46

She must be imagining it. The mood that dominated the club was tense and would have justified itself by declaring that they could be attacked by Viktoria at any moment. But that wasn't the only thing. Sam found her brother's behavior and Sebastian's just strange. That look the two men exchanged, the way they talked about Viktoria waiting for something. It had been weird. But in the end she could only imagine it.

Thomas wasn't on the deserted dance floor, nor was he in the tightly sealed entrance area, which Sam purposely didn't look too closely. She didn't want to notice the carelessly wiped blood that Veronika's corpse had left behind. Not because she could otherwise have had a bad conscience, but because she was afraid she wouldn't have it. What would it say about her if she felt nothing when the woman died?

To make matters worse, did that make her crazy?

Sam quickly turned away and went to the other rooms that housed the club and did not belong to the private area. And here she found him. Thomas. As always, much too good to be true and, unlike usual, so deeply saddened that it almost broke her heart.

"Tomtom?", she addressed him with the pet name she trusts and Thomas smiled humorlessly while he stared wide at the dance floor.

"I know it's hard for you but please: I love Killian and I'm happy with him. Please understand." Was it wise to keep beating around the bush? Should she have made small talk first? She didn't know, but they were technically far too good friends not to be able to talk openly, so....

"Tomtom, please." He closed his eyes resignedly, then opened them again and finally looked at her. Long, then he spread his arms. Without thinking about it, Sam ran to him and hugged him at least as tightly as he did her. A stone fell from her heart, big enough to trigger a tsunami of happiness.

"Thank you," she murmured, hugging his chest tightly while Thomas rested his chin on the top of her head and continued to embrace her peacefully.

"I really wish you and Killian had kept your hands off each other," Thomas murmured into her hair and Samantha's happiness drained away again. She thought that hug was a reconciliation - didn't she?

"It all went so well," he continued and Sam felt something wet, hot run into her hair. Tears. Thomas was crying. Why was he crying?

“We almost made it. Everyone would have been fine. No arguments, no fights. We could all have been happy if only you'd just kept your hands off each other," he mused. This wasn't an apology, it wasn't an offer of peace - just reproaches.

Sam tried to pull away from his hug, but he only held her tighter to his chest. Almost too tight.

"I couldn't save you from him, Sammi. And I can't save you from her. No one can save you anymore." What did that mean? Thomas' lips brushed the top of her head, he kissed her as intimately as only a brother would.

"I never meant to hurt you, believe me. But time is running out and slowly I suspect that Sebastian already suspects something. Oh god, I'm so sorry, Sam. It was never supposed to come to that." More tears in her hair, more caring kisses, like a big brother's.

Sam began to tremble, knowing she couldn't break free and that no matter what Victoria was waiting for, that was what Thomas was about to do. Disbelief welled up in her stomach - it couldn't be. Thomas loved her like a sister. He would never harm her, he would never hurt her and yet she let out a sharp scream as something cold pierced her back and the betrayal burned hotter in her throat than the pain flooding her body. His tight hug swallowed her pain and when Thomas let go of her easily and looked into his tear-streaked eyes, she just didn't understand what was going on.

"Why?" she asked, the cold something that had been lodged in her back digging into her side one more time and she put her hand on it. Her fingers were red and she still didn't understand. Why was he doing that? What was doing him and why would Thomas want to hurt her, hurt her... cry for her?

"Because otherwise we're all going to die, Sammi. Spencer won't come, he's in league with Viktoria. When he comes he will help her get in here and then no one will be left alive. You would die first, but if you die now, Killian and Sebastian will have to surrender. What else would Killian have then? You're all he cares about."

Sam held on to his arms as the pain became excruciating and blood soaked hot and wet through their clothes. An encouraging thought came to her for a moment: You could see them, you could see them from here.

Then the disappointment.

What you saw was Thomas holding her, crying and whispering loving things to her. And she couldn't scream, his body would absorb it, even though Dominik was standing at the bar right down there, mixing drinks - as always when he was nervous.

Sam pressed her palm against the scaffolding. Bloody prints remained.

"Revenge. He'll have his revenge," Sam whispered to her boyfriend, just as familiar as he had been to her. She could barely stand. Thomas sniffed frantically as he nodded and slid to the ground with her, holding her while life ended she slid. He cried bitterly, kissed her forehead and cheeks, said he was sorry and that he never wanted that. He put the knife aside and with the last of his strength Sam grabbed it and rammed it into her best friend from below Jaw.

Then everything became cloudy and black.