Love Behind Lies

by Anna L

  “Is he dead?” Brent asked.

  “No, unconscious. Sam hit him over the head with a glass. Then he fell over and hit his head on the table.” Thomas replied.

  Sam and I said nothing. We just stared at each other. I loved Sam so much, which seemed so weird considering that at the beginning of the week, I hated him.

  I walked over to Sam who gave me the biggest hug any man has ever given to me. Sam kissed my head and I could tell that he was truly happy to see me. I squeezed him hard, never wanting to let go. I felt safe in his arms. I felt strong. I felt like I could rule the whole world when I stood next to Sam.

  Of course, Brent had to ruin the moment.

  “We should go and check on William.” Brent murmured, obviously disappointed to the attention I was giving Sam.

  We all walked down the stairs to find another body laying on the floor.

  “Is he dead?” Thomas asked. He was talking about Nick.

  “No, just unconscious. I put him in a dead lock until he passed out. He should be fine by tomorrow.” Richard sounded relieved.

  Richard looked up and his eyes met mine. I began to cry. I have never been so happy to see my dad. I rushed over to him and gave him a big hug. Everyone joined in; relieved that the hard part was over.

  There was so much going on that we all forgot what had just happened. We were all talking about how cool the plan was, and what had happened since we had been separated. Through all the commotion, I remembered that Chang’s body was laying on the sidewalk, and there were two more unconscious bodies in the building.

  “Now what do we do?” I asked the boys. “Shouldn’t we call the police or something?”

  “Yeah, we probably should. There are three bodies laying on the floor.” Brent replied to my question.

  “Here I got the number.” Richard said.

  Brent took out his phone and began dialing the number. The hallway was quiet. It was almost as if nothing had happened.

  We all walked upstairs to wait for the police. Will, Brent, and Thomas wanted to talk to the police. I am sure that they want to talk to me and Sam too, but we have to wait until the police get here. Sam and I stayed in the back of the restaurant.

  “I am so sorry that this happened to you, Katie.” Sam grabbed my hands and held them. I pulled my hands from him and wrapped my arms around this torso. He pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me. He kissed my head again. “Catherine?” Sam asked.

  “Yeah?” I replied.

  “I promise to always keep you safe. If I am with you, you will be safe. Okay?”

  “Sam, that was the same thing that Brent said to me.” It wasn’t that I didn’t like Sam, it was just that I was scared of what boys could do to me. There have been too many boys in my life recently and I feel like I am drowning.

  “Kate, I am not Brent. What can I do to make you know that I promise to keep you safe?”

  “I don’t know Sam.” I got on my tiptoes and kissed him gently. “But, I do love you.”

  Sam smiled at me gave me a big hug. “I love you to Catherine.”

  Chapter 32

  By then the police had shown up. Brent, Thomas, and Richard were talking to them as Sam and I joined in.

  “I still don’t understand why Nick should be arrested,” the policeman said.

  “The only thing I know was that when I saw my daughter, her arms were tied behind her back and her mouth was taped,” Richard spoke up.

  “Well is your daughter here?” The police questioned.

  “Yeah, I am his daughter.” I stepped forward, out of Sam’s arms.

  “Ah, I see.” The policeman was observing me. “Tell me what happened after you were taken into the room downstairs.”

  “I was locked into the room with Nick. He made me sit on the couch with him and he never stopped touching me. He made me kiss him multiple times and when I kicked him he told me he was going to kill me the next morning. So, this morning he tied me up and was on his way upstairs when we crossed paths with my dad.”

  “Did he threaten you in any other ways?” The man was serious.

  “Yeah, actually. He held a knife to me. That was how he made me kiss him.” I smiled. The boys laughed.

  “She’s the stubborn one,” Sam said from behind me. Then he stepped forward and slid his hands undermine and wrapped his arms around my stomach. I leaned back on Sam, trusting him, and relaxed. I was so happy right now. When Sam touches me I feel like I could fly. Brent never made me feel that way.

  “Okay, well we have been warned about this happening, we just couldn’t figure out where it was. I think we have enough information. Thank you guys for your help. Stay safe.” The policeman left without saying another word.

  The whole group breathed a sigh of relief. We all relaxed, but stayed quiet.

  “So what all happened?” I asked, breaking the silence.

  “Kang was arrested. Nick is going to jail for a couple days, but then being released the same day we are leaving. The police have actually asked me to make sure he makes it home safely. He won’t be in too much trouble. Chang’s body was taken, but I don’t know what the city is going to do with it,” Brent informed everyone.

  “What happens if Nick and his family decide to do something like this again?” I asked.

  “I have been talking to Evan Coore and he has decided that I switch jobs. Instead of leaving to take missions I am going to stay in the area. He wants me to keep an eye on Nick’s family, and keep you and your family safe, Cat.” Brent was looking down at the floor.

  I almost threw up. Sam squeezed me. I’m pretty sure that he could tell how disappointed I was. While I was trying to relax, everyone else was congratulating Brent. I didn’t even make eye contact with him.

  “Well, what is next?” Thomas asked.

  “We can stay until tomorrow afternoon; that is when our flight leaves. I think the plane takes off at 10:45 A.M. on Saturday. So, until then, I guess we can do whatever we want.” Brent told us.

  We all decided to leave the restaurant. We were walking down the middle of the street towards Brent’s car. Richard was talking to Brent and Thomas so Sam and I were able to talk a little bit.

  “I hate Brent.” I told Sam.

  “Katie, you don’t hate him.” Sam replied.

  “No, I am pretty sure that I hate him. Think of what he did to me!”

  “Kate, listen. I understand. I was devastated for you. I loved you Kate. The whole time, I loved you. I have loved you since the day we met. I was obsessed with you before we met. Whenever I saw you at school, my stomach flipped. I just didn’t have the guts to talk to you. When I heard that Loren and Nick, were going to talk to your sister, Nate and I joined, hoping that I could talk to you. I am so glad that I did. Anyways, I am mad at Brent too, but we don’t hate him.” He paused and looked at me. I gave him a questioning look. “Trust me, he stole the girl I love from me, and he almost delivered her to her death. I am really mad at Brent.”

  I slid my hand into Sam’s before continuing. “Fine, Sam, I don’t hate Brent, either, but I am really, really, really mad at him. And I never knew about you liking me before. Is that why you stuck up for me that one time, and why you ran into me the other day?”

  “Yeah,” Sam laughed. “I must have seemed nice and then I was mean to you later in the week. You must have been really confused.”

  “I never stopped thinking about you.” I smiled at him and he smiled back.

  By the time we had finished talking, we were at the car. We all squished into it and began our journey back to the hotel. The car ride was silent. There wasn’t really much to talk about.

  We arrived in the parking lot of the hotel about ten minutes later.

  “Where is my dad going to sleep?” I asked Sam.

  “I don’t know. That’s a good question. Don’t you have two beds in your room?” Sam replied.

  “Yeah, I do. Why?”

  “I could sleep in that bed if you want, and your dad could take th
e couch.”

  I smiled up at Sam and he smiled back. “You might have to talk to Brent about that first.” I told Sam.

  Sam shrugged and we walked through the lobby and into the elevator. Brent and Richard were talking about something, but I didn’t know what it was. I was surprised that my dad was even talking to Brent. Did he know the whole story?

  As soon as I got into the hotel room I went to my bedroom. I took a quick shower, changed into some comfortable clothes, and laid down on my bed.

  Dinner was just around the corner by the time everyone had settled in for the night. We had been at the restaurant for a long time. It was around noon, when I first saw my dad. That was right after the restaurant had opened, since it only serves late lunch and dinner. It was almost 5:30 now. I guess the boys had talked to the police and helped clean the restaurant up for awhile.

  There was a knock at my door.

  “Come in.” I said.

  Sam opened the door a little bit. “Are you going to want something to eat?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Okay, if you get hungry you can have some of mine.”

  “Okay, did you talk to Brent?” I asked.

  “Yeah, he said he didn’t care. Not that he would have been able to stop me, but your dad is going to take Thomas’s room and then Thomas is going to sleep on the couch. Brent seemed pretty depressed when I asked him about the sleeping arrangements though.” Sam told me.

  “Did I?” Brent’s voice came from behind Sam.

  “Yeah, you did.” Sam said turning around, surprised.

  “Oh, I will try to sound happier when a friend asks to sleep with my girlfriend.”

  “I didn’t know that she was your girlfriend still. You broke her heart pretty bad.”

  “Can I talk to Cat, please.” Brent asked Sam, ignoring Sam’s comment.

  “I don’t know. You may have to ask her.” Sam said.

  “Cat, can I talk to you for a little bit?” Brent asked me stepping beside Sam in my room.

  “No, Brent. I don’t want to talk to you.” I replied without looking at Brent.

  “For God’s sake! I am going to talk to you right now!” Brent was yelling at me. I jumped back in my bed. Brent had scared the crap out of me.

  “Brent! Leave the room right now!” Sam was yelling too. He had stepped in front of Brent and was trying to get him to leave the room.

  Brent’s hand came up and punched Sam in the stomach. Sam bent over and fell sideways.

  “Sam!!” I yelled. I got out of my bed to see if he was okay, but Brent’s hand came out, motioning for me to stop. I stopped dead in my tracks, scared of what Brent was going to do. Where were Thomas and William?

  Brent rolled Sam over, helped him stand up and shoved him out of my hotel room. Sam was almost in tears. Brent closed the door and locked it.

  “What are you doing?” I asked Brent. I was so scared.

  “I am going to talk to you.” Brent said. His voice was much quieter now. Brent walked over to my bed, I crawled into my bed and Brent sat down next to where I was laying.

  “Brent. I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t love you anymore and I am definitely not your girl-” Brent’s index finger met my lips. I stopped talking.

  “Come here.” Brent was telling, not asking. I hesitated before moving closer to him. We were both leaning up against the back board of the bed now. Brent turned our bodies so that we were facing each other.

  Brent’s hand came up to my face. He hesitated and then his hand made contact with my face. I jumped a little bit, surprised by his touch. His hands was holding my check. Brent smiled at me.

  “I love you, Cat.” Brent told me. “Come closer to me.”

  I didn’t move. I was scared. Brent saw my confusion and pulled me closer towards him. I tried to move away, but Brent was much stronger.

  “Please don’t do this to me Cat.” Brent pleaded.

  “It’s too late.” I replied.

  “No, no it is not.” Then Brent leaned forward and kissed me.

  I was furious. This was the last thing that I expected. I tried to pull away but Brent’s arms were wrapped all the way around me. I had no chance. The only thing I could do was kick him. I brought me knee up and kicked him as hard as I could. That seemed to be the only way to make boys stop kissing me.

  Brent yelled and then let go of me. I took this chance and ran for the door. I knew it was locked so I was ready to unlock it. I opened the door and ran into the open room. Sam was sitting on the couch. As soon as he saw me he stood up. I ran to him and he wrapped his arms around me. I felt safe now.

  There was no one else in the room, and I was happy. I didn’t want to have to explain to my dad.

  I hadn’t realized it at first, but I was crying. Sam was trying to calm me, but the only thing I could think of was Nick with his knife. Brent had brought back those memories. Memories that I had intended to store away forever.

  “It’s okay Katie. I have you now.” Sam said. He was rubbing my back, trying to comfort me. Sam stood there with me for almost five minutes before Brent came out of my room. Brent didn’t look mad though. It was almost as if he knew that he deserved that.

  “I am sorry.” Brent said.

  Sam let go of and stood right in front of Brent. “Sorry for what? Bringing back the memories of Nick holding a knife to Kate’s neck? Sorry for tricking her into loving you? Sorry for getting her kidnapped? Brent she loved you! She trusted you! And what did you do? You stepped out from behind her and watched her fall. And the sad thing is, is that you knew this was coming. The whole time! From the very beginning! From the time that you talked to Katie at the corner! I can’t believe that you could have done that to Katie. She doesn’t deserve any of this. And she certainly doesn’t deserve you.” Sam told Brent. Sam was poking Brent’s chest hard, hoping that he was getting his point across.

  Brent didn’t say anything else. He just walked past me and Sam and went into his room.

  Sam walked back over to me and sat on the couch. I sat on his lap and laid my head on his shoulder and relaxed, relieved to be in his arms. Sam had basically read my mind. He knew that what Brent did had reminded me of Nick. That’s why I like Sam so much. He know what I am thinking without me having to say it.

  “Where is everyone?” I asked Sam, I was still crying.

  “They went to get dinner, but don’t worry about them. You need to relax.” Sam’s voice was soothing. I relaxed and stopped crying. I just let Sam hold me.

  Sam rubbed my back and laid his head on top of mine. I was so happy right now. I was happy to be in the arms of someone who truly loved me with all his heart. With that, I relaxed and fell asleep.

  Chapter 33

  It was dark when I realized that Sam was shaking me. I opened my eyes and looked at him. He smiled at me and I smiled back. We were both sitting on the couch still, but my head was now resting on his legs. I looked around the room which was a mess. There were plates and cups all over the place. I must have been out. I don’t remember any of this happeneing.

  “Richard and Thomas brought some food back after you fell asleep. We haven’t had time to clean it up yet.” Sam informed me. It was like he was reading my mind again. “Your dad said he would clean it up before he went to bed. So we can leave the mess. I thought that you might want to go to your own bed though. I was sort of falling asleep too.” The only thing I could do was nod my head.

  Sam moved me off of his lap, stood up and then helped me up. We walked back to my bedroom. On the way back I could hear Thomas and my dad talking. They must have been in the kitchen. I was scared of sleeping in the bed that Brent was in earlier so I insisted on sleeping in the other bed. Sam rolled down the sheets and fixed the pillows. I crawled into my bed and Sam crawled into his. The room was pretty much silent, now.

  I was up for a long time after that. I couldn’t fall asleep. The memories of the past day kept haunting my thoughts. I twisted and turned and I still couldn’t fall asleep. Awhile l
ater Sam started to move. I stayed very quiet to make sure that I didn’t wake him up. Then there was a body next to me. Sam’s body was very comforting. My stomach was in butterflies.

  “I’m here now, Catherine.” Sam’s voice was quiet and smooth. I could barely hear him. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my head.

  After that, I slept like a rock. I don’t know what it was, but as soon as Sam was next to me all the bad memories went away and everything went back to normal again. That was why I loved Sam so much.

  Saturday morning was brutal. As soon as I woke up all the memories flooded into my head. I shuddered and squeezed my eyes shut. Then someone squeezed me. My stomach went into a flurry when I remembered that Sam was next to me.

  “You okay?” Sam asked me.

  “The memories keep coming back!” I choked out before the tears came. I rolled over and buried my head in Sam’s chest. He squeezed me tight, showing no signs of letting me go.

  “I got you, Katie. Don’t worry. You’re safe now.” Sam assured me. I relaxed a little bit and held in my tears. We laid there and Sam just held me. That was all that I needed right now. Sam knew me so well.

  After everyone got up and ready we left the hotel and headed towards the airport. The past three days all blended together, and I didn’t want to remember any of them.

  Everyone was pretty much silent as we walked around the airport, trying to find our gate. I stayed near Sam as much as possible. I never had to worry about Brent. It seemed as if he was almost trying to stay away from me, but I was okay with that. I didn’t want to deal with him either.

  The five of us waited for the plane that was going to bring us home. Nick was brought to us, by police, as we were waiting for the plane to show up.

  The whole morning was pretty boring. No one talked and everyone kept to themselves. I guess there was nothing really to talk about.

  The plane finally arrived and we all boarded the plane Saturday afternoon, including Nick. Nick kept to himself though. He didn’t talk to anyone else. He just sat in the back alone. I sat by Sam. Richard and Thomas sat by each other and Brent insisted on sitting by himself. The flight went by fast and I only slept for a little bit of it. We arrived in Indianapolis around 2:15 P.M. on Saturday afternoon.