Inside, Kaitlyn was handcuffed with her hands behind her back, and De had tied rope around her ankles. He was really good at it, too, because she couldn’t get the rope off, not matter how hard she tried. Her shoes prevented her from being able to manoeuvre properly.
“You can’t keep me here forever, you know,” she said venomously. “Carter will come looking for me.”
De shrugged. “And when he does, I’ll be ready.”
De had blacked out the windows, but the room’s light was on, and she could see the gun – her gun, which had been concealed in her backpack’s secret pocket – in his hands. He was twisting it round and round, admiring it from all angles.”
“You know,” he said conversationally, as if he wasn’t holding her hostage and tied up against her will. “I quite like this gun. It’s quite…convenient.”
He swung his arm around and pointed it at her. He cocked the end of the gun and laughed.
“And look!” he cried manically. “It’s loaded, too!”
For the first time in her life, she felt real terror. This wasn’t like the time when Bekah had lost control of the car. This wasn’t like when he had attacked her. Right now, De was sane, and he was willing to murder her in cold blood.
“De, please,” she begged. “Don’t do this.”
Tears began to stream down her cheeks. “De, please?”
He laughed. “Don’t beg, Katie. I don’t like people who beg.”
She stared down the barrel of the gun. She gulped, beyond terrified. She couldn’t move, paralysed in fear. Wasn’t her life supposed to flash before her eyes right now? All she could think about was Carter, her mother, her father, and her brother Jordy. She missed her family.
De lowered the gun and laughed. “You’re such a chicken.”
She couldn’t believe it. He’d lowered the gun. She swallowed slowly.
She couldn’t relax, not completely. She was still tense, and she was right to be. Someone began banging on the front door, and De pointed the gun at her again.
“Katie!” she heard a male scream. Her heart leaped. Carter! She wanted to scream back, but she was afraid that De would shoot her if she did.
“Katie, can you hear me?”
De crouched down by Kaitlyn. “Don’t make a sound,” he hissed in her ear. “You make a sound, and you’re dead.”
Chapter 20
When De opened the door, he had Kaitlyn handcuffed, and was gripping her by her hair. Her face was contorted in pain, but her eyes were frozen open in terror.
The reason? There was a gun pressed to her head, and De’s finger hovered over the trigger.
Carter gulped. He needed to save Kaitlyn, but if he made any sudden movements, she was dead.
“Well, hello there, Carter!” De greeted brightly. “How are you, my dear friend?”
Carter gulped. “De, don’t do this.”
De laughed. “Do what, Carter? Kill your girlfriend?”
Carter moved achingly slowly into a defensive stance. “Come on, De, you don’t want to do this.”
De grinned. “You’re right; I don’t particularly want to kill Katie. It’d be such a waste; she’s so pretty. But you…”
Carter had to stop himself from attacking De.
“Come on, De,” he said casually. “We’re friends, aren’t we? You know how much Katie means to me. Why don’t you give me her, and I’ll give you something in return?”
De laughed. “Carter, we’re not friends. You and I can’t be friends. You kidnapped my girlfriend.”
Carter gulped. “No, De, I didn’t steal your girlfriend. She came to me. I told her to go home, but she refused. You can have her back if you want.”
De shook his head and tugged on Kaitlyn’s hair. She could feel the gun pressed solidly against her skull, and it would probably be imprinted in her skin forever.
“Carter, I don’t want my girl back. You can have her.”
“So what do you want then?” he asked desperately. “Whatever it is, you can have it, if you just let Katie go.”
De laughed. “What if I want your life, Carter? For me to let Katie go, you’d let me kill you?”
Carter nodded. “Anything for Katie.”
He looked at Katie as she said it, and Kaitlyn couldn’t help but melt. She thought Carter cared more about Aria than her. Now, with him willing to give up his life for her, she realised how much he loved her.
It was no surprise when she felt tears spilling out from her eyes.
“No,” she whispered. “Don’t do it, Carter. Please, no.”
He looked her in the eye. “You mean more to me than my own life, Kaitlyn. I’d do anything, even die for you.”
“No, Carter,” she sobbed. “Please. Live, for me.”
De threw back his head and laughed loudly. “Oh, how touching. Lovers reunite. You two make me sick.”
He pulled Katie back into the empty bedroom and dumped her on the floor. Carter, who had been watching from the doorway, followed them. De welcomed him into the room and locked all three of them in.
“No,” Kaitlyn whispered. “You should have run, gone for help.”
Carter frowned. “It’s ok,” he mouthed. “I brought back-up.”
Kaitlyn looked nervously at De. If De knew that T-Man, Marcus and Brady were Carter’s back-up, he’d probably shoot everyone.
“De, why are you doing this?” Carter asked. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Kaitlyn wanted to wave her arms and signal to him to shut up. He didn’t know what De could do, and if Carter did something stupid or said the wrong thing, they could both die.
De laughed. “Don’t worry Carter, jeez. The only reason I haven’t shot you already, is because we used to be friends. If you don’t shut up, I’ll shoot you, and then I’ll make you watch as I kill your precious Kaitlyn.”
Carter shut up. He sat down next to Kaitlyn and placed his arm around her.
De sighed and collapsed against the other wall. He held his head in his hands, but never letting go of the gun.
“Jeez,” he sighed. “You know, none of this would have happened if you hadn’t had taken Aria away from me.”
Carter wanted to strangle him. “Are you forgetting what you did to Kaitlyn first?”
De looked at Carter. “I haven’t touched Kaitlyn. What did I ever do to her?”
Kaitlyn looked at him, than at Carter. “I don’t think he remembers what he did,” she whispered.
Carter thought she may just be right. But why wouldn’t De remember anything? What was wrong with him?
“Are you on drugs?” he yelled. “De, seriously?”
De looked at him. “What? No!”
Carter frowned. If De wasn’t on drugs, then something else must be wrong with him. Carter didn’t really want to know, he just wanted to get Kaitlyn out of here.
Carter leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. He felt physically drained. He wanted to go home, taking Katie with him, and crawl into bed. He just wanted to sleep for a million years. This day was turning out to be physically exhausting.
De looked at Carter and Kaitlyn. He felt guilty for screwing up their lives, but they needed to understand that it was necessary. He wanted Aria back, and Aria liked Carter, so he had to use Kaitlyn. Without Kaitlyn, Carter wouldn’t have come, and without Carter, Aria wouldn’t come.
“I’m sorry,” De apologised. “I had to lure you here, because I love Aria. I need her back, and she likes you Carter. I know you don’t get it, but if you lost Kaitlyn, wouldn’t you do anything to get her back?”
Carter looked sideways at Kaitlyn and thought about De’s question. If Kaitlyn decided to leave him, of course he’d want her back. But if she was happier without him, he wouldn’t begrudge her that. He loved her enough that he wanted her to be happy, no matter what.
“Not if she was happier without me. If Kaitlyn decides one day that she’s happier without me, I won’t object.”
De sighed. “You two are pathetic.”
> T-Man, Marcus and Brady were all outside De’s house, waiting for Carter to come out. He’d been inside for an hour already. Aria was waiting in T-Man’s car, in case they needed leverage.
“Do you think he’s ok?” Marcus asked T-Man. Carter had been inside for nearly an hour.
T-Man shrugged. “There hasn’t been any sign of a struggle.”
Brady laughed. “Some people are good at fighting silently.”
That worried Marcus. If they were in a soundproofed room, or De could fight silently, then Carter was in trouble, and so was Kaitlyn.
They were just playing a waiting game. All they could do was wait. It was so frustrating.
T-Man even walked down to the local dairy – a fifteen minute walk either way – to get a pie for each of the guys. They’d finished the pies, and waited for another half hour.
“Guys, this is really boring,” Marcus complained. “Nothing’s happening.”
It seemed as if he’d jinxed it, because no sooner had the words come out of his mouth, they heard a gunshot.
Carter pushed Kaitlyn out of the way and fell backwards. The bullet went straight into the wall, right where Kaitlyn had been sitting seconds earlier.
Carter and Kaitlyn couldn’t keep dodging bullets forever. He made up his mind to find a way to wrestle the gun out of his hands.
“Aw man!” De yelled. “You couldn’t just behave, could you?”
He aimed the gun at Carter, and Carter launched himself at De. Low enough for the bullet to miss, and low enough to pull De’s legs forward. De fell backwards, letting go of the gun. It flew next to Kaitlyn, and she scrambled to pick it up.
Now, De was at Kaitlyn’s mercy. Carter helped her by untying her ankles and snapping the cuffs off Kaitlyn’s wrists.
“Right,” Kaitlyn said shakily. “Now, De, you do what I say. You are going to let Carter here tie you up, and we’re going to leave you here, for the police to find.”
“Hm,” De pretended to think. “How about, no!”
He copied Carter’s move and launched himself at Kaitlyn. He knocked her back and landed on top of her. She didn’t have the confidence to handle a gun. He didn’t even know why she’d bought one today.
He was easily able to snatch the gun off her and straddled her. He held the gun to her forehead.
“No way,” he growled. “We do this my way.” He looked up at Carter. “You move, and she’s dead.”
Carter nodded slowly. “I understand.”
De climbed off Kaitlyn, but kept the gun aimed at her forehead. They all heard the metallic click, and suddenly Kaitlyn could smell and taste the salty, coppery taste of blood. No one was bleeding, yet she could still taste it. She was afraid that she was going to die.
De laughed. “Just you wait,” he said, with an evil glint in his eye. “Not yet, but if Carter here doesn’t co-operate, you’re dead.”
Carter felt immense pressure on his shoulders. He was responsible for Katie’s life, and he was powerless. All he could do was obey De, hope for the best, and wait for an opening.
“De, baby!” they heard a female voice call. “Where are you?”
De perked up. “Aria?”
The door to their hell hole opened, and there stood Aria, dressed head-to-toe in the most sultry gear that she could find.
De whistled. “Where’ve you been, baby?”
Aria sauntered over to him and kissed him, long and deep. “I’ve been at my friend Macy’s, remember?”
De looked over at Carter. “So, you weren’t with him?”
Aria pulled his face back to her. “No, baby,” she purred. “You know you’re the only guy for me.”
De grinned. “Then you won’t mind me shooting Carter, then.”
Aria shrugged carelessly, but her eyes were nervous. “I don’t care.”
De laughed and pushed her to the ground. He then turned the gun onto her and closed the door.
“Did you really think I was that dumb?” he sneered. “I know where you’ve been, Aria! I’m not an idiot!”
He walked closer to her, until the gun was pressed against her head.
Aria looked up at him, meeting his eyes. Hers filled with tears, that spilled over and ran down her cheeks, but she never looked away.
For the first time, De looked sad.
“I’m so sorry, Aria,” he said ominously. “But you left me, and no one leaves Deangelo Carboni. No one.”
Aria gasped her very last breath, and then De shot her. The sound reverberated in the room, and Kaitlyn screamed. She and Carter watched, frozen in horror, as Aria’s now lifeless body slumped to the ground. Her eyes were wide open, and she wasn’t breathing. It was if shutters had closed behind her eyes.
“No!” screamed Kaitlyn. She couldn’t believe De had just killed his girlfriend. “NO!”
De turned the gun on her. “Watch it, Kaitlyn,” he warned.
Suddenly, there was a wailing of sirens. It was the kind of siren that police cars made.
De opened the door and crept to the window. He looked out and caught sight of three cop cars. Cops were getting out of the cars, and they were wearing bulletproof vests.
He ran back into the room and slammed the door. “NO!” he roared. He looked at Carter and Kaitlyn, who were huddled together, in cold fury. “Which one of you called the cops?” he snarled.
Carter looked up at De. “Neither. We don’t have cellphones.”
De, not knowing that T-Man, Marcus and Brady were outside, turned to Aria’s body. “Then it must have been her!”
Carter shrugged. “I didn’t see her call anyone.”
De, furious, walked over to her body and kicked it. It rolled over, so it was staring up towards the ceiling. De reached down and closed her eyes.
“You know,” De said casually, “I always knew she was an idiot. She was bound to cross me sometime, and unfortunately, that was today.” He sighed dramatically.
Carter held Kaitlyn to his chest, protecting her as best as he could. He knew they needed to get out of here, but with De the way he was, the only way they’d be getting out of here was in a body bag.
It was a waiting game. De was waiting for them to make a move, so he could kill them. They were waiting for the police to storm in and rescue them.
Kaitlyn’s crying eventually subsided, but she still shivered with nervous energy. She clenched her hands around Carter’s shirt and rested her head on his chest. Carter gave her a gentle squeeze every now and then.
Eventually, the cops decided enough was enough. They stormed the house, and De heard them coming. He took one look at Carter and Kaitlyn, and aimed at Kaitlyn.
Bang!
It wasn’t Kaitlyn who crumpled to the ground. Carter had pushed her out of the way, and now he lay on the floor, blood darkening his shirt.
Kaitlyn screamed. Her boyfriend had been shot in the stomach.
The cops forced the door open, and saw De, standing in the middle of the room, laughing manically. Carter was gasping for breath, and Kaitlyn was using her jacket to try and slow the bleeding. She was looking at Carter with so much love and fear in her eyes.
The police also noted Aria’s lifeless body.
One officer talked into his radio, “We need a paramedic in here.”
“Sending one in now,” came the reply.
Another officer grabbed De from behind and twisted his arms behind his back. The officer grabbed the handcuffs from his belt and cuffed De.
“You have the right to remain silent,” the arresting officer said clearly. “Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights?”
De snarled. “Yes.”
The officer led him away, while the other officer checked Aria for a pulse. It was pretty obvious that she was dead, though.
Some EMT’s came through the door with a gurney, and lifted Carter onto it. He groaned as they jolted his wound.
His eyes met Katie’s. “I love you,” he choked.
Kaitlyn hated the way he said it. It sounded like a goodbye. “I love you too,” she whispered. “You’re going to be fine.”
Carter looked at her and gave her a lazy smile. “If I die,” he rasped. “I want you to have everything. Remember that.” He looked at the medical technicians. “And all of you are witnesses to that, ok? I don’t have a will, so you need to be witnesses.”
The cop still in the room noted that down on a notepad, and came over to Katie.
“Miss?” he asked questioningly. “Miss, I’m going to need your name. My name’s Constable Schwartz. I’m going to need to ask you a few questions.”
Kaitlyn barely heard the man. She was so lost in her own world. All she could think about was Carter. He couldn’t die on her, he was the love of her life. He was her fiancé. They were getting married. He couldn’t die on her. They had so much left to live for! A wedding, a marriage, kids, grandkids!
“No,” she whispered. She was rooted to the spot where she stood. She couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. People were speaking to her, trying to catch her attention, but it was if she was trapped inside her head. She couldn’t hear or see anyone. She kept replaying the scene with Carter over and over in her head. All she could hear was him choking out “I love you”.
She’d had enough. She couldn’t cope anymore. She felt herself fall sideways, and then everything went black.
Chapter 21
She woke up in an unfamiliar bed. There was a very annoying tube taped to her hand, and she felt extremely groggy.
What the hell was she doing here?
She closed her eyes, trying to remember something. Only, she couldn’t. Something was stopping her.
She looked around the room and saw nothing but white. White walls, white floors, white bed sheets, white everything. It was quite disconcerting.
She noticed a small remote hooked onto her bed, so she picked it up and studied it. There were buttons for Up, Down, Emergency, and Nurse.
She hit the Nurse button. A low buzzing sound emanated from the corridor and a woman entered the room.
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