Samantha
When she wakes up in the morning Lucas is gone. Any evidence that he had been there is gone expect for a not on the table. Samantha opens it and reads it.
Had to leave early. Told Vaughn you had a rough night and to leave you alone. Wish I could have been there when you woke up, but I'll be back as soon as I can. Please take it easy. -Lucas... btw your are amazing.
Samantha gets a goofy grin and hugs the note against her chest. She feel ridiculous for feeling like a teenager with a crush, but she can't help the feeling he gives her. Even as part of her screams to be careful, she can't find the bad in Lucas. In fact all he's shown is good. In many more ways then one. She groans remembering last night. Truly everything seems perfect about him, even in bed he takes her to heaven and back. Again and again. But he also buys her things that aren't needed, going out of his way to cook for her, for christ sake he crawled into a fort without complaint. Filled with thoughts of Lucas, Samantha gets dresses and brushes her teeth.
"Hello Marcus," she says to Vaughn who is eating a bagel in the kitchen.
"Hi Samantha," he narrows his eyes and the slight skip to her steps, "what's got you so chirpy. You a whole new Samantha then the one I met."
"Just happy about the baby," she says.
"Oh, okay," he glances at the clock, "you slept in quite long. It's nearly twelve. I was about to go make sure you were okay."
"I, um, I was puking all night," she lies sure that Lucas doesn't want him to know about them. If there is a them. "It was, uh, very rough."
Marcus nose wrinkles, "Sorry. The night must have sucked."
"It did," Samantha holds back a smile.
"We got a couple hours to kill until Lucas is back. You got anything in mind?"
"I can show you how to make the caramels. Lucas bought way extra, so I have enough to make them again."
Marcus face lights up, "Let's do it. They were delicious."
Three hours later Lucas walks into the kitchen to Samantha reading and Marcus munching away on his second plate of caramels.
"Hey, Flynn," Marcus hands him a caramel, "she made some more."
"There was a lot of extra supplies so I cooked some," she explains.
"You going to get fat," Lucas tells Marcus, "weren't just complaining about having to work out the extra fat your eating, this morning?"
Marcus sighs and slide the plate away from him, "Thanks for ruining them for me."
Lucas bites into the one he gave him and scan the room until he finds Samantha seated on the countertop. "Hi."
"Hi," she awkwardly says fighting another blush. She hates how easily her body betrays her thoughts.
"I got you a Crunch bar," he takes off his gun holster and pulls the chocolate bar out of his pocket. Samantha hops off the counter and grabs it.
"Thank you."
"You shouldn't eat that though," Marcus voice makes her jump. "It might make you throw up."
"She'll be fine. Thanks to the diet the doc gave her she hasn't thrown up in a..Jesus!" Lucas frowns at Samantha who had elbowed him hard to get him to shut up. Though it appears is too late because Marcus looks at her confused.
"But you said you slept in because you were up all night throwing up? Why would you-" Marcus eyes widen with realization. "You didn't."
"We didn't," Samantha says.
"Oh please tell me you didn't."
"I just told you we didn't."
"We did," Lucas says, wrapping an arm around Samantha. Samantha purses her lips not pulling away, but awkwardly opening her chocolate bar.
"I knew this would happen," Marcus scoffs. "Harlow is dead, Lucas. Her testimony is all we have again."
"This will not affect that."
"You don't know that," Marcus taps the table, "I know! You looked very upset as the scene yesterday. You can just say you got overwhelmed by Harlow's death. It didn't mean anything."
Samantha tenses up at the possibility he is right.
"I won't say that, because it's not true," Lucas says squeezing her arm.
"Maybe not, but what are you going to say should they find out. Huh? That her pregnancy hormones were too much to resist?"
"I can go," Samantha tries to leave wincing.
"No," Lucas says sternly, his jaw twitches a flash of anger appearing in his eyes. "The hell is wrong with you man? You may be my best friend, but I am still your boss. I think I deserve a little respect. Samantha deserves respect."
Marcus ears turn red, "Sorry, your right that was uncalled for. I'm sorry if I offended you Samantha."
"It's okay," she mumbles.
"Marcus I understand why you are worried, but I have given this a lot of thought and it will not affect her testimony in any way."
"What if it does?"
"I won't."
"But what if it nothing is found. What are you going to do if they will have to take-"
"Shut the hell up," Lucas holds up a hand, "I am not discussing this any further."
"Fine," Marcus says, "Fine. You two are grown adults. You know what consequences of your actions can lead to. I'll put my trust on you Flynn."
"Thank you."
"I'm taking these with me," Marcus grabs the plate with caramels on it, "as payment for my silence."
"It's your weight in danger," Samantha teases.
"Whatever!" he calls slamming the front door.
Samantha sets down her chocolate bar on the table, "I'm so sorry Lucas. I didn't mean to have him find out. I only-" Lucas cuts her off with a quick kiss.
"I've been waiting to do that all day," he grins, "and he knows me too well, he would have found out eventually."
"How was your day?"
"Stressful. It's better now," he glances past her in the kitchen. "It's spotless, so I take you didn't take it easy."
"I did, Vaughn helped, or at least he tried to. He almost put in salt instead of sugar."
"I wouldn't trust him to be in the kitchen."
"It was definitely his last time helping me."
"Smart," he agrees.
Samantha goes to the microwave and takes out a plate full of caramels. "He forgot I made more." She goes to hand him one, but his expression stops her. His eyebrows are pulled together and he seems on the verge of saying something, but is hesitant.
"What?" she asks.
"I have to ask you something, but you might get mad at me," he ruffles his hair, "I don't want you to get mad at me." Samantha immediately thinks the worst.
"I knew it was too good to be true," she says, "you regret it?"
"No, no, nothing of that sort," he passes his thumb over her lip, "I enjoyed it very much."
"Then what?"
"It's about Micheal."
"Micheal?" Samantha repeats. That was the last thing she expected him to bring up.
Lucas tugs on his tie and takes it off. "I opened an investigation on Micheal."
"What!" Samantha shouts. "Why would you do that!
"I opened it so that we can catch him before he hurts someone else. He needs to pay for what he's done."
"What do you mean investigation?"
"We are nearing in on where he is and Vaughn interviewed his other ex-finances the other day."
Samantha bumps into the cabinet not being able to believe her ears. "I was his first fiancé."
Lucas winces, "You didn't know."
"I was his first fiancé."
"You weren't. I am not surprised he lied about that."
"Tell me everything you know so far," she orders.
"Are you sure?"
"Tell me!"
"There were four women that we know of before you. All with the same story. He was caring at first and then he became a monster. He would live with all of their houses pretending to pay rent and leaving when it became obvious he didn't. All of them would also get physically and emotionally abused."
She wasn't the only one. From the beginning everything he did was to take advantage of her.
"I thought he loved me at one point. That something changed to make him stop, but your saying from the beginning it was all a trick I fell into?"
Lucas nods solemnly.
"I'm so stupid," Samantha presses a hand to her head, "I am so stupid."
"No, your not," Lucas goes to her, "don't you dare blame yourself."
"Who else is to blame? My mom raised me to be smarter than that."
"Micheal is good at what he does. He is charming and attractive. He provides women with a sense of safety they feel they need."
"I should have seen what he was doing."
Lucas grabs her hand.
"Don't touch me," Samantha gets out his reach. Lucas winces but obeys. "You did all this behind my back. Your bringing him here and when all the evidence doesn't pan out he will want Jayden as punishment."
"That won't happen."
"How do you know!" she cries, "if they haven't caught him before why would they now? I can't loose my baby."
Lucas finishes crossing the distance between them and pulls her to his chest despite her protest, "That will never happen. Do you hear me? I won't let him come anywhere near that child. Ever."
"You don't know that he is crazy. I don't know how far he would go. He could hurt Jayden," she hits his chest with her fist when he won't let her pull away.
"Samantha stop, that man will never lay a finger on the child."
Samantha ignores him continuing to hit his chest with anger he kept it from her, but mainly angry at herself for spending a year of her life with someone who never cared for her. Lucas takes the hits continuing his hold on her until she's calmed down.
"I have enough build a proper case against him. The other women had pictures and one even had a secret video she took. He won't be able to wiggle his way out," Lucas says. "In order to add you to the case I need you to agree to testify or give evidence. If you can't it's okay because I have enough."
Samantha shakes her head, "I don't ever want to have to see him again."
"That's okay, but if you do decide to add what he did to you to the case. It'll be easier to get the court to remove his parental rights."
"You can do that?"
"Yes," Lucas says.
"Okay," she nods, "I'll do it. This is after all of this, right?"
"Yes, I plan to have him arrested and the trial will be after Gordon's."
"I don't have any evidence. He knew the password to all my things, so I never dared take pictures."
"You have nothing?" Lucas leans away to arms length, "nothing?"
Samantha eyes flicker away as she thinks of an incident that left her marked.
"Show me," Lucas eyes turn dark.
"It's nothing, and I can't prove he had anything to do with it."
"Show me," he says again.
"I would have to take my shirt off," she says as if she is embarrassed. In reality he is worried, that if he sees what Micheal did he won't want her anymore.
Lucas chuckles his anger breaking slightly, "Are you really worried about that?"
"It was dark last night. It's why you didn't notice."
"Samantha, just show me. Please."
Samantha pulls off her shirt and turns around. Lucas let out a small gasp, running a finger over the scar.
"Tell me this isn't what I think."
Samantha quickly puts her shirt back on and spins back around.
"I want to know what happened," Lucas growls, his hands shaking.
"Lucas, calm down."
"Tell me what happened."
Samantha swallows hard, the events of that day coming back to her. "Shortly before I found out I was pregnant, he came home drunk one day. I tried to get him to drink water, but he ignored me and pulled me to his lap. Next thing I know I feel a sting against my back," she stops, taking a breath before continuing. "I asked him what he was doing, and he said he's marrying me and that it's only right he marks what is his. I tried to pull away, but even drunk, he is a very strong man. I didn't know what he was doing, only that it kept stinging more and more. It wasn't until the next day that I looked in the mirror, I saw he had cut an M into my skin."
"The bastard really marked you?"
"I shouldn't have let him. I'm ashamed it happened, and I understand if it makes you want to pull away. Being marked by another man isn't exactly a turn on," she laughs dryly.
Lucas shakes his head. "If anything, it makes me remember how much you have been through and are still an amazing person, and this makes me more determined to lock that trash of a human being up."
"Thank you," Samantha says, truly grateful.
Lucas cups her cheek, "I am sorry you had to go through all of that and I don't care how stupid you may think you are, you are not to blame. You did nothing wrong." He gives her a kiss and grabs her for a tight hug. Samantha returns it for the first time a realization dawning on her that scares her more then Micheal ever did. She is falling in love with him, in the worst circumstances in her life, she is falling in love. Typical luck of hers.
***************************
What do we think of Lucas choice to go after Micheal?
Should he have waited?
I hope all of you are well
I have been working on an another fantasy story since 7th grade, this story is the core of everything I have ever made. Should I post it on wattpad?
Much love <3