I Never Told a Lie, and That Makes Me a Liar

Zack walked me back to the motel after I had stopped crying. The guys tried to be as comforting as possible, even Jack had given me a hug. However stiff it was, it was still a hug and that was something. Alex even let me keep his sweatshirt.

"So glad to see you're alright, Wendy," Zack told me as we headed towards the motel. "I've really....been worried and missed you and stuff," he mumbled, shrugging. I smiled smally, remembering the kiss he had given me before.

"Yeah, Santa Monica's been good to me," I mentioned, nodding. "I've got a job, I've got a place to stay....it's been better than it has been in a long time." I ran my hand through my hair, sighing. "Shit's about to get a whole lot more complicated now," I added.

"What makes you say that?"

"You guys found me, didn't you?" I asked. "Means Jayden won't be far behind. I'm gonna have to run again, I guess. Shame though, I was really starting to dig it here."

"You won't have to go anywhere, if you don't want to, Wendy," he said shortly. "I...we won't let anything happen to you. Promise. If you want to stay in Santa Monica, we'll make sure you can safely." I laughed a little, rolling my eyes.

"While you guys may be good, I don't think you're that good, Zack," I informed. "There's no way."

"That's where you're wrong," he said. "We can." He held the door open for me to into the motel. I waved at Kenny, the middle aged balding guy who sat behind the counter and he nodded back at me. It was the same old thing. The people who worked in the motel all knew me by now. Thankfully, they hadn't asked about why I was staying a motel for so long. As long as I kept up with payments, I'd be okay. It was more of an apartment to me at this point.

I led the way up the stairs to my room, digging my key out of Alex's sweatshirt pocket. "Whatever you say, Zack. Regardless of if you think you can keep me safe or not..." I started.

"We can, Wendy," Zack interjected, nodding. I rolled my eyes.

"Regardless," I sighed. "I don't think I'm going to feel safe in Santa Monica anymore." I opened the door, pulling the key out of the lock, listening to make sure it clicked before shutting it. Zack stood in the doorway, looking around.

"You've been here a month?" he asked. I hummed a yes, tossing the keys on the desk. I sat down on the bed, yawning. My day off was turning into a weirdly tiring day.

"Do you mind if I stay with you tonight?" Zack asked suddenly. I glanced over at him, raising my eyebrows.

"I don't want to walk back all the way in the dark," he explained, shrugging. "We've shared a bunk together. With a bed, you'll hardly notice I'm here." I laughed, laying back on the bed.

"Yeah, I guess you can stay," I chuckled. I sat up to see him smiling and he nodded at me.

"I'll just call the guys to tell him," he informed, pulling out his phone. I nodded.

"And I'm gonna get ready for bed, I'm exhausted," I informed, going over to the dresser to pick out some clothes. He headed over to the small patio and headed for the bathroom. I got changed quickly, pulling my hair back into a ponytail and brushing my teeth. It was nice to be able to have a routine before I went to bed and it was going to suck being on the run again but I wanted to live. If I had to give up a bed time routine to do so, so be it.

When I came out of the bathroom, I saw Zack laying in bed waiting for me. I shook my head, climbing into bed next to him. He rolled over to face me, smirking.

"Night Zack," I mumbled, smiling sleepily at him. He blinked at me a couple times before he said anything.

"Night Wendy," he whispered finally, leaning over to kiss me quickly.

***

When I next woke up, there was something terribly wrong. There was loud whispers in my room, more voices than just Zack and I only recognized one. It took a second for it to click but it was too late to do anything when I figured it out.

"Grab her!" one voice, the one I recognized, hissed. My eyes shot open to see Zack wasn't in my bed anymore, and that there were five more guys in there than there should have been. Two of them grabbed me by the arms, yanking me out of bed. I scanned the room quickly, looking for Zack. When I finally spotted him, I saw he was being held back by two other guys, both bigger than him.

"Zack!" I shouted, struggling to break free but it was no use. I was trapped. When he heard his name, he began to struggle even more than he was, trying to break free.

"Wendy! No! Let go of her! Let her go!" he shouted, being tugged back again and wincing in pain. I was spun around to face my door, whimpering. Standing there, looking very smug, was Jayden.

"I've come to collect," he hissed in Polish, making me shudder. God, I hated his voice.

"Take her to the car," he said in English. The two guys holding me nodded, heading to go out the door.

"What about this one?" one of the guys that was holding Zack asked. I heard Jayden hum and start with, "Well..."

But then I heard no more as I was dragged out of my motel. I hung my head, tears pouring down my face. Not because of Jayden catching me.

"Zack," I mumbled, giving one last effort to struggle but getting nowhere. It was too late.

They were going to kill Zack and it was all my fault.