Noah was dead...

The shock of what I heard hit me like a ton of bricks. Sorrow shredded my insides as I broke into a sob.

My friend was dead, Noah who'd always been supportive, who I'd relied on when Tyler had left. He would always laugh, and smile, make me feel better.

He didn't deserve to die like this!

And I never imagined that Tyler would go to such an extent to prove that he was better.

"Why did you have to kill him?!" I said between sobs. "It wasn't his fault!"

Tyler stared at me like I'd gone crazy. "You think I killed Noah?"

"Well, of course, I do! No one else had threatened to kill him."

He tried to touch me but I recoiled and moved away from the couch, "GET AWAY FROM ME!" I made a run for the kitchen area and picked up a butter knife. Something was better than nothing.

"Vicky, listen to me..." he walked towards me, his stance was slow.

I kept the knife raised towards him; the granite counter was the only thing between us. "DON'T COME NEAR ME!" I yelled at him.

He sighed, his shoulders sagged in resignation. "A butter knife won't hurt me. Put it away, Vicky."

"I want to go home!" I wasn't sure how many times I'd said that in the past three days.

"I would never hurt you." He insisted, maintaining his distance between us on the other side of the counter.

"But you would hurt someone else."

"No, I wouldn't. I threatened Noah about staying away from you, and I told him how I'd get him involved in foul play involving some stuff in his company if he didn't back off. That's all." He said in a voice so sincere you'd think he was the Pope or something, but that was beside the point.

Tyler was good at these games, and manipulation ran deep in his blood. He'd pretty much mastered the art of a stoic face when he needed to get out of unsavory situations. Like right now. I couldn't tell if he was being honest or lying through his teeth. He would go to lengths to make sure the truth was concealed. He had all the components needed to become a criminal, so what if something trigged this time and his true characteristics surfaced?

It was a possibility that I couldn't let go.

"What foul play?" I asked.

"The Lockharts' have a subsidiary that's linked to one of McCloy's businesses, and Noah had no knowledge of it, so I just used that against him and told him that I'd shut it down. I didn't plan on doing it; I just wanted to catch him off-guard." He confessed, taking a step towards me.

"Do not take another step, Ty or I'll do something." I held the knife at my wrist. "I don't care what happens to me; I'll just bleed out here and then you'll have another murder on your hands."

"Okay, okay!" He raised his hands in defeat, "Just calm down, Vicky and let me talk. Just listen."

"How can I be sure that you're not lying?

"Well, you don't have a choice." He said. His icy-blue eyes cut through mine. He dug his hands in his pockets, "I did not kill Noah, and I have no idea who did. I hated him, that's true but I wasn't going to kill him for marrying you. The only reason I brought you here Vicky, is because I wanted you to think about..."

"About?"

"About us."

"There's no us."

His jaw flexed, "Really? You sure about that? What was that back there?" he pointed at the couch, "We were five seconds away from fucking each other blind."

"We were alone, and the lights were out."

"You're trying to tell me that you'd have done it even if there was some other guy with you in the same situation."

"Yeah, if I was attracted to that per...." I stopped blabbering and realized what I'd just blurted out.

He laughed, "You said it yourself, you're attracted to me."

"Don't try to distract me by changing the subject!" I pressed the knife to my skin.

If he wanted he could snatch that knife right out of my hands and kill me with his bare hands without trying too hard. He took regular martial arts training, and while I'd learned basics, it wouldn't be useful against someone like Tyler who was pro.

"I brought you here to buy some time. I wanted you to think about your decision and I was trying to convince you not to marry him."

"You still expect me to trust you?"

"Everything that I've told you right now is the truth." He insisted, "Besides, think about it. The only thing I would accomplish by murdering Noah is to bring more attention to myself, and I've done my best to stay away from the media. I'd rather join the circus. Pretty much everyone in town knew he and I were cross with each other, why the hell would I risk that?"

He had a point.

I watched him as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed, "Archer, hey. I want you to listen to me carefully. Lock your doors and the windows and ask Hazel to stay inside. Yeah...yeah..." his eyes locked with mine, "Vicky's here with me, don't worry, man. We were just picking up where we left off."

I rolled my eyes.

After he hung up on the call, he told me he needed to leave.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I want to find the bastard who's doing this." He said taking off his woolen sweater as he walked inside the bedroom. He opened a few drawers and pulled out a black t-shirt. Next, he stripped out of his pajamas and slid into a pair of jeans.

"I'm going with you."

"It's much safer for you to stay here, trust me. If I'm outside, I can't look out for my ass and keep an eye on you too. This room is bulletproof and does not exist on the map of the house. The doors only open on my command. You're better off here."

The landline phone started blaring. Tyler pressed the speakers, "What now, Morgan?"

"Sir, there's an FBI agent at the door, and he says that he has a search warrant."

Tyler's face blanched, "An FBI agent?"

"Yes, sir. He wants to talk."

He hung up on the call and switched on the TV. The news channels had found something that they could talk about for months, and Tyler wasn't going to be exempted.

"We are now standing where the remains of Noah McCloy's body were found this morning. There's a young man here who saw Tyler Lockhart and Noah argue that evening, and that was the last time that Noah was ever seen." A reporter said. "Police suspect that Tyler is responsible for Noah's death."

A grainy image appeared of Tyler walking towards Noah's house. I looked at Tyler to see what his reaction was to all of this, and for someone who was being accused of cold-blooded murder, you'd think they were about to lose it, but surprisingly he appeared to be calm.

It seemed like the calmness that would suggest that he had indeed been involved with the murder.

Tyler switched off the TV and started making his way towards the stairs.

"I'm coming upstairs," I said.

"Vicky, I can't protect you out of this place."

"I'm coming with you, or when I'm out of here, I'll tell the police that you kidnapped me."

He pinned me with a menacing look that said he wasn't happy to hear that, "pick up your meds, and follow me."

I picked up my handbag and followed Tyler upstairs. "Stay close and don't say a word. I'll handle the agent."

I just needed to get out of here and I was getting my chance. I cared less about Tyler's house being searched. If anything, the FBI would probably dig up a few bodies from the basement and the walls. And if that happened, I wouldn't be too shocked.

I was right behind him as we entered his room. Before we reached the door, he turned around to face me.

"I know what you're thinking." He said.

"Tell me what am I thinking?"

"You think I murdered Noah."

"All the evidence is against you, Tyler. Noah didn't have a lot of enemies."

"Vicky, there's something that I found out recently, and I want you to know."

Just then there was a loud knock at the door. "The FBI is making his way here, Mr. Lockhart."

Tyler caught my hand in his, "I'm asking you to go back downstairs."

"I'm going to stay here with you, and if the police or the FBI want to know our relationship, I'll tell them the truth."

"And what's the truth?" he was quick to ask.

"That we are friends."

Disappointment registered on his face, but that didn't stop him from being sarcastic, "Yeah sure, friends who try to rip each others clothes off from time to time."

We walked out of the room and descended the stairs where we met the agent who had made a mess out of the living area where he was desperately searching for something.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Agent?" Tyler asked him, his voice sounded serene when he should have been scared.

The agent was a middle-aged man, medium height and eyes that looked too big for his face. He raised his hand towards Tyler for a handshake, "I'm special agent Brynn Smith, and I'm here to investigate the murder of Noah McCloy. I've been appointed to thoroughly search your house. My team is on its way here."

"Do you have a search warrant Agent, and may I see your ID?"

Agent Brynn reached into his pocket and showed Tyler both, and then he looked at me. "Miss. Would you please step aside? I would like to question you in private." He said, reaching for his holster.

"I'm Tyler's friend, Victoria."

Before I could even understand what was going on, Tyler pulled out his gun and shot the man point-blank.

A fountain of warm blood spray-painted over me, Tyler's t-shirt, and the pristine white couch. The sound of the gunshot resonated throughout the mansion and I stared at the horrific scene before me; unable to say a word. Tyler, on the other hand, wiped the blood staining his face with the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that." He said with the same serenity.

"Why?" I managed to whisper.

"He was going to kill you." He stated.

* * *