Who I Became (Who I Was Book 2) (14 page)

“He won’t be gone long. Look, I have been searching the house for an exit since you pulled up and he left.  He locked my door but I’ve picked every lock he has put me in so that’s why he wasn’t surprised that I wasn’t in my room.  I think I found an old laundry chute that would put you down to the basement.  Then you can escape through the back basement door and run.”

I smile at her and take in all of her direction as she goes into detail on how to pick the locks on these doors and where to find the tools she used to get out of her room.  She thinks that will probably be the room we share until she gets out of here. I can see hope in her tough exterior and that alone makes this trip worth it.

Lucas comes back in with a cell phone and sits back on the coffee table facing us.  He pulls the gun out of the back of his pants and rests it next to him.

“I am going to call them now on speaker phone so that if needed you guys can speak as well. If you give them anything other than you are alive and unharmed, I will shoot you. Do you two understand?”

I nod and see Mia nodding in the corner of my eye.

“Okay now shut up while I call chiefs house.  It’s the only number I think won’t be bugged and ready to trace my location.”

I nod again, wanting to tell him that I already knew his location so they already know his location but don’t want to poke the semi sleeping bear. I have already told him once. Not sure what his mental state is at if he doesn’t remember.

The phone rings.

It rings again.

I hold my breath.

It rings again then I hear the click of someone picking up and I look over at Mia.  At this time, both our knuckles are white from holding onto each other so tight.

“Hello? Chief Robinson’s house.” I hear the voice. I can’t hear
that
voice. I gasp and tears start running down my cheeks immediately, It can’t be.

Nobody says anything since I had such a dramatic response on our end. They are staring at me unsure what caused my reaction.

“Hello? Any one there?” My heart swells. No way is this possible.  This doesn’t make sense.

“Braxton?” I squeak out through tight lips trying to hold back my sob, praying that even though it can’t be possible that it somehow is.

“Lil?”

The sob breaks through, confirming it’s him to me and that I am me to him.

“Lillian? Where are you?”

I can’t breathe to respond.

“Lillian, Fuck! Where are you? Are you hurt? Tell me where you are?” I hear the stress in every word.

“She’s with me Braxton, this is a very, very nice surprise.” Lucas gloats.

“Tell me where the fuck you are; how the hell did you get her?”

I try to talk but the gun points at me and I stop immediately. Mia pulls me into her and I sob into her shoulder.

“Well Braxton,” he says his name with such distain it makes my stomach curl. “She came to me.”

“No fucking way. What did you do? Let me talk to her, where did she go? I swear if you fucking touched her.”

“Now, now Braxton, no need to be so harsh.  I am telling you the truth; it seems our little Lillian here came here on her own. She wanted to set Mia free.”

“Let me talk to her.” I can tell he is one step from snapping. I don’t know what he could do.

The gun lowers and I open my mouth, then shut it unsure what to say.

“Talk Lil, tell him I didn’t hurt you.”

“Brax, Brax, you were dead!” I all but shout and yet it comes out barely audible with the sobs still raking through me.

“Oh fuck. Listen sweetie I didn’t die, obviously.  I told Parker and Wesson to tell you. They said you were too fragile. I can’t believe they let you go this long with the thought of me being dead still haunting you.  I am alive and I am healthy.”

I start shaking my head, snot pouring down my face.

“I was there, I was fucking there! They said that one of you didn’t make it.  They said that.  I woke up and you weren’t there.  I thought. Oh my God, Park was trying to tell me.”

“Lillian baby it’s okay, it’s going to be okay.  We will get you out of there.”

I want to see him. His voice is a cruel joke at this point. I need to see him.  I still don’t believe it.

“Well this little semi reunion has been great and all but we should get down to business.  Lillian here says that the Chief is about to come huff and puff and blow my house down so I need to talk to him.”

“He isn’t here.”

“Well I suggest you tell him that I need to talk to him. It seems we now have something to talk about.”

“Lillian? Are you still there?”

“You aren’t talking to her anymore. You need to worry about keeping me happy, do you understand?”

“I do understand, I will make sure Chief Robinson contacts you immediately but I need to talk to her. Please just one more time.”

My head is spinning. I am close to vomiting all over Mia and passing out, unsure which will come first.

“One more minute is all you get and when you hang up you have 10 minutes to get the chief to call me back. I also want you to tell Wesson and Parker to back off before I do something they will regret.”

“Okay.”

“Go, your one minute starts now.”

“Lillian?”

“Yes.” I push it out even though I’m close to hyperventilating.

“Lillian, I don’t know what you remember.”

I have to hurry and get this out; our minute will go faster than anything other minute I have lived. 

“Brax, I remember everything. Please let them know I remember everything, that I have always remembered everything and that I am sorry for keeping it to myself, I am so, so sorry.” Mia holds me tighter, using her sleeve to wipe my tears away while I continue to cry harder than I ever have.

“Oh God Lil, then please, please listen to me. There is something else they were hiding from you until you were able to handle it. I again thought it was a poor ass choice to make but I had no say.”

“Times up and yet I am intrigued so what is it Braxton? You better fucking hurry or she won’t get to hear what is so dire.”

“You’re pregnant Lil.”

“No!” I scream. This isn’t funny. He can’t say this shit to me. I lost my baby. I lost what was supposed to be the perfect blend of me and Wesson.

“I told you Brax I remember everything. I remember them saying I had a miscarriage. No one has said anything. There is no way-”

Lucas laughs and laughs hard allowing Braxton just a bit more time to explain.

“Lil you did lose
one
of the babies but sweetheart you were carrying twins. You are still very much pregnant with Wesson’s baby and so I need you to know that before you do anything that could jeopardize the baby because I know you would never forgive yourself.”

Too late, what have I done? I welcome my old friend, the blackness, to envelope me as I pass out on Mia’s lap. I hear, as I am falling into the deep dark, Lucas telling Braxton he has ten minutes.

***

WESSON

I wake up cold and covered in sweat from a nightmare.  I glance over to Lillian’s side to see it is empty.  That explains how a nightmare got through. I wait for a while, expecting that she is just in the bathroom but soon realize that she must not be or something is wrong. I decide to climb out of bed to find her, the feeling of dread crashing down on me. It seems eerily quiet. Something deep down feels off and I rush out the room, slamming the bedroom door against the wall, not caring if I wake anyone up. 

I rush to the bathroom to find it empty.

The living room—Empty             

The kitchen—Empty 

I don’t turn on many lights as I rush from room to room because I am looking for a person who should be seen in the moonlight, no need to waste time on finding switches.

The garage where I am pretty sure she has never set foot in—empty

The backyard that I had to unlock so she obviously isn’t out here—fucking empty.

I head back upstairs and go to Parker’s room, maybe she slipped in with him. I knock but open the door just seconds after, too scared of how I am feeling to care. The door again not opened gently, startles Parker awake.

He takes a look at my face and is out of his bed by my side in seconds.

“What’s wrong Wes? Is Lil okay?”

“I can’t fucking find her!”

He is out the door right before the last word is out. He heads into the room I shared with her as if I wouldn’t have noticed her in there. Then he runs into the bathroom.  He goes to head toward the stairs but I stop him.

“I checked she isn’t down there.”

There is only one more room she could be in so we both look at it at the same time. I open the door slowly but the creak in the door wakes up Vanessa and she has her gun drawn on us in seconds.

“What the hell?”

“Is Lillian in here with you?”

She puts the gun down immediately when she sees our faces and starts to slowly shake her head no.

“FUCK!” I yell, slamming my fist through wall.

I run back down the stairs trying to find anything that would tell me where she is. This time I do turn on the lights as I need to see anything that could give me a clue.  Then right on the kitchen table is a folded piece of paper and my heart stops.  What did she do?

I’m frozen in place, unable to move closer to the paper; unable to take in what is written down, knowing that it isn’t good.  Parker stops next to me to see what I am staring at and walks slowly to the paper. 

“It’s from her isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” I sigh.

“It says to Park, Wes, and Nessa.”

“I can’t read it, please read it Park. Tell me she is okay.”

He nods and unfolds the paper, Vanessa right on our heels and stops next to me where Parker was.  She glances between us then the letter and no explanation is needed as she waits for Park to read it.

***

I love you guys, I really do each of you including Vanessa. I never thought I would have a female friend.

You guys are going to be upset and I am sorry for this. I just had to. I am sick of all of it and I can’t risk anyone getting hurt or dying because of me. 

I am going to avenge Braxton’s death and Wesson love, I am going to avenge our baby’s death. 

But first I am going to give Parker and Wesson someone who deserves their love. I am going to trade myself for Mia.  She doesn’t deserve to be in the place she is, this isn’t her battle.

I know there is nothing that I can do or say that will get you to not do something to get me back so please, I pray that you please be careful.

Sorry Vanessa, I borrowed your car.

I remember everything Wesson and love you yesterday, today and all of the tomorrows.

***

I hit the floor hard on my knees. I look up at Parker with matching tears in my eyes as his. We did this, this is our fault. If we would have just told her the truth she would still be here, now she is stuck with him.  She doesn’t know that Braxton is alive, she doesn’t fucking know she is carrying our child.

We don’t say anything; all three of us sprint to our rooms and rush to get clothes on, and get our gear together as we are going to get her back.

“Maybe she didn’t leave that long ago, maybe we can get to her first.” I yell. Hoping that I am right. I glance out the window and see the sun starting to rise.

We all exit our rooms at the same time and then pause.  Vanessa’s phone starts ringing.  She runs back to her room to find it but it stops before she finds it.  However, then it starts ringing again.

“Hello?” I hear her answer it and both Park and I head to her room to listen.

“What?! How? Yeah hold on.”

She gives the phone to Park and looks at me and I know, something has already happened.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP BRAX! We know we screwed up, now tell me what the fuck you know!”  He is shaking from nerves or anger, I am not sure. 

I motion for him to let me hear also and he nods hitting speaker.

“I just got a phone call from Lillian. Turns out she is in the hands of Lucas. How the fuck did this happen?”

“We don’t know. We were sleeping when she left. She left a note, we hoped it wasn’t too long ago, but I guess the hope of getting to Lucas before her won’t come true.”

“She still didn’t know I was alive? She about lost it when I answered Chief’s phone.”

“What did they say Brax? What’s going on?”

“Luke told me to get Chief to call him in ten minutes and to get you guys off his trail while he works out his demands. He sounds crazier than ever.”

“But you talked to her? Is she okay?” My heart is pounding a million miles a minute, what have I done?

“Yes, she seemed okay besides the fact that she was shocked to find out I was alive. Look, I know you guys had your reasons but I also told her about the baby. I didn’t want her to do anything that could result in her hurting it without her knowing because that would kill her. Also, she wanted me to tell you guys she remembers and has always remembered everything and she is so, so sorry.”