A little more liquor

Chapter 21

A/N oi oi it's been a while. 

What with the latest news that stereo kicks are splitting up, it has cancelled my plans to have a third book which means i'll have to wrap the ending of that one into this one, but I think I still have 5-10ish more chapters to go of this book so it won't be going anywhere for awhile ;)

also side note, combining the amount of views from the first book and this book we are super close to 6K reads and holy fuck thats insane, thank you all so much :)

anyway, here's the chapter, see you next week x

Millie showed the boys around the place, before they all individually went off to try and find some clue to why Bella left so suddenly and without telling them where she was going.

"Oi guys I think I found something" Reece called out, pulling an old book out from beneath some of the rubbish. The group gathered around him as he flicked though.

"I think it was her journal" Casey added, getting a bit tense when they flicked past the pages that she had written about him. "The last entry was only written about a week ago.."

"Something doesn't really add up though.." Millie muttered, pulling out the note she had written them years ago from the back of her phone case. 

"The writing doesn't match"

"Odd."

"keep going through the journal, read the last entry."

"I can't read it too well, it was written in a hurry.... I think its an Address"

"Well let's go, i'm starting to feel anxious for her.." 

The group hurried down to the car and punched the address into the GPS, before James stomped his foot down on the pedal until the car lurched forward and they drove quickly, following the directions that led them to a small apartment complex in a quiet neighbourhood in the outskirts of London.

Surprisingly, even though it was late at night it appeared all the lights in the complex were on which seemed like a good sign.

They piled out of the car and hurried up the metal staircase, up to the apartment number written down. Millie pressed her finger to the bell and the faint sound of it ringing went off inside. They waited outside for a second before hearing a door open and close, then footsteps approaching the door. Needless to say, they were all holding their breaths.

The door creaked open, and standing in the doorway in a boys shirt which fas far to big for her with leggings underneath, glasses and a mug in hand was none other than the girl who had been missing for 5 years. 

Bella stood in the doorway, her eyes wide as she stared at them, the mug falling from her hands and smashing on the wooden floor.

"What the fuck are you doing here." she whispered to them, glancing at the clock behind her hanging above the fireplace.

"The question is what the fuck are you doing here" Casey interjected, causing a sharp glare from Reece. 

"Okay we have half an hour before he gets back, come in I guess, i'll explain everything." She hustled them inside quickly, before looking up and down the corridor and closing the door.

Everyone was standing in the living room awkwardly. Casey was looking at the pictures on top of the mantle, pictures of Bella and some boy who always tended to wear aviators and a beanie or some other hat that disguised his identity pretty well. 

She sat down next to Millie on one of the sofas, with Reece, Chris, James and Casey sitting on the sofa opposite them as an uncomfortable silence fell upon them. 

Chris coughed. "Maybe you should start from the night you left?" He prompted.

"Right, yeah that would be good. okay, well. first, I never planned to go to America, hell I didn't plan on leaving you guys, he wrote the letter so you wouldn't look for me.. and for a few years we were actually out the country, but when we got back 6 months ago someone recognised me and so we hid out in the old industrial park which I'm guessing you found since you've got my journal in your hands. We moved in here about a week ago.. god you guys have to help me, I don't want to be here but he keeps saying that if i try to leave he'll kill you guys, he knows where you live and I'm scared" She wrapped her arms around her body which, Casey noted, was a lot smaller than when they last saw her. She looked skinny and sick, like someone was starving her. 

They probably were.

"Why would someone do this to you? what did you do?" James asked, to which she simply shrugged and shook her head lightly. 

"C'mon, were getting you out of here." Millie stood up, pulling Bella up by the forearm which caused her to wince and clutch her arm.

"What's wrong?" Casey asked her, also standing up.

"It's nothing" she shrugged it off.

"No it's not." Casey walked over to her and took her arm, rolling up the sleeve. "Oh my god." he breathed, staring at the black and blue bruises that ran up and down her arms.

Bella pulled her arm away. "It's nothing, I pissed him off, he got angry, its my fault" she quickly rolled the sleeves down again.

"We've got to leave now if we want to leave before he comes back, we can get you to safety I swear." Millie said to her.

"No you don't get it, he'll find me he always does."

"you tried to get away before?"

"I never get too far before he catches up."

"Who is it?" Chris asked. "who is doing this to you?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but the rattling of a key in the door cut her off. Everyone had about a second to look around at each other in fear before the door was pushed open, and everyone stared at the man standing in the doorway.

No one spoke for what seemed like minutes before Millie coughed, clenching her fists and taking a step forward.

"Brendan."