If You Would [h.s.] HOLD

Forty-One

Chelsea

After I finished expertly setting up Randy at the police station I cooly slide into my car, shut the door, and look at myself in the rearview mirror. I did it. I didn't even have to show them the flash drive! I'm not even sure how I did it. But I did. However, I have bigger fish to fry now. Once the news gets out about Evelyn and Randy, no one will be nearly as hurt about her disappearance. Or even her death. Most of the support came from Harry's following anyway, and they'll definitely be upset about her disloyalty to him.

I start my car and start speeding towards that old farm house on Dixie Bee road. It's so perfect. It's in the middle of nowhere on some abandoned farm half surrounded by trees. No one would ever look there. Randy is there right now watching over that little witch. What am I going to do with her? I can't let her go, I can't trust that she won't tell the police, but with this rumor about an affair? Will anyone believe her? No it's too risky. I have to kill her.

I have to kill her.

I was prepared to do it before but now that the time has come I'm thinking maybe I'm not. Blood rushes through my veins so fast I can feel my heartbeat in my palms that are pressed for dear life against the steering wheel. I near the road of the house, I have to decide soon.

No, I don't have a choice. I have to kill her. Or do I?

I can get Randy to do it, yes. That could work. But I doubt he would... I might have to drug him first, trigger his anger and send him in there like a rabid bear, ready to rip her two faces off. That's what I'll do.

Evelyn

Randy sits at the edge of my bed like a child waiting to ask for something. He's awkward and not really all there. He hasn't said a word to me since he entered the room so I haven't said a word to him. The air is still around us. I don't know how much longer I can take the awkward silence between us.

"I-"
"So uhm-" we both speak at the same time. I close my mouth to let him speak.

"I want to get you out of here." His confession took me off guard and I swallow the little bit of dry saliva that was in my mouth.

"You do?" I ask simply. I almost don't believe him.

He looks at me with his sad eyes that I know all too well.

"Yes, at first I went along with the plan because she has something against me. And it's important but, I can't keep doing this. She drugged me. I-it's complicated. But I can't keep being afraid of what Chelsea is going to do to her- I." I cut him off.

"Her? Who's her? What does she have against you?" I sit up in my bed and lean in closer. I place a supportive hand against his arm out of habit. We've been getting closer recently. I know I shouldn't get closer to him but in this situation, he's the closest to sane that I have. I need to know what she has over him.

"Gina. She has Gina. I don't know where but I know she does. I doubted her once and she sent me a video of her strapped to a chair. Bloody." He looks down at his hands and my heart feels heavy for him.

"I'm so sorry." I look at him and then I look at the door. A flash of memory from the first time I woke up in this place appears in my brain. I remember the panic and logic of my thinking. I remember how desperately I wanted to leave. I look back at Randy and remember my fear from him, but I don't feel that anymore. Instead, I oddly feel trust.

How real is that trust though? Did I trust him not to kill me? Now, yes. But do I trust him to get me out of here?

"Aren't you worried that I'll call the police?" The question exits my lips before I had the time to stop them. He shakes his head almost immediately.

"I'd understand if you did. And I wouldn't run. I'm tired of being this guy. I have been for a while." The honesty lingers in his voice. I know he's telling the truth. He stands up and I watch him get taller. I look up at him, still not fully comprehending what was about to happen. This was too good to be true. After everything that has happened, why is he just... letting me go? I want to, but I don't trust it.

"Why? Randy you've kept me pent up here for weeks and now you're just going to let me walk out that door? It's that simple?" I don't move from the bed. He stands with his legs slightly spread. He looks at me and nods.

"Yes. On one condition." There it is. I knew it wouldn't be that simple.

"No. Whatever it is. No." I shake my head and lean back against the wall. I look away from him, disappointment clear on my face.

"No, listen." He walks closer to me and I look up at him.

"I'm not doing all of this for nothing. I'm not letting you go for nothing. I'm not betraying Chelsea right now for nothing. The only condition is that you try to give me another chance." He looks through my eyes and into my soul. His request was genuine. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider it for a moment. But as soon as I go to nod my head yes, a flash of Harry's face appears in my thoughts. In the image, he's smiling down at me from the drivers side of his car on our way to our first official date. That same date where we had our first official kiss and the same date that I knew I loved Harry.

I need to get back to him. I look around the room, the dirty walls and cracked ceiling. I've had to have counted those cracks a million times. I look at the old bed I had been sleeping on. This is not where I belonged. I look back up at Randy. To get back to Harry, I had to get out of here first. This isn't how I wanted to do it, but it's a start in the right direction.

"Yes. I'll give you another chance. Now let's go before she gets back!" After I had made my decision to follow Randy's lead I was eager to get out of this tiny room. Of course I didn't mean my promise to take him back.

Randy smiles and grabs my hand, and nearly yanks me out of the bed. I grab his hand and let him lead the way to the door. He reaches for the handle but I had an overwhelming feeling to make him stop.

"Wait!" Fuck. He stops with his hand on the door knob. What am I waiting for?

What will I be walking into when I get back? Has everyone moved on? Is anyone looking for me? I look up at Randy and he looks down at me.

"It'll be okay. I'll be with you every step of the way." He leans down and slowly kisses my forehead. His lips are chapped and cold.

I miss the softness of Harry's lips against my own and my skin. He leans back and opens the door that leads to an empty hallway. I've only seen glimpses of the hallway, and I have no idea where to go. I keep my hand pressed to Randy's as he leads the way down the stairs. My heart races with anticipation of what's to come next.

The bottom of the stairs opens up to a living room. I can see the old front door from here! My heart beats faster and faster with every step we take towards the door. It's almost as if we were walking in slow motion. I smile uncontrollably, knowing that I was finally getting out of here.

Randy and I reach the door and I instinctively grab the door handle and pull it open just to come crashing into Chelsea. Her and I both stare at each other in shock. She has her work uniform on and her purse in her left arm. Her eyes are wide at the sight of me and my face immediately contorts into disgust. I look at my cuff-free wrists before looking back at her with nothing but pure anger and frustration pulsing through my blood. My fists ball up and I can't tell what I'm about to do until my fist makes contact with her skin. I hear the smacking sound of my skin slamming into her cheek. When she doesn't fall to the ground I take another shot at her face. The crack of her nose was a satisfying sound to me, and shockingly enough, the blood that squirted from her freshly broken nose was a sight for sore eyes. I see her eyes widen as she shrieks and falls to the porch floor.

She wasn't even given a chance to speak before being knocked on her ass. I'm surprised that I had the strength. I look down  at her as she holds her face in her hands.

"Come on!" Randy ignores Chelsea's cry and rushes me to his car. I open the passenger side and hop in, Randy does the same and wastes no time in speeding away from that dreadful farm house.