More Than Friends Page 22

  I turn my head slightly toward a small television sitting on a long wooden dresser, Sanford and Son plays softly in the background. The room’s dingy beige walls are stained from years of smoke and neglect, with a hint of water damage around the faded floral border lining the tops of the walls.

  Turning my head some more, I notice a small area off to the left that houses a sink and mirror, which is adjacent to what I assume would be a bathroom. My head throbs, my stomach is nauseous and threatening to spill its contents at any moment. Every movement I make is concentrated and wary.

  I try to sit up, but when I do, blazing, hot pain explodes through my abdomen. The pain is so severe it causes the bile that was threatening to spill from my stomach earlier, to spill from my mouth, covering my shirt, and the worn double bed I’m lying on. My hands immediately find their way to my stomach, inspecting my wound. The first thing I notice is that it’s not bleeding anymore. I lift my shirt to find sixteen uneven little x’s closing the jagged lesion.

  Gritting my teeth, I pull myself up on the bed and lean against the headboard. I look down at my stomach again in an effort to try to wrap my mind around the situation.

  Before I can delve too deeply into my thoughts, the door to the room opens. The sunlight streams into the room, blinding me, making Todd look like a shadow. His dark silhouette stands in the door, staring at me. The unwelcomed thought that he looks like death’s silhouette pops into my mind. His menacing outline steps into the room. He uses his foot to slam the door shut.

  The sound of his feet dragging the carpet is the only sound in the room. Todd sets a bucket of ice next to the television and turns to me. “How are we feeling?” His smug smile tells me he doesn’t really give a shit.

  I finally find my voice and bellow, “What the hell did you do to me?”

  “I saved your fucking life!” he yells back. The incredulous look on his face ignites a deep blaze of rage.

  “No, you’re the reason I almost bled to death, and you’re also the reason Sara is probably dead in the damn woods. What the fuck is wrong with you?” I question him with a shaky voice.

  “Don’t worry about Sara, she will be fine. You should be fucking grateful. If I hadn’t stopped the bleeding and stitched your pussy ass up, you would’ve bled to death. Be fucking grateful I didn’t just let you die. You’ve fucked everything up, you know that, right?” He starts pacing the room; he stops and points a finger in my direction. “You know that Andre is going to try to kill us both, don’t you? Once word of this whole fucked up situation hits the streets, he’s going to come after us. You’ve made us a fucking liability.” The scuffing sound of the worn carpet resumes.

  I need to get out of here, and as far away as possible. He’s right about one thing though, once the Columbians find out that we have this kind of heat on us, they will dispose of us to keep from being exposed themselves. Todd walks to the bathroom while I silently sit here.

  He probably thinks I’m being compliant, or that I’m scared shitless, but he couldn’t be more wrong. Out of nowhere, an eerie sense of calm has taken over, leaving me with a clear mind to process my thoughts. In fact, my mind hasn’t been this clear in so long, I forgot what it feels like.

  I know that I’ll probably end up in jail or dead anyway, but the consequences of my actions are far better than living in this nightmare every day, especially when my friends are getting hurt because of my choices. I’m such a selfish prick; I know and accept this now.

  The sounds of water falling echoes in the dim room, giving me the opportunity I need to put the plan I’ve formulated into action. I will only have a few minutes to get everything in place, so I act quickly. Gritting my teeth, I fight the pain as I pull myself off the bed.

  I swallow the fear and quickly find my phone. I still have Detective Sanders contact information stored from the day at the hospital when he found out that Todd was back around. When he gave me his number, I saved it in my phone as Sandy, just in case someone was to go through it. I guess I was being paranoid at the time, but it worked out for me in the long run.

  I hear the water shut off as I dial Detective Sanders; panic and adrenaline fill my veins. I place my phone face down on the floor next to the bed. If Todd comes to this side of the bed, I can easily kick it underneath the frame in an attempt to hide it. I hear a muffled, “hello?” so I raise my voice and ask, “Todd?” What hotel are we at anyway?”

  “Just some shitty Motel 8 right outside town. Why?” he says from the other side of the bathroom door.

  “I was just wondering, man. So, what the hell are we gonna do now?” The words come out calm, but on the inside, I’m panicked. If he figures out what I’m doing I’ll be dead for sure.

  “We’re going to pick up that shipment I told you about in Savannah. Fuck, we left the address and information at your apartment.” The exasperation evident in his tone, causes my heart rate to increase with the anxiety that’s wreaking havoc on my insides.

  “We can go get it,” I say a little too loudly as he opens the door and exits the small confines of the bathroom. Steam unfolds behind him, as if it were desperate to get as far away from him as possible.

  “We’re gonna have to.” I just nod in agreement. This fucker has fell into my trap and doesn’t suspect a thing. Hope blooms throughout me at the prospect of getting out of this alive.

  Todd starts walking toward me and I hope I don’t look as nervous as I’m suddenly feeling at his shift in body language.

  “What’s up with you, Tom? You’re looking kind of paranoid. I don’t scare you, do I?” He smiles maliciously, enjoying the effect the situation has on me. I attempt to relax my tense shoulders.

  “Na, I just feel like shit. I don’t like being blackmailed into doing shit, either. I don’t like my friends getting hurt because of the shit I let you get me wrapped up with. I don’t like being stabbed with giant shards of glass, and I don’t like being cooped up in the fucking hotel room with you.” This earns me an angry glare, but he’s interrupted before he can say anything else.

  Knock, knock, knock. Todd looks at me and then to the door. He walks to the window, and pulls the blinds back. “You motherfucker! What did you do?”

  “What are you talking about?” I try to play dumb, but the smug smile on my face gives me away.

  “You fucking set me up! I’m going to kill you for this, you know that, right?” He takes a step toward me.

  “Open the door, Todd!” a stranger calls through the door.

  Todd lowers his voice to a whisper. “You’re fucking dead, do you hear me?” He scans the room, looking for a way to escape, but finds none.

  “Todd, this is Detective Sanders with the GAPD. Open the door and come out!”

  Todd runs to the bathroom and comes out holding a gun. “What the fuck are you doing?” I scream at him. “Put that shit away!”

  He points the gun at me. “I can’t have any loose ends. We could’ve pulled this job off and moved on.”

  “Put the fucking gun down, Todd!” I scream in panic.

  Bam...Bam...Bam. The door rattles on its hinges with every hit. I jump from the bed, ignoring the pain in my stomach. Another loud BAM and someone’s gun goes off. Pain ricochets off every bone, muscle, and fiber of my being. I drop to the floor, gasping for air.

  A moment later, a loud boom fills the room followed by the fading sun and street lights. Shots ring out and I hear Todd screaming in agony. My vision fills with darkness; I’m left lying on the floor, gasping like a fish out of water. Only the high pitch ringing in my ears accompanies me into the void.

  Someone pulls at my body, shifting me one way, then the other, but I don’t see who it is. The ringing gets louder and louder, until I feel like my ears drums are going to explode. Tremors take over while a frigid chill washes over me. I’m left floating in the darkness alone.

  I know I’ve reached my end, and I welcome it with open arms. My final thoughts are with Sara and Chloe; they don’t deserve the pain I’ve caused them.
My only hope is that in time, they’ll be able to forgive me for every ounce of betrayal and suffering I’ve caused them. It may be too late, but I pray that they can find happiness in their lives, and remember the old me. The one that was selfless instead of selfish.

  The Tom that loved them unconditionally, without hesitation. The old Tom that was lost after his father died. The person that is now found, and lying here, praying for repentance and for his friends. I know it’s a lot to ask forgiveness from someone you have betrayed, in every sense of the word, but I pray that they can find it in themselves to do so.

  Because if there is one thing I’ve learned from all of this, it’s that life has no guarantees. Forgive those that don’t deserve it, because if you don’t, that hatred and resentment will eventually turn into misery. The misery will grow, fester, and eat at you until there is nothing left, leaving you empty and broken.

  When my father died, there was a void I tried to fill through drugs, women, and booze. I fooled myself into thinking that I was okay, that I was coping and moving forward. I realize now that I was moving backward, digging myself deeper and deeper into a dark hole of desperation and despair. My misery bled from me, seeped its way into those I cared most about, and caused them a tremendous amount of pain. I know this now, and in this life or the next, I will never be able to forgive myself.

  I try to lift my head to look around, but it’s so heavy and my neck feels weak, so it flops back down. All I can smell is the lingering stench of smoke, and the chill in the air has me shivering. My surroundings are bright but it hurts my eyes, so I close them tight. I can hear cars passing in the distance and birds singing.

  My stomach is queasy and I can’t help but wonder how long I’ve been trapped in the car. I take in a deep breath to quell my rising nausea and try to will some strength from deep within myself, but only end up dry heaving from the rancid, chemical smell coming from outside the vehicle.

  Warmth still trickles down my face and I look around the car. I notice that Tom’s phone is gone. There’s no way I’ll be able to find my way to the main road now. Fuck. What am I going to do?

  Like a miracle sent from God, I hear a small buzzing sound. It’s faint, so faint that I almost can’t hear it. Unbuckling my seat belt, I lean over the console. Pain explodes from my body. Everything hurts and feels shattered. I stop moving and take a few deep breaths. The smell of exhaust and dirt assaults my nose. My purse is on the floor, pushed all the way up under the dashboard. Gritting my teeth and readying myself for the pain I know I’m going to feel, I stretch my beaten, and bloody body until I’m able to grasp the strap on my bag, pulling it to me.

  The buzzing noise stops as I pull myself back into the driver seat. I spend the next few minutes breathing through the pain. Once the biggest part of the throbbing subsides, I start digging through the bottomless pit I call a purse. I find my phone and sigh in relief as I dial Harley.

  He answers on the first ring. “Where the hell are you? It’s eleven-thirty in the morning, babe. You’ve been missing for almost a whole day and everyone’s been looking for you!”

  “Wreck.” It’s the only word I can say before I vomit all over the passenger side of the car.

  “Wreck? Where are you?” I can hear the panic in his voice and it tugs at my heart.

  “I was pushed off the side of Thompson Road. I feel dizzy. Hurry, Harley,” I cry into the receiver.

  “Stay on the phone, baby. I’m on my way. Don’t you dare hang up!” he demands.

  “I’m so sleepy.” My lids feel heavy and my head starts spinning.

  “NO!” he shouts in my ear. “Don’t go to sleep. Baby, listen to my voice. I’m on my way.” I hear him shouting to Brady to get in the car. Tires squeal while Harley gets Brady up to speed.

  “Baby, you there?” he asks.

  “Yeah,” I whisper.

  “Don’t go to sleep. Brady’s going to call 9-1-1 and Skye, okay? Whatever you do, stay awake. I’m probably five minutes away from Thompson Road. Do you know where on the road you are?”

  “I’m not on the road. I was run off the road somewhere. I don’t know where.” I feel my body shiver from the chill that has set deep in my bones.

  I start crying, which is so unlike me. Harley does his best to comfort me, but nothing is working. Moments later, I hear the siren of an ambulance. “Harley?” I whisper.

  “I’m here, baby. Talk to me.” he whispers.

  “I hear the ambulance.”

  “That’s good. Can you honk the horn? I can see their lights flashing up ahead.” I lie on the horn, holding it down and not letting up. Voices float down to me from up the hill. I see red and blue lights flashing against the trees. My body is completely consumed with relief, so much so that I start crying harder.

  I can hear Harley screaming, “I’m coming, Sara!” Crashes echo through the woods from their footsteps and rapidly descend down the steep slope. I send a silent thank you to God.

  My eyes close and I can hear someone screaming my name along with others, but my mind is wandering back into the past.

  I had pulled into a park just outside of my townhouse after I left Tom’s. I put the car in park and grabbed his phone. There were tons of text messages from a number that wasn’t saved in his contacts, which I assumed belonged to Todd since the messages discussed meeting points and Chloe’s condition. That asshole had been telling him about everything going on at the hospital on top of buying drugs from him. I want to beat him senseless.

  I hadn’t told anyone yet, but Harley and I exchanged numbers the first night they played at BAR and we’d been talking ever since. I really, really like him. He’s definitely friend boy material. So, I decided to text him to see if he could come meet me and help me figure out what to do.

  Hey! You busy? I sent.

  Never too busy for you, babe. What’s up? Was his immediate response.

  Meet me at the park next to my house. ASAP! Got something I want to run by you! I replied.

  My phone pinged. Ok! B there in 20

  K. Hurry n thx I sent back.

  I was so consumed by the texts in Tom’s phone that I damn near jumped out of my skin when Harley knocked on my window. Smiling, I signaled for him to come around to the passenger seat. The heat and humidity that you can only find in Bartow during August filled the cab of my car as Harley quickly opened the door and climbed in. I waited until he was settled in his seat to turn toward him.

  “Hey,” he said while leaning forward to give me a chaste kiss on the cheek.

  “Hey. You got here quick,” I replied.

  “When my lady calls, I come running. Isn’t this how this is supposed to work?” I think he’s adorable when he’s playful like this.

  “Smart man!” I winked at him.

  “What’s going on? Your messages seemed kind of urgent.” His concerned gaze caused my heart to flutter.

  I spent the next twenty minutes filling him in on the earlier events while he looked through Tom’s phone. I felt slightly guilty for confiscating his phone like I did, but quickly pushed that to the side. Once Harley finished going through the device, he set it in the console and turned to me.

  “Damn! So, he’s not only been strung out, but he knew where Todd was the entire time?” He shook his head, disgusted.

  “Apparently so. I still have the detective’s number. I followed Todd earlier and he led me straight to his house so I’m going to take the detective there. Hopefully he’ll be able to catch and arrest him. But get this, when I got to Todd’s I passed Tom, and Skye was following him.” I still couldn’t believe that Tom could be involved with Todd after all of this.

  “Have you talked to Skye yet?” he asked.

  “No. He’s called but I was yelling at Tom and haven’t called him back. I’m going to call him later this evening after I talk to the detective,” I stated.

  “Well, what can I do to help?” His offer melted a small bit of the ice that surrounds my heart. I have a lifetime of betrayal that’s caused
me to be the Ice Princess I’ve become over the years when it involves men, and the fact that he waltzed in and has started fearlessly chipping away at it scares me.

  “I don’t want to drag you into this anymore than I have already. I just needed someone to tell me I’m not crazy, or overreacting.”

  “Babe, look at me.” I looked up and met his sky-blue gaze. Heat began to pool in my belly. He has this effect on me every time I look at him. He doesn’t talk a lot and I like that about him, but what he doesn’t say with his words, he says with his eyes. It gets me every time.

  “Chloe is our friend, too. Todd hurt her. Now, in my opinion, Tom’s unfortunately guilty not only by association, but he also has his own crimes he’s going to have to answer for. He’s supposed to be like her brother, yet he’s betraying her. For what? His next fix? It’s not right, Sara. You take this phone to the detective and tell him everything you know.” The conviction in his voice filled me with the courage I needed to see this through.

  “You’re right.” My bravado was no longer false.

  “Say that again. I’ve a feeling that I won’t get to hear that very often.” He smirked.

  “Shut the hell up!” I squealed and playfully smacked him on the arm.

  “I’ve to go. The band’s having rehearsal, and without Skye around, we can’t afford to have another person not show. Call me when you meet with the detective. I’ll keep my phone on me.” He smiled a warm smile that told me he understood that I really didn’t want to do what I had to do. I may not be Tom’s best friend, but we are sociable and I don’t like handing him over. Chloe will always come first, though. She’s the only family I have left.

  “Yeah, I can do that. Do you want to come by my place tonight after your rehearsal?” His compassionate smile became playful.

  “Mmmm.” He leaned in and kissed me.

  “Okay. I’ll call you and let you know when I’m done. See you later tonight.” I pulled away quickly. I like him, but the way he kisses me makes me want to throw caution and reason out the fucking window, rip his fucking clothes off, and have my way with him over, and over, and over again.