Love, Lies, and Deception(39)
Would I be willing to give up my privacy and way of life for his? Yes, I would, but not yet.
Sighing, I said, “I would do anything to be with you, Alec, but what I need to know is if once you go back will you change into what you used to be? I love who you are now, who you are here, and I definitely don’t want to meet the person you once were.”
He shook his head. “I promise you’ll never meet him. He’s gone and never coming back. I just want you with me, and I’ll do anything to make you happy.”
After kissing him gently on the lips, I leaned my forehead against his. “Well, then I guess you have your answer.”
Alec smiled and sighed with relief. “You have no idea how happy that makes me. I know my family is going to love you.”
“I wish you could’ve met my parents,” I muttered sadly. “I definitely know my mother would’ve swooned all over you. You and she would have gotten along great. My father was a little strict, but all he ever wanted was to make me happy. I miss them so much.” A tear escaped out of the corner of my eye, but Alec caught it and wiped it away.
“They would be so proud of you right now. My parents have been so disappointed in me for so long, I’m hoping I can make it up to them one day.”
“You already have.” I smiled.
We were almost to the lake, trudging along the trail that was a little wet and muddy with the smell of decaying leaves. Alec held my hand, squeezing it every so often, and each time it made me smile. The air smelled fresh and clean, but once we got closer to the lake the wind blew the most rancid smell toward us. I covered my nose with my hand and started to gag.
“What the hell is that smell? I feel like I’m gonna throw up.”
Alec wrinkled his nose and peered around cautiously. “It must be a dead animal or maybe even a skunk. I’ve never smelled anything this terrible before.”
Breathing through my mouth, I swore I could taste the stench going down my throat. I couldn’t handle it any longer. To avoid embarrassment, I ran away from Alec and leaned over an old fallen tree, heaving my guts out. Alec quickly came up behind me, pulling my hair away from my face, and rubbed my back.
“Are you okay?” he asked soothingly.
Sagging against the tree, I took a deep breath and groaned as the stench grew stronger. I heaved and threw up again. “No, I’m not okay,” I answered hoarsely, hating the taste in my mouth. Just then, I saw the reason for the horrible smell.
Screaming, I scrambled away, making Alec fumble behind me into the wet grass. I shut my eyes against the horrible sight that had been branded in my mind.
“Alec, oh my God, look over there!” I shrieked, not daring to look again.
Never in a million years would I forget the vision of those unseeing and cloudy eyes staring back at me. The dead female sprawled out on the forest floor with the bloated and misshapen body was someone I had seen before … in a video two weeks ago.
Alec walked over to the body and took one glance before sharply turning away. “What the f*ck,” he mumbled, backing away quickly.
The tears had obscured my vision, but I couldn’t blink them away. I was frozen, scared and completely terrified. Alec bent down in front of me and helped me to my feet by taking my elbows and lifting me up. I shivered, unable to get my body to function.
“Marissa, we have to call the police,” Alec said, trying to snap me out of my stupor. Everything he said garbled together in my mind and it didn’t make sense. Only when his frantic gaze caught mine and he shook me by the shoulders did I finally snap to attention.
“Did you not just hear what I said?” Alec shouted impatiently.
I shook my head, and blinked to clear my eyes. “No, I’m sorry, Alec. What did you say?”
“I said …” he began, holding onto my shoulders and staring worriedly into my eyes, “… is that the dead body is the girl who spiked your drink? Now we know why they couldn’t find her.”
“I know,” I cried, feeling sick all over again. “I recognized her from the video.”
The world began to spin and my knees gave out, except instead of falling to the ground Alec scooped me up and swiftly carried me down the trail, all the way back to our apartment. The last thing I remembered was passing out on his couch while he phoned the police and reported the dead body.
When the police arrived, including Detective Michaels, Alec led them to the body while I stayed behind; I couldn’t go back there. I stared outside the window while people congregated around the outside hoping to catch a glimpse of what was going on.
I did, however, see Emily’s feet as she frantically ran down the steps and straight for Alec’s apartment. I opened the door before she had a chance to knock.
She gasped at the sight of me. My eyes were red and swollen, and I knew I looked as pale as a ghost. “Rissa, oh my God, what the crap is going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
She sauntered past me and into Alec’s living room where I quickly shut the door and leaned against it.
“More like a dead body,” I choked out, starting to sob again.
She shrieked and put a hand over her mouth. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Who? Where? Explain … now.”
Crying, I staggered over to the couch and sat down, remembering every horrifying detail. I took a deep breath before explaining, “It was terrible, Emily. I swear I never thought in my life that I’d ever see a dead body. I don’t think I’ll ever get the sight out of my mind … ever.