Page 12 of Falling for A Lie

Tobias chuckles and leaves me with one final blow to the chest with his next words: “Also, so that you know, Your dad is still in Hazleton, and your sister is with Scarlett. They were never here. Don’t try to fuck me over again, boy” He hangs the phone up, leaving me speechless.

I look around to see that the only one witnessing my downfall is Alec. The smile plastered across his face makes me nauseous. How could his jealousy and hatred towards Soren lead him to team up with Tobias? How long has he been working with him to monitor me?

How am I going to get out of this?

Alec steps forward and extends his hand. “Let's go get the bitch.” He smirked while waiting for me to reply or take his hand. I push it away and bring myself up on my own; I dust myself off and make my way over to Ben without Alec.

I slide into my F150’s front seat, the interior light illuminating the black leather. The lingering scent of Soren’s perfume suffocates me, reminding me of my plan with Ben to protect her while I make sure my family is safely relocated away from Tobias. Soren’s unaware that the friend she trusts is someone I hired to keep her away from Alec. Someone who would guarantee her safety, regardless of what happened to me. Ben promised to call her and convince her to leave, saying I was trying to take her out and would never stop.

“I Think I’m Lost Again” By Chase Atlantic Blares through my speakers as my world crashes and burns around me. If only she knew how much this hurts. The fight between us still lingers in the back of my mind, replaying the hurtful words I said that made her leave. She will never know how deeply I regret those words, how much I didn’t mean them. Honestly, the thought of college becomes meaningless compared to the pain of losing her. I didn’t care if we never went to college; all I wanted was her. I yearned for the freedom to live my life with her by my side, to experience an actual life together, free from the constant fear of losing her or the need to be on guard. We were far too young to be dealing with the shit we were forced into.

He was angry before we left, as he tried to convince me to stop by my apartment and retrieve my gun from the floor safely. He claimed that one bullet to her head would solve all my problems.

If only he would take the gun and aim it at my real problem Tobias, before turning it on himself, I’d truly be free from them both. Soren would be safe.

I press the green button, and his breathing echoes throughout the now-silent cab, causing my teeth to clench with irritation as I hiss out a quick reply, “What, Alec?”

His annoying laughter echoes through the speaker before he shoots off three words that make the blood running through my veins freeze with dread: “I see her.” The thought of him reaching her before I’m even there to protect her from him makes me feel nauseous. “Stay put and do not go near her; this doesn’t involve you, Alec.” He growls out in frustration at not getting his way.

“Better hurry pretty boy, looks like your whore fiance is flirting with that weird guy Radley at Zed’s Bar.” He snarks out, not hiding the joy from his tone of seeing Soren talking to another guy after our fight. Somehow proving what he always believed she was, a whore. But if only he knew her as well as I did, he would know she would never betray me. No matter how many times I hurt her, she would never try to get even by fucking someone else after our fight. Her loyalty was never something I had to question. “Watch yourself if she spots you, she’ll know I’m coming before I even have a chance to do what I need to do. I’ll be there in ten.” I reply hastily, ending the call as I press harder on the gas, propelling the truck fastertowards the bar. ‘Jericho’ by Sleep Token begins to blare through the speakers as I feel my heart beating in my throat.

I thought if we left half an hour later, Soren would be home and in bed. I would sneak in, leaving her a letter telling her the truth about everything and how I loved her, but this was something that needed to happen I would sneak out and meet Ben, while Ben would call her and feed her some fabricated bullshit about me being set out to kill her and how she needed to escape before I came back to finish the job.

God, I wish for something to go my way for once. I tighten my grip on the steering wheel as I try to come up with something now that I’m put on the spot with Alec already there to witness everything whatever I came up with had to be believable. Before I can get further in my train of thought, another call cuts through the music, the distinct ringtone making my already sour mood worse. I reluctantly press play as Tobias’ voice echoes around me making me shudder. “ Bring her to me tonight. You have an hour.” He doesn’t give me a chance to reply before he ends the call leaving me speechless, and on a road I’m not sure I can cross without it coming to bite me in the ass and killing everyone I love.

I slam my fist down on the steering wheel taking in the pain it causes as a sign that this is real and I have no choice but to play this in the only way I know how to make sure everyone lives. I have to attack and try to kidnap her, I have to make sure that it's convincing enough that someone tries to stop meand saves her, if they intervene I can act like I’m spooked and escape and that gives her the proof she needs that she is not safe from me and she needs to leave. That along with the call from Ben, should be enough. That’s what I’m foolishly telling myself to justify what I need to do to save the woman I love from the monster that will never stop hunting her.

I’ll sacrifice the future I had planned for us if it means she gets away from his reach. I’ll be the villain if it means she leaves and never comes back.

I stop my truck a block away and decide to walk the rest of the way to Zed’s, not wanting my father’s patrolmen to see my car and stop to see what I’m doing on this side of town. The music from the bar hits my ears before the lights do, Alec bounces on his heels on the side of Zed’s as he looks excited to see me finally his voice comes out excited as he speaks a little too loud for comfort “Let’s get this cunt pretty boy, and I’ll fuck that sweet ass of yours in her blood, We’ll leave her tied up so she can see who you belong to. Sound good baby?”

I look at him with a fake smile as I groan quietly to myself as the music around us drowned at my blatant disgust at what he just said, If anything I’d love to fuck Soren in his blood as he was tied up beside Tobias watching me fuck my girl. I avoid saying anything in response to him, hoping that my quietness is taken as compliance and he leaves me alone so I can figure out what I need to do.Do I pretend to kidnap her? Do I tell Alec I will meet him at the house and take off with Soren, I’llsend Ben for her sisters to get them to safety once we make it to wherever that is.

“Pretty boy, what has that look on your face? I can take care of her if you need me too.” Alec sing-songs gleefully beside me as he skips, his feet crushing the gravel below his boots. Whowould’ve thought this psycho beside me was just acting friendly with my girl earlier to now talking about taking care of her so carelessly?

“Are you doubting my ability to handle this shit? Because you can go home until it's done.” I snap, stopping and waiting for him to look at me as he comes to a skidding stop. “You and Tobias are always second-guessing me, if I wasn’t qualified why even hire me to do this bullshit? Why not handle it himself?” I throw my hands up as the anger begins to boil over making me feel sick to my stomach.Why my father forced me into accepting this fucking job in the first place I will never fucking know, It has made me both miserable and happy to have her.

“Baby, you know I would never doubt you.” He pokes his bottom lip out in a fake pout as he takes a menacing step in my direction, bringing his chest against mine. Our breaths mingle as he tilts his head, looking at me, trying to catch me in whatever lie he detects. I keep my emotions locked away as I stare into his eyes.

“You have before. You’re still seeing the mystery person behind my back, and can’t even trust me to tell me who it is!”I snap, my teeth clicking in a harsh manner making my jaw hurt as he stumbles back hurt crossing his face right before anger takes it place, he spins on his heels and stomps to the bar without me, shouting a quick response “FUCK YOU! You have no right to judge me for being with someone while being with you, you have a whole fiance!” he gets ahead of me by ten steps causing me to half jog to catch up to him.But I'm not with him by choice, but by a fucked up mistake that he is behind. That's the difference between us. He is choosing to be with someone and force me to be with him, as for me I only want Soren.

We reach the parking lot at the same time, and I catch sight of Soren’s car, letting a soft sigh escape my lips that she is still inside. I pray she wouldn’t leave alone, even if the thought physically pains me, that she came here to pick someone up to cheat on me after our fight.Pot meets kettle.

The other car that stands out has me clenching my fist in anger. Why have they been around her more often than usual? Every time I look around when we are out or when I pull into the parking lot of her parent's business, I catch sight of one of them. They are obvious in their stalking, not even trying to hide the looks they shoot her way. I’m not sure how my girl hasn’t noticed.

Before I have a chance to distract Alec, the door to the dingy bar opens, and out comes a slightly tipsy Soren as she walksto her car, oblivious to the dangers that are lurking in the dark, ready to cause her harm.

I take a moment to take her in before everything goes to shit; once she learns the truth, and I force her to go on the run with me and separate her from her sisters until they can be safe together again, Ben will make sure they’re okay.

I go to step forward, but before I have a chance Alec is racing off in her direction with a bottle he picked up from the ground in his hand and heading straight for Soren. Everything slows down as he brings the bottle up and slams it into the back of her head with a sinister laugh escaping his lips, and she crumbles to the ground. My feet carry me to her as I feel a lump logging in my throat at the scene in front of me. Blood coats the broken bottle, and glass litters the ground around us; I push Alec away, gripping the bottle and snatching it from him before he can cause her any more harm. “ YOU STUPID FUCKING BITCH!!” I scream as the bottle shakes in my grip I try to gain composure and not slam the broken end into the side of his neck and watch him bleed out beside where she is.

Before I can let the intrusive thoughts of killing his stupid ass, a hard force is knocking into me, causing me to lose balance as Alec runs, leaving me to face the consequences of his actions.

Everything is fucked.

Fist connects with my face and ribs. As Radley and Reed punch and kick me, I try to guard only to be blindsided byCaden, who slams his fist into the back of my head, causing me to stumble forward and fall to the ground; I curl into the fetal position and try to protect myself as much as I can from the onslaught that the three of them are raining down on me, I peek just in time to see Soren get up and stumble towards Drake. The words and everything else around me become muffled as Caden lands a kick to the side of my head, and I pray that they end it tonight because the pain on my girl's face is enough for me to end it all myself with a bullet to my brain.

The three beating the shit out of me ease up and turn towards Drake and Soren. They step away from me, I guess believing that I’m passed out and, honestly, I should be. But I’m not, and I am stuck watching Reed order Drake to get Soren into her car so they can take her to get seen. I don’t catch where they are taking her before Alec shows up and drags me away into the shadows away from my girl.