Gate Deadlock (37 page)

That was why I had no
other choice but run away from him in the rain; because I was
pretty sure I couldn’t endure another second near him without
risking my sanity.

When I got out of the
taxi I took a moment to stare at the beach house in front of me.
The house Christopher had bought that summer for us. I was
determined to clear my thoughts of anything related to him. Since
he was gone, the place felt desolate, forlorn and
abandoned.

I found the key behind
the gardenia pot where I always left it in case he came back. Every
time I tried to reach it I prayed for it not to be there. But just
like today, it was always there. I unlocked the heavy wooden door
and took a few seconds before I entered. This would be my first
time there without the hope that Christopher would return. Never
before had that place seemed emptier to me. I closed the door
behind me and almost ran up the stairs. My movements were
mechanical, fast. I took off the clothes that had already dried on
me and showered. It was unbearable and, at the same time, wistful
for me to stay here. I should not let my mind play the same tricks
again, recalling his face, imagining him sitting in the living
room, on the porch, or lying in bed next to me.

After the shower that did
little to alleviate the ache inside my chest, I curled on the sofa
in my bathrobe with a glass of wine. I turned on the TV hoping it
would distract me. Alex wouldn’t answer his cell phone, but I kept
calling him several times and left a couple of messages. What could
have happened to him?

Things would have been much different if I
had
n’t crushed
Alex’s
hopes last Christmas, when I told him outright that I only saw him
as a friend. We had a terrible fight, which ended with his
departure for Greece.
I had no one to
blame but myself. If I hadn’t taken advantage of Alex’s feelings
for me for as long as Suzan, my Crusader friend
,
needed him as a cover up while she prepared me for my
time-travel and my encounter with Denzel, maybe things would have
turned out differently. Alex had forgiven me for what I did. But it
didn’t mean I forgave myself.

It was already dark
outside when I began to wonder how long it would take for him to
get here. More than four hours had passed since he’d called, but I
told myself I shouldn’t panic. He should be here in any minute.
Then he would take me away from here and we’d try to find Tom or
Susan. They would know what to do. As long as I didn’t have to look
into those empty, deep-blue eyes again. I would manage to go on
somehow, to find a way to survive. I had done this before. I should
know.

1. Under Duress
   

The ear-splitting sound
of thunder
jerked me awake. Someone was
in the room. My eyes felt awfully heavy, and despite my instincts
warning me, my body refused to cooperate. The house was dark.
Trying to figure out where the intruder was, I quietly reached for
the bottle of wine on the coffee table, the only way to protect
myself. But I couldn’t find it. My heart was pounding.

In a sudden flash of
lightning, I saw him
sitting in the red
armchair, right across the sofa.
A familiar, still figure
in his usual black Squad suit; broad shoulders
upright against the back of the chair, hands resting on the
armrests.

“
That was a very foolish
thing to do,” Christopher said calmly, a second before panic
punched my chest.

My relief lasted only for
a split of a second. I remembered he was the one I’d been running
away from, unable to deal with the change in him. Why on earth did
he have to follow me here? Why did he keep on torturing me with his
adorable face and his irresistible voice?

“
Why are you here?” I
whispered sitting up. “Why don’t you leave me alone?” I continued,
my voice faltered. “Haven’t you tortured me enough?”

“
It’s too late for
that
I’m afraid. It was you who brought
me back, remember? You started this, Emma, and no one can stop it
now.” His voice sounded milder than a few hours ago, when he had
drawn the line between us. Still, underneath his composed façade, I
had the feeling there was something he was trying to
hide.

“
I’m perfectly sure I can
stop it now. I won’t be bothering you anymore; you’ve made it clear
that you want nothing to do with me.”

“
As I said, it’s too
late. They’ve got your boyfriend.”

Urania Sarri has studied
English Language and Literature in the university of Athens (BA).
She also holds an Msc in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of
Other Languages)from Aston University, Birmingham UK. She has
worked with young adults for the past 20 years as a teacher of
English. She developed an interest in writing from a very early age
and has a keen interest in mystery an suspense books that she
shares with her students
.

Find out more about her on her blog

Urania's
Distractions

And
Goodreads

For a paperback copy of Gate Deadlock go
to

http://www.amazon.com/Gate-Deadlock-Urania-Sarri/dp/055708217X/ref=tmm_pap_title_0