Love & Lies

by Iannarelli, Michelle

  Just then a familiar voice spoke. “Well, well, look who finally arrived.”

  Miles looked up first. “Milton, they said…”

  “Yes, I know. They said I was dead. But luckily with a little help from your friend, Eric, I managed to fool everyone, including you.”

  “But why?” Miguel asked.

  “Why? Because I had killed a few more people than necessary and I was about to get caught, so I needed to drop off the grid. Luckily for me, your friend Eric was more than willing to help me out as long as I promised to kill you three before I vanished for good.”

  “Any more questions before I put a bullet through each of your heads?”

  “So you’re the one who orchestrated the attack on my dinner party? To kill us?”

  “Yup, unfortunately, your security team did their job especially this one here. He shot me you know. That’s why I took him captive, so I could torture him. It’s been fun.”

  Dane walked towards Milton. “You’re fucking crazy!” Milton shot Dane. Dane dropped to the floor. Milton walked over and kicked him a few times and then looked at Miguel. “How would you like to be next?”

  “You said questions first.”

  “I did, but this is your last question. You see I have a plane to catch.”

  “What’s the deal with Eric? I thought he was part of our Team?” Miguel was trying to stall until he could come up with some type of plan.

  “Eric was never part of your Team. You treated him poorly. He was just the lowly computer geek. Like Rudolph, the other reindeer never let him join in any games. He was forced to sit on the sidelines with his computer while his marksman skills went to the wayside. You and your Team got all the credit while he was forced to sit back and watch.”

  Miles stood up. “Get back down on the floor. Now!” Miles was about to sit down when all of a sudden there was a loud, blood curdling scream and gunshots.

  Milton looked to his left where the screams came from and Miguel lunged at him with a knife. He stabbed him but Milton hit Miguel in the head with the butt of his gun. Miles was already trying to choke him but Milton was bigger than Miles and he was having a hard time taking him down.

  There was another scream and Alex appeared. Miguel heard her and somehow managed to get up from the floor. He pulled the gun from his ankle holster and shot Milton in the head. Miles fell back against the wall.

  Miguel grabbed Alex who was covered in blood. “Don’t touch me.”

  “Alex?”

  “I know what you did, I saw…”

  “Oh are the lover’s having a quarrel?”

  Miguel stood in front of Alex. “Leave her out of this.”

  “It’s too late. She knows too much. She was hiding on the plane and she heard me on the phone and then she saw you on your killing spree. So…she must die too. Pity as she is so pretty. Maybe I will have some fun with her before I kill her. Would you like to watch, Miguel?”

  “Over my dead body will you touch her.”

  “Kinky, but if that’s the way you want it.” Eric lifted up his arm to shoot Miguel and there was a gunshot and Eric dropped to the floor. He was dead. Dane had dragged himself over to his gun.

  Alex started crying and dropped to the floor. Miguel grabbed her and hugged her. She tried to push him away but he wouldn’t allow her to at first. Then Miles came over and pulled Miguel away.

  “She asked you to leave her alone. Give her some space. We need to get out of here anyway.”

  Miguel stood up. He grabbed ahold of Dane and helped him up and then together with Miles they pulled up Jakey. Alex just stood there watching as they picked each other up off the ground and then collected their weapons, like kids picking up their toys after a day of play.

  Miles walked over to Alex. “I can’t even try to fathom what you are feeling right now but we need to leave. Nobody is going to hurt you, I promise. Ok?” Alex didn’t speak, she just nodded and followed Miles as they all headed to the plane.

  Once they boarded the plane, Alex walked into the bedroom and locked the door behind her. She laid down on the bed and cried herself to sleep.

  Miles patched up Dane’s shoulder after he stopped the bleeding. Then he gave Jakey some food and water and he started to look a bit better. Miguel just sat there. He never said a word, he didn’t bother to clean himself up, he just sat there staring into space.

  The plane landed and Miguel knew he only had a few minutes before he was going to be called away for a debriefing. He got up and knocked on the bedroom door.

  “Alex, please open the door. I promise, I won’t touch you, I just want to talk to you for a minute before they come for us.”

  Alex didn’t really want to talk to Miguel but she needed to say goodbye, so she opened the door. “I don’t want to talk to you. I only opened the door to give you this and to say…goodbye.” Alex handed Miguel his ring and then she closed the door again.

  TWO WEEKS HAD PASSED. Miguel went to work, yelled at everyone and then went back home. When he got back home today, Miles and Eden were waiting for him.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Miguel, please. I can’t stand seeing you like this.” Eden grabbed Miguel and hugged him.

  “Eden, just leave me alone.” Miguel pulled away.

  Miles stood up. “Migs…”

  “I said I want to be alone.”

  “I heard what you said. Guess what, I don’t give a fuck what you want. I’m staying.” Miles grabbed Miguel and hugged him.

  Miguel began to fall apart. Tears started to roll down his cheeks. “I miss her; I miss her so much.”

  Miles walked Miguel over to the couch and sat down with him. Eden sat down on the other side and grabbed Miguel’s hand. “We love you and we’re going to help you get through this.”

  “I’ve never felt this way. I just want to die.”

  Miles looked at his friend who was a blundering mess and he felt so bad for him. “Do you remember when I lost that woman I was in love with?”

  Miguel shook his head. Eden looked up at Miles as he spoke.

  “Well, I wanted to die too. It’s what happens when we love someone so deeply and then they’re gone from our lives. They take a piece of our heart with them. But Migs, as hard as it is and as much as it seems that we can’t go on, we have to and we somehow find a way.”

  “How about I grab us some beers and order a pizza? Then we can have a sleepover like when I was a kid and you two would try to cheer me up.”

  “I appreciate you two trying to help but I’m just not in the mood for company.”

  “That’s great because we aren’t inviting any company over, it’s just us, your family.” Eden kissed Miguel on the cheek and then got up. “I will be right back with the beer, decide if you want pepperoni or meatball?”

  “She’s so stubborn.”

  “Yeah, she takes after her brother.”

  Alex had been hiding out at Faith’s house. She couldn’t handle staying with Ryan; she knew he would constantly go on about how much he wanted to beat the crap out of Miguel for breaking her heart. However, she never expected Faith to want to choke the shit out of him.

  “Let’s go out for dinner.”

  “I’ll pass.”

  “Alex, it’s been two weeks since you left the house. You can’t hide here forever. Well you can stay here forever, but you need to come and go on a daily basis. This is not healthy and it isn’t helping you to move on with your life.”

  “I don’t think I can move on.”

  Faith moved over to the other couch where Alex was sitting. “I know you miss him. Are you sure there isn’t any chance of…”

  “No.”

  “I wish you would tell me what happened.”

  Alex wanted to tell Faith what happened but she knew she couldn’t. She was contacted the day that they arrived back, by the Agency that Miguel worked for, and told that she wasn’t at liberty to discuss anything to do with the events leading up to the rescue of Jakey or the
demise of Milton and Eric.

  “I can’t. All I can say is that Miguel wasn’t who he seemed to be.”

  “Seemed to be? He seemed to love you more than life itself. Did that change?”

  “No, I believe that he would have given up his life for me. I know he loved me.”

  “Then what could be so terrible that you can’t forgive him?”

  “He lied to me.”

  “Alex, we all lie from time to time. Did he lie to hurt you or to protect you?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “So he lied to protect you and you can’t forgive him?”

  “What I can’t forgive is what he did that he needed to protect me from.”

  “Ok, can you answer another question?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “No. So tell me why you haven’t returned Miles’ and Dane’s phone calls? Are they on your Shit List because they are Miguel’s friends?”

  “They are a part of this.”

  “This, this, this! I’m so tired of not knowing what the hell happened. You’re heartbroken, Miguel is heartbroken and I can’t seem to understand why the hell you aren’t together.”

  “How do know he’s heartbroken?”

  “Well let me see…Eden has told Ryan and Ryan told me. Miles has also told me. Oh, and let’s not forget Dane. Miguel has been going to work and then straight home again. He won’t talk to anyone, he isn’t eating and he missed his last public appearance.”

  “Good, I hope he’s fucking miserable…” Alex couldn’t finish her sentence before she started crying.

  Faith hugged her. “Oh, Sweetie. Maybe you could just meet and talk. Even if you can’t work things out maybe it will give you some closure and then you can move on?”

  “Maybe you’re right. As much as I don’t want to see him, I can’t go on like this.”

  Faith handed Alex the phone before she changed her mind. “Call him.”

  Alex dialed Miguel’s number and then she hung up and put the phone down. “I can’t.”

  “You can.” Faith handed her back the phone.

  Alex exhaled and then hit redial.

  “Alex.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ve missed…”

  “Would you be willing to meet me…to talk?”

  “Of course. Anytime, anywhere. I’ll be there.”

  “I’m at Faith’s.”

  “I’ll come right over.”

  “Ok.”

  “I still love you.”

  Alex hung up without responding.

  Miguel was at Faith’s before Alex even had time to dry her hair. Faith told her she stunk and needed to go shower. It had been a few days, so Alex got up and showered.

  Faith opened the door for Miguel.

  “Hi.”

  “Alex called me.”

  Faith’s heart broke. Miguel looked awful. He looked tired and his eyes were bloodshot. He also looked as if he had lost a few pounds.

  “She’s getting dressed. Come in.”

  Miguel walked in and just stood there. He didn’t speak.

  “You can have a seat. I’m going to go out for a bit.”

  “Ok.” Miguel replied but he never moved. He stood there like a pillar.

  Faith left and about two minutes later the door at the end of the hall opened and Alex came walking down the hall. Miguel and Alex’s eyes met and they just stared at one another, not like the first time. This time they saw the sadness in each other’s eyes and then they looked away.

  “Alex.”

  Alex looked around. “Where’s Faith?”

  “She went out.”

  Alex stepped back. It hurt Miguel to know that she was frightened by him.

  “I would never hurt you, Alex.”

  “No? Then why do I feel like you put a knife through my heart?”

  “I feel the same way.”

  “Who’s fault is that? Not mine!”

  “I know.”

  Miguel reached out his hand and touched Alex’s arm. Alex pulled away. “Don’t touch me.”

  “Alex, I swear, I would never hurt you. That wasn’t me that you saw doing those things.”

  “Wasn’t you?”

  “I mean, it wasn’t the real me, the one you know, the one you fell in love with, who fell in love with you.”

  “Maybe not…but it was still you! I saw you kill people with the same hands that touched my body when you made love to me. How could you?”

  “I was a Marine, when my tour was up I was approached by the Agency. They said that they had observed me and that they wanted me to work for them as an independent contractor. I said yes because it paid well, not because I wanted to run around killing people and risk my life. I needed the money to put Eden through school. I’ve done some things that I’m not proud of but I did what I had to do to serve my country and get our men and women home.”

  “You sent Eden to school with blood money. Your business was built…”

  “My business was built with my blood and sweat. I didn’t use that money for my business. I used it for Eden’s education and donated the rest to youth charities.”

  “It doesn’t really matter where the money ended up. Truth of the matter is that you killed people for it and I don’t think I can ever get past that.”

  Miguel looked down at the floor. All hope was now lost. He looked up at Alex, one last time. “Goodbye, Alex. Take care of yourself.” Then he walked out the door.

  DANE HAD SPOKEN TO Faith about Miguel and Alex. He hated seeing the two of them miserable. Faith suggested that he come over and visit and that maybe he could talk to Alex. Faith arranged to be conveniently stuck at work late so that Alex would be there alone with Dane.

  Alex heard the doorbell but she didn’t want to talk to anyone so she didn’t budge from her bed at first but then the bell rang again and again. She finally got up and answered the door. Which after seeing that it was Dane, she regretted not looking through the peep hole before opening it.

  “Alex, hi.”

  “Faith, isn’t home.” Alex tried to shut the door.

  Dane forced his foot in the door so that Alex couldn’t shut it on him. “I know, we have a date but she is running late and asked me to wait for her here.”

  “Fine.” Alex turned and began to walk away.

  “I miss seeing you at the house.”

  “I don’t want to talk to you, Dane. Don’t you get it. What you did, what you all do, makes me sick.”

  “Let me ask you something, Alex, what would have happened if I didn’t kill Eric? You’d probably be dead. Miguel would be dead, ehh, maybe we would all be dead?” Dane walked over to Alex and placed his hand on her back.

  Alex pulled away from Dane. “You can talk until you are blue in the face, it won’t change how I feel or what I saw.” Alex grabbed her purse and walked out the door, slamming it behind her.

  Dane shook his head. He wanted to take Alex and shake some sense into her.

  Miles talked Miguel into going out for a drink on the way home from work. They sat at the bar for ten minutes and Miguel wanted to go home.

  “I need to get out of here.”

  “Migs, finish your drink, then we will talk.”

  “Fuck off, you don’t give me orders!” Miguel got up and Miles grabbed him by the shoulder. Miguel turned around and punched Miles in the jaw.

  Miles stepped back. He thought about swinging at Miguel but it wouldn’t have done any good and he would have ended up with a sore jaw and hand. He sat back down at the bar and finished his drink, then he ordered another one.

  Miguel stood there watching Miles as he sat back down and drank his drink like nothing ever happened. “Now you’re not going to talk to me either?”

  Miles smiled, he waited a good minute before he answered. “Oh, are we still friends?”

  “Miles, don’t be a jerk. You’re my best friend.”

  “Correct and that is why I allowed you to use me as a punching bag. Now sit down and finis
h your drink.”

  Miguel sat down and chugged his drink. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know. I’m worried about you, Migs.”

  “It just hurts so bad.”

  “I know. Trust me, I know.”

  Alex didn’t even knock, she just barged into Ryan’s office. She stumbled upon Ryan having sex with Eden.

  “FUCK, RYAN!”

  “SHIT, ALEX!”

  Ryan jumped up so fast he almost threw Eden on the floor. Eden grabbed her clothes and started getting dressed, leaving Ryan standing there with his huge cock pointing right at his sister.

  “Do something with that!” Alex pointed at his cock before she looked away.

  “Alex, you come flying into my office, interrupt ME while I’m having sex and then you are going to stand there and yell about my cock, that feels quite lonely I might add, thanks to you and is ready to explode?”

  Alex burst into tears. Eden was dressed by now. She walked over to Alex and hugged her. Ryan painfully tucked himself back into his pants and then walked over to Alex and Eden.

  “I’m sorry, Sis.”

  “I’m sorry. I just…”

  “Ryan, do you think that we could have a few minutes alone?”

  “Yeah sure, I’ll go find some ice to put in my pants.”

  Eden rolled her eyes. “He is so dramatic. Come sit, Alex.”

  “You must hate me.”

  “Don’t be silly, Alex, I can have sex with Ryan anytime, he is always willing and very able.”

  “I meant because of what happened with Miguel.”

  Eden brushed Alex’s hair away from her face and then handed her some tissues. “I understand why you feel the way you do. I was kind of freaked out myself when I first found out.”

  Alex looked up at Eden in surprise. “He told you?”

  “Not exactly. You see when I was about fifteen I hid under Miguel’s desk. I was sick and tired of him always having meetings and being in there with his door locked, well…I was nosey too. Anyway, I heard everything they said. I was so afraid. Our parents used to abuse us. I started to think that maybe Miguel was turning out like them. I started avoiding him and locking my door all the time. Miguel finally waited inside my room one day and when I locked the door, he was inside with me.”