The Heartbreak Factor - Part Three

Chapter Forty-Two.

This part will be from George’s point of view.

Driving frantically towards the address where the hotel receptionist had given me, I tried to ring Sammy’s phone but it was useless – it was switched off. As I tried to dial Chloe’s number, I kept switching my attention from the road to my phone as it laid on my lap. Dialling her number, I put it on loudspeaker.

“Answer,” I whispered to myself. “Fuck sake, just pick up the damn phone.”

“George?”

“Chloe, don’t say anything – just listen.”

“Okay..”

“I’ve found Sammy. She was stopping in a hotel in central London. I went there but the receptionist told me that someone claiming to be you had rang the hotel asking if Sammy could meet them at this abandoned studio in Surrey. Sammy must have gone there as the hotel haven’t seen her since this morning. I’m on my way there now but would you be able to meet me there as well - in case something has happened?”

“Do you think Rio is behind this?” Chloe asked, sounding panicked.

“I don’t think,” I sighed. “I know.”

“That bitch. She honestly better not have touched Sammy or..”

I stopped her. “Just come. I’ll text you the address.”

As I hung up and threw my phone onto the passenger seat, I pressed my foot down on the accelerator and raged my way through the cars on the motorway, overtaking every car in my way. I just needed to get to Sammy as fast as I could, and if breaking the law meant I got there five seconds quicker, then that was something I was willing to do.

*

Pulling up into the studio, I looked at the building and noticed Sammy’s car parked around the corner.  I got out of the car and shut the door as carefully as I could, making sure I didn’t make a sound. Running up to the studio, I noticed a back door so made my way around the building and sneaked in through the broken door. As quietly as possible, I tiptoed down the corridor’s ruins and hid behind a wall, listening for any signs of Sammy or Rio.

“Exactly. You just didn’t think,” I heard Sammy say. I sighed a sigh of relief to hear her voice – she was okay. “I do feel sorry for you, I really do. You obviously have a huge obsession with George that is taking over your life and ability to make rational decisions. You need help. You need serious help and you can't get the help you need by keeping me tied up here.”

“No, all I need is for you to disappear,” I heard Rio shout at Sammy.

Everything went silent for a few moments until I heard Sammy say “Rio, put the brick down.” It was at that moment that I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t go into the room as Rio was blatantly angry at me for last night’s argument – knowing how she’s reacted to that, she’d obviously hurl the brick at me. There was only one way that would work. Grabbing my phone from my pocket, I fumbled around to find the piece of paper that the hotel receptionist had given me with the number that had rang the hotel – it must have been Rio’s. Dialling the number, I heard a phone go off in the room next to me. As soon as I heard Rio answer it, I rushed out of the back door and around the back of the building, making sure I couldn’t be heard or seen.

“Rio, it’s George.”

“George? What’s up?” she asked, sounding happy to hear my voice.

“I’ve been thinking,” I said, trying to keep myself sounding casual and not worried like I was actually feeling. “I think we should give it a go.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You’re right – I do love you and I always have.” I knew that lying to her would end up with more trouble for me, but I’d rather have me in trouble with her than Sammy being hurt.

“Really?”

“Yes. I think you should come to my apartment so we can..” I paused. “Sort things out.”

I heard footsteps and then saw the back door to the studio spring open. Quickly, I ran around to the other side of the building to avoid Rio from seeing me and realising the whole thing was a set-up and a lie.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she beamed, running in the opposite direction to where I was standing towards Sammy’s car.