Jace

by T. A. Grey

  When he came out, she didn’t know what to do. Her tongue tasted bitter, her stomach queasy, and a headache pounded around her eyes and temples. At the last second, she spun around and started plating food. She grabbed the completed plates and set them on the kitchen table.

  Only, when she turned around he wasn’t there. She heard his bedroom door close a minute later.

  Tears welled immediately. She swiped them away furiously and sat down to eat her breakfast alone. Of course he didn’t want to eat with her. She broke his heart last night. He said he loved her and she’d walked away.

  Feeling numb, the food tasteless, she ate like a robot. When she was done she tossed his uneaten food into the trash bin and did the dishes.

  Later she found herself standing at the sliding glass doors that lead to his deck. The trees were so pretty with the rain pelting the leaves. The trees loved it; they looked vibrant and greener than usual.

  Mara opened the door and stepped outside into the rain.

  Her breath caught as the first droplets splattered against her. She thought it’d feel cold but it wasn’t. The water was warm and drenched her clothes in a matter of seconds.

  She stepped out deeper onto the deck, walking barefoot on wet planks of cedar. The rain soaked through her shirt and flattened her hair to her shoulders.

  Strays tears were swept away by the rain. Mara didn’t know how long she stood outside, but she didn’t hear the door open. But she did feel his presence.

  Slowly she turned around. A hard lump was caught in her throat making it hard to breathe or to talk. Jace looked like hell. Sleepless circles darkened under his eyes. He wore a black T-shirt that quickly became drenched with rain and a pair of gray sweats. But his eyes said it all—despair.

  “What are you doing out here?” he asked.

  She didn’t know what she opened her mouth to say, but she just started talking. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry about everything, Jace. I love you. I do. So much it hurts, but I can’t—I can’t—” she couldn’t continue on. Anxiety locked her lungs up making it hard to breathe.

  Jace looked away and the pain she’d put there only twisted the knife deeper. “Don’t,” he said.

  Immediately she snapped her mouth shut.

  He took a step forward, rain covering him from head to foot. They were both soaking wet. Thunder rumbled through the sky and lightning flashed in the distance with crack of sound.

  He cupped her face, sought her gaze until he found it. “I love you, Mara. Whether or not you love me back or even can love me back after what that man did to you I understand. I want you here with me. I want my mom to meet you because I know she’s going to love you like I do, but I can wait.”

  Tears flowed quickly down her face.

  “I’ll wait as long as I have to for you to trust me.”

  “Why?” she asked, her voice a croak. “I don’t deserve you.”

  His eyes widened and a ghost of a smile crossed his lips. “No, that’s where you got it all wrong, sweetheart. I don’t deserve you.”

  She shook her head in denial but he only wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. It felt so good to cry in his arms, to hear he understood, that he didn’t hate her. She held onto him tight and apologized too many times to count. She apologized for being stupid, for being messed up, for not being able to trust, for Corey.

  “If you apologize for one more thing, I swear to God, I’m going to strip you naked and lock you out here alone,” Jace warned.

  Mara sputtered, too shocked to come up with a retort. Jace shook his head at her, laughing softly and then he pulled her back inside the house.

  He’d closed the sliding glass door and reset the alarm only moments before something slammed against the house.

  Mara screamed, startled. What looked like a white pipe rolled across the deck. “That looks like PVC pipe,” she said, distractedly. Her mind was trying to comprehend why there was a PVC tube rolling toward the sliding glass doors and figure out how it got there. Then she noticed something else equally odd—the fuse sparkling off one end.

  “Fuck. Move!” Jace yelled.

  He grabbed her around the waist and ran away from the door dragging her with him. They made it only a few feet before an explosion rent through the air. Mara and Jace were thrown through the air by the force of the blast. Glass shattered at the door with an ear-piercing explosion. A horrible wooden, cracking sounded, as if the deck was collapsing. A bunch of dust filled the air.

  Jace ushered her deeper into the house. Her heart raced a mile a minute. She didn’t even have a moment to ask what was going on. Jace and she ran to his room. He grabbed a shotgun from beneath his bed and pistol from his nightstand. He put the pistol in the back front of his pants and tightened the drawstrings of his sweats to cinch it in place.

  Shotgun in hand, Jace grabbed her hand and took her down a door she’d never been in—his basement. He closed the door behind them but didn’t turn on a light. It was dark and eerily quiet down here. Jace moved quickly while she struggled to keep up.

  “What’s going on?” she whispered.

  “It looks like he found us.”

  He. Mara knew exactly who he was talking about. Still, she had to be sure. “Corey?”

  Jace nodded then led them deep into the dark basement. There were two small basement windows but Jace could never fit through one. He went to one and started unlocking it.

  “Wh-what are we going to do?”

  Jace didn’t answer. He struggled with a lock that refused to budge no matter how hard he pushed at it. “You need to get out of here. It’s no longer safe.”

  “Shouldn’t we call the police and hide somewhere?” She shook down to her toes, kept looking behind them expecting to see Corey at any moment. Even as she strained to hear anything, all she could hear was the rain pouring above them.

  “No, you need to get out of here. This place is compromised. Fuck!” He went to the other window and with a bit more elbow grease, opened it. It made a hideous, metal screech but the rain was pouring so hard she barely heard it.

  He grabbed her waist. “Come on,” he said. “I’m going to hoist you out of here.”

  “You’re coming too, right?” She didn’t grab the ledge but turned around to look at him.

  He looked at her but didn’t answer. The silence grew and her skin began to crawl. She just knew, without him having to say a word. He was staying behind to make sure she could run away.

  “Jace,” she managed, voice choking.

  From somewhere up above another explosion shook the house. Jace cupped her face to keep their gazes locked together. Without any words she knew what he was telling her.

  I love you.

  “Go now, Mara. When you get to the security fence go to the front gate that we drive through and type in eight, eight, nine. The gate is set to open no matter what if that code is entered.”

  “I won’t leave without you. Let’s both go.”

  He didn’t bat a lash. “Mara, it’s my job to guard you. Now you’re going to listen to me and do exactly as I say. You’re crawling through this window and running for the fence. Be careful and take this.” He placed the pistol in her palm, showed her the safety and turned it off. “Aim and shoot.”

  There was a sound upstairs. Both of them froze. It sounded like someone walking over the shattered glass. Her breaths turned panicky.

  “Please don’t leave me.”

  Jace cupped her cheeks, his deep gaze boring into hers and holding her hostage. Her heart leapt for this man, grew so big it wanted to burst.

  “I love you, Mara.”

  Then he kissed her with full tongue and lips. It was a goodbye. He pulled away and started pushing her out the window. Tears slipping down her cheeks, she went, gun in hand. Grabbing fistfuls of muddy grass she pulled herself and wiggled out of the window. Rain pelted her. She turned around the moment she was out but Jace was already closing the window.

  She flattened her hand to the window, her heart
breaking into so many pieces. “Jace.” She didn’t say the words, only mouthed them. For a moment his hand reflected hers through the window and then he was gone.

  Mara stood, gun in hand, with a whole new purpose. She ran hard for the front gate. Her bare feet sunk into warm mud making her slow. The rain soaked her to the bone and the sky looked like it only grew blacker by the moment. She ran to the forest first to get out of sight. If only Jace didn’t live so far away from civilization then maybe someone would have heard the two explosions over the storm.

  She made it to the gate. She’d expected to find it damaged but it stood tall and imposing.

  Two huge plumes of black smoke billowed around his house. Corey was here. He’d found her.

  * * * * *

  Mara stared at the house feeling like she was in a whole other world. Things like this just didn’t happen, but it was happening. This was real. The man she loved was in danger. And she couldn’t leave him here alone with that psycho.

  Calling on all her bravery, Mara slowly made her way to the front of the house. She sprinted across the open area to the front of the house and plastered her back against it. She ran up the stairs to his front door next with light footsteps. If she did make any sound then it couldn’t be heard over the storm.

  Mara peered through the rectangular window by the front door. Inside was dark—too dark. It looked like someone had cut the power. Even the light over the stove was off. Only the gray stormy sun peered in rays through the windows casting the house in eerie shadows. And then her whole world came crashing to a halt. Corey stepped out from the kitchen. Seeing him for the first time after so long literally felt like her world came crashing down. The utter despair she felt shook her. She wanted to run and cry and hide from him. The emotions were just as sharp as they’d been when she left him seven months ago. So sharp. Tears burned in her eyes, her jaw twitched with the need to sob, and her stomach squeezed so hard with nerves she gagged, nearly vomiting.

  And yet, through all that, she noticed he looked the same. She looked so much different than that depressed, bedraggled naive woman she’d been when she was with him. How did he not change at all? He was still tall and thin, but that slenderness hid deceptive strength. She knew firsthand. He was hard and strong. His hair was shaggy blond and hung slickly down his face. He wore military garb—his old camo. He was decked out with guns, knives, a Kevlar vest. He’d come here for war.

  Then he turned and went into the living room where she couldn’t see him.

  Shaking, she made her way back down the stairs and around to the back of the house. She kept the gun pointed down in a two-handed grip, her finger on the trigger.

  The deck was mostly collapsed, but it was still connected to the back of the house. Mara needed to get in there. It was the only way back in the house. She set to work knowing she’d need two hands for this venture.

  Mara put the safety on the gun and stuck it in her pocket. She used both hands to start climbing the rumble. She knew it was stupid, but the man she loved was inside and she wouldn’t leave him again. She hadn’t wanted to begin with, but when he kissed her and told her loved her, she was hard-pressed to deny him anything.

  Mara grabbed onto two planks of wood then stepped off the ground. The whole deck shuddered under her weight and she stifled a scream, barely. There wasn’t enough time for her to plan this. She had to move quickly before this deck and her fear immobilized her. Mara climbed the deck. Her hands got stuck with splinters that penetrated deep into her palms. Her foot poked an open nail and still she climbed the rubble. She was only feet from the door. She grabbed the ledge just as the deck groaned one last dying breath. It collapsed beneath her, sounding like a great tree being felled.

  She hung from the door by her fingertips. With a grunt she held on for dear life. Glass cut her fingers causing slick blood to spill. Her arms burned like hot pokers were shoved down her arms from shoulder to fingertip.

  Teeth bared, Mara slowly pulled herself up scraping her feet against the concrete of the basement wall to propel her body up. There was no way to avoid it, so she lurched forward without caution.

  Glass from the PVC bomb littered the floor across the entire room. Her arms were cut open, the skin on her hands split, and more cuts jabbed her knees. Still, she crawled through the rubble until all her body was in the house.

  She panted as she carefully stood in the glass, her eyes darting around the house. She forced her breaths under control and pulled the gun from her pocket. She tried to listen for anything but all she could hear was the crack and boom of the raging thunderstorm. The power had been cut. Not even the fridge whirred.

  Mara ducked low and darted into the kitchen. Once she stepped out of the glass she very carefully pulled the little shards out of her skin. The house was dark with only shafts of gray light peering through the windows and doorway. Mara kept her back to the wall and sucked in her breath as she peered down the hallway. All the doors were closed except for her bedroom.

  There was a cell phone in her room. If she got to it she could call the police. The hard metal gun made her palms sweat. Water dripped down her face and trickled into her eyes making them sting.

  Mara crept down the hall on the tops of her feet. She breathed as quietly as she could but still her breaths sounded louder than the crash of her heartbeat. She paused outside her door to peer inside. The crashing of her heartbeat was so damn loud the rain sounded distant. She peered, saw nothing, then opened the door fast with her gun pointed out. Nothing. Moving in, she checked the bathroom—empty.

  Where the hell was Jace? Was he still in the basement? Was Corey down there with him? If Corey did anything to Jace she didn’t know what she’d do. It’d be all her fault.

  Mara fished her cellphone out of her luggage. She tried to use it but the battery was dead. Shaking and cold, Mara paced back and forth as she tried to figure out what to do.

  Then a door slammed so close by, Mara had to bite her hand to keep from crying out. The house grew chillingly silent again. Only the patter of the rain could be heard. Mara made her way back into the hallway and headed for Jace’s room. God, she hoped this wasn’t all some terrible idea. Sucking in several sharp breaths, she braced herself then opened Jace’s door.

  She ducked inside and aimed around the room looking for any movement. She moved inside, keeping her eye under the bed and on the bathroom. She leaned into the bathroom first and found it clean and the same under the bed.

  There was only his office which Mara never saw him use and the basement. Lightning flashed outside, lighting up the room. She took a step toward the hallway and caught sight of Corey’s terrifying face. The lightning faded and the room was cast back in gray shadows. Mara screamed and raised the gun and shot. She didn’t hesitate for a moment.

  But Corey was gone. She heard his fading laughter. Panting, Mara squeezed the gun so hard her hands hurt. Her eyes were wide, breaths erratic and body stiff as she walked one step at a time toward the bedroom door.

  Like she’d seen in the movies, she leaned up against one side of the doorway. The hallway led up to the front door. She could see the glass scattered from the kitchen to the living room. If she could stand on the other side of the door then she could look down the hallway to Jace’s bedroom and office. But that meant she’d have to cross the open doorway where she’d just seen Corey.

  Lightning crashed again. The hallway lit up with no sign of him.

  “Tick tock, Mara.”

  Her lip trembled at the evil whisper that seemed to come from inside her head. Or had she really heard that?

  Mara stepped back from the wall and quietly walked to the other side of the door going way around the doorway in case Corey lurked ready to grab her. It was even darker here at the back of the house. The woods were thicker and more trees blocked the sunlight from the house. It made for a great master bedroom but terrible when you were trying to fight a mad man.

  Mara pointed the gun, breaths stuttering as she waited for that ligh
tning.

  Boom-kerr!

  Lightning struck again and the flash of silver light shot around her. Corey stood right there. He smiled and moved so fast it made her look pathetic. The light faded back to flash but he’d already grabbed her wrist and yanked.

  Mara pulled the trigger. The black room lit up in an explosion of light and smoke. It smelled acidic like sulfur.

  She hit him in the chest, heard his grunt. Then he dove for her, crashed her backward into the bedroom dresser. Mara yelped in pain at the wood digging into her back. They fought with the gun. She could see his bright eyes, always so bright. She’d once thought they were beautiful—now they made her sick to her stomach.

  She fought and kicked and grappled with him for control.

  “Tick tock, Mara. Tick tock. Your time is up.”

  Oh God, his voice!

  It was as real as ever. Mara leaned forward and bit down hard on his lip until blood burst in his mouth. He screamed and tore away. Mara took the opportunity to punch him over the bloody wound that covered his shoulder. He grunted and doubled over in pain.

  Mara sprinted the hell out of Jace’s room and saw the basement door open. She went down it while taking the steps two at a time. She was moving too fast, breathing too hard, shaking too much. She had to calm down but she couldn’t.

  “Jace!”

  For a man tied to a chair and looking bloody he sure didn’t look happy to see her.

  “What did he do to you?” she cried. His eyes were swollen and a ruddy red color. Blood drizzled from his nose and his mouth was a mess. A deep slash slit his eyebrow.

  He jerked in his chair, nearly coming out of it. “What the fuck are you doing here? Get the hell out of here before he comes back, Mara.” He struggled to stand through the binds. Real fear shone in his gaze. “Get out of here right now. Get the fuck out of here!” he half-yelled, half-whispered.

  Mara couldn’t stop touching him—or stop looking for a knife. “Where’s a knife? I need to untie you.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary, Marabell.” Corey’s voice still managed to make her freeze for a moment. Jace didn’t look down at where she knelt in front of him. Mara had to be strong here. She made her blood thaw. She would not let Corey into her life anymore. She had to end this once and for all.