Twisted Truth (Truth Vs Lie Book 1)

by Maria Macdonald

  My chest loosens at her jesting, and I realise I’m taking her mind off everything by telling her my story.

  “Uh-huh,” I confirm with a small smile. “Anyway, Tori was beside herself that Chris was into me. She practically pushed me into his arms.”

  “Nice friend,” Helena drawls.

  “Yeah, well she was only sixteen… although she did bail on me when I went off the rails after Isaac beat Charlie to a pulp.”

  “Like I said…” Helena trails off.

  “Anyway, I was pushed toward Chris, and one night, after watching a meeting of the mouths with Isaac and his latest conquest, I thought, fuck it, why not?” I bite down on my lip gently, remembering and letting the emotion wash over me like it only happened yesterday.

  “We dated for about three months.”

  “What happened?”

  “He was very controlling. One time he accused me of trying to seduce his friend because unbeknown to me, a button on my top had popped open.” I stare down at her. “I had big boobs for my frame.”

  She eyes my chest area then looks back up to me with her eyebrow raised.

  “Okay, not much has changed. But still, it wasn’t done on purpose,” I tell her.

  She giggles again and a rush of warmth runs through me, knowing I’m still keeping her occupied.

  “Anyway, that was just one time. Another time he accused me of sleeping with one of his other friends, because we happened to bump into each other while shopping one day, and decided to go for lunch. I mean, I wasn’t even sleeping with Chris. I was a virgin back then,” I confide. “Then I met a female friend in a shop once when I was with Chris, and because he wasn’t introduced to her immediately, he was angry.”

  “What the fuck?”

  “Yeah,” I confirm. “Those are just a few of many examples.” I sigh. “Things came to a head when one day we argued, and he told me we were over. He said he’d been offered sex by another girl at my school, and that he was going to find her.” I bite my lip, but let it go again when it stings. “We argued, and he pinned me up against the wall.” Helena gasps at my admission. “I was scared of him, Hel, he bruised my arms, threatened me, and threw me against a wall so hard that my head bounced off it.”

  “Oh my God, what did you do?” she asks.

  I twitch my shoulder. “Nothing. I wasn’t as strong then as I’ve become over the years,” I reply.

  “Well, of course not, you were sixteen. But you told someone right?” she asks.

  “No. I was too scared,” I admit.

  “So what happened?”

  “Isaac happened.”

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “You know the story of how he ended up in prison?” I feel her nod against my shoulder. “I knew I was alone the moment I woke that morning, and that he’d gone after Charlie. This story is the reason I knew. Because he’d done it before.”

  “Oh my God,” she murmurs.

  “The day after Chris bounced my head off the wall he suddenly stopped calling me. I never saw him again. I thought I was just lucky, maybe he got bored of me… you know?”

  Helena nods in response.

  “After Isaac went into the Army, I bumped into a friend of his. We were chatting about Isaac, and he mentioned how protective he always was of me. That’s when I found out someone saw what Chris did to me the day he threw me into the wall. Whoever saw it was a female friend of Isaac’s, and she called him.”

  “Oh fuck, what did he do?”

  “I’m not sure. Isaac’s friend said that Chris was in the hospital for a while with a broken eye socket. I don’t know if that was from Isaac, but his friend said it was.”

  “You’ve never asked Isaac?” she questions.

  “No. I don’t know why, I guess I was worried that he might say no, and I wanted it to be him… you know?”

  “Yeah. You wanted him to save you, to be your knight,” she relays my thoughts out loud.

  “I’m a fool, right?”

  “Nope. Not at all.”

  We both remain quiet, and after about ten minutes, I think maybe she’s fallen asleep until she breaks the silence.

  “I love you, Olivia. I won’t ever bail on you. When we get out of here, we’ll get through it together, okay, babe?”

  I rest my head on top of hers. “Okay, I love you, too,” I whisper, holding back on all the emotion that’s eating me from the inside out.

  I must drift off, because the next thing I know, I’m being dragged across the floor by my hair. I scream and get a kick in the ribs for it.

  “Liv!” Helena shouts my name, and I hear a thump before she goes quiet. I desperately try to look over my shoulder, to check that she’s okay, but the man-beast holding me thinks I’m struggling to get away, so he shouts and then kicks me in the back.

  “Stop fucking kicking me,” I scream, my anger winning out over my fear. He drops me, but I only get a moment of freedom before his fist connects with my already painful ribs. I hiss and then wheeze out a breath, every lungful after that is a battle to pull in and release air.

  “See, I didn’t kick you that time. Your wish was granted,” he tells me laughing.

  I want to shout ‘fuck you’ to him, but I can’t speak. I can barely breathe. He doesn’t care though, and once again grabbing my hair, he continues to drag me into another room. The minute we’re in there, I realise exactly what he’s about to do, as he pulls off his belt and starts unbuttoning his jeans.

  ISAAC

  I didn’t want her to see me like this—at my darkest. I know once she understands what I’m capable of, she’ll feel differently about me. But her life is my life, I’ll do anything to make sure she’s safe, even if that means giving her up.

  As I pull up a little over two hundred feet from the derelict retirement home, I yank off my helmet and sit astride my bike for a moment. This is it. This is where I’ll save her and lose her all at the same time.

  Pulling myself from the bike, I stretch every muscle, preparing for what’s to come. I check the few weapons I have and put in my earpiece. “Is everyone here?” A chorus of affirmative answers ring in my ear. “Five minutes until we go in. Darwin, have you placed everyone?” I question.

  “Yes. King and Arlo are going in through the back. Clint and Brand are going underground through the basement entrance. Victor and Shelly are covering fire from the outside. Shelly at the back and Victor at the front. You and me, we’re going in the front.”

  “Good. Shelly, Victor. Feel it out, but don’t rush in. If we need backup, we’ll call. Otherwise stay outside, we’ll send the girls out if we can.”

  “Understood,” Victor chimes back.

  “Shelly?” I push.

  “Yeah. I heard you,” she murmurs.

  “Get to your places. Darwin, I’m coming now. Three minutes twenty until we go in. Radio silence.” I give my orders to my team and stealthily make my way to the front of the run-down building. Seeing Darwin, we both gesture with our hands. He’ll go in first, and I’ll cover him. I pull out my knife—which is my weapon of choice since it’s silent—and get ready.

  “Go,” I whisper and start moving.

  Darwin and I come across two sleeping men. We dispatch them quickly and silently by cutting their throats, then make our way upstairs. I can hear a commotion has started so I know our cover has been blown, we need to be quicker. Reaching the first floor, Darwin signals right so I turn left. I clock five rooms. Two on each side and one set back at the end of the hallway, about ten feet further than the others. Moving into the first room, I find a man alone, but he’s ready, and when I step through the door, a knife slices through the air beside my head. I move forward and land a punch to his throat. He grasps his windpipe as he struggles to breathe. I step forward and break his neck. Turning, I prowl to the next room. It’s empty.

  Room three has me smiling. When I move into the small space, I find the man who took Via, the one who clocked her with a gun. He rushes at me. I turn cocking my elbow and r
am it into his nose, pushing it up into his brain. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t have more time to deal with him, to extend his pain. But I have more important things to do. I want Via.

  As I’m about to go into the fourth room, a crash pierces the air. My whole body stands to attention, every hair arrow straight on my body, my teeth grinding against each other. My muscles uncoil, and I run, flat out toward the room. What I see as I smash through the door is something I never want to see again. Via is practically naked on the floor, her hands tied behind her back. She’s struggling to breathe, her eyes streaming with tears as a man kneels before her, his jeans pushed down from his waist as he cradles his dick in his hand.

  A feral roar thunders from my mouth emerging from somewhere in my darkest depths. I spot a fire axe on the floor. Picking it up, I whirl it around and hack at his neck, pulling the axe back out as blood spurts everywhere, I hack him again. I’m jumped on from behind, but whoever attacks me is torn away as I swing for a third time. I can’t stop as the darkness takes over, and I can’t control it. All I can see is Via being violated. My arm moves of its own accord and doesn’t stop until his head falls to the floor with a thud, followed immediately by his body.

  “We’ve got the brunette, we’re clear.” I hear King in my ear.

  I grab a blanket laying it over Via, while Darwin cuts through her restraints.

  I kneel down, ready to pick her up, but her eyes are fearful as she tries to move away from me.

  “I’ve got her,” Darwin murmurs gathering her up gently in his arms. I want to tear him away, rip him from her. He’s taking my place, she should be in my arms, but I can see the truth in her eyes—I’ve already lost her.

  LIV

  I pinch myself then hiss through my teeth at the pain. I had to feel it, though. I had to know if everything I’ve witnessed, all I’ve been through in the last few hours is real. The man holding me in his arms is tall and wide, but I already know he’s a gentle giant. I know he’s safe because he was with Isaac. As he looks down at me, I know for certain because both worry and kindness fill his eyes.

  I hear footsteps approach fast from the left and when they get nearer, I flinch.

  “Careful movements,” my gentle giant warns.

  “Sorry, Kane asked me to bring this for her.”

  “Give it to her.”

  I see another man come around to my side, he’s not as tall as Mr Gentle, but his eyes are just as kind. I take in his blond hair and scruffy beard—he reminds me of a mountain man. Smiling, he hands me a bottle of water. I try to return his smile gratefully, but my guess is that it comes out like more of a grimace, when he stares at me sadly.

  “Thank you,” I wheeze to the mountain man.

  “Don’t speak, sweetheart,” he replies.

  There’s a growl from behind us which I recognise as Isaac, and I jolt.

  “Shhh, try to remain still,” gentle giant murmurs.

  I force my body to relax and my chest to expand as I take a couple sips of water. I know Isaac is behind us, and I need to talk to him, but my ribs, back, face, and chest all hurt, plus I still have to process what I saw.

  Isaac hacked a man’s head off.

  Right. Fucking. Off.

  For me…

  I still have his blood splattered across my bare chest. I don’t know what I thought Isaac’s job was, but it wasn’t this. I guess I had some romantic notion about the Army. The truth, however, doesn’t come close. Back there he was someone else, a man possessed, a man on a mission.

  A man in love…

  A phone starts ringing, and I can hear a disjointed conversation which sounds like Isaac, but my head is so fuzzy I could be imagining it. My gentle giant stops walking when we reach a black car, he places me in the back and bends down.

  “You’re safe now. You know that right?” he tells me softly. I nod in reply, but gasp as pain slashes through my head. “Take it easy,” he orders quietly before moving away.

  Carefully, I lay my head back and close my eyes.

  “Via.” That one word still elicits all the butterflies in my body to come alive and whirl around at speed.

  Opening my eyes, I blink and look at Isaac. He’s crouched down next to the open door of the car. His face is soft, loving, if a little fearful. He’s my Isaac again. But as I blink, the images of him chopping at that man’s neck haunt me, and I can’t help but recoil.

  He sighs and shuffles backwards a little creating more space between us.

  “I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to see me right now.”

  I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I don’t know what to say. Right at this moment, I’m not sure if he’s wrong or right in his assumption.

  “You’ve been through hell, you’ll want to speak to someone, plus you’ll want your mum or dad, someone you love with you,” his voice breaks, and I want to cry.

  “I… I s-still love you,” I manage to rasp out.

  He smiles at me and warily raises his arm, his fingers reaching out to touch my face, but I shrink in my seat. His hand whips back, and as his sad gaze meets mine I look away, avoiding eye contact. It seems best at this point. I can’t help the automatic reaction of my body. I’m still terrified by what I’ve seen.

  “You may still love me, but that will fade. You’ll get over it. I’m not the right man for you, Via, I never was,” he tells me tenderly.

  “Isaac.”

  “No. I should have kept away. I’m dirty, soiled. I’m not a good man, and now you’ve seen that, now you understand the darkness inside me.”

  “I, I don’t know what I want. I need some time. Can you give me time?” I plead, knowing I just need to take a breath, have a moment, and work this shit through in my head.

  “Times up, Via. We were never right.” He shrugs as his face changes. Indifference fills his eyes, alongside arrogance. Once again, this isn’t him. I open my mouth to speak, but he gets there first. His eyes are filled with grief and sorrow for a second before they turn blank.

  “My mum called. I’m sorry after all that’s happened to you, I have to tell you that Uncle Dane has died.”

  “What?” Shock takes hold of me.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know any more than that.” He shrugs like it’s all the same to him. Then nods his head to a figure standing outside the car. “Victor here is a good guy. He’s going to drive you to the hospital. Your roommate, Helena, is already on her way. I’ll call Toby and ask him to meet you there. See you around, Olivia.” My full name on his lips burns, and I swallow the pain into my soul, adding it to the rest. Isaac stands before I have a chance to do or say anything more and slams the car door, walking away.

  “Hi, I’m Victor, I’m just going to drive you to the hospital, okay?” a tall, tanned, and tattooed man says sliding into the driver’s seat. I don’t answer him, I can’t. Uncontrolled tears once again roll down my face. Watching out the window as the car turns around, I spot Shelly, Isaac’s supposed girlfriend. The same one he swore he wasn’t really dating. She seems to be having heated words with him, her arms flail about, and she points her finger toward him, then me. Fuck, maybe he has been with her this whole time, and she’s found out what happened between him and me.

  He glances over at me and notices I’m staring. Isaac winks and salutes a goodbye, then suddenly he pulls Shelly into his arms and kisses her hard.

  “Bastard!” The word rips free from my mouth in feral scream before a sob erupts from the very bottom of my now shattered heart.

  I turn around.

  I face forward.

  I decide never to look back.

  Never again.

  LIV

  The funny thing about time is we never really have enough. Yet, when we’re waiting for something, it suddenly starts to drag. Time itself has not changed. Time is its own master, and we’re merely a participant along for the journey.

  While I watch another sunset from my bedroom window, I realise that a fourth day has passed without any co
ntact from Isaac, and suddenly I hate time. I want to blame it for all the pain, confusion, and grief I feel.

  “So, that’s it?” Helena asks sharply, bringing me out of my trance-like state.

  I don’t bother turning to look at her as I answer. “I’m not sure what you want me to say, Hel. He made his feelings pretty clear. I’ve texted him. Told him I want to talk, sort things out. He hasn’t responded. He’s done.”

  “For fuck’s sake, Liv, he came for you, he saved you,” she snaps.

  “He chopped a man’s head off like it meant nothing,” I reply. There’s no fire behind my words as I can’t summon up any sympathy for the dead man, for any of them.

  “That man he killed was going to rape you!” she shouts.

  I twist around in my chair and launch myself up out of it, every part of me is on edge. “Don’t fucking tell me what I already know! He left me,” I say jabbing my thumb on my chest. “I was in a situation I’d never even been close to dealing with before.”

  I start pacing, throwing my thoughts at her. “Maybe I reacted badly, yes I flinched, but you know what? I was bloody scared, okay? I couldn’t fucking help it. Isaac gave me no slack, none,” I shout, slicing my hand through the air. “He decided what was best. Him. He decided. Not me. So don’t for even one second act like I’m the one who caused this.” The fight leaves me as her face softens, and I sink to the floor and sob.

  “Shhh,” she coos, sitting next to me and curling her arms around my shoulders. “I’m sorry. I just… I don’t want you to give up on him.”

  “He gave up on me first, Hel,” I reply, gathering myself once again.

  “Not true, baby girl.” She strokes my hair. “I think, deep down, you know that, too.”

  “Maybe,” I concede. “But I have no fight left. None.”

  “Okay, let’s face your uncle’s funeral, and then we’ll take a holiday, go away somewhere and recoup,” she offers.

  “I’m going alone.”

  “What? On holiday?” she questions pulling away from me and frowning.