With that thought in my head, I screamed again, only to have Ian cup a hand around my mouth. With one quick tug, he ripped my knickers from me, and I could feel him desperately trying to get his trousers undone.
I lay there, tears pooling in my eyes, knowing what the person I always considered my best friend was about to do to me. I locked onto Ian’s determined eyes and tried to shake my head. He needed to know I didn’t want this. I never wanted this. I never wanted him.
It didn’t get me anywhere. Ian was obviously too overcome with need to care about what I wanted anymore. So I lay there, waiting for him to start so he would just get it over with. There was nothing I could do to escape, so I just accepted my fate and closed my eyes, waiting.
It was a sound that alerted me to something in the room. I snapped my eyes open to see Dean standing there, hovering over Ian. He saw the desperation in my eyes, and I could see the anger in his. With a quick hold of Ian’s head, Dean snapped his neck. Ian flopped onto me and I was screaming at Dean to get him off. He acted quickly, shoving him aside, and taking his place. With a hand on my mouth, he gently shushed me. The panic that had risen in me a second ago slowly subsided. Dean was not here to hurt me. He never was.
Once he knew I was calmer, he untied my wrists and held me in his arms until my breathing calmed.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t get here quicker,” he said, stroking my hair.
It was then that I sobbed. It was then that I broke down and mourned the loss of everyone I thought was dear to me. Dean, Jeremy, and now Ian.
“I never betrayed you,” I whispered into his chest.
I felt him hug me tighter as his hold calmed me into a false sense of security. “That doesn’t matter now. We can discuss this later. First, I have to take care of him. I will come back for you, but I need to take his body somewhere it will never be found. Do you understand?”
I nodded, but fear tore at my heart. Dean was powerful. I knew that now. He had taken his parents power and used it for his own advantage. But what now? What happens between us now? All of it seemed frightening beyond words.
He manoeuvred himself off me and cupped my face in his hands. He laid a gentle kiss to my forehead and smiled down at me. “I will be back as soon as I can, okay? I need to call someone first.” He scrambled off me and opened up his phone. He walked out into my living room, leaving me with Ian’s dead body. I daren’t look his way. I daren’t see the lifeless look that was in his eyes now.
I could hear Dean telling someone to meet him on the second fire exit of his building. It was then I realized he must have used a secret entryway in and out of my apartment block. No wonder he was so good at what he did.
I heard the sound of his phone flip down as he waltzed back into my room. I noticed him look down at Ian as if he was just like any other dead body he had ever seen before. That thought chilled me to the bone.
“I’m going to take this piece of shit out towards the front door.”
I nodded. “I think that would be a good idea.” I couldn’t move, and I think he sensed my apprehension.
With a smile, I heard him pull Ian across the floor. I turned over, not wanting to see what he was doing. I had shut down, wanting to protect myself. I didn’t want this. I didn’t ask for this, and I certainly didn’t want to live like this anymore.
It was around ten minutes later that Dean came back into my room and tugged on my shoulder. “I’m going to head out now. I may be a couple of hours, but I promise I will be back. Are you going to be okay?”
I nodded and heard him leave the apartment. The minute he was gone, I was out of my bed, grabbing a suitcase, and throwing everything I could think of in there. I sat down, wrote a quick letter, discarded my ripped knickers, and gathered all my belongings.
As I raced down to my car, I quickly called my mother and told her I needed her help. I quickly relayed bits and pieces over the phone and she told me she would make all the arrangements.
I scrambled to get everything in, got in my car, and sped away as quickly as I could. It was awkward at first, as I had to reverse out. You can never get away quickly when reversing. Damn you, Dean!
I drove the half-hour or so to my parents’ house and got out as quickly as I could to knock on the door.
“Dear God, Tyler. Are you okay?” my mum asked as I walked through the door.
“I am now, but I need to get away, Mum. I can’t deal with this right now.”
My mum pulled me into her arms and gently stroked my hair. “It’s okay, Tyler. I’ve arranged everything. There’s no need to be afraid anymore. We will sort it all out.”
Pulling out of our embrace, I looked at my mother. “He said you and dad ratted out his parents. He said you were the reason they are now dead. But it was Ian all along. He sent a letter, which was supposed to be from you, telling them I had told you everything about them and that you were worried about me.”