“Hello, Penny,”
she said in monotone. “Fancy seeing you here, huh?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tag start to move. Not being able to concentrate on what he was doing, I kept my eyes on her. It really was her; she was here.
“What are you doing here? I can’t believe it. I’ve missed you so much.”
The fact she was still holding a gun on me didn’t escape my notice, but I was so confused. This whole situation made no sense.
Her upper lip seemed to curl in a snarl, and she made a sound of disgust. “Penny, you really aren’t very smart, I’m sorry to say.”
Jolts of alarm and pain shot through me hearing her. I started to take a step toward her, but she lifted the gun higher.
“Stop right there, Penny. Don’t get any closer to me. You have no idea how much I hate you, do you?”
Tears sprung in my eyes; this could not be happening. This was Kimberly, my best friend since we were babies. This was the girl who I had my first slumber party with, who played at my house after school every day. Kimberly was my closest friend and confidante, who lived through everything with me.
Who was she now? I couldn’t wrap my brain around this. I shook my head, trying to refuse the painful truth of the situation.
“What’s going on? Why would you say that, and why are you holding a gun on me? I’m your best friend. And why are they calling you Jamille? This makes no sense.”
Her eyes turned to slits as her hands shook more. My stomach was revolting, and my legs felt like they were going to go out from under me at any moment. My best friend was holding a gun on me. Was this really happening? My head was swimming, and I prayed my eyes were playing tricks on me. There was no way she would do this to me.
Kimberly started to walk around me in a circle. I could see Tag and Theo watching her closely, ready to pounce at any moment. Tag caught my glance and mouthed, “I love you,”
to me. Someone was on the couch, but I couldn’t get a good look at whom. I didn’t dare look too closely; I needed to focus on Kimberly.
“Penny, it’s been so easy to fool you all these years; you really are very gullible. Roman told me he wanted to call me Jamille, his secret name for me. He didn’t want anybody else to know who I truly was; he said he was protective of me. I bought it all for a while, but now I realize I was just played, another pawn in his twisted game. When he asked me all those years ago if I wanted to help him win your heart, I was naïve enough to think he’d end up falling for me. He was so kind and handsome, he made me feel things every girl dreams of. Knowing he wanted you didn’t deter me, if anything it made me more determined to help him take you so I could have him for myself. But, as usual, you were always in the way, Penny. Nothing I said or did made him lose his interest in you. He wanted the sweet and beautiful Penelope Santoro all for himself.”
She stopped walking around me, standing right in front of me, pure hatred all over her face. I was frozen, unable to move, unable to do a thing. Her next words were like daggers to my soul.
“I was a pretty good actress with you, though, huh? You had no idea how much you annoyed the shit out of me, did you? Your sweet little voice, your perfect little body, everything! Everything about you made me sick.”
I couldn’t stop the tears from falling down my face. This was not the Kimberly I knew. What had happened to her, and why was she doing this? I heard Tag curse in the background but I ignored it, my heart breaking.
“Why?”
I whispered, my throat constricting with tears. “What happened to you?”
“Put the gun down, Jamille.”
My head whipped to the voice, Roman’s voice. He was sitting up on the couch, holding his head.
Kimberly jerked around, pointing the gun at him. Tag ran to me, then stood in front of me, guarding me from her. She didn’t even flinch at his movement, though; she kept her eye, and gun, on Roman.
“GO TO HELL!”
she screamed at him, the gun shaking in her hands. “You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore!”
I stood behind Tag, who
se
hand had reached behind him to grasp mine, not caring about the sobs erupting from deep within my body. She worked for Roman? She was in on this whole thing?
“Calm down, Jamille,”
I heard Roman tell her. His voice sounded old, weak. “Don’t do something you might regret.”
“Regret?”
she asked with a huge laugh. “Oh, that’s rich, coming from the man I regret ever meeting. You used me for everything, Roman, EVERYTHING! Why couldn’t you love me the way you loved HER?”
I felt Tag tense then and felt Kimberly’s stare beating us down.
“It was never me, ever,”
she continued, her voice shaking. “You’re a son of a bitch, and I hate you!”
I couldn’t see what was going on, but I heard movement. Tag squeezed my hand, taking a few steps back, forcing me back as well.
“STAY THERE!”
Kimberly shouted.
“Okay, okay,”
from Theo.
“Theo, stay put for now,”
Roman spoke. “Jamille, give me the gun. Once you do, we will go somewhere and talk this out.”
Kimberly started laughing harder, crazier. It was clear she was mentally ill, and it killed me. I had no idea, and my heart was breaking. I held onto Tag’s hand tighter, barely able to stay standing.
“You think I’m a fool?”
she cried. “I don’t listen to you anymore—I take care of myself. You never wanted me, you don’t care about me AT ALL!”
she cried. “I’m such a damn fool, Roman. I’m such a damn fool for thinking you’d ever stop loving her and start loving me!”
No.
No, no, no.
He loved me.
Roman Vitale loved me.
How?
When?
The room suddenly tilted, making me sway. Nausea boiled in my stomach as I started to fall. Tag turned quickly and caught me. “Whoa, Penny, I’ve got you.”
“What are you doing?”
Kimberly asked, her voice sounding close to us.
I couldn’t move in his arms; I had no strength to open my eyes and look at her. My whole world as I knew it was crashing down over me, with Kimberly the main attraction. I just stayed still, pretending to have fainted.
“She fainted,”
Tag said, his voice clenched.
“Well, yeah, I can see that,”
she said. “Poor thing. She’s probably in shock. It’s not every day you find out you’ve been betrayed by your best friend.”
I felt the crack in my heart rip even more, her words hurting like no pain I’ve felt. Tag lifted me up and sat down somewhere, keeping me in his arms. I still couldn’t open my eyes, the pain of her betrayal completely overwhelming my mind and body.
“Take her to the couch,”
Kimberly said.
“No,”
Tag replied. “I think it’s best if I keep her away from Roman.”
Kimberly let out a small laugh. “Haha, smart man. Good idea. See what you’ve done?”
she shrieked, her voice turning direction.
“Jamille, enough,”
Roman answered. “You are clearly not well. Hand me the gun, and we will get you taken care of.”
CRACK!
The sound of the gun going off had me screaming and Tag swore, taking us to the ground under a table. He covered me with his body; my own was shaking with sobs and tears.
“DAMMIT, Jamille,”
Roman roared. “GIVE ME THE GUN!”
“Are you okay, querida?”
Tag whispered down to me.
I could barely function, only nodded. “Wha, what did she do?”
“She shot a hole in his ceiling. Everyone is okay, for now.”
I continued to cry as he moved off of me a little and took me in his arms. “I’ve got you, sweet girl, nothing will happen to you.”
“I’m never giving you anything again, you bastard!”
Kimberly yelled.
“You have a choice, Jamille. Either give me the gun or risk me telling Theo to shoot you right here,”
Roman told her calmly.
“NO!”
I yelled from under the table. Tag swore again and lurched on top of me.
“You wouldn’t,”
Kimberly responded in a weakened voice.
I heard Roman utter a quiet, evil laugh. “Better yet,”
he said quietly. “Hand me your gun, Theo. I’ll do it myself.”
I tried to get up, but Tag had me in a strong hold, making it so I couldn’t move. “Tag, no,”
I cried. “Don’t let him kill her!”
“Ms. Santoro, you’d be better off if I did, trust me,”
I heard Roman speak.
“Noooo,”
I wailed, still twisting and turning, trying to get out of Tag’s hold.
He held me even tighter. “Stop,”
he told me in a harsh whisper. “Stay out of this. Trust me, querida, please.”
The absolute fear in his voice hit its mark and quieted me.
“Señor,”
Kimberly said in a shaky voice. “Señor, please, I lost my senses, but they’re back now. Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
Roman’s chilling laugh sounded all around the room. “Keeping you alive is something I’d regret, Jamille. You are a damn fool. You’ve caused me more trouble the past few years than you’re worth. I don’t need you anymore, my dear.”
“Roman, what are you doing?”
I heard Theo ask.
“Shut up, Theo,”
he told him. “I’ve never been more clear of anything in my life.”
“What’s he doing, Tag?”
I choked out through my tears.
“No, Penny, just keep your head down.”
More alarm bells surged through me. “Tell me!”
“Tag, bring Penny out and sit on the couch. No need to hide under the table anymore. She’s not in any danger now that I’ve got Theo’s gun. Jamille isn’t going to hurt anyone. Give me the gun, Jamille, now, or I blow your head off.”
BOOM!
The sound was deafening and I screamed, more terrified than I’d ever been in my life. There was a sound of something dropping to the floor, and I uttered a guttural moan, sure that he’d killed her. Tag was completely on top of me, his lips to my ear, telling me he had me.
Chaos ensued around us. Roman and Theo were barking at each other, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying with the loud whirling going on in my head. It felt like I was in another dimension, that this wasn’t actually happening.
“Jamille, Jamille,”
Roman cried, his voice closer than before.
“Ohhhhh,”
he wailed.
“Sir, you should step away from her, go to your room. She’s dead. I’ve got this.”
“Noooo,”
Roman kept crying out.
Tag lifted his head. “Theo, get him out of here. I’m taking Penny out and staying with her. The guys here can take care of her. Just get him out.”
I heard Theo tell Roman he was taking him to his room, and soon their voices were in the distance. Tag kept his head above mine. He pressed a kiss to my cheek, then spoke.
“She’s dead, sweet girl. She shot herself in the head.”
Pain so sharp I thought I’d die erupted in my chest. The sobs came out so deep, a part of me wondered if it was me, the sound so foreign to my ears. “Nooooo,”
I said over and over, trying to roll back and forth. Tag scooted off me just a little, still guarding me with his body.
“I’m so sorry, querida,”
he whispered in my ear, holding me tight to his chest. “I’m so sorry. I’m here, Penny, I’m here, and I love you.”
I couldn’t respond. It wasn’t physically possible for me to do anything but lie there and feel the intense pain. Tag held me for a few more minutes, then turned my face to talk to me.
“I need to get you out of here. It’s not good for you to be in here, but I don’t want you looking at her, please. Don’t let your last memory of her be that. She’s gone, querida, just remember her how you loved her.”
I pressed my head to his chest, the hot tears streaming down my face. “Noooo, I can’t leave her. Please go help her, please.”
He made a gruff sound I’d never heard from him before. “Oh, sweet girl, I would if there was any hope. She’s gone.”
I started to beat my fists on his chest, beyond angry at him for not trying. “HELP HER!”
I screamed. He didn’t say anything, just rocked me as best he could with me beating his chest. After a minute, he took hold of my wrists and pressed kisses to my hands.
“Penny, she’s gone. We need to get out of here. Can you do that for me?”
I was so angry. Nothing was what it seemed. Everything I knew was a complete lie.
The sound of voices suddenly invaded the room, with cursing and talk of covering her with the sheet and getting her out quickly. “Somebody needs to clean this shit up!”
someone yelled, making me feel like the wind was knocked out of me. Tag turned and swore at whoever they were, telling them I was her friend and to just shut up. Mumbled apologies were heard as Tag asked me again if I was ready. I don’t remember saying anything, just watched him crawl out from under the table and hold his hand out to me. Feeling completely numb, my limbs heavy and difficult to move, I took it and he helped pull me out.