“You don’t have to. You already gave me money earlier.”
“Yes, I know, but I want to ensure you’re okay. It’s the least I can do after what you’ve done for me tonight. Come walk with me.”
He nods, picks up a bag that I hadn’t noticed, and walks in pace beside me. I’m surprising even myself with my unselfish thoughts.
“Shit! I need to call Trey and make sure Jo is okay. That bastard said she might not be.” The words leave me in a rush and I fumble through my bag to get my phone. I call Trey in a panic. She has to be okay. “Pick up. Please pick up. Thank, God. Trey, is Jo okay?”
“Sophia, yes, she’s fine. We dropped her off at home and she was sitting having hot chocolate with your mum when we last saw her. She decided she didn’t want to spend the night with the two of us. Why, what’s wrong? Where the hell are you?”
“I’m fine and I’m nearly home.”
“You should’ve been home by now. I’m coming to get you.” I can hear him mumbling to Jake and noise in the background.
“Look, Trey, I’m fine. Can we talk in the morning? As long as I know Jo is safe, that’s the main thing.”
“I’ll be in the office at ten a.m.,” he tells me, ending our call, and I know there will be many questions asked. He was meant to be off. I’ll worry about him in the morning because there’s nothing I can do now.
“Miss Weston, is everything okay?”
“Yes, sorry. That man had indicated that Jo, my cousin, was in some sort of trouble and might not be safe, and please don’t call me that. It’s Sophia.” Mason eyes me suspiciously and I’m not surprised. This must sound crazy to him.
“Sophia, let me just make sure you get home safe, to your family…”
I stop walking in the middle of the street. He’s right, I should go to my family, check on Jo. Something is bothering me about tonight and last night. Why now? But if I go to my family they’ll want to know what happened tonight and I have no idea how to explain it without scaring them.
Family.
Where will Mason go?
We walk in a comfortable silence, although there’s nothing comforting about the jumbled thoughts running riot in my head. I see my building just before us and I pause. Would it be so wrong to invite him in?
“This is where you stay, isn’t it?” he asks, surveying the large secure building before us.
“Yes. Why don’t you come in and I’ll make us both a strong coffee? It will be quieter and more comfortable than the café.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, do you?”
I want to ask him why it’s not a good idea, but I stop myself from asking the question that is going around and around in my head. His warm, almost dreamy eyes stay focused as he slowly shakes his head. I sigh with disappointment, knowing he’s right.
“On you go. Head inside.”
“But you need that cut looking at.”
“If I promise to do that, will you go inside? We can’t stand here all night.”
“Fine! Thank you for coming to my rescue and please go and eat.”
“I will.”
I lean toward him and kiss him on the cheek, taking us both by surprise. He doesn’t repulse me, unlike that mad bastard. I’m strangely drawn to the man before me and I’m not sure why. “I will be forever grateful to you. If you need anything, Mason, you know where I am,” I say before turning my back to him and walking inside my building.
Once safely inside, I turn back and he’s standing there watching me, ensuring I’m safe. He waves at me before slinging the bag over his shoulder and walking away. Guilt floods me as I think of myself in the luxurious surroundings of my apartment and him, out there with nothing and no one.
Chapter Five
“What do you want?” I ask in a whisper. It’s barely audible above my own ragged breaths, but he’s heard me. The smug look he’s wearing tells me he heard me loud and clear. He’s striding toward me with intent. Intent on hurting me.
Why did I not see this coming?
I should’ve gone with the others to the club. Instead, I’m out here in the darkness, all alone with this monster. My eyes dart around and there’s nowhere to run. He has me cornered. As though sensing I’m looking for a means of escape, he almost laughs as he closes in.
Bastard.
“What’s wrong, pretty lady. Nowhere for you to go? You’re stuck here with me and I’m going to enjoy watching you beg and plead for your life.”
He’s now right in front of me, so close I can smell stale beer from him. My breath catches and I stop breathing, only for a moment, but I have to remind myself to inhale and exhale.
I close my eyes, lowering my head.
Please don’t do this.
I don’t utter the words out loud because I won’t give him the satisfaction of hearing me begging. He brushes his knuckle against my jaw, tipping my face back upward. There’s nothing but silence around us. His fingers splay across my face and he waits for me to react in some small way.
When I can’t stand the silence anymore, I open my eyes and meet his gaze. Under normal circumstances, this type of gaze would have my heart skipping a beat, especially from a man as good-looking as him. Just a pity he’s turned out to be the devil himself.
Fear and pain are ripping through my veins, tearing me apart from the inside out. Whatever he plans on doing to me, he should just get on with it instead of dancing around. I can’t contain my thoughts and my emotions are getting the better of me as a sob escapes. My hand flies to my mouth, but it’s too late; he laughs. A deep hollow sound that vibrates around me, sending shivers down my spine.
I don’t want to be scared, but I am. There’s a monster before me and I can only imagine the pain he’s going to cause me.
He steps forward, forcing me backward until my back hits the wall with force and pain surges through my back.
“Is that sore, pretty lady? That’s nothing.” He chuckles, leaning closer. His mouth is right next to mine, icy breath dancing across my lips, and my body shudders. “You and I, we’re going to have so much fun.”
He presses his muscular body against me and his erection presses hard into me. He grabs my arm, digging his fingers into my skin. His eyes narrow and that cruel smile only highlights the danger I’m in. I wriggle against him, kicking my feet toward him, expecting it to anger him, but he only laughs and slides his free hand into his back pocket. My eyes dart toward his hand and I gasp when he pulls a small knife. He flips it open with a certain ease that has me mesmerised.
The tip of the blade shines brightly, even in this dark, dim light.
“You can take whatever you want from me. Money, I can give you plenty of that,” I breathe lightly.
“I know that, sweet lady, but I’m not after your money. I want revenge.”
A noise distracts him and he turns his head. I look past him and see a man standing there in the dark of the night with a bag in his hand, silently watching. He could help me.
“Help me,” I cry out with tears running down my cheeks. The monster before me just watches and waits to see what the other man does. Moments turn into minutes and the man does nothing.
As my tears fall and laughter rings loudly around me, I see the other man turn his back and walk away, leaving me with this monster. Leaving me to my death.
My eyes spring open, but are filled with tears, and I clutch my bed covers. My heart is racing; it was a dream. Just a bad dream. A nightmare.
But was it really a nightmare or is it destined to be my reality?
I’m not sure I’m strong enough to get through this. I’ve never thought of myself as a weak woman, but suddenly the axis of my life has changed and I’m scared. Not just for myself but for those I love the most. That mad man is out for revenge and I sense he won’t stop until he destroys my life and Jo’s.
Poor Jo.
I need to get to work. Do what needs to be done, and then I’m going home today, instead of tomorrow. It will be a nice surprise for my parents.
The office floor is quiet. No one else is working, so when I here the ping of the elevator from my private office, I know it can only be Trey. I’ve been trying to psych myself up for this conversation since I woke from that damn nightmare.
I can already hear Trey’s questioning tone, looking for answers that I know I have to give him. I stare out of my office window and watch him casually stroll towards me with a gigantic smile on his face. I wonder if that means he got lucky last night.
“Good morning,” I say as he enters and sits down opposite me, crossing his leg over his knee before leaning a little closer and studying me.
Everything is there on my face to be seen; my lack of sleep, my puffy eyes from all the crying I did when I finally locked my front door. And then there’s the bruise on my face that I couldn’t even be bothered covering up.
“I wish I could say good morning back, but from the look of you, it’s not a good day. So, my princess, do you care to explain? Because we’re not going anywhere or doing any work until you talk.”
He offers me his hands across the table. I take them and I can’t control the emotions sweeping through me as my tears fall. I don’t see him move until I feel him lift me from the seat. He sits down, pulling me onto his lap. I wrap my arms around him, nestling my head into the crock of his neck and I continue to cry.
He rocks me gently, rubbing my back in soothing circles, comforting me. I’m not sure how long we stay like this.
“Sophia, talk to me. Tell me everything. The truth,” he whispers, and I know I have to. I just don’t want his opinion of me to change. I sit back with his arms still holding me and I nod.
“Please don’t hate me?”
“You’re worrying me. I could never hate you. Just spit it out.”
“I own a club, an exclusive club specialising in…”
“You don’t have to tell me. You forget I know you. I’ve known you my entire life. There is nothing you can keep from me.”
I stare at him in total disbelief. “Why didn’t you say you knew?” I ask as he continues to rub my back.
“Because, my sweet princess, I wanted you to tell me. I needed you to be open and truthful with me.”
Sadness fills me, and not because one of my closest friends is judging me, but just the opposite. He’s telling me that nothing has changed or ever will. “Sophia, there’s nothing I don’t know, right down to your confused feelings about Jo.”
I hang my head, shame seeping through my pores. “I feel terrible…”
“Don’t. Let’s get you back on the right path. I’m your friend and always will be. Let me in. Let me help.” I nod, tears filling my eyes again. He tilts my chin and I see my best friend’s sincerity. “Start by telling me what happened at the club on Thursday night, and what happened last night after we left you.”
With a nod and lots of encouragement, I tell him everything. He keeps his arms around me, holding me tight, supporting me, and it gives me the courage to tell him every detail.
When I finally stop talking, I’m even shocked at the story. It’s sounds like something I might watch in a horror movie, but it’s not fictional. It’s my reality.
“Okay, you have been very lucky. If it wasn’t for the man who came to your rescue, I shudder to think what might’ve happened to you.”
Of course he’s right. If it weren’t for Mason…
“I think we should go to the police. I don’t think this bastard will stop until he gets what he wants. You’ve already said he doesn’t want money. He’s purely focused on getting revenge. That’s his sole driving force in life. What do you want to do?”
Without hesitation, I say, “Protect Jo.”
Trey smiles. “You, my dear friend, never fail to surprise me.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ve been consumed by jealousy and anger towards Jo since the day she came to live with you, yet all you want to do is protect her.”
“Of course I do. She’s family and I love her.”
“Let’s get this sorted and then we can sort out your club.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t need the club. It will only get in the way of your other business dealings. You also just need to accept everyone in your life, but most importantly, you need to accept yourself.”
“Thank you, Trey.”
“What for?”
“For being here with me. Loving me for who I am.”
“My gorgeous girl I’ll always love you and so will Jake, Jo, and your parents, because that’s what families do. They love without conditions.”
He wipes a lonely falling tear from my face and I’m not sure why. I feel so relieved at having this conversation with him. Now, I just have to decide what to tell my parents and Jo.
Chapter Six
“Will you come in with me?” I ask Trey nervously as we get out of the cab.
“Yes. I’ll always be with you when you need me, or until you find Mr Perfect.”
“There’s no such person,” I huff as we walk up toward my parents’ front door. The curtains twitch in the living room and I’m sure everyone inside will be wondering what the hell I’m doing here. I usually find any excuse not to come here, and in all honesty, there’s no reason to. I have lots of great childhood memories before and after Jo coming to stay.
I’ve been a bitch.
“Has it been so obvious?”
“What?” Trey asks, placing his hand on my shoulder.
“That I’ve been a complete bitch.”
“No, and you’ve not. At fifteen, your world changed and you were confused. It’s just followed you into adulthood. But, now you can face these problems and then eventually they will disappear.”
“I hope you’re right,” I say at the same time my mum opens the front door and holds her arms out to me. There’s no hesitation as there has been many times before. I walk straight into my mother’s warm embrace and struggle to hold myself together.
“My gorgeous baby, I wasn’t expecting you today, but this is such a pleasant surprise and you’ve brought Trey with you.”
“Hi, Mum,” I say, looking into her concerned eyes as she spots the bruise on my face.
“Sophia… is everything okay?”
“Yes. I just wanted to come by.”
She pushes me back and holds me at arms’ length, her eyes studying me. “Okay, I know you’ll talk when you’re ready. And so you know, sweetheart, I’m here waiting for that day.”
“I know.” I swallow down the gulp that is sitting in my throat and I will my tears not to fall because I’ve cried enough today. She’ll want to know what happened to me. Trey agreed that I should only tell my parents about last night and not about what happened at the club.
“Now, Trey, come here and give me a hug.” I step aside and watch my mother embrace Trey. It’s strange the memories that come back at the most unexpected times. I’m suddenly seeing a very young Trey being comforted by my mum after falling off my bike. I think we both must’ve been six or seven. I smile. “Right, let’s not stand here on the doorstep. Come on. We’ll go through to the kitchen and I’ll make a pot of tea.”
With a deep sigh and Trey’s hand back on my shoulder, we enter the house and follow Mum toward the kitchen where we find my dad and Jo.
“What the hell has happ…” my dad starts, but is quickly stopped mid-sentence by Mum. Jo’s eyes dart to my face.
“Oh my gosh.” Jo’s hands are now covering her mouth and her eyes are wide as she looks me over
“Give Sophia a minute, she’s only just got in the door. I’m sure she could do with a nice cup of tea and then she can explain.” My mum smiles sadly as I sit down at the table.
Silence fills the kitchen and that’s not something I’ve ever experienced before. All eyes except my mother's, who has her back to me as she makes tea, are on me.
I can always be relied upon to break the ice, but today, no matter what I say, it’s going to turn Jo’s life and my parents’ li
fe upside down again. My dad is sitting at the other side of the wooden kitchen table, staring at me, his hands clenched into fists on top of the table and I can hear his foot tapping on the floor.
“Trey, come and help me,” my mum calls over to him and he does, happily, to get away from the atmosphere that is brewing at the table quicker than the tea.
“Sophia, what happened?” Jo asks, her voice low and soft.
“Thanks,” I say as Mum hands me a cup of tea. I pick it up, holding it in my suddenly cold hands. “I was followed home from the pub.”
“And?” It’s my dad’s not-so-calm voice that asks. I daren’t look at him because I can feel the anger radiating from him.
“A man, he cornered me, pulled a knife.”
“Fucking hell!” My dad pushes away from the table.
Trey urges me to continue.
“He was strong, but a man came to my rescue. A homeless man who I’d given some money to only a few minutes before. If it wasn’t for him…”
Mum is by my side now. “You’re okay, sweetheart. Have you reported this to the police?”
I shake my head.
“This just gets better!” my dad shouts, pacing the floor. “Why wouldn’t you contact the police?”
“I wanted to see you all first.”
“Why?” The question comes from Jo, and now I’m filled with sadness as I’m about to make her relive her past.
“Because the man was looking for revenge,” I say with my eyes on Jo’s. “He wanted to hurt me to hurt you.”
“But why?” It’s my mum’s soft voice questioning me this time.
“Because he doesn’t think Jo deserves to live a normal life after his life was turned upside down when his brother was jailed…”
“For killing my parents.”
“I’m sorry, Jo.”
“Don’t you dare be sorry. This isn’t your fault,” she says with tears in her eyes as her memories resurface and she’s taken back to a time that she’s worked so hard to overcome. Not forget, because that’s not something you can ever forget.
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