Locked Away (Living With Lies Book 2) (19 page)

Shit, I mumble as tears start to fall. I unknowingly gave myself away and now staying means the only people that are truly my family will end up hurt, which is something I can’t allow to happen.

Think...just think...I can’t return to Poza Rica, not without Damian, and not with Manuel acting like an insane person, but how long can I hide out before they find me? I need to come up with a plan, and I need to do it quickly.

I grab a clean outfit and walk to the hall bathroom. After I get in the shower, I allow myself to unleash my tears.

****

I have two options: I can tell everyone that I’m leaving or I can remain silent—which is what I decided to do. Otherwise, the night would be spent with Kate crying, Kiran punching another hole in the wall, and I couldn’t bear the look I’d see in Alex’s eyes.

This is better. I get one more magical night where I can continue to pretend I’m an average girl living a normal life. And in the morning, after they leave, I’ll board my flight.

“Why did you come home early? Is everything all right?” Kiran drawls, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I smile and lie. “Of course. The bookstore was slow and since I’m only part-time, they sent me home.” It bothers me how easily I can lie when I want to, but I grew up in a world where lying was a necessity. I wish now I was a better detector...maybe I would have seen who Manuel really was before it was too late.

“Gavin and Kate had some ice cream thing going on at Callie’s school. I ordered a pizza for Alex and the two of us. I hope that’s okay.” I wish I could have one more night with everyone but I’ll still take a night with Kiran and Alex any day.

“That sounds perfect.” I take Kiran’s hand as we walk down to the kitchen where Alex and Kiran start talking about their day. I smile at how easy the two of them get along. I hope that’s always the case.

“Isabelle,” Kiran says, snapping me out of my thoughts, “what’s with you tonight?”

I swallow my sorrow and lie again. “Nothing. I’m tired for some reason.” I shrug.

“Kate said you took a long nap when you got home today,” Alex says with concern.

“I wanted to, but I checked in with school and I had a few assignments posted. I ended up working for a few hours on those,” I lie again.

“How long until you graduate?” Alex asks, reaching for a slice of pizza.

“I have three more semesters but I’m finding I’m running out of online classes. At some point, I’ll have to attend an actual school if I want to graduate.”

Kiran clears his throat. “Have you looked to see if any of the schools around here will accept your online credits?” I smile at the knowledge that he wants me to stay. A man who’s afraid of dating a woman in fear of turning into his own father made a comment about me staying in the same city as him, with the same people he loves, and I don’t think he even realized what he said.

“I haven’t but it’s worth looking into,” I tell him. “What about you, Alex? Are you going to finish school?”

Alex cracks a smile. “Yeah. I only have about fifteen hours left. I’d be crazy not to.”

“No shit, dude. Plus, Gavin will work around any classes you have,” Kiran tells him.

“I’ll look into it.”

Dinner moves from one easy topic to the next until Kate, Gavin, and Callie come home. Callie lights up the room with stories of serving ice cream at her school, but long before I’m prepared, everyone is ready for bed. When Kiran and I climb in our bed, he pulls me tight against him.

“Are you sure you’re all right? You’ve acted...strange all night,” he adds, causing me to chuckle.

“I’m fine. I promise,” I lie again as my heart rapidly thuds against my chest.

“Promise?” he whispers. Instead of answering him, I softly place my lips on his. Kiran’s eyes flutter shut as my tongue passionately finds his. Desire spreads through me, causing me to moan into his mouth.

Kiran reaches for the edge of my nightgown and lifts it up and over my head before tossing it on the floor. I push my panties down as Kiran moves between my legs. His eyes burn into mine as he slowly pushes inside of me. He moves in and out of me, but his gaze never leaves mine. I can feel myself building as my legs wrap around his waist. I arch my back and push my hips up to meet his. With every thrust, Kiran hits a spot deep inside of me, and moments later, my body shudders as I come apart beneath him.

“Yessss,” he groans into the nape of my neck as he starts to fall with me.

As our movement slow, Kiran stays buried inside of me. “This right here. I want it to last forever,” he says into my ear.

I push down the pain I feel from his comment. “Me too,” I softly say. “Me too,” I repeat as a tear escapes.

****

I made sure I was up early as everyone started another day. I sat at the table and ate my last meal with the people I’ve grown to love, and slowly, one by one, they made their way out the door.

Kiran walks up to me with a smile. “I’ll see you tonight.” He pulls me in for a passionate kiss that leaves me breathless. With a satisfied smile, he grabs his keys and disappears through the garage door.

I hold back the sob that threatens to escape as I glance at the clock. I have less than three hours. I call a cab before going back upstairs and packing my suitcase. When I have all of my things, I make my way to the front door but not before leaving a small piece of my heart with the people who matter the most.

Kiran

Six Months Later

I’d like to tell you the day Isabelle Paasch walked into my life it was love at first sight, but that’s not the case. Like the females who came before her, I saw a gorgeous woman, but with Belle, I also saw the trouble she’d bring into our lives.

Living with Belle proved harder than I expected because she wasn’t anything like the woman I pictured, and every time she stood up for herself, her real beauty shined past her fake outer shell.

Somewhere in my fucked up head, I decided Belle—Isabelle—would be the perfect person to try my hand at dating because she came with a guaranteed end date, something she did in fact deliver. What I can’t seem to understand is how in such a short amount of time I managed to fall for her. I knew I had feelings for her. I knew she meant more to me than any woman ever had, but I didn’t realize how deep my feelings ran until she up and vanished from my life.

I went to work one day believing life was finally working in my favor only to come home to find her gone. And the worse part...she willingly left. She wrote Kate, Alex, and me letters, and then walked out the door and out of our lives. No one has heard from her since.

Whatever Isabelle wrote to Kate and Alex left them devastated. Therefore, I tucked my letter away and never read it. I knew the night before she left that she was acting differently. I had a strange feeling in my gut, but she’d promised me everything was okay, and I foolishly believed her.

When the dust finally settled and it was clear she wasn’t coming back, I moved out of Gavin and Kate’s house. I couldn’t stand being in that house day in and day out, sleeping in the same bed she slept in, especially after her scent had long faded away. I needed to restart my brain and leave the memories of her behind.

It took almost two months for Alex to accept she wasn’t coming back before he finally moved into the apartment we share. The business continues to grow, days continue to pass, and everyone who was touched by Isabelle continues to grieve in silence. No one is brave enough to mention her name or that bastard of a man she calls father—who happens to be another person who’s disappeared from Kate’s life. Unless she’s lying, which I don’t think she is, Kate hasn’t heard from Damian since before Isabelle arrived in Denver.

A month ago, Alex of all people, convinced me to go on a double date with him. Alex made friends with a few people Gavin employs, and he started going out on the weekends. He actually began to enjoy life, or at least, that’s how it appears. Somewhere along the way, his fun started involving the same woman.

After that, he decided it was a good idea that I move on with him. I didn’t want to date anyone, but I refused to allow Isabelle to be the reason I said no. Therefore, I went. I didn’t have a great time but at the end of the night, I found myself agreeing to see Kami again. Since then we’ve gone on a handful of dates, but every time she asks me for another, I struggle to agree.

When I lived in California, I regularly used women but my guilt had set in long before Isabelle showed up. And what I’ve yet to admit aloud is how much she opened my eyes. I was avoiding relationships to ensure I was nothing like my father, but I had already proved that—at least to myself. There’s no real reason I should avoid more than just sex with a female. Then Isabelle up and left, and I discovered the pain of a broken heart, something I’d rather not experience again. Now I avoid women for a different reason.

****

“I miss her, too.” My eyes dart to Alex as he sits on the other end of the couch. We’re watching some crap movie that neither of us seems to be paying attention to. “I’d give anything to know she’s okay,” he adds.

“She’s exactly where she wants to be,” I growl. I don’t talk about Isabelle, but that doesn’t mean she’s not on my mind every second of every day.

“You don’t really believe that.” He shifts his eyes away from the TV and over to me. “The only person you’re fooling is yourself.”

I look away. I’m not even fooling myself, but I’m not willing to admit that. “I’ve lived my whole life worrying about her. Wondering if she’s okay. If she’s safe.” Alex stands up and starts to walk out of the living room, but he stops to glance over his shoulder. “I’d tell you it gets easier, but then I’d be lying like you.” His words are a punch to the gut. I don’t want to forget her, but it hurts to remember.

****

I hear the apartment door open then slam shut, bringing me out of my thoughts. When I hear Alex storm past my room and into his, I wander out only to find him throwing things in a suitcase.

“What’s going on?”

“Kate thinks she knows where Isabelle is.”

That was the last thing I expected Alex to say. My breathing picks up. “Why do you think that?”

He continues tossing clothing into a bag. “Do you remember me telling you Kate’s been getting flowers delivered to the house?”

I frown. I remember Gavin flipping out when he came home and found a huge vase filled with flowers for Kate. At the time, he assumed a guy Kate goes to school with had a crush on her, but she swore she had no idea where they came from. A couple of days later, another delivery was made. Gavin became concerned whoever was sending them might try to harm Kate. I vaguely remember Alex telling me something the other day, but sadly, I must have tuned out whatever he said.

“What do those flowers have to do with Belle?”

Alex’s eyes snap to mine. I started calling her Belle, like Kate, Gavin, and Callie a few months ago—at least, out loud. While she was here, she only told Alex and me that she preferred Isabelle, or even Izzy for short, and how she sincerely hates the name Belle.

There was a short time when I felt privileged that she shared something with me that she didn’t share with Kate, but as my anger set in I started calling her Belle and the only person who noticed has been Alex.

“The reason Gavin blew up when the first flowers arrived is the note said ‘Love always, Marcos’. The next note said ‘Love always, San’. But the third one arrived few days ago.” Alex swallows, watching me closely. “Kate knew Gavin was on edge with the flowers so she tossed them out, but thankfully she kept the cards.” He runs his hand over his face. “The last one said ‘Love always, Izzy’.” My eyes thin in confusion.

Alex exhales through a long sigh. “Kate knows Belle’s real name is Isabelle but she didn’t know anyone called her Izzy. She asked me to come over then she showed me the third note. That’s when I knew.”

“Knew what?” I shout in frustration.

“That Isabelle is in San Marcos.”

My eyes widen at his comment as a laugh escapes. “You can’t be serious.” I shake my head at his crazy behavior.

“Dead serious,” Alex says in a voice that causes my laughter to die.

“My sister left because she was protecting us. Somewhere over the last few months, you convinced yourself she left because she wanted to and that’s bullshit. I saw the way she looked at you.” Alex pauses, narrowing his eyes at me. “She was in love with you. She left to ensure nothing happened to the people she cared about.”

I take a deep breath, attempting to calm myself. “It could be a trap. If she really did leave because something happened, then you could be walking straight into the very thing she tried to save you from.”

Alex squares his shoulders. “But what if it’s her? What if she’s hurt and she needs me? I can’t go back to pretending my life is okay, wondering if my sister is in San Marcos somewhere waiting for one of us to help her.”

Alex’s jaw ticks. “I missed out on twenty-two years of protecting my little sister. I’m not going to pass up the chance to do it now.” He holds my eyes for a beat before he goes back to packing his bag.

Isabelle turned twenty-two not long ago, a day that Alex spent locked in his room. Without another word, I walk back to my room, pull out my cell, and dial Gavin. “Hey,” he says.