camille or Viktor had touched her or made her feel. She would live with that pain until the day she died. She knew she had one thing that could make it all bearable. Finn. His touch, the way he made her feel, it made the pain subside. She wasn’t about to let anyone take that away from her.

  “Hey,” Finn said as he reached her side. “Dad’s going to get you fixed up. He’s looking at the x-rays now.”

  “What about Rod? Is my dad really going to have to arrest me?”

  “Oh, no.” His thumb wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Dave and a few others are at the police station, giving their statements. They all confirm your story. That Rod guy really has no idea who you are. Everyone knows it’s you and me, Luce.”

  She sniffled as she lay on the cold gurney.

  “I have a feeling you’re going to be waited on hand and foot for a couple of days. Not just by me.”

  “Yes. I’m sure your mom will be feeding me with a spoon, if I let her.” Lucy grinned a little as she looked into his eyes. “What is it?”

  “Earlier…when you were telling your father about what happened. You said you thought about all the times you couldn’t—”

  “Finn.” He shifted in a little closer. “I can’t forget what happened. A little bit of me will always be scared. I want to move past it though. I told you, I don’t want them to ruin our future.”

  “That doesn’t mean you have to hold everything in.”

  “You can’t tell me—”

  “I know, I know. I kept so much from you. I’m still learning how to come to terms with all of it, but we have each other. We can talk to each other about all of it. I think maybe since the wedding, while it has been incredible, we’ve been distracting ourselves.”

  “Distracting?”

  “For so long we wanted to make sure that we could, we didn’t think about how it would feel or what we would do afterward. So we just kept doing it. Feeling good.”

  “Feeling incredible,” she corrected him.

  “Incredible, right. Those feelings aren’t going to solve all of our problems though. Being able to make love to you is a huge step, but there is still more to come, I’m afraid.”

  “I know, first being my impending stint in the county jail.” Lucy rolled her eyes as she reclined to focus on the ceiling.

  “You know that’s not going to happen.”

  “Are you sure?” She turned her head back to him.

  “Positive.” He tapped the end of her nose with his index finger. “I love you, and this is just one more step we’ll take together.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief because her whole body believed what he said. “Together.”

  A few minutes later, a nurse came in with some pain medicine. With all the thoughts going through Lucy’s head, she hadn’t really noticed the pain. The swelling was getting uncomfortable, but after she had let the pills take effect, she was feeling much better.

  Murphy walked in with an x-ray in his hand.

  “See this little bone right here?” He pointed to a bone in her wrist on the x-ray. “That is your scaphoid bone. It’s the one that’s giving you problems.”

  “Broken,” she nodded in agreement. “A cast then?”

  “Yep, then we’ll do another x-ray in about ten days to see how it’s healing. You get to pick the color if that makes you feel any better.”

  “What about black? Black goes with everything.”

  “Black it is then. I’ll be back shortly.” Murphy excused himself just as Lane came back in.

  “Good news. No charges.”

  “Thank God,” she sighed. “What did you do?”

  “I very politely let Rod and Mr. Jensen know that we had several statements from others at the party confirming your side of the story, and that you were indeed married and blissfully happy with your husband, who I hear was nice enough to call for some ice for the guy’s nose.”

  “He was bleeding all over the grass, but if he would have made another comment like he did—”

  Lane held up his hand. “Yes, one of the girls was perfectly clear on his statement. Let’s just say the kid is an idiot, and we let it all rest.”

  “Fine with me, but his face broke my wrist.” Lucy let out a small laugh as the whole night’s events began playing though her mind. She really didn’t expect what came next.

  “I’m proud of you, Lucy.” Her father kissed her on the forehead before nodding to Finn and leaving the room.

  “I’m proud of you, too.”

  Ten days went by in a flash. Lucy’s cast was replaced with a brace that drove her nuts, but Finn made her wear it anyway. Then, September was upon them and with it, their trip back to Montana.

  They got there a day early to go over what they would have to do on the day of the sentencing. Finn and Lucy both wanted to make statements. They went over and over it in
their three sessions a week with Dr. Styles and at home together. Finn knew he could do it, but he felt there was something he needed to do first.

  In a hotel room in Montana, Finn, Lucy, and Max prepared for the Federal hearing the next day.

  “I want to see him.”

  Max sprayed the soda he was drinking out.

  “You what?”

  “I want to see him. Can you make it happen?”

  “Finn?” Lucy looked at him confused and a little bit angry. “Why would you want to do that?”

  “I need to tell him face to face that he didn’t ruin me. I’m not that little puppet of his anymore. I want him to see the truth in my eyes. I want him to know that his daughters are my family now. That Chloe loathes him for what he did to us, and no matter how long he spends in prison, he’s lost two of the most precious gifts he was ever given. He needs to know, and I want to be the one to tell him.”

  Finn sat alone in a conference room at the courthouse. He nervously straightened his jacket. His tie felt too tight, so he loosened it. He didn’t really know exactly what he wanted to say. He wondered if he could be that strong or if he was just kidding himself.

  The door opened and a shackled Viktor entered the room, followed by a very large guard.

  Too late. It was now or never.

  Finn took a deep breath as Viktor sat across from him.

  “Hello, Finn. You wanted to talk?”

  The lump in Finn’s throat was so large; he couldn’t imagine any sound ever being able to pass. Viktor just sat as smug as ever, piercing Finn with his intense stare.

  Finn knew he had to show Viktor he wasn’t that lost little boy anymore. He was so much more.

  “That’s right. I did want to tell you a few things before you go into solitary. You know that’s where you’re going, right? General population is just too dangerous for sexual predators like you.”

  “A predator?” He actually laughed. “You make it sound like I sought out dozens of children and cast my spell over them. It was just you. It was always you.”

  Finn saw the guard adjust his stance, obviously just as sickened as he was.

  “What about Lucy? Why did you have to bring her into all this?”

  Viktor sat back in his chair, took a deep breath, and clasped his hands together in front of his mouth. “Lucy, Lucy, Lucy.” His eyes settled back on Finn. “It was selfish, really. I liked seeing you smile. Those perfect angel lips.” He traced his index finger across his own. “She made that happen. It took some convincing on my part for Camille to go for it, but I won in the end. I always do.”

  “You call this winning?”

  “My mind is a steel trap. Anytime I want, I can remember all the times we had together. I’ve been thinking a lot about that day by the pool, when Lucy needed to be rubbed down. The way your hands caressed her thighs—”

  “Stop it!” Finn stood up as he slammed his hands against the table. “Don’t you dare think about my wife that way.”

  “Wife, huh?” He leaned in as he licked his lips. “So, you’ve joined the club. Welcome to marriage.”

  “My marriage is nowhere near the sick and twisted relationship that you have with Camille. How’s that going, by the way?” Finn managed to sit back down in his chair. “Only seeing her, what, maybe when you’re in court or with your lawyers? You know you’re not going to be at the same prison. You know you’re never going to get to see her.”

  The smile left Viktor’s face. “We knew this might happen, and we are ready to accept the consequences for our actions. It doesn’t mean we regret one moment of loving you. We love you, Finn.”

  Finn started to feel more than nauseous. His bottom lip quivered as he swallowed to hold back the filth he felt rising inside of him. The hate, the anger, it was all there, screaming to get out. Finn knew he had to control it. He knew he was stronger. He knew he was the better man.

  “For a man who claims to love so much, you sure like torturing the people you love most, but I never thought you would actually hurt your own child.”

  He slightly nodded his head as his gaze focused on the table.

  “I guess I should be glad they’re both so young. I hope Chloe can forget how you beat her and if there is a God, Olivia won’t remember you at all.”

  “Those are my daughters,” he spat through his clenched teeth.

  “They are nothing to you anymore. They are my family now. Even if you make it out of prison alive, I’m sure they will want nothing to do with you.”

  “Those girls love me.” His eyes pleaded. Finn finally saw the first glimmer of pain. The satisfaction hit him like a drug high. He was feeling the euphoria from Viktor’s pain.

  “Chloe detests you. You know what she said to me the night we left? She said she didn’t want to be with you anymore because she knew what you had done to me. She loves me more than she ever loved you. As their Godfather, I will always do what is best for those girls. What’s best for them now is making sure you never see them again.”

  “Finn, please?” He was begging? Finn couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Why would I ever help you now? You’ve brought this all on yourself. You lost your wife. You’ve lost your daughters. Not that you ever had me, but you’ve lost me too. How does that make you feel?”

  The anger seethed inside of Viktor as he clenched his fists, his knuckles bright white.

  Finn scooted the chair out from under him and rose to walk to the door. He dipped his head and felt a devious smile creep upon his face. He turned back for one last look and couldn’t help himself.

  “Have fun in the showers. See how you like it for a change.”

  Finn grabbed the door handle and turned. He walked into the hall feeling years of agony fall from his shoulders. He felt like a man, a real man, with a wife and a beautiful future.

  Lucy stood at the end of the hall, her eyes pained and worried. He swept her up in his arms, swinging her around as if they were children again. Their laughter filled the hallway and earned them more than a few stares.

  “It went well then?” she asked as he set her down.

  “Perfect. It’s really almost over, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” She caressed his cheek with her fingertips and he pressed a kiss into her palm.

  “You should take your seats. This judge is very prompt. We’ll be starting right on time.”

  Finn and Lucy followed Max into the courtroom. Claire, Murphy, Lane, Aiden, Rylan, and Jack were all waiting there, and after hugging them, Finn and Lucy took a seat behind Max.

  The guards brought in Viktor and Camille.

  Finn couldn’t take his eyes off of Camille. She was nowhere near the woman he had seen only a few months before. She was much thinner, her eyes sunken in. The one thing that was always beautiful about her was her hair. The strands of black silk had all but disappeared. It was cropped short in the back with a slight wedge so it hit just in the middle of her neck.

  She had been crying; that much was obvious. They sat her next to Viktor, who was able to take her hand. Finn saw a feeble smile on her face, but the tears still poured. Viktor brought her in to comfort her. Finn knew then the high he was feeling was the opposite of the absolute low she was feeling. He wondered if it could be guilt. She had spent all those years pretending to be his friend. Could she have been, in the end, just another one of Viktor’s victims?

  The judge brought the courtroom to order. There were several formalities to get out of the way before they could make their statements, but Finn really couldn’t pay attention. He just rubbed Lucy’s hand and put on a brave face for the rest of his family.

  Suddenly, Max pulled Finn out of his daze.

  “Dr. O’Malley?”

  Murphy rose from his seat and kissed Claire’s hand before patting Finn on the shoulder.

  He walked to the podium and cleared his throat as he pulled a sheet of paper from his jacket.

  “Your Honor. I am Dr. Murphy O’Malley. Finn is my son and Lucy is my daughter-in-law. O
nly after years of torture did I find out what these two people, people I once considered family, had done to my son. Even after I found out about Finn’s abuse, I still couldn’t protect him. It is my failure as a father and a friend that I wasn’t able to protect Lucy and my son. I will have to live with my actions for the rest of my life. I can only take solace in the fact that you will do everything in your power to keep these two monsters behind bars for as long as possible. My family is eternally grateful to this system for coming through for all of us in order to keep us safe. My one hope is that the Karpovs will spend their time realizing what they have lost and feel the pain and sorrow they have caused all of us. Just look at him,” Murphy pointed to Viktor, “The man I thought of as a brother.” His tears started to flow as Finn felt his mother pat his knee. “He has no remorse for what he has destroyed. My son’s youth. His own marriage to Camille. The precious little time he’d spent with his daughters. I spent years trying to be a friend and a mentor to him. All those years I trusted him, and he did this to my son. He has no heart. Camille made a choice to live that life with him, if that is even fathomable to the human mind. They both deserve the toughest punishment you can give them. Thank you.”

  Murphy came back to Finn as he stood and took him in his arms.

  “I love you, son.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He left Finn’s arms for Lucy’s awaiting ones. He kissed her cheek before wiping a stray tear from it.

  “You’re up.”

  Finn took Lucy’s hand and they both went up to the podium to begin their statements to the judge. He had gone over it a million times in his head, he thought it would be ingrained there, but there was nothing in his head of the speech he had prepared. What came out were sincere and honest words without fear.

  “My wife and I are standing here today because of these two people. They have turned our lives upside down with their actions. Theirs was a sick and twisted version of love; love of control, love of power, but love all the same. It was the only kind I knew for a very long time until this angel beside me came back into my life.” Lucy squeezed his side and smiled as he glanced her way. “Though the pain of what they both did will be with me for the rest of my life, it won’t ruin me. They deserve every single second in prison that you give them for what they have put both of us through. In that time, however, we won’t dwell on that pain. We have already started to regain a life we can be proud of. A life without shame. A life without fear. Viktor justified his actions as acts of love. I really don’t think he understands what the word means or what it truly feels like. For that, I pity him. I wouldn’t wish even my worst enemy a life without real love.” Finn cleared his throat. “Your Honor, it is men and women like these two who bring out the worst in our society. I implore you to make sure they do not see the light of day until they understand the damage they have caused, not only to my family, but to their own.” Finn stepped aside and let Lucy take over.