Secrets & Lies
Ratings: Mature
Characters/Pairings: Kelly/Zack/Lisa; SBTB cast
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Saved by the Bell.
Premise: Famous fashion designer Lisa Turtle returns home with a secret. Zack and Kelly Morris' marriage is crumbling under the weight of too many lies. When three lives collide… nothing will be the same again.
Notes: I highly and sincerely doubt that I will be updating my other SBTB fic: If Only for a Moment. So...as compensation for that... you get this. A sexy, dark mystery that will hopefully be more enjoyable. I blame bellasblush for this fic. If she had not inquired as to the mystery surrounding the contents of the boxes in the other story, I never would have thought up this mystery. You're to blame for this, sweetheart! ;D
Prologue, Underwater:
The silver Lexus swerved violently onto the darkened road. Lisa Turtle's brown eyes glanced briefly into the rearview mirror to see if she were still being followed, and much to her horror, she was. The black Mercedes kept up with her speed easily, creeping up to almost touch the back end of her car. Something that would certainly spin her out of control in her fast pace.
She fumbled for something on the seat next to her, keeping her eyes on the road and her foot on the accelerator. She found the cell phone she'd been adamantly searching for and hit the speed dial button. A few short rings and the voicemail filled the quiet air in the car, and Lisa swore vividly.
"Come on, Zack," she pleaded while hitting the speed dial again. "Pick up," she said, chanting it over and over again like a mantra. She waited for his voicemail to pick up again. "Zack, it's me! He's following me!"
She swerved again when her car hit a patch of ice, dropping her phone in the process, but was able to maneuver the car so that she didn't crash into anything. The road was growing too icy and dangerous for such high speeds, but she couldn't - wouldn't - slow down. Not with the person who'd caused her an immeasurable amount of fear over the past few months was so close. Not when she knew he wanted to do her harm.
Keeping an eye on the road again, just as she'd done before, Lisa went in search of her phone again. This time, however, the black car was too close and rammed into the back of her.
A piercing scream escaped her frightened mouth when her car careened over the side of the safety railing, falling down into the icy cold water. The force of her car hitting the water jerked her wildly and it wasn't until her head snapped back from colliding with the dashboard did Lisa feel any pain.
The other car stopped just along the edge. The driver leaving the black car to stand at the point of impact. White snow crunching under the onslaught of combat boots. They stood there silently for a moment. Watching as the car began to sink before pulling out a long-stemmed red rose and tossing it down onto the water.
"Goodbye, Lisa," the person said softly before returning to the car and driving off.
She sat there groggily trying to focus as her car slowly sank into the murky depths. Lisa couldn't remember the last time she'd prayed - wasn't very religious - but she didn't stop her mouth from crying out to some higher power for help.
The blood trickling down her forehead tasted coppery on her tongue. With closed eyes, her mind raced. Thoughts of her life in Bayside, to college and her career in New York. Though none of those meant as much as Zack Morris. The childhood friend who became a lover and confidant in the months prior to this very moment. Lisa could see his dark brown hair falling through her fingers clearly, could almost feel him there. He was the husband of one of her closest friends… but she loved him. They were going to run away together…
"I love you, Zack," Lisa whispered. She could hear his voice calling to her… almost as if he were there.
Zack Morris paced up and down the floor of his family's winter cabin nervously. Lisa should have met him there by now. She knew the plan would only work if they stuck to the time schedule. The maniac who's been stalking her would follow the decoy car from her office to her home while she snuck away in the silver Lexus he'd rented for her. She'd already have her bags and things in the trunk. No need to stop for anything. Just leave from the office a minute or two after the decoy car and drive straight up here where he'd be waiting for her.
Immediately, his mind drifted to his wife Kelly. She didn't deserve to be hurt the way he was about to hurt her, that much he was sure of. He might not love her anymore, but no one deserves to be left when they need someone the most. Zack, however, could no longer be that person for her anymore. He couldn't save her from the choices that she continually made that endangered their lives. Nor could he ask her to be the girl he'd fallen in love with years ago. The young girl he'd fell in love with wasn't there anymore. She'd been buried underneath secrets and lies, and Zack couldn't dig her out anymore.
Yes, he'd committed his own treachery and done his fair share of lying, he was aware of that. He wasn't, however, going to apologize for them. He would never apologize for finding love with a beautiful, vibrant woman again when he thought that true love no longer existed. He was not going to apologize for wanting to be free to love Lisa. He was not going to apologize for wanting to be free.
All of that would soon be possible. The tickets to Fiji were already in the bags as were the passports and the fake identities. Soon, Zack Morris and Lisa Turtle would no longer exist. They would be free.
"Come on, Lisa," he whispered and stopped pacing long enough to see if she were pulling up.
He told himself to calm down. The roads leading up to the cabin were icy, even for his four-wheel drive SUV, Lisa was probably driving slowly.
Suddenly, his cell phone chirped on the table; alerting him to a message, while diverting his attention away from the head-lights that pulled up in the driveway. Zack was at the table in two quick strides and was slightly relieved when he saw that it was Lisa who'd called him. He didn't remember the phone ringing, but service up this far was always hard to come by. His hope of her just driving slowly was crushed when he heard her voice frantically yelling of her stalker being behind her.
His heart fell further into his stomach when he heard what sounded to be a crash of sorts and her piercing scream. The phone almost fell from his hands when he, over the rushing sounds of water, heard her whisper I love you to him.
His stomach was in knots as he raced to the door. Upon opening it, the frigid night air was not the only element he was met with. A hot piece of metal pierced his shoulder, sending him falling backward into the room. His body hot the wooden floor with a loud thud.
Zack's disorientation lasted a mere moment, until the person who'd shot him walked into the room. Zack recognized them on sight. It was the person who'd been stalking Lisa, the one he'd been trying to protect her from…
"You," he said with a ragged breath.
The person gave a cold, sinister smile that sent a chill down Zack's spine.