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Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry for the HUGE delay, I hope you guys are still reading!
Sam watched out of the backseat window as the cab pulled into the dreary looking motel. It took her a few seconds before she realized that it was the same motel she was staying in before AJ found her. The surroundings were still bleak and depressing; she shuddered as she thought about how much she feared being there. Deep down inside, she knew that this would probably be the last time she saw the outside of anything; if Ryan didn’t kill her right away, she knew that she would spend the rest of her life in some cell or basement somewhere. As much as that thought terrified her, it would be far worse if she stayed and put everyone’s safety in jeopardy.

She climbed out of the taxi and handed her last few bills over to the driver. As he sped away, she turned to figure out what room she was supposed to be heading to. Ryan had told her to take the stairs to the second floor, turn left and look for the room that had a white flag taped to the door. He truly had a sick sense of humor and, when she got the door of the room, she realized he had gotten even crueler. The room she stopped at was the exact room she had stayed in; her stomach flipped over knowing that he had been watching her every move and could remember such an insignificant detail about the room she hid in. She knew at the point that she had done all she could to put this off and she lightly knocked on the door.

No one answered so she knocked again; when no one answered again, she stepped back slightly. She was beyond tempted to run away but, at this point, there was nowhere to run to. There was no going back to AJ’s because he would try to convince her not to respond to any more messages and she couldn’t simply go on the run again because Ryan would take that act as a defiance of his wishes. He would most certainly take his anger over that out on everyone Sam had ever cared about. As much as she loathed being there at that moment, she knew that risking her life was the clear choice above risking anyone else’s lives.

She put her hand on the door and it swung inward; since the curtains were shut and there was no lamp on, this created a pitch black area for her to walk into. Holding her hand out in front of her, she took a few tentative steps into the room. There were no sounds coming from inside the room except for her heart thudding in her chest. She took a few more steps in and felt the air close in around her as the door slammed shut behind her. The time had finally arrived to come face to face with the evil she had lived with for years.

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“What do I do?” AJ yelled into the phone as Drew flew down the highway. “Kevin, tell me what to do!”

His older brother could hear the panic in his voice and, after what AJ had just describe, knew that the panic he felt was a legitimate emotion. He wanted to tell his friend not to go and to send the police instead but he realized that if Sam’s life was in danger, no one would be able to make AJ take a step back. She was truly in danger and Kevin had known for a while how in love with her AJ was. There was nothing he could say that would help at the moment so he tried the best he could to be the voice of reason.

“Call the police AJ. I know you’re going to go there no matter what but you need help with this; you and Drew cannot do this on your own.”

“If I call the police, they’ll go in there with lights and sirens flashing!” AJ shouted. “He’ll kill her Kevin and sneak out the back!”

Kevin knew that AJ was probably right in that respect and he racked his brain for another solution that would work in this instance. He’d never had to come up with advice for such a serious situation and he was hesitant to give any guidance in case this went wrong fast. After a few moments, an idea occurred to him.

“Can you call the private investigator you hired to find Sam? Didn’t he have a retired cop or something working with him?”

AJ was just about to tell him that was a bad idea but he took a deep breath and thought twice. He knew the police couldn’t be involved but the woman he’d met already knew the situation and might be just the person who could help them. Hanging up on his brother without another word, he dialed the number that the investigator had given him early on in their search and explained to the woman what was going on. She told them that she knew where the motel was and that she could be there in thirty minutes. That was longer than AJ wanted to hear but he knew it would take him and Drew about that long to get there. He was worried because he didn’t know how much of a head start Ryan had on them and if Sam would even be there when they finally arrived.

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Sam took a deep breath and steeled herself to take on whatever abuse Ryan had planned. She knew in the moment that door was shut, there was no backing out and there was absolutely no place to run. As much as she wanted to turn around, her body was frozen in place anticipating the blows that her husband would soon be inflicting.

It seemed like an eternity as Sam stood there, waiting and barely breathing. Nothing was moving around her and she didn’t hear any sounds or noises except for the sound of light breathing coming from behind the door. Not being able to take it anymore, she turned to face the person she knew would be standing there. Without any light, she knew there would be no way to see who was there but she knew the voice instantly when the person spoke.

“Hello Samantha.”