“The fam is fine,” I reassured him. “But we can find out who they were, Mason. Tobi knew some of them. You don’t deserve this treatment. Nobody does.” I insisted. “All we have to do—”
“Stop, Lee.” He said, his voice a whisper, resting a single finger over my lips, effectively halting my impassioned speech. “This is my decision. Mine. I’m not calling the police or pressing charges against anyone.”
I was angry. Angry that he wasn’t standing up for himself. Angry he wouldn’t let me stand up for him. The fury that pounded through me looked for an outlet, but before I could find it, his eyes caught mine and I felt it drain away. I was angry and frustrated, but while I didn’t agree with his decision, he was right, it was his decision to make, not mine. I sighed and wrapped my arms around him, wishing I could protect him from all the evil in the world.
His head came to rest on my chest and I felt him sigh, his body finally relaxing against me.
“You’ll stay with me tonight?” he asked, his eyes uncertain. “Can we…” he started, and I leaned back so I could hear him better. “Could we just… sleep? Tonight? I don’t think… I don’t think I could do anything… else… without hearing those voices yelling at me.”
His voice trailed off a bit, and his eyes danced around the room, not meeting mine.
“Of course, we can ‘just’ sleep,” I said, laying a gentle kiss on his head. “We can do whatever you do, or don’t, want to do.”
He sighed again and went back to laying his head against my chest. After a while, we got ready for bed with t-shirts and pajama pants.
I turned the overhead light off and crawled into bed beside him, the light from the bathroom giving me just enough illumination to make my way to the bed without falling over something, for once.
As I slid in next to him, I felt him shiver, so I pulled the sheets and blanket up and over both of us. I was pretty sure it wasn’t really the temperature of the room that made him shiver, but I was taking no chances. Mason was a side sleeper, so I scooted in behind him, spooning him. I felt him tense first as I moved in, then slowly he relaxed as I wrapped my arm protectively over him and held him tightly to me, mentally cursing whoever it was who set this thing up tonight. It was obviously an ambush of some kind. I couldn’t believe that a church would do this kind of thing. What happened to preaching about love, for God’s sake?
Mason’s breathing and heart rate evened out quickly as he fell into an exhausted sleep. I held him close to me for a long time afterward, trying to figure out what the hell I was doing.
Could Mason have an arrest record? Could that be why he didn’t want to go to the police? I hoped it wasn’t due to being ashamed of what had happened to him, the things he’d had to do to survive, though I figured that was probably the case.
I knew it hadn’t been his choice, but sometimes abuse messed with your thinking. Abusers liked to twist it around so their victims felt responsible for everything that happened to them. I’d seen it happen so many times to some of the people who came into the dojo. It also seemed apparent that Mason still feared Dreyven or one of his people showing up.
I was still pondering the problem, trying to figure out what I could do to help him when sleep snuck up on me.
In that strange way of all dreams, I knew where I was. I was back in Afghanistan. It was dark outside, and the single house we had taken cover behind had become a maze. My team was moving through the maze with purpose, but suddenly I saw each of them disappear from behind me.
I looked around in terror, trying to find an enemy I could fight, something I could do! In the distance I heard screaming and I was sure it was my team, each of them screaming in terror only to be cut short.
I ran through the maze, my breath dragging in and out of my chest, the air sharp as razor blades. My feet flew over concrete, broken rocks, dragged through quicksand and across gravel. I pulled myself up and through, finally reaching each of my team in turn, only to find them, broken and dying, bleeding their life blood out onto the dark ground. Too late… I was always too late.
There was a strange dichotomy in my brain. A part of me knew this was a dream. It wasn’t real, but still I ran, pushing myself harder than I ever pushed, trying desperately to save them, save any of them. Sudden pain in my side made me look down, and I realized I’d taken a shot to the side, and blood was pouring from my hip. Despite the pain, I kept going, limping, but working through the pain as I ran along, because I knew Mack was up ahead. I knew he was alive, but in horrible danger. If I didn’t get to him in time…
I rounded a corner, the darkness flashing crazily with bright red light and lightning strikes. I saw him up in front of me. He was turned away from me, but he was wearing his desert fatigues and held his M-16 in his hands. I didn’t need to see his face to know who it was. I’d recognize that man anywhere. I sighed in relief. I’d made it in time. I’d kept him safe. Nothing would happen to him while I was there. He’d be safe now. He turned to look at me, his hands drawn up in front of him, his body silhouetted against the lightning.
I realized with confusion that he wasn’t carrying his weapon anymore and some objective part of my brain realized that wasn’t right. Mack would never lay his weapon down in a combat situation. He turned toward me and the lightning flashed again.
“Mack, no…” I moaned in denial. The light flickered on the red, red blood pouring out from between his fingers that were clutched to his chest. I screamed and ran for him as he collapsed forward, turning him over, my hands desperately trying to stem the blood flowing from a wound I couldn’t find. I could hear his voice saying my name.
“Lee… Leee…” he whispered, his voice trailing off.
“I’m here baby! I’m here!” I said, desperately. A final breath escaped his lips, and I screamed as I looked into his face, because it wasn’t Mack anymore, it was Mason.
I sat bolt upright in the bed, gasping, sweat pouring from my body, the jangling sound of my phone ringing on the bedside table. Mason sat up next to me, one arm around me as the other cupped my face, his eyes boring into mine as he called my name over and over.
“Lee! Lee!” He repeated, his voice slightly higher as my eyes finally locked with his. I could tell from the look on his face he’d seen me in the throes of my nightmare, and it had scared him. The phone rang again, and I fumbled for it automatically, trying to see outside to find out what time it was. There was just the hint of sunrise outside. I grabbed the phone and saw it was Mama D. My heart sank. She would never call me at this time of night unless it was an emergency.
“Mom?” I asked, my voice hoarse with fear.
“…Lee?” I heard her say my name, her voice hoarse and sounding wide awake. “Lee…it’s the twins. There was an accident…” she started crying.
“Mom… Mom! Where are you? Where are they?” I demanded.
“We’re at City Hospital,” she managed to get out. “They’re taking Sonny to surgery in just a minute. Hicks is already in with the surgeons…” she began crying in earnest now.
“Mom, we’re on our way,” I said.
26
Mason
It was all my fault. Just like Dreyven had said.
I saw the Devereaux family collecting in the Emergency Department waiting area in the early morning hours, and I knew they were there because of me.
While I’d told Lee part of what happened at the Community Center last night, I hadn’t—couldn’t have—told him everything. Maybe if I had, his brothers wouldn’t be fighting for their lives right now.
The night had started out okay. When Lee dropped me off, I’d entered the building. It looked like new construction, but I realized the building had once been a school that had an addition added. Most of the building still had that sweaty child smell that all schools seemed to develop over time. I wandered the halls until I heard people talking nearby. As I rounded the corner, I spotted two men standing together chatting in the hallway.
“Um, hi?” I said as I approached them.<
br />
One of the men smiled at me in a way that made me feel vaguely like a rat who had been dumped in a snake’s den and I slowed my steps.
“Well, hello there, young man! You must be Mr.… Cameron!” He said, hesitating a moment on my name as he stuck a hand out. “I’m William Conyers. Call me Bill!” He insisted. “Our church is sponsoring the event this evening,” he explained.
“Good to see you made it! Did you come alone?” Conyers asked, glancing up and down the hallway.
“Um, yes, a friend of mine, Lee Devereaux, dropped me off,” I explained.
I shook hands with both men, and I felt a frisson of uncertainty run through me. Did Conyers hold my hand just a moment too long? Did the smile that lit his face as we were introduced fail to reach his eyes? I shook my head and refused to let my fears run roughshod over me. This wasn’t rational, and I wasn’t going to let it stop me from keeping my commitment here tonight. Lizzie and Zem were counting on me.
Conyers gave me a brief tour of the building and explained they were turning an old school into a community center for disadvantaged youths. I let his words lull my fears. I knew that Lizzie wouldn’t book me anyplace that I’d be unwelcome, so I pushed my worries to the side and tried to focus on the event.
No, they’d “welcomed” me, all right.
Conyers led me down a hallway through a confusing warren of what looked like classrooms and office doors. I was mentally rehearsing my new presentation as we walked, so I wasn’t really paying much attention as we stopped outside an unmarked door.
“One moment, please,” he said, gesturing for me to wait in the hallway. I heard low voices speaking for a moment before he came back out in the hallway.
“Mr. Cameron, our Pastor would like to meet you before the event,” he said. I nodded and put my game face on as I stepped through the door.
The office was richly furnished, in contrast to the rest of the building. A large mahogany desk dominated the room. I saw two men, a woman and a teenager standing in one corner of the room. It took me a minute to realize the two men were holding the struggling teenager by the arms and another before I recognized him. It was Jeri’s boyfriend, Tobi.
I never saw the blow that knocked me to the ground, just staggered and fell, my hands automatically going out to cushion my fall.
“Whaaa…?” I began, my ears ringing from the blow. I heard cars starting outside and people… singing…? That had to be wrong. I shook my head as I tried to get to my feet. I knew all the worst things happened to you if you were on the ground. Anxiety chased through my muddled head, confused by the suddenness of the attack.
I'd just made my feet, head still swimming and had started backing away toward one of the doors that led outside when I felt a strong arm grab me and force me face forward against a wall.
“Not so fast, you little whore…” a voice rang in my ear and I froze. That voice… I knew that voice.
“…Dreyven…” I whispered, then everything went dark.
27
Mason
When I became aware again, I was being kept on my feet by a painful grip on my arms. I shook my head and tried to keep my eyes shut, like a little kid who believed if he didn’t see the monster, it couldn’t really be there. I couldn’t keep hiding forever, though, and the sound of Tobi’s voice made me open my eyes.
The two men held Tobi by the arms. I winced, because I knew he would have bruises tomorrow. The woman’s gaze was on me, her lips pursed disapprovingly. Despite her age and poor makeup choices I could see the resemblance to Tobi.
Dreyven pushed me into the room, the corner of his lips turned up as he watched my face.
“Yeah, you fuckin’ whore, you know what kind of shit you’re in now,” he growled.
I blinked over and over, trying desperately to clear the blurriness in my vision. I was finally able to focus and saw Tobi looking at me from across the room, tears threatening to spill from his shiny eyes.
“I’m sorry, Mason!” he yelled, before being viciously slapped by the woman in front of him.
“Shut your mouth, you abomination!” she screamed at him. “You’ve let him contaminate your soul with his evil!”
I didn’t understand what she was talking about at first, then saw that she was waving around a phone that had a picture of Tobi and me from the signing.
“Wait!” I yelled. “He’s just a kid! I never touched—” a blow to my stomach knocked the air from my lungs and I doubled over, retching.
“Close your mouth, Mason. We know what you’ve done. ‘The Lord detests lying lips!’” I heard Dreyven say as he pushed me into one of the seats in front of the desk, then took the chair behind it.
I’d never known he had even read the Bible, much less memorized passages from it. And I certainly had never heard him quote scripture before. I heard the woman and two men saying “Amen” as Dreyven finished.
“What… What do you want, Dreyven?” I managed, after I caught my breath, turning to look at him. I was struggling desperately to keep my panic under control. It was not the time to have a panic attack.
“It’s Dowling, now, Mason. John Dowling. I have been reborn! The Lord has given me a new name, a new life, leading the wonderful people of Northeast Ohio into His grace,” he said, smiling sickeningly at me.
“Hallelujah!” the oblivious woman said in agreement.
I shifted uncomfortably in the chair and felt the weight of my cell phone in my jeans pocket. I couldn’t have blacked out for more than a second or two, because they hadn’t searched me. I shuddered at the thought of being at the bastard’s non-existent mercy.
“Oh, yes, Mason. You knew I’d come for you, right?” Dreyven said, his smile widening as he saw me react. “After what you did to Ricky? After running away like that? You made me look bad, Mason. I ended up having to leave Milwaukee with pretty much just the shirt on my back.”
“I didn’t tell them anything,” I said, coughing as I tried to catch my breath.
“Riiiight… sure you didn’t, you murderous bastard. Just like you had nothing to do with Ricky’s death,” Dreyven spat, suddenly on his feet. “Though how you got a gun is still a mystery to me… We’ll discuss that, soon enough, though. We have a lot to discuss. The point is you made me start over, Mason. I lost everything… my best friend, my home, my stuff. All because of you.”
One of the men cleared their throat and Dreyven’s eyes shot to his. Dreyven was obviously struggling to control his rage, but he eventually managed to calm himself and sat down again.
“God works in mysterious ways, Mason. Starting over in Cleveland gave me new purpose, a new life. Akron’s not a bad drive from Cleveland, and since I knew you were coming to town, I thought I’d come down here and pay you a little visit.”
“Impossible…” I said, my thoughts in chaos. “There’s no way you could have known…”
“Known, what, exactly? That you changed your name? That you moved to Seattle? Or that you’d come to this town? I told you before, Mason, I have powerful friends. It didn’t take much effort to find out your new name, your new home.” Dreyven tapped the desk where I saw a copy of my most recent graphic novel. I recognized my writing on the cover and my eyes shot over to where the men held Tobi. It was the copy I’d given Tobi at the signing.
“All it took was a little patience. Did you sense me waiting, Mason? It seemed like it, sometimes. You kept canceling on me so many times… What was up with that? Two, no, three times? I just had to be patient, though. Patience is a virtue, after all! With the help of my friend, Bill, here, we managed to ‘convince’ your little friends at Twin Peeks to suggest you for the headliner, and there you go! He even got them to pay for it! God’s will at work.”
He snickered at me. “You always thought you were smarter than us, better than us. Always drawing pictures, acting like you were too good to live with us, too good to earn your keep. Ricky and I took you in, gave you a roof over your head—”
“And molested me and pimped me o
ut for years, Dreyven! Whatever miniscule amounts of money you spent on me, you more than made up over the years,” I spat, my anger rising. I hugged my fury to me, knowing the power of it was the only thing that would get me through this situation. “Ricky was my uncle! He should have protected me, not whored me out!”
In a flash, Dreyven was around the desk and casually struck me across the face. The blow rocked me, and I felt blood start to trickle down from the corner of my mouth.
“Don’t you talk about Ricky like that! You killed him!” He yelled at me, his face livid with rage. I saw his chest heaving as he struggled with his fury, but he seemed to remember his audience and got control of himself before quoting the Bible again.
“He was my best friend, and you killed him,” he said more quietly, and glanced around the room at the other adults. “You killed him, and you will pay. For the Bible says, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed’.”
Dreyven looked from me to the other adults. “We must do the Lord’s work.”
“Amen!” said the men, the woman echoing them just a moment later.
“No!” Tobi yelled, struggling even harder, and I knew I had to get him away from here before something worse happened. There was no way the kid needed to see this.
“It doesn’t matter what you call yourself. You’ll still be Dreyven Reckner beneath it all,” I said, my voice low and raspy. “You’re a pimp, a murderer and a child molester,” I spat out, hoping that the words might sway the other adults from supporting Dreyven. There weren’t too many things in the world that were as universally reviled as child molesters.
Any hope that the other adults might help me fled as I saw Dreyven’s beady little eyes glitter at me, his hands reached behind his back and pulled a pistol from his waistband and set it on the desk in front of me before sitting down in the chair.
Mason's Run Page 31