Chapter 16

Once we went to the hotel, I was concerned about going to the room that I shared with Zak. I kept close to Nick while we were trying to get stuff taken care of. Then it was time to go to the rooms. I walked with Zak to our room. Iwas really hoping that he wouldn't say anything until after we got some sleep.

"Lea, please listen to me." Zak said as we got ready for some sleep.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"What I saw, was horrible. I wish that you hadn't one through that. I wish that it was me that had went through that. I wish that I could have taken it for you." He told me. I looked at him and felt like my heart was melting.

"Zak, it was mine to take. There is nothing that you could have done to stop it." I told him. I then crawled in my bed and Zak came over to me.

"I am and always will be on your side. There is nothing that can change that." He told me softly. He then walked to his bed and I saw that he was about to sleep there.

"Damn it. Get in." I told him. He smiled at me and came to my bedside. I moved so that he could get in and he grabbed me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and I rested my head on his chest.

"Why are you so forgiving to me about what you saw? Shouldn't you be cringing and running away and out of the room from me?" I asked him. I knew that it was late and that he was tired, but I really wanted to know why he was acting like this.

"I wouldn't do that to you. Besides, what I saw wasn't something that would send me running away from you." He whispered to me.

"Are you sure? Because I wouldn't blame you, if you did. It was pretty bad." I said. I was secretly hoping that he would get away from me. I wanted him to. Just so that I didn't have any more feelings towards him. 

"Lea, what I saw was a woman being tortured. You had your hands tied above your head and you were trying to get away from him. I know what I saw and I don't understand why you are acting like this." He explained. I sighed and grabbed him a little tighter. 

"Because I am scared. I want you to get out and away from me while you can." I told him. 

"I am not leaving you. If you want to go, you can. I won't let you leave easily, but I am not going to leave you." He told me. I sighed and closed my eyes. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~

*2 weeks later*

I have gotten my own apartment. I was able to get one near Aaron. He seemed to be really happy that I was living so close to him. I was able to get it with all the furniture in it. It was really nice and it wasn't too far from Zak's place. Zak wasn't thrilled about me moving out, but he seemed to be happy for me.

Leonard and his antics seem to be going down. I was getting worried, at first, but it was just him. He was using too much of his energy. The black mass still follows me around. I hadn't been able to get rid of it, with all of the traveling and working. 

All the guys had a key to my apartment. I wanted them all to be able to get in. I knew what would happen to me when I lived alone. I was more vulnerable to attacks and stuff of that nature. I just needed to know that my friends would be able to get to me. 

"Hey! It's Billy!" I heard Billy say as he came in my apartment. I was in the kitchen when he came in. I walked to the door and he was looking around.

"What's up?" I asked him. He rarely came by. This was maybe his second time to come by with out one of the others.

"I was just coming by to say hi. I just haven't seen you in a while." He told me. I smiled at him and we went into my living room. Our last trip was to a place in California and that was about a week ago.

"Well thanks for popping in. I have a feeling that you want something more from me, though." I told him. I could hear Leonard in the backround. He was saying something about having a party.

"You would be right." He told me. I knew it. I leaned back in my chair as I waited for him to say something.

"I was just wondering if you would come and eat with me and my family one night." He told me. I smield at him. I really wasn't expecting that.

"Why? Why all of the sudden?" I asked him. He sighed and licked his lips.

"I know that you have been eating alone for the past couple of days." He told me.

"Aaron told you?" I asked him. The only person that I have told about that was Aaron. He assumed that I was going out to eat, but I told him that I was just staying in.

"Yeah, but don't blame him. We are all like a big family. We take care of each other." He told me.

"Zak is probably going to be there, then. I heard Aaron saying that the two of you need to have a real date." Leonard said from across the room.

"Are you trying to set Zak and I up?" I asked Billy. It was like I just caught him. He looked at me with a wide expression and he was shocked.

"Who told you? How the hell do you figure something like that out?" He asked me with his voice a little higher than usual. 

"It wasn't hard. I have my ways." I told him. I could hear Leonard cackling at that. 

"Fine, but it's just that we know that the two of you haven't been out." He told me. 

"We have too! We took his dog for a walk the other night! Besides, we spend most of our days near and around each other." I told him. Nights too. Zak and I would occassionally go to each other's places when we were having a bad night. 

"Yeah, but he needs to take you out for a proper dinner." Billy said. I rolled my eyes and got up.

"Zak and I will talk about that later." I told him. He knew that the conversation was over.

"Okay, well I will see you at work." He told me. He got up and started to go to the door. I went with him and gave him a hug as he left. 

As I was alone again, I felt strange. There was something strange that was going to happen. I could tell that Leonard also felt this. There was just something different about today. 

As the day went on, I made plans with Aaron and Zak to go have a cook out. They were telling Nick and Billy to bring their families. This would be the first time that I would see them all. I was actually getting really excited as I got ready for the event. As I dressed, I heard the door bell ring.

"Put your phone in the bathroom. Just do it. Trust me." Leonard said as I walked to the door. I stopped and did as he said. He was on edge. Once I did that, I ran to the door and answered it.

"Hello, whore." The man at the door said. I looked up to see that it was him. It was Gage. He looked a little different than I last remembered him. He was the same height and build, but he seemed to have lost the pale complexion. He still had the gut wrenching look in his face.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him. I could feel my heart beat rising and going out of control.

"I am here to take you back. You are mine." He told me as he came in the apartment. I backed away from him as I went in. I wanted him to get out.

"I am not your's! I am my own! No one owns me!" I yelled at him.

"Please, you aren't even human. You are scum. You are lucky that I am taking you in. If you come with me right now, I might just forget about the past couple of years." He told me. I could tell that his smoking had gotten a little worse.

"No, please. Please leave me alone." I told him. I ended up knocking over a lamp.

"Run to the bathroom." Leonard told me. I looked at the bathroom and I ran to it. I heard something happen to Gage, but I knew that I couldn't look to see what it was. I ran in the bathroom and slammed the door. I looked at the phone and thought about not calling. If this was my chance to leave, why would I tell them?

"Damn it." I whispered as I picked up my phone. I was shaking so hard. I called Zak and I waited a little hwile before he answered. I could hear Gage coming back to the door.

"Hello?" Zak asked me with a soft voice.

"Zak, please help me. I am in some trouble. He found me. I just need some help. Please." I begged him. I knew that I wouldn't be able to fight. I was now getting emotional. I really needed him to help me.

"I'll be there soon. Keep the phone on." He told me. I placed the phone on the towel rack and I got in the bathtub. I didn't want Gage to find it.

"Lea! Let me in or I will break down the door." I heard him say. Then he broke the door down. There was a loud crack that came as it came off. I dropped to my knees and I held myself.

"You little whore. Come with me and I promise that you won't be in too much pain." He said as he walked in and to me. I wasn't going to fight him, but I wasn't going to go with him. He then grabbed the back of my shirt and started to drag me out of the bathroom.

"No, please. Please stop." I whimpered. There were tears that were streaming down my face. He then walked to the kitchen and he threw me against the floor. I collected myself and I looked at him. I saw that he had more muscles than when I last saw him. He was stronger and in control.

"Aw, there is the little whimpering that I had forgotten about." He said in an amused tone. He then grabbed my leg and ripped my pants off. I tried my best to kick him away from me.

"Stuff it, Lea. You whore." He said to me. I then was turned on my stomach. He cut my necklaces off of me. I couldn't do anything other than cry. I was shaking so much. Then I felt a familiar pain. But this was on my leg. He was carving something in my leg.

"Stop! Please! Please Stop!" I screamed as I tried to get away from him. His weight was on my leg and the middle of my back. I heard him chuckle at my reactions. I felt like I was going to puke. I wanted to just die. If there was ever a time where I wanted to, it was then.

"I think that you need a new word. I hope that you will like it." He told me. I then felt him make another letter. I screamed and squirmed. Then he did two more. I could feel that it was going to scar really bad and it would take long to heal.

"Should I clean you up, now? I guess I should, since we have to go to my place." He said. He sounded like he was really proud with himself. He grabbed a rag and put it on my leg to help with the bleeding. He didn't want me dying on him.

"Gage, please no." I said as he picked me up. This was my hell. I wanted to fight him, but I knew that he would end up hurting me if I did. He said nothing as he walked to the door. I saw that Leonard was following me. He looked angry.

"Damn it! Hold on Lea. I think I can do something." He said to me. I was really hoping that he would. I was then dropped on the floor. My door was on fire.

"How the fuck?" Gage said. He then looked at me.

"You, you are doing this." He said. I shook my head and I tried to scoot away from him.

"No, I swear, I didn't do it!" I begged him. He then slapped me. I grabbed my face and looked at him.

"You are such a liar." He told me. Then he spat in my face. I looked to see that the door wasn't on fire anymore. Leonard was out of energy. I was loosing hope by the second. 

Gage looked at the door and smiled at it. Then he went to it and opened the door. Once he saw that it was clear, he walked back to me. Once he touched me, my heart sank. This was the end for me. I was going to be with him and the others wouldn't be able to find me. They weren't going to come for me. I knew that something like this was going to happen at some point. He lifted me up and I closed my eyes. There was no more for me. 

"Hold the fuck up." I heard Aaron say as we walked out of my apartment. I looked to see that they were there. Nick, Aaron, Billy, and Zak were there in the hallway. 

"Put the lady in the apartment and get out." Nick told him. Gage then dropped me on the floor. I hit it with a grunt. Zak saw me and I felt really bad. He seemed to be heart broken. 

"This is none of your business, so I suggest that you leave." Gage told them.

"I think that it is. Lea, did you ask to be carried out of your apartment?" Nick said. I looked up at him and shook my head. I wasn't going to say anything. I was just trying to stay awake and keep the towel on my leg.

"She is nothing. Just let us by and none of you will get hurt." He said to them. I knew that Billy wasn't really a fighter. He was standing in the back and he was looking at me.

"We won't get hurt. It will be you. See, we have already called the cops. They should be here soon." Zak said as he stepped up.

"You're bluffing." Gage said to them. He was stupid enough to actually think that. Nick was smiling and Aaron chuckled a little. Gage's temper was running thin. He then sighed deeply and looked at me. I looked back at him.

"You did this. I bet that you were in bed with all of them. You fucked them all? Didn't you, whore?" Gage said to me.

"Hey, she is not a whore. You are just a dick." Zak said.

"Shut up, Ken-doll." Gage told him. He was getting mad. I knew that it wasn't a good thing to get him upset.

"That was cute." Aaron said. Gage looked at them and watched them for a second. He then smiled and looked back at me.

"Let's see if they really care about you, freak." Gage whispered. I knew that we all had heard it. I took a deep breath in and I tensed up. then the hit came. He kicked me in the stomach and I rolled to the side.

It wasn't long before I heard grunting. I could hear punches being thrown. Then I felt two gentle hands on my shoulder and hip. 

"I got you." Billy said. He then helped me into my apartment. I saw that Gage had thrown a punch to Nick and he was on the ground. I knew that Gage had always been a good fighter and this was making me really worried. 

Then I heard more footsteps and voices. I could tell that they were yelling at Zak, Nick, Aaron, and Gage. I looked at Billy and he called for someone to come in the apartment. I saw a woman come in the room and she was holding her gun. She then called for an ambulance.

As they were arresting Gage, they also placed Zak, Nick, and Aaron in cuffs. As the paramedics came to my help, they took me outside. I saw that they were sitting on a curb. They took care of my wound. The woman police officer then came to collect my statement.

"Could you tell me what had happened here?" She asked me as I sat in the ambulance. I was still worried, but I could see Zak, Nick, and Aaron. Billy was at my side. I grabbed his hand and I nodded my head.

"I was attacked. I managed to call the three men there and they came and saved me before I was taken by the other man. He did all the damage to me." I told her. She was writing it all down.

"Do you know the other suspect?" She then asked me.

"Yes, he and I shared a life together. He was coming to take me back to that life." I told her. I never took my eyes off of Zak, while I told her all of this. He was standing up and looking at me. I knew that something was wrong.

"So this man and you have a past? Has he ever done something like this before?" She asked me. I nodded my head.

"He has. He has done worse to me." I told her. Billy then squeezed my hand.

"Do you have evidence?" She asked me. I sighed at that. I then lifted my shirt up a little. I was able to show her the scar that said, "ugly". She gasped and absent mindedly ran her fingers over it. 

"I think that I have enough. I will like to talk to later. Will you be pressing charges?" She asked me. 

"Yes, I will." I told her. She nodded her head and patted my knee. 

"Ma'am, may I see my friends?" I asked her as he started to walk away. 

"Yes, go ahead." She told me. I smiled at Billy and he and I walked to them. They were all still in cuffs. None of the officers stopped us. I limped to Zak and he met me half way. 

"Could you hug me? I would grab you and hug you so tight, but I can't." He told me. I laughed and wrapped my arms around his waist. He rested his head on my shoulder. I could hear his heart beat and it calmed me a little. I stood there and I didn't want to let him go. 

"I am so sorry." He said to me. I felt some tears come to my eyes. 

"I almost didn't call you. I knew that you wouldn't be able to find me." I told him. He then backed away from me and bent his knees so that he could be eye level with me.

"You did though. And I am not letting anyone or anything hurting you, ever again." He told me. I smiled at him. Then I saw that he had a black eye and there were tears coming out of his eyes. I grabbed his face and kissed him. He kissed me back immediately. I couldn't care if someone was looking at us. I just wanted him to know how much I loved him.

"I love you." I said as I pulled away form him. He looked at me and smiled.

"I love you more than anything." He whispered to me. I smiled at him and kissed him again.