Three Thousand Miles - Forever, (book #3 of Three Thousand Miles, Series)

by Deila Longford

  “You finally made it then,” Michael says in a very smug tone. Adrian grits his teeth as he looks me in the eye. “Baby, are you okay?” Adrian says in a soothing voice. Michael breaks out into a hysterical laughter as Adrian’s words sting in the back of my throat. “Aren’t you the smitten kitten, brother?” Michael says in a dark voice. I lock my eyes on Adrian’s as I can’t bear to look at Michael for another second. Adrian briefly nods at me and then he edges closer to us. Michael senses Adrian’s movement and he soon tells him to back off. “Don’t come any closer, I am warning you, brother.” Adrian pauses and then he can’t hold in his words any longer.

  “You are no brother of mine.” Michael laughs again at Adrian’s words and I can feel my face bursting into flames as I listen to his rudeness. I can’t believe that Michael is doing this; he has turned out to be the opposite of everything that I thought he was. Michael was caring and loving, he always treated me well and he loved me. Now, as he stares at Adrian with a gun lodged into his hand, I can’t help but feel that the guy which I cared for –never existed.

  “Whoopi I never wanted you as my brother anyway. You came into my family and you claimed them for yourself.” Michael snarls.

  “Is this really what this is about, me being a part of your family?” Adrian snaps back at Michael. “Everything was fine until you came along. You came into our lives and you destroyed our relationship. My father will not even look at Chad because you spilled your poison into his ears.”

  “The reason that Charles doesn’t speak to Chad isn’t because of me it’s because he is a sociopath. He prays on the weak minded and he tortures young girls like Alanna. I never thought that you were anything like him –until Becky of course.” Michael’s nostrils flare at Adrian’s comment and I can’t help but feel scared at his raging temper. I don’t know this Michael, so god only knows what he is capable of. I have never been so terrified in my life and now that Adrian is standing a few feet away from me, all I want is for him to swoop me into his arms and take me back to our home. I know that isn’t likely to happen as Michael isn’t going to back down.

  “Leave her out of this,” Michael says through his clenched teeth. Adrian edges closer as he smiles at Michael. “I have hit a nerve, haven’t I?” Michael eyes beginto dart around and his grip on the gun is loosening. My heart gently pounds as I watch Adrian intimidate Michael. “Why should I leave her out of this? After all she is the reason that you are doing this to Alanna. She reminds you of Becky and of the way that you felt about her. Admit it; you are obsessed with Alanna because when you look at her you see Becky.” Michael nervously bangs his fist onto his head as he takes in Adrian’s words. He is beginning to twitch and the more I look at him the more I realise that he needs serious help.

  “Shut up, shut up. You know nothing about how I felt about Becky.” Michael says as he shakes his head –rapidly. “Of course I do, I was there don’t you remember? I looked after you and I stayed with you after you forced her to commit suicide. You tortured that innocent girl because she didn’t love you and I will not let you do the same to Alanna.”

  “Shut up,” Michael screams as he fires the gun up at the roof. My heart feels as if it has jumped from my chest from the shocking noise of the gunshot. Adrian looks terrified as he runs over to me. His hands are on my wrists and he is franticly trying to pull the duct tape from my skin. As Adrian tries to free me, Michael grabs him from behind and he spins him around to face him. I am crying and I can’t watch as Michael begins to punch Adrian. The guys are screaming and Michael has now pushed Adrian down onto the floor. I scream out as I try to encourage Michael to stop and for Adrian to fight back –but my screams aren’t heard as Michael leaps on top of Adrian. He begins to punch him so violently that I can hear him pant from the pain.

  “Stop, please, don’t hurt him.” I plead, but Michael doesn’t hear my words. I swivel my arms around as I try to break free from the chair. My wrists begin to sweat and to my relief the duct tape seems to be loosening. I pull harder and I have finally managed to free one of my arms. I reach over and I pull the duct tape from my other wrist and then I rip the tape from my ankles –I am free and now I need to help Adrian. I lunge out of the chairand I rush over to where Adrian and Michael are lying on the floor. Michaelis still beating the living daylights out of Adrian –but now Adrian has started to fight back. He has his hands around my Michael’s neck as he tries to weaken him. I lean down to Michael and I begin to beat his back as I try to break him off of Adrian. He snarls at my actions and then he spins around and with one swift movement he slaps me across my face and I fall back onto the floor. My eyes have become blurry from Michael’s force and I clutch my stomach as I pull myself up off the floor.

  Adrian has now span Michael from on top of him and now he is the one who is raining the blows onto Michael. I watch as Adrian punches Michael and I begin to get scared as I feel that Adrian will lose control of his temper. My mind is spinning and I can’t breathe –what will I do. I rush over to Adrian and I try to pull him from Michael. He turns to look at me as he squeezes his hand onto Michael’s throat. I plead with my eyes for him to pull back from Michael and he briefly considers it, but then he wrinkles his face as he turns back to Michael. I can hear Michael losing his breath and I close my eyes and cover my ears from the sound –I can’t listen as Adrian kills Michael. My eyes jolt open as I realise that I can’t let him do this. I rush over to him and I place my hands onto his back. He flinches from my touch and then alerts me to go away.

  “Run Alanna,” “No, I can’t let you do this, let him go.” Adrian’s teeth are clenched and I feel that he is betrayed by my words. I slide my hand into his hair as I try to plead with him. “As much as you would like to kill him right now, you can’t. He is still your stepbrother and despite everything that he has done you still care about him.”

  “No, I don’t care about him. The only person I care about is you and I won’t let him hurt you.” Adrian says as he maintains his grip on Michael’s neck. I look down at him as he lies there –blue as ink. I kneel onto the ground and I reach out and I place my hand onto Adrian’s arm. I look into his eyes and then I try to plead with him –again.

  “Look at me,” I say as I gently caress his arm. Adrian reluctantly pulls his large green eyes away from Michael as he looks at me. I smile at him and then I tell him my news. “You can’t kill him; I won’t let our baby grow up without a father and that is exactly what will happen if you go to prison –for murder.” Adrian stares through me and as he loosens his hands fromMichael. He stands up and he lifts me into his arms. I wrap my hands around his neck as he kisses me. “Well isn’t this a sight for sore eyes,” Chad says sarcastically as he enters the old garage. Adrian clutches me in his arms as he stares at Chad. Michael is slowly making his way up from the ground –coughing as he moves. Chad glides back over to the door and he steps out for literally ten seconds –he returns to garage with Emma.

  “What is going on?” Emma shouts as she tries to run over to Michael. Chad pulls her back and he grips onto her arm. She tries to fight him off as she shouts over at Adrian. “What is going on, why are you bleeding?” Adrian tightens his grip on me as Chad edges over to us –with Emma at his side. He turns to Emma and he gently strokes her face as he reassures her that everything is fine.

  “Don’t be scared love,” Emma flinches at his touchand then she tells him how she really feels.

  “You tricked me into coming here with you.” “Shush my lovely all with be explained.” Adrian sets me down next to him, but he makes sure that he maintains his hold on me as Chad and Michael begin to corner us. I can feel my heart pumping out of my chest and I can’t stand another minute of this ordeal. Adrian’s hand is gripped onto mine as he begins to question Chad on his actions.

  “Now that you have us here what is your intention?” Chad laughs and then he positions himself behind Emma. He slides his hands onto her waist as he holds her firmly in his grasp. She tries to loosen herself from him, but h
is grip is too strong. He leans down and he kisses the nape of her neck and I can hear Adrian growl as he stands next to me. Emma tries to push Chad away from her, but she can’t move his strong body. He is latched ontoher as he continues to kiss her neck. When Chad finally pulls his lips away from Emma he begins to explain exactly why he has brought her here.

  “Your beautiful sister has ended her relationship with my brother and I believe that she needs to suffer for breaking his heart.” Adrian’s nostrils are flaring as he watches Chad man-handle his sister. I can tell from his eyes that he wants to leap forward and punch Chad’s lights out, but Iknow that he will restrain himself as he is the bigger man. Michael is standing behind Adrian, his lips are burst and there is blood gushing out of his forehead. I look at him and I still cannot believe that he has done all of this to us. I thought that Chad was the bad brother, but now that I have seen Michael in his darkest moment I realise that Chad doesn’t have a patch on him.

  “Why do you care so much about other people’s relationships? Is it because yours was such a failure?” Adrian says to Chad in a deep, dark voice. I wait anxiously as Chad snarls at Adrian.

  “Why exactly was my marriage a failure again? Oh that’s right, it was because of you.” Chad lunges towards us and he drags Emma over with him. He is now standing a few inches from us and my heart is racing as I can’t bear this any longer. I hate confrontation and I especially hate seeing family members bicker with one another and I can’t help but feel that everything is my fault. If I hadn’t of lead Michael into thinking that there could be more between us then none of this would be happening. Adrian wouldn’t be hurt and Michael wouldn’t be so angry. Our lives would be normal and I wish that I could change what has happened.

  “That marriage was over long before I came around.” “You have stolen everything from me, my wife, my parents and now my son. How can you live with yourself knowing the pain and hurt that you have caused me and my family.” Chad eyes are darting from side to side as his words ring in the air around us. Michael has moved closer to us and Emma is frozen in one spot as Chad squeezes her arm. I grip Adrian tighter as I begin to feel uncomfortable and scared of what Michael’s actions might be.

  “I have heard quite enough from you and I am not going to stand here and be threatened by you any longer.” Adrian lunges forward and he drags me with him. He marches over to Chad and he rips Emma from his grasp and then he races over to the door with Emma and me by his side. I can hear Chad and Michael shuffling in the background as we leave andwhen Adrian reaches out to open the door Michael shouts after us.

  “Stop,” Adrian turns to look at him and I do the same. Michael is shaking as he points the gun at us. My heart is racing as I lookat him and I am terrified that he is going to hurt Adrian. Michael’s eyes are raging as he continues to threaten us with the gun. Emma begins to cry as she stares at Michael, Adrian sense his sister’s trauma so her tries to talk Michael down.

  “Put the gun down, this isn’t you.” Michael laughs and then he moves closer to us. I clutch Adrian’s arm as my heart is pounding so hard that it may burst from my chest. “Come on mate, put down the gun.” Adrian tires to soothe Michael but he laughs at Adrian –again.

  “I am not your mate,” Michael says in a dark voice. Chad is standing beside him, laughing smugly. As I look at these brothers I can’t help but think that they are severely messed up. I wonder if they have had a traumatic experience as children, but then I remember that Michael and Chad were born into a life of privilege. As I look at the brothers more, I begin to think that their high society lifestyle is the reason for their downfall. When you are born into a life that is filled with wealthand power I feel that you don’t have a grip on reality. Michael and Chad have never had to want for anything in their lives unlike Adrian who had nothing as a child.

  “That’s maybe so, but come on put down the gun.” Michael shakes his head at Adrian’s pleas and then Chad lunges forward and snaps the gun from the Michael’s hand.

  “What did you do that for?” Michael says to Chad in an angry voice. Chad smiles at him and then he slowly walks over in our direction –with the gun lodged into his hand. Adrian protectively places his arm over my chest as Chad nears us. Emma is still crying and I am frozen in the one spot as I await Chads next actions.

  “You were stalling and these people need to know that they can just leave whenever they want. We brought them here so we are the ones who call the shots. You need to show then who is boss, brother.” Chads words are icy and my stomach is turning from the sight of him. His jet black hair is greasy and stuck to his face. His clothes are sloppy and his smile is disgusting –he repels me. I used to think that he was quite handsome –when I first saw him, but now that I have seen him in his true form he is repulsive to me. He has gained weight since the last time that I saw him and he doesn’t suit it. His face is extra chubby and he has a beer gut, the more I look at him the more I realise how much he has changed. He looks completely different than before and I can’t understand how he has turned so ugly –in the space of a few months.

  “You have lost your mind, we are leaving now.” Adrian grabs my arm and he pushes the door open. He thrusts me out into the cold and I begin to panic when I see that he hasn’t followed me. I rush back over to the door and I smile when I see Adrian marching out of the old garage. He grabs my hand and then he walks me back over to the door as he shouts on Emma.

  “Emma, come on,” I can see that Emma is still crying and that she is scared. Adrian reaches out his hand as urges her to step out of the garage. She looks back at Michael and then she places her hand into Adrian’s.

  “No,” I scream. There was a loud bang –a gunshot. My eyes are firmly closed I can’t look, has Adrian has been hurt. Tears begin to pour through my closed eyes and my heart is racing. I fall to the ground with terror as I hear another gunshot; I can’t breathe as I sob. My hands are stinging as I press them against the hard gravel and my knees are weak. I can hear shouting from inside the garage, but I can’t bring myself to open my eyes. I sit on the ground my heart beating too fast, my head is beginning to pound and my terror rises when I feel a hand on my back.

  “Alanna,” I hear a soft voice say. It’s Adrian voice that I am hearing, but is it really him? Am I just imaging him speaking to me because I know that he has been shot? “Alanna,” he says again and this time I force myself to open my eyes. I burst into tears when I see him standing over me, his green eyes are looking into mine and I lunge straight into his arms as I can’t believe that he is alright.

  “Adrian,” I gush as I wrap my arms tightly around his neck. “I thought that you were hurt?” I say as I lean in and kiss his cheek. He pulls me back from him and his eyes are intense. My heart races as I wonder who has been hurt.

  “Chad is dead,” I fall back from his words, but Adrian catches me before I hit the ground. “He shot himself in the head but before he did he shot my sister.” Oh no Emma is hurt.

  “Is she okay?” Adrian shakes his head and then I cry again.

  “I don’t know I have called an ambulance, but I don’t know if she will make it. She has lost so much blood and I can’t deal with this, I need you.” Adrian leans in and he places his head onto my shoulders. I gently run my fingers through his hair as I try to comfort him.

  “She will be fine, but we can’t leave her on her own.” Adrian pulls his head away from my shoulder and he nods in agreement.

  “Go and wait in the car, I will wait with Emma.” Adrian says as he pushes me away. I frown at him.

  “No,” I snap. Adrian rolls his eyes at me and thenexpresses his concerns.

  “Baby it’s a bloodbath in there and I don’t want to cause you or the baby any more stress. Please wait in the car.” I shake my head at him –again. “I’m not a child, I can handle this. Your sister is badly hurt and she needs us let me be there for her.” I plead with Adrian and he considers my words for a few seconds and then he agrees with me. He takes me by the hand and he leads me into
the garage. When I enter, I see blood splattered everywhere. The floor is covered and the walls are slushed in Chad’s blood. Emma is lying on the floor and my heart breaks as I see her in peril. Blood is soaking through her shirt and I panic when I see that Emma’s wound is in the exact same place as mines was

  –her abdomen. Adrian rushes over to her and he kneels down to her level. He takes her hands in his and he tries to soothe her. She isn’t unconscious and I urge Adrian to talk to her.

  “Talk to her, keep her occupied.” Adrian nods his head at me and then he begins to reassure his sister that everything will be fine. I watch Adrian with his sister and a gentle tear comes to my eye. I hate that Emma has been hurt over Michael’s feelings for me and I am praying that shesurvives because if she doesn’t then I will never forgive myself.

  I look over at Michael and he is laying on the floor –with his arms wrapped around a blood soaked, dead Chad. He is sobbing ashe holds onto his brother. My head is spinning and although I am disgusted with Michael right now, I still feel for him. He has just lost his brother and no matter how evil and messed up that brother was, it’s still devastating. With thatthought I walk over to Michael and I lean down to his level. I feel physically sick at the sight of Chad, but I try to ignore his appearance as I begin to talk to Michael.

  “Michael,” I say gently, but he doesn’t respond. I take a deep breath and I hold back my nausea as I lean closer to him. I gently place my hand onto his back as I try again to talk with him. “This isn’t helping; I think that you should come away from Chad. You are only going to make yourself more upset.” Michael leaps up from the ground and he leans over me, hiseyes have deep evil in them and I am scared. He is staring through me and my heart is pounding. I begin to feel uneasy around him so I pull myself off the floor and then I take a few steps back from him as he continues to stare at me.