Love Behind Lies

by Anna L

  Nick moved away from me and then pulled me down so that my head was resting on his legs. His arm was on my back.

  He was right, though. I was tired. I fell asleep almost instantly, but I did remember one thing. Brent’s ring. What was it? Rotate the ring counter- clockwise twice? Yeah, that was it. I rotated it twice and then fell asleep peacefully in Nick’s lap.

  *

  Brent’s phone started beeping. It was late in the night and they boys were almost done with the plan for helping Catherine.

  Everyone went quiet when they heard Brent’s phone. When he looked at the screen he started smiling.

  “What?” Sam asked.

  “Cat, is okay.” Brent replied.

  “How do you know?” Richard asked.

  “The first time I met Cat I gave her a ring. If she rotates it twice counter- clockwise it sends a message to my phone telling me exactly where she is. She must have had some time alone, because I now have the exact location of her.”

  Chapter 30

  The week had gone by fast. I couldn’t believe that it was Friday when I woke up the next morning. The only thing I knew was that Nick was gone. He left a note though.

  Catherine,

  I have stepped out for awhile to get something for you to eat. Please don’t try to leave. I might have to kill you and all the doors are locked anyways. I will be back soon.

  Love,

  Nick

  I couldn’t believe it. I was so mad at Nick. Hopefully Brent was sent my exact location and help would be on the way soon. I don’t know if I could take Nick any longer.

  I few minutes later there was a knock at the door. I got up and was about to open the door when I remembered that it was locked. I stood there and stared at the door and then the door opened slowly. I was confused at first but then Nick’s face popped into view. He was smiling.

  “I am glad that you are up! I found us some food.” Nick had so much energy.

  I just glared at Nick, and shut the door.

  “Why are you so angry. I let you sleep for ten hours.”

  My emotions didn’t change. I kept glaring at Nick. He moved around me and set the food down on the table in the middle of the room. I followed him with my eyes, making me turn away from the door. He walked back to where I was. Now he was standing right in front of me. We were only inches away from each other. I could feel his breath on my face.

  He suddenly wrapped his arms around me. One on the back of my head and the other on my lower back. I put my arms in between us and pushed as hard as I could. I was not going to kiss Nick. That is just disgusting.

  “Please, don’t fight this.” Nick whispered. Then he pulled something from his pocket. It was a small knife. I suddenly felt like I was going to throw up again. My stomach was in the my throat. My arms stayed on his chest. Nick’s arm on my lower back tightened as his other hand came closer to my neck. I could feel the blade on my skin now. “You ready now?” Nick was serious. “Put your arms around me, now.” I did as I was told. My heart was racing. I put both my arms around his neck, but one of my hands stopped at his fist with the knife. I uncurled his fingers, making him drop the knife.

  The knife hitting the floor sounded like a bowling ball. The room had been so quiet. I moved my arm so that both my hands were around his neck. Nick then leaned towards me. In the spilt second I brought my leg up and kneed him right in the stomach. He groaned and let go of me. I picked up the knife and held it in front of me.

  Nick looked up and began smiling. “You have learned well.” He paused. “Now, drop the knife and kiss me. Otherwise I will beat you up, and I will kill you. Please, I really don’t want to kill you.”

  I slid the knife under the door so that Nick couldn’t get it. He smiled at me. “Fair enough.”

  Then he took another step towards me, put his hands on my back and neck and pulled me towards him. My heart was beating so fast. I didn’t want to kiss Nick at all. I wanted Sam, the only boy that seemed to actually love me.

  Nick didn’t care what I wanted, though. He began to kiss me and the only thing that I could do was kiss him back. As Nick kissed me he was pushing me towards the couch. I was trying to resist but he was much taller than me; not to mention how strong he was. Nick basically picked me up and moved me over there.

  This whole time he never stopped kissing me. Occasionally his lips would move down to my neck and then move slowly up towards my lips again, but I could barely feel him. His lips were so soft on my skin and I was trying not to pay attention to what was going on.

  I was still struggling when he stopped kissing me. We were sitting on the couch now and his hands were on my back and neck. We were both breathing hard, “Stop struggling! You aren’t going to get your way so stop trying!” Nick was so serious.

  “Did it ever occur to you that I don’t want to kiss you?” I asked.

  “Obviously you don’t, but you will learn to like it over time.” Nick was smiling as he came towards me again.

  Nick lifted me up so that I was laying on top of him. He pulled me closer to him and started to move his hands. The one on my neck slowly crept down my back and to my upper thigh. Nick’s touch made me shiver, but I couldn’t let him know that. I took one of my hands and grabbed his hand. I tried to move it back up to my neck, but his hand didn’t budge.

  The only thing he did was squeeze me closer to him. I could barely breath. Now, his other hand began to move. His left hand slowly began to slide down my side to my hip. His hand was creeping under my shirt.

  In an effort to stop Nick from touching me, I moved, only to have him roll over. Now, I was on the bottom and he was pinning me down to the couch.

  “Stop fighting,” He panted. Then his lips locked on mine and his hand moved farther up my shirt.

  There was no way that I was going to let this happen. Neither Brent or Sam had done this to me.

  I quickly brought my knee up again and hit Nick right where he didn’t want to be hit. He snapped up and rolled off the couch. I quickly got off the couch and ran towards the door. I knew that the door was locked, but it was just an instinct.

  Nick was right behind me when I turned around to see how he was doing.

  Nick’s hands grabbed my arms and pinned them up against the door. He came towards me one more time, but this time he didn’t kiss me. His face was so close to my face that I was scared to breath. “You have done a very bad thing, Catherine. I am done giving you chances. Tomorrow morning, I am going to take you out. By myself.”

  Then he let me go and shoved me towards the couch. “You better sleep. Tomorrow will be very stressful.”

  I sat down on the couch and he sat next to me. He pulled me down so that I was laying on his lap again. He covered me with a blanket, but by that time, I was already dreaming about Sam.

  When I woke up the next morning I was scared. I didn’t know where I was or who I was laying on. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I was in the same room that I had kissed Nick in the night before. Nick was shaking me.

  “You need to get up now!” Nick was telling me.

  I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I was trying to adjust to the lighting in the room.

  “We are leaving this room in an hour. So if there is anything that you need to do, do it now.” Nick got up and left the room without saying another word.

  I was left in a quiet room, to think about my own death.

  I didn’t know what to think about. Whenever I tried to think about Sam, my mind would wander. I began thinking about Nick; mostly about his kiss from last night and how much Nick scared me.

  Before he kissed me, I was scared that I might enjoy it. I didn’t want Nick, at all. I wanted Sam, that was it. But last night’s kiss was different. I didn’t enjoy it. So I must have wanted to kiss Sam after he broke into my room. I enjoyed his kisses, not Nick’s.

  *

  “Come on we need to hurry! They might have killed her by now!” Sam was going crazy. He couldn’t take this any longer. He wanted Kate, s
afe, in his arms. Right this minute.

  Brent was basically speeding down the main road in Rome, Italy. The boys had been up all night getting ready for this afternoon. There was no time to waste. Brent had just dropped Richard off at a subway station, which had access to underground tunnels.

  Sam and Thomas were being dropped off at the back door of the Chinese restaurant and Brent was going to go in the front of the restaurant; by himself.

  Brent pulled into a parking spot about a block away from the back of the Chinese restaurant. The boys couldn’t risk being seen until the right moment.

  “Now, be patient or else this plan isn’t going to work. Thomas make sure you keep Sam patient,” Brent instructed to the two boys.

  Thomas nodded and set off running with Sam on his heels.

  Brent was only a few blocks away from reaching his destination. He had to park farther away from the building. As soon as he parked the car he jumped out and began running to the front door. He would walk once he got closer to the building. He didn’t was the two Chinese men to wonder why he was breathing so hard.

  Chapter 31

  Richard was walking really fast through the underground tunnels. He knew them like the back of his hand. Richard had lived in these tunnels for almost three weeks.

  He walked through the hallways until he found the one that he was looking for. Richard remembered where his room was, and Brent had told him that Catherine was only a couple doors down from his old room. He searched the hallway, looking for his room. He found it, and then looked for the number that was on his daughter’s door.

  Richard came to Catherine’s door and stopped dead. All of a sudden he was nervous. He couldn’t bring his hand to the door. He was scared of what he might find.

  *

  Sam and Thomas had just reached the back door. Sam was ready to pounce and try to find Kate, but he knew better. Thomas was trying to keep him calm.

  The plan for Sam and Thomas was to listen for any commotion on the inside of the restaurant. When they heard anything they would open the door and attack. So now, all the two boys had to do was wait.

  *

  Brent was only about six steps away from the front door and he was breathing hard. Not because he had just been running, but because he was so nervous. What if the plan didn’t work? Would the Chinese men really kill Cat?

  Brent slowly opened the door and walked inside the building.

  *

  I was shaking so much. I don’t think that I have ever shook so much in my life. Nick was just staring at me.

  “Are you ready to go?” Nick asked, like nothing was going on.

  “Why in the world is this happening?” I asked.

  “You should have been a better guest.” Nick looked at me and I scowled back at him. Nick just began smiling at me; which made me even more mad.

  Nick grabbed my hands and headed to the door; to my death.

  *

  As Brent walked into the restaurant he was relieved to find no costumers there this early in the afternoon. The restaurant opens at noon, and it was about 12:15pm, now.

  Chang was sitting in the back of the restaurant.

  “Can I talk to you for a moment?” Brent asked casually.

  “Why?” Chang asked. “I know why you are here. You are here to kidnap Catherine, but you are too late. If Nick was thorough enough, she is already dead.” Chang was totally calm.

  Brent snapped. He was so mad, he couldn’t take it anymore. He ran to the back of the room and started pounding Chang. Chang didn’t know is was coming, and was caught by surprise. Chang didn’t expect Brent to beat him up.

  Brent made sure that he made enough noise for Sam and Thomas to hear him. But the only thing he was thinking about was Cat. He didn’t know what he would without Cat in his life, especially since it was his fault that she was here.

  He forced himself and Catherine to fall in love, but after awhile he actually began to love her. Yes, he felt so bad after he told her what the plan was the whole time, but what hurt the most was when he knocked on her door and Sam was in the room with her. He tried not to show how disappointed he was, but deep down, he was really depressed.

  Brent was also mad, because he totally deserved everything that he was getting. He wasn’t good enough for Cat anymore, that was obvious. Sam has been right for her from the beginning. Brent and Sam both knew that. Brent just had to suck it up. He had probably lost Cat forever, but he still wanted to fight for her to be safe. It was his fault from the beginning.

  Brent was about to stop fighting. Clearly he was winning. Chang was over in the corner trying to catch his breath when Brent stopped thinking about Cat. It was quiet in the room, but suddenly Kang came running in. Sam and Thomas were right behind him. Brent smiled and ran towards Chang. He was going to finish him off.

  *

  Richard was about to reach for Catherine’s door when the door opened. Richard jumped back in surprise, but also happy to see his daughter still alive. The bad thing was that her wrists were tied behind her back and she had tape over her mouth. Nick was holding on to her. Catherine’s eyes widened. She must have been as surprised as Richard was.

  It took a moment for Richard to realize what was going on, but he soon got a hold of Nick and told Catherine to run. When Catherine was out of sight, Richard began to hit Nick hard. Nick was barely even trying and he didn’t stand a chance against William.

  *

  Sam was about to hit Kang over the head with a glass bottle when he saw Catherine.

  “Kate! You are alive!” Sam screamed.

  “Sam focus!” Thomas yelled. Sam hit Kang over the head and then rushed to Catherine. Sam gave her a big hug that lifted her off the ground and then started to inform her about the plan.

  “You need to go out the back door.” Sam pointed behind him. “Go around the building and Brent’s car should be somewhere on that street. Get into the car and stay there. We will meet you there when we are done.”

  Sam grabbed her hands and untied her wrists. He took the tape off of her lips too. Sam and Catherine stared at each other and then Catherine leaned forward, putting her hands on either side of his face, and kissed him, but before Sam could say anything Catherine was already headed towards the door.

  Sam kept smiling, but then realized that he had a job to finish.

  *

  Brent and Chang were right next to the front door. Chang kept looking at the entrance to his restaurant and Brent realized that Chang might make a break for the door. Brent protected the only exit for Chang. That was until he saw Catherine run by it. Brent stopped fighting and stared at her. He was surprised to see her, and happy that she was alive. Brent was shocked.

  He snapped out of it when he realized that Chang was chasing her down the sidewalk, with a knife.

  Brent burst out of the restaurant and ran as fast as he could. He was right behind Chang. Brent jumped aiming for his enemy.

  *

  I didn’t know what was going on. I knew that someone was chasing me down the sidewalk, but I didn’t care who it was. It was a good thing that Sam had taken the tape off of my mouth and the rope of my wrists. It would have been really hard to run with my hands tied behind my back.

  I was almost free and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me, until I heard a loud crash. Then I stopped running. The street was silent. I turned around and found Brent and Chang laying on the concrete; both motionless.

  When I took a step closer it looked like they were both dead. I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. I got in a little closer. I wanted to see for sure if they were dead or not.

  Suddenly, Brent’s arm began to move. Then his whole body was moving, but Chang still looked like a statue. Brent was standing now. He was standing across from me and we were both looking down at Chang.

  Brent slowly bent over and rolled Chang’s body over. When Brent did this I gasped and turned away. The knife that Chang had been running with, was now almost all the way through his chest. Chang’s eyes w
ere open and he was dead. Brent quick checked Chang’s pulse, and declared him dead on his terms.

  Brent turned towards me. I was looking right at him. I knew what Brent wanted and it was not what I wanted. When Brent came walking towards me, I felt like dying.

  Brent stopped about five inches away from me. I tried to take a step back, but he grabbed both my hands and pulled them up to his neck. I rested my hands there. He placed his hands on my back and pulled me towards him. I let my hands relax and they slowly slid down to Brent’s chest. My heart was beating and I knew couldn’t let this happen.

  “Brent, I can’t do this.” I whispered.

  “Cat, I am so sorry. I wish that none of this would have happened. I love you so much.” Brent brought me closer to him for a tight hug. “This wasn’t my plan exactly. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you like this. I just want to have you back again.”

  “It’s too late now, Brent. You blew it.” I stepped away from him and began walking towards the Chinese restaurant that I had just escaped from.

  The streets were silent for the most part. It seemed as if everyone in Rome, Italy had decided to sleep in. There were a few people that drove down the street, but no one wondered why there was a man on the ground. There was also a couple walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the road. But they were too busy talking. They hadn’t heard a thing.

  Brent caught up to me. He put his arm around my waist and escorted me back to the building. When we walked back inside the doors of the Chinese Restaurant, I was scared. I took an instinctive step towards Brent who held me close.

  As we neared the back of the restaurant I found Sam and Thomas. They were both hovering over Kang’s body.