Bittersweet

Chapter Twenty-One:

**Kay**

I jumped at the sound of banging on my front door. It wasn't as loud as the others; it couldn't be Noah. But that didn't stop me from going to the door. I just made sure to look through the peephole first.

It was Leeny in the hallway. I pulled the door open with hesitation and Leeny hurried in, grabbing me in the tightest hug. "Oh, hun, I'm so sorry!" She stretched her arms and looked at me with tears in her eyes. "Rianne called me and I freaked."

Her tears brought more tears for me, too. I'd calmed down as much as I could, but as soon as I saw her face; these tears are more hopeful. "Were you able to talk to your dad?" I asked.

Leeny's frown deepened. "I'm trying." She showed me her phone. "He's a heavy sleeper. I'm trying my mom, too. I just..." She rubbed my arm. "I'm sorry I didn't know this was happening. I wish I could've helped sooner—"

"It's okay." It wasn't but what else was I supposed to say? Putting my fingernails between my teeth, I chewed nervously. My heart hammered in my chest.

"But I'm not going to stop. I promise." Leeny tapped her phone's screen before putting it against her ear. "Come on, come on, wake up, Dad..."

As she turned in a slow circle and the sound of the echoing rings from her phone began, I turned for my bedroom. My stomach was in knots. My legs were heavy. Each step hurt and as I leaned against the doorframe, looking at our empty bed, my heart screamed. Brian was out there with Noah and if something happened to him... if he was hurt... or worse...

"OH!" Leeny screeched. I sharply turned back around at the sound of her voice.

"Dad, yes yes, oh my God. Noah took Brian and—yes tonight! No, we don't know where. We need you!"

I hurried back into my living room. Immediately, I grabbed Leeny's arms so that she looked at me. Her eyes widened as she nodded. I did the same thing. Her father was on the phone. It would be okay. Right?

"Please, I know you have ways to track him, anything, we need to know where Noah took Brian. If you can call your police friends or if—yes, anything, Dad."

Leeny quickly nodded at me, a small smile tugging at her lips. And I let out a sigh of relief. If her father has ways to find Brian, I appreciated all of it. The clock was ticking and I didn't know how much time he had. "Tell him I said thank you," I whispered.

"Dad, Kay says thank you." Once she said it, she nodded and looked at me. "He says he will do everything he can."

Happy tears came out from my eyes and I slumped back on the couch. Everything he can is all I needed. For Brian's sake.

*

**Brian**

I didn't fight Noah. When he said to walk up the stairs in an abandoned building, I did. He said to sit in a chair; I did. Put my hands behind my back; I did. Whacked me in the back of the head? He did. A cheap shot. I cooperated, I followed, and I did it all without a fight. I lost anyway. And I saw stars.

Fucker, why...?

"Tch, tch." Noah's feet echoed in the empty room littered with old newspapers and beer. "I expected a fight. Honestly, I wanted one."

I leaned my head back against the metal seat. I stared at the tattered wallpaper, the partially opened window. If I screamed, would someone hear me?

"Didn't you want to fight?" Noah put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. Hard. "Last time you did."

My head throbbed. Was it just a punch to the head or did he hit me with something else? Tonguing my cheek, I focused on the window several feet in front of me. "I said I'd do what you wanted."

"True." Noah patted my arms before moving around me. With his arms crossed, he faced me and stared. Unblinking. Unbothered. "I would've appreciated it if you'd done this from the beginning."

My heart sped. My legs bounced. I gulped at my nerves because he was right, I should've. If I'd known this would've been the outcome, maybe I would've paid him. To protect Kay, the twins, and what I built in my life. How was I supposed to know Noah would go this far?

My wrists ached and I stretched my fingers. "What do you want now?" I tried to lean forward. "I'm here, I listened, you fucking hit me, now what?"

Immediately stepping forward, Noah punched me in the lip. I growled because it burned. Shit, what did he have on his hands. As pain exploded through my face, I squeezed my eyes shut and let my head fall forward.

"I need to know if you remember why we're here."

I slowly peeled my eyes open. The floor swayed. "Because I didn't pay you...."

He punched me again, this time on the opposite cheek. Blood filled my mouth and I spit. Red splattered on the floor.

"Not that—yes that but no. Think back. Go farther." Noah kneeled in front of me and grabbed my chin. "Why do I need the money?"

I hummed through the pain as I slowly shook my head. I swirled blood around my tongue before spitting again. "I don't..." I looked at his face. "I don't remember...."

"Hm." Noah smirked. "I guess I should tell you, right? Only fair."

I wished he would've told me before. Fuck.

"Years ago, shit, how long now? Time doesn't matter. What matters is what happened that night. At the bar, it was me, you, and Katerina, do you remember that?"

I looked down at the floor. Flashes of that night came to mind but not in detail. I neither nodded nor shook my head.

Noah chuckled. "Shit, you were piss drunk." Pushing himself up, he stood in front of me. "You and she were arguing. About what? Shit, I don't know."

My gaze danced around the floor. We had an argument; I remembered that. I couldn't remember about what or why but what did this have to do with the money?

Noah clicked his tongue. "Anyway, you called her a whiny bitch and she left crying. And then you decided you needed to go home, too, but you were so drunk, so gone, that bartender took your keys. Remember that?"

I looked up at him and gulped. No, I didn't.

Noah paced, moving his hands from side to side. "Then it went like this, right—you listening?" He pointed at me. "I offered to give you a ride home because I wasn't going to leave you there. I told the bartender I'd come back for your car; she agreed. Then we hit the road! Still following me?"

I wasn't in for storytime. Stretching one leg forward, I shook my head. "I don't understand what this has to do with the money...."

Noah snorted and winked. "Getting to it, so—"

This was entertaining for him. He paced with a hop in his step, he stretched to a song I couldn't hear and whenever he looked at me, he smirked and chuckled.

"We get in the car, right, and you tell me you want her gone."

He stopped moving. I pulled my leg back, eyes widening as I stared at him. "What?"

I was drunk but I wouldn't have said it, not like that, not in the way.... No, that didn't happen. Noah was crazy but....

Spinning around, Noah kneeled in front of me again. "Gone. You wanted Katerina out of your life. You were sick of her." His eyes darkened as he stood again. "Do you remember that?"

Blood rushed to my head.

A/N: [See why I did a double update T^T? These chapters... *grabs tissues and shares if you need one* Thank you for reading <3]