by Melissa Jane
The fog had cleared revealing the spectacularly beautiful lake which practically glowed silver. Yet, not even that could distract me from what was in Lucas’s hand. The Glock rested on his knee, his free hand tapping a frustrated beat.
“What are you doing out here, Luc?” I asked, cautiously.
“Not taking any chances.”
“B is by the road, he’ll see anyone approaching.”
“He thinks he can stop Mason?” Lucas scoffed. “Nothing stops my brother when he has his mind set on something.”
I knew that all too well.
We sat in silence for a moment before I built up the courage to talk.
“In the last ten years, how many times have you seen Mason?”
“When I left home I started a new life away from him and Mom. He had become hostile toward everyone. Always had to be in control of the situation. I saw him at Mom’s funeral and he tried to reconnect. We’ve always been civil to each other, and he’s always tried to protect me from everything. I think that’s why I was always blind to his behavior because all I saw was him throwing himself in harm’s way to protect me.”
Lucas turned to meet my gaze, an intensity in his eyes that made my heart pound. “But what he did to you back home, and now these last couple of weeks is inexcusable. I’ve realized that he was never protecting me. He was simply always trying to get at you. You can’t protect someone if you’re always hurting the one they love most in the world.”
He took my hand in his as I silently cried. We’d lost so much.
“I’ve always loved you, Gem. You have and always will be the only one who has my heart. None of my relationships have worked because they were simply a Band-Aid for what I couldn’t have.”
“Then tell me, Luc…” I squeezed his hand demanding he explain himself. “Tell me what happened that night, why you had to leave town. Tell me why in ten years you never found me! What happened?”
Lucas stood, releasing my hand, and scanned the darkness as if somehow it would give him the answers.
And it did. Just not the sort we were wanting.
“Tell her, Lucas.”
We both recoiled, me in fright and Lucas because he was about to face his nemesis. I was on my feet in a heartbeat, Lucas standing protectively in front.
“Go ahead,” Mason stepped forward until we saw his blackened figure edge closer, the whites of his eyes glistening. I gripped Lucas’s arms which were already flexing with adrenalin.
“Tell Gemma everything that happened that night and see then if she’s so understanding.”
“Gemma,” Lucas said carrying a stern warning. “Get in your car and leave.”
“No,” I hissed quietly. “I’m not leaving you.”
“I’ll find you. Go!”
“What’s the matter, little brother?” Mason mocked, taking another step closer, his trademark malevolent smile etched on his face. “Worried I’ll hurt your precious girlfriend?”
“It’s not like you haven’t in the past. How could you do those things to her, Mason?” Lucas couldn’t disguise his disgust and hurt. “How could you do that to a sixteen-year-old girl? Our friend.”
This time he gave a small laugh, head lowering as he kicked at the loose stones at his feet. “It’s not like she put up much of a fight, brother. Besides… you weren’t giving her anything.”
Lucas advanced on his brother, unleashing his rage. “You think fucking molesting her was okay?” he bellowed, pushing hard against Mason’s chest. Mason took a few steps back with every push but made no attempt to thwart his brother’s aggression. “You think she fucking asked for that?”
Push.
“You think she fucking wanted you to carve into her skin?”
Push.
“You think by doing that you fucking own her?”
“Lucas,” I pleaded, reaching desperately for his arm. We didn’t know what Mason was capable of and the last thing I wanted was for them to disappear into the darkness.
“You’re my fucking brother, Mason,” Lucas growled.
“And I fucking did everything to protect you,” Mason finally snapped from his apathy to raging within a second. He pushed back against Lucas’s chest sending him colliding into me. “I fucking did everything to protect you when dad left, and you’re just gonna let this bitch bring down our family?”
“Gemma has kept her mouth shut this whole time, and yet you have it in your fucked-up head that you would terrorize her anyway? You think she didn’t have enough of that shit back home?”
“She…” Mason spat, pointing an accusatory finger at me. “She is about to put us all behind bars, and you just fucking welcome her into your home all because you want some pussy.”
“They’re already investigating, brother. It’s over! It was always only a matter of time before they pieced it all together. You think they’ll just dust their hands off and move on? Guess what? They’re not going anywhere, and it’s all because of you harassing Gemma that brought it all to the front.”
“All because of me?” Mason snarled. “You think this mess is all because of me?”
“Yeah,” Lucas’s voice sounded resigned, croaky. “Yeah, I do. And now Gemma is leaving.” Lucas grabbed my arm and marched me through the darkness toward the house.
“Lucas, come with me,” I begged.
“I can’t.”
“Please. Let’s just get in my car and—” A strong arm hooked around my neck violently yanking me away. Lucas spun around, gun pointed at Mason who held the blade of his carving knife against my throat. It started to tear through the skin the further he dragged me away from Lucas.
“Give me the gun, brother,” Mason demanded.
“You don’t need to be here. Just leave us alone.”
“Not gonna happen. I can’t let this go on. We’ve come this far, Lucas. We’ve come this far without being caught.”
“Let her go.”
The knife pressed harder, blood beginning to trickle down my neck.
“Give me the gun, and you can have her.”
There was silence as Lucas weighed the risk of giving Mason the Glock.
Could he be trusted enough to let us go?
“Fine.” Lucas reasoned. “But this war… it’s between us.”
“I’ll tell you what…” Mason chimed happily, “… I’ll give her a head start. Now…” He jerked me to the side, and I cried out against the pain of the knife tearing the skin. Lucas stepped forward wanting to help me but stopped when Mason raged. “Now, hand over the fucking gun and let’s sort this out, shall we?”
“Fine!” Lucas placated. “Here.” The Glock dangled from his finger awaiting collection.
“Good decision,” Mason said coldly, accepting his new weapon. He withdrew the knife from my neck. “She’s free.” With a firm hand on my back, he shoved me forward into Lucas’s arms.
For a moment he held me tight in an attempt to calm my trembling body.
“Go, Gemma,” Lucas urged, whispering into my ear. “Go. I’ll come for you.
“No… I’m… I’m not leaving you with him.”
He held me tighter. “You don’t have a choice. I need you as far away as possible.”
“Yeah, Gemma. Run,” Mason snickered as I turned to meet the evil in his eye. “You know I’ll find you. I always do. It’s always been part of the fun.”
“Go!” Lucas urged.
“You heard him,” Mason shouted, losing patience. “Get the fuck out of here.” He raised his arm and pulled the trigger. The Glock exploded, and I screamed, the boom echoing throughout the woods, night birds scattering into the sky. I’d ducked for cover, holding tight to Lucas’s arm, but I was falling. I landed heavily on the ground beside the man I loved. My hand was covered in blood, but it wasn’t me who was hurt. Blood oozed from Lucas’s shoulder as he struggled to his feet.
“Jesus, Mason,” I raged through tears while steadying Lucas. “This is your fucking brother.”
“The same brother who would
sooner feed me to the wolves just for a fuck.”
I faced him head-on. “It’s not like that. I kept my end of the promise.”
“Until you didn’t.”
I swiped angrily at the tears with the back of my blood-stained hand. “I kept my word until you began your witch-hunt. You messed with my life. You hurt people, Mason.”
“And just maybe…” he stepped forward wearing his smile, “… I enjoyed every fucking part of it.”
“Go, Gemma!” Lucas begged, wincing with pain. “Please just—”
“You want me to shoot him again?” Mason shouted like a lunatic, waving the Glock toward Lucas. “Will you be satisfied when he’s bled out?”
I raised my hands in surrender and reluctantly stepped away from Lucas. “I’m leaving, but please just stop the hurting.”
Ever unpredictable and going from one extreme to the next, Mason chuckled cruelly. “When I find you, I’ll tell you all about it. Now go…” He fired the Glock once more but this time in the air. I staggered back, tripping on the blanket and worried it would be the last time I’d see Lucas alive.
I was almost at the top of the stairs silently pleading when he smiled once more, aiming the Glock at Lucas’s head. “Go,” he warned for the last time. Sobbing, I ran inside searching for my handbag. My clothes were still outside by the bath, and my duffle was still in the trunk of the car.
I didn’t care. I’d run naked through the sheriff’s station if I had to. It was only when I started running to the car did I wonder what had happened to B.
Could he not hear the gunshots?
The pine needles and stones stabbed into the soles of my feet, but nothing hurt more than the incessant pounding in my head and heart.
Was I really leaving Lucas?
I fumbled for the keys and twice dropped them back into the dark abyss of my handbag.
“Come on,” I spat angrily, struggling to get my trembling hands under control. I pressed unlock, the orange lights on each corner momentarily flashing the blackened woods. Throwing the handbag on the passenger side, I started the ignition, switched on the lights and hit the pedal hard. The tires ripped up the earth beneath them, and I struggled to grip the steering wheel as it jerked from my hands down the driveway.
“Jesus,” I pleaded. “This isn’t happening. This can’t be how it ends.”
There was sudden movement ahead between the trees. There one second, gone the next.
“Lucas?” I yelled, but he wouldn’t have heard. With my heart in my throat, I stared ahead, blinking rapidly until it reappeared. I searched the sides of the drive. Nothing. When I returned to the front, I slammed on the brakes, the car skidding to a halt a mere yard away from collision. Headlights illuminated Mason like he was the Messiah, but smiling like he was the anti-Christ. Blood stained his white shirt, but it wasn’t his. He pointed the Glock at me, finger poised on the trigger.
“Get out of the car, Gemma,” he instructed in an eerily calm and collected voice. “Now.”
Putting the car in park, I opened the door. Gripping the blanket tightly around me, I stepped out of the car using the door for partial protection.
“That’s a girl. Now come all the way around.” He gestured with the Glock. Trembling, I did as he said until I was silhouetted by the headlights.
A silent standoff ensued until he gave his next instruction. “Drop it,” he said referring to the blanket. I gripped it tight not wanting to be without. “Don’t test me, Gemma. Drop. It.”
Sobbing, I let go, the blanket pooling at my feet. I stood naked, fully exposed to him.
“Mm-mmm,” Mason sounded through pursed lips while drinking me in.
“Where’s Lucas? What did you do to him?”
“You sure you wanna know?”
I stopped breathing for what felt like an eternity.
I’d left Lucas to die.
I ran, and Mason killed him anyway.
“Why are you doing this? How could you hurt your own brother?”
“Because he was going to hurt me for you,” he spat angrily, holding the gun to my forehead. I staggered back until the car touched my legs. “So, I’ve revised the game.” Mason gripped my throat, his fingers digging deep. “I’ll give you a ten-second head start. But after that ten seconds, I’m coming for you. And no rules apply. I’ll do with you what I wish. Understand?”
“This isn’t a game,” I seethed
“Oh, it is to me.”
I shuddered under his glare.
“Understand?”
“Yes!” I spat, bitterly.
Mason jerked my head before releasing his grip. He took two steps back giving me space. “Go on then, your time starts… now.”
I panicked, my legs struggling to move
“One. Two. Thr—”
I turned to the right, taking to the darkened woods. I navigated through the obstacles, my heart pounding, my breath the only thing I could hear. Until somewhere between it all, I heard Mason’s maniacal laugh. Low hanging branches tore through my flesh, but I barely felt it in my desperation.
I turned, facing where I’d come from. The dark silhouettes of the trees gnarled as if they were coming to life to personally taunt me. Worse still, Mason was nowhere to be seen. Spinning on my heel, I resumed my journey, the soles of my feet tearing against the rocks and stabbed by the fallen pine needles. Four steps further and I met a punishing blow from behind, the force knocking me to the ground. I fell awkwardly, my outstretched hands desperately seeking anything to break my fall.
There was nothing.
With a sickening thud, my head thumped against a rock or tree stump. My cheek burned, the debris having torn it up. Groaning, I tentatively touched the side of my head and winced against the pain. My fingers were coated in a sticky blood, the fresh night air stinging the open wound. I was light-headed and dizzy, the woods spinning around me.
Mason laughed.
I couldn’t see him, but he could see me.
He relished my vulnerable and now weakened state.
“Where…” I started, but the need to vomit stopped me. Boots crunched the earth, circling me. Everything was a blur, but that didn’t stop the need to escape. Dazed, I crawled on all fours, my knees and palms screaming in pain. Like a moth to a flame, I gravitated to the light, back on the dirt road.
Mason was still in earshot.
He was laughing, heckling as if he had bets on my survival. I was concussed, blood now dripping from my forehead and down my right arm.
Emerging from the woods, the stones on the road cut into my flesh. I stopped, disorientated and unable to find my surroundings. My eyes flittered, barely holding consciousness. The world continued to spin until I could no longer stand. I fell on all fours, waiting for my stomach to lurch. I glanced ahead, wishing for the sanctuary of my rental car.
A leg stepped over either side of me, boots crunching the gravel.
He was here.
This time, I couldn’t escape him. This time, I had to face whatever Mason Carter wanted to dish out on me. Even if that meant I wouldn’t make it out alive. Mason wrapped my long, loose hair around his hand and yanked my head back. I groaned against the pain, my scalp burning. His face loomed above, donned with a sinister smile.
“And here we are just over ten years later,” he said joyfully. “In the same position, except…” he considered our respective positions. Unsatisfied, his knee smashed mercilessly into my ribs leaving me sprawled on the ground, winded and gasping for air.
“Ahh,” he said, now pleased. “That’s more like it.” Mason lowered himself on top, pinning my hands above my head just like he had a decade ago at Little Wren. It was in that movement, I noticed the leather bands around his wrist. The same leather cuff B wears. My heart sank further than I ever knew possible.
Help was not coming.
Mason’s familiar cologne was heady. The same scent I had smelled in the carpark stairwell and in my bedroom that night. Mason grinned, eyes gleaming with the ease of it al
l before looking languidly over my bare breasts that now bore vicious red cuts and scrapes.
“You two sure did put on quite the show back there,” he started. I cringed, and he noticed. “You like your hands pinned while being held down and fucked? Baby, I could have done that for you back when we were teenagers. I could have been your first.” He demonstrated his spite by thrusting his pelvis hard against mine, his restrained cock begging for release. Gritting my teeth, I refused to take the bait.
He considered this a challenge.
“Gotta say, though…” he said, bringing his lips down to graze my ear, “… hearing you orgasm never gets old. Watching how you handle yourself is always a thrill.”
Heat flooded my cheeks even though my blood ran cold. My body stilled momentarily with shock before I erupted. Screaming, I bucked and writhed trying to dislodge Mason, but he remained on top straddling me. The rocks beneath angrily stabbing into my back making me even more livid.
“How dare you, Mason. How dare you think this is okay!”
“Don’t you wanna know how many times I’ve watched you pleasure yourself? I’ve been watching since I first moved in next door to you when you moved to NYC. I know your favorite positions. I know how you like to arch your back every time you come. I particularly like how you can do it multiple times before you collapse in exhaustion.” His grip around my wrists tightened, and the smile faded. “So how about it, Gem?” Mason grappled my breast with his free hand. His fingers dug deep, coaxing a cry from me. “How about you give me what you have left? Let me take what’s owed to me.”
His mouth crushed mine in a possessive kiss driving my pounding head into the unforgiving earth beneath. Mason bit down hard on my bottom lip and despite my wails and the blood, he persisted. Again, I bucked, tears spilling down my temples, willing the excruciating pain to ease. Finally, he pulled away, blood smeared over his face like he was some rabid dog feasting.
I sobbed.
I was hurting all over.
Lucas was either wounded or dead, and Mason wasn’t giving up the fight.
“You win.”
This pissed him off.
He recoiled and then became enraged. “You don’t get to say that, Gem. You don’t get to surrender when you’ve spent years pining after my brother. You don’t get to tell me when I’ve won before I’ve taken what’s mine.”