End Game

by Willa Thorne

  I could sense Mr. Collins close behind me, knowing that at any minute, he’d grab me. I nearly slipped on the gravel path, and stumbled as I struggled to regain my balance. The blood burned in my veins, and my lungs were on fire.

  I’ve watched action- packed movies before, in which the villain enjoys a good chase before he closes in on his victim. Perhaps that is what Mr. Collins was doing, what he had been doing all this time, and I had no idea. I was never much of a marathon runner and I was badly out of shape.

  The old barn was on the other side of the property, far behind the house. Somehow, I managed to escape inside the old barn. My muscles were weak from the harsh run, and my legs were shaking horribly. The rustic building was used for nothing but forgotten storage now. The interior smelled musty of old wood and dirt. As I crept past the old stalls, I grabbed a wooden baseball bat that had been set aside from when Allie used to play softball. The stalls were empty, and I slipped behind one, at the farthest end of the corner. I crouched down, and cupped a hand over my mouth as I tried to calm my erratic breathing. I was shaking profusely. I heard Mr. Collin’s boots approach the inside of the barn.

  “Jillian…” Mr. Collins tried to coax me in a soft, sing-song tone. “This is entirely unnecessary, little dove. Please come out so we can have a chat.”

  I steadied the wooden bat in my hands, prepared to swing if he found me. I heard him step closer, despite the hammering pulse in my ears. I stayed low, but the horror of his every footstep was a haunting echo.

  “Don’t make this difficult, Ms. Pryor.”

  I tightened my grip on the bat, and wished I hadn’t left my cell phone on the kitchen counter. How did a trip to the mailbox turn into this?

  The first stall door, at the far end of the barn, was the first to get violently kicked in.

  “Do you think I won’t find you, angel?” Mr. Collin’s voice was at this point impatient.

  I pursed my lips, trying to keep my breathing quiet. I was terrified, but I wasn’t going down without a fight. Still, I knew I wasn’t trained for this and my muscles were still weak from the hard run.

  Another stall door was kicked in. The steps drew closer. Another stall door was kicked in. Tears pricked my eyes but I didn’t have the energy to cry. I tried to not think about what he would do to me when he got a hold of me. My mind drifted to Mason, and a horrible realization washed over my being. Did they go after him too? Is he okay?

  I was fervently praying at this point. Unpleasant prickles washed over my entire body. He drew near, kicking in another stall. What will he do when he finds me? Mason… Oh Mason…

  “I can hear your breathing, you little bitch.” He was now standing in front of the stall beside me. The friendly tone I heard in Piper’s office was lost.

  Suddenly, there was movement on the loft above us. Shit, there’s more than one… Whoever they were climbed up the old ladder leading to the rickety loft. I glanced up, but saw nothing but old wood and small clouds of dust floating in the air, made visible through the streaming sunlight that filtered through the cracked wood. At any minute, the second intruder would descend and snatch me-

  “Fuck- who’s there?” Mr. Collins called out, but there was no sound.

  Silence.

  Then there was movement on the loft. It was swift and ghostly.

  Silence.

  “The hunter becomes the hunted.” A voice suddenly echoed from the loft, and it was gruff and unrecognizable.

  I kept both hands on the wooden baseball bat. I didn’t know who the second person was, and I couldn’t recognize his voice, although I tried. Mr. Collins clearly doesn’t know who the man is-

  Please, please let this all end… I pleaded silently. I prayed that the stranger lurking in the loft was someone sent by Mason.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Mr. Collins called out.

  There was no response from the figure on the loft. I heard Mr. Collins step away from the stalls and head toward the opposite end of the barn. The single click of a revolver echoed in the barn, and I could only guess that Mr. Collins had resorted to the use of his gun. I couldn’t see what was happening, since I was still hiding behind the stall.

  All was quiet for a few moments, and it seemed like the barn was now empty. I didn’t even sense movement on the loft above me.

  If I can just run to the house and get my phone, I thought to myself. Tentatively, I peeked my head over the wood of the stall, and a fresh course of adrenaline escaped through me as I saw Mr. Collins still standing there with his revolver out. He seemed crazed, clearly worried about whoever was stalking the loft. My mind was dizzy with thoughts, and I was clueless. I had no idea who was lurking above our heads.

  There was no sign of movement on the loft, but Mr. Collins seemed distracted enough. Gripping the baseball bat, I debated how stupid it would be try a run. Fight or flight?

  I stayed where I was, but peeked over the wood once more. I watched Mr. Collins for another second and then he looked in the direction of my stall. The options of where I’d been hiding had already been narrowed. His eyes narrowed and a sinister smirk crossed his face. I had the bat ready. I knew I didn’t have the strength to outrun him, but I could swing where it hurts. I imagined jabbing him right in his man parts, and making a run for it. My heart was a thundering so badly in my chest, I could barely breathe. The pulse in my ears hammered away, and my head was throbbing from the intense adrenaline pumping through my veins.

  “Let’s just make this quick, doll. I’m so sorry about this.” He said this with desperate determination in his voice, aiming to finish his job before the mysterious stalker returned, if he was to return.

  He stormed toward me, but I couldn’t duck down. What was I to do? I couldn’t just squeeze my eyes shut and wish it away. I gripped the bat fiercely, knowing exactly where I was going to aim.

  He drew closer, but set the lock on his revolver and then pocketed it. He pulled a thin loop of cables from the pocket of his jacket as he stepped closer, his eyes never leaving mine.

  Just as he stepped past the middle stall, diagonal to mine, something darted from the shadows of that stall, wrapped something around his throat, and pulled him into the darkness of the abandoned stall. I heard nothing but a garbled sound, and then stark quiet filled the barn.

  My breathing was faint, suffocated by the constricting sensation in my chest. It’s so difficult to describe, only that I can say the scene reminded me of those old SCREAM movies Travis and Mason used to watch when I was in High School. I will never be able to watch those movies the same way again.

  There was quiet again, and I ran from the barn, expecting the haunting figure to come after me. I had to at least try to escape. I got as far as the house, and rounded the corner to get into the front door, since the back door was locked.

  I ran blindly and nearly tripped over a boot that was perched on the corner, by the front porch.

  “Easy there,” a very familiar voice said as he adjusted himself.

  I looked up; my vision was slightly blurred from my rampant heart rate and hard run. There was Ian, lounging against the house, just beside the front door. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head.

  “What the f--”

  He tossed my phone to me and surprisingly, I caught it with sloppy hands. I let out a deep exhale and then looked up at him.

  His smirk left his face. “Don’t make it a habit to go without your phone, yeah?”

  I nodded but I looked down at my phone. “Don’t use that just yet. Your man will show up by tonight. He’s already on his way to you.”

  “Mason is okay? Have you heard from him? Is he-?”

  “Shh.” Ian held up a finger to my lips and grinned. “All you need to know, doll, is that the mess is getting sorted. Now be a good lass and get in the house.”

  I wanted to run into the house, but I was starting to piece things together. We had mutual friends, and I had seen him once or twice outside of Mason’s office in Manhattan. He was there when the car followed me�
�� All of these thoughts whirled through my mind as I faintly began to put pieces of the Ian puzzle together… Ian has always been there.

  I have my own resources, I recalled Mason telling me this just before I returned to Ohio.

  “Did Mason hire you to follow me while he was gone?” The words escaped my lips before I could find a more tactful way of saying them.

  Ian brushed some light brown hair from his blue eyes. “Not this time. But hey, don’t say nothing about this.” He gave me a direct warning glare. It wasn’t anything I’ve seen from him before, and after the glimpse I saw in the barn, I wasn’t going to test him with an argument over whether I should call the police.’

  “That guy- Mr. Collins, is he dead?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

  “Nah. I just gave him a good scolding and told him to never do it again.” Ian winked. “He’ll probably come back later when you’re sleeping though.” His smirk remained on his face, clearly amused by my question. He flexed his muscles and I heard his knuckles crack.

  My eyes widened.

  Ian shook his head and laughed. “You’re safe. That’s what’s important, yeah?”

  I was in profound shock by everything, and I only nodded.

  So many questions were beginning to swirl around within my mind, but Ian jumped off the porch, then turned to look at me. “Time to clean up before your family gets home. Run inside and keep the door locked.” He pointed a single finger at me. “I’m serious. I don’t react well to talk. You get what I’m saying?”

  I nodded. He just saved my life. Why would I say anything? I turned to ask him one plaguing question, but by the time I thought to ask this question, he was already gone. I retreated into the house, locked the door and called Mason. His phone only went to voicemail. Then, I just sat at the table with my head in my hands, attempting to absorb everything that had just happened.

  16. Mason Woodward

  “It’s done. As always, I was right.” Ian’s voice was direct on the line as I descended the plane in the Cleveland airport.

  “So there was in fact an incident?” My voice was a growl.

  “Relax, Lucky Charms, she is fine- a little shaken, but she’ll survive. Everything is cleaned and if she knows what’s good, she won’t talk.”

  “This is my fiance you are talking about!”

  “Shush. She’s fine. Her family is home and everyone is in ignorant bliss. Now about the other matter... You don’t touch that. It’s mine.” Ian was quite serious.

  This was not a conversation to lengthen over the phone. I wasn’t aware what vendetta Ian had against Wei or why, but it was more than convenient. The man had a nearly spotless record of efficiency and I had no doubt that his plans for Wei would be swiftly executed.

  “As long as my particular problem is eradicated, I don’t care what you do.” I answered him as I stepped into my waiting car at the airport.

  “Good to know. I do things my way, on my time- as long as we’re clear on that.”

  “We’re clear. Chat later.”

  ****

  Jill was still shaken when I arrived on her aunt and uncle’s property later that evening. They had just finished dinner and were clearing the table when I arrived at the front door.

  Jillian was unusually quiet but she ran into my arms when she saw me. I held her tightly without saying a word, and she pressed her body against my front. She wasn’t trembling anymore but her frame was still rigid from the terror she experienced earlier. I could only imagine how scared she had been earlier, and I gave a silent thanks for Ian’s existence.

  “Mason, sweetheart, we weren’t expecting you back tonight. Let me fix you a plate,” Mrs. Pryor greeted me. It was enough to break my hold on Jillian, for the moment.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Pryor, but I don’t mean to intrude. I already had dinner before stopping over,” I lied.

  “Oh, darling, you know you are always welcome here.” She responded in her maternal tone, and then turned to Jillian.

  “Honey, you don’t look well and you hardly ate anything at dinner. Are you coming down with something?” She pressed a hand to Jillian’s forehead, and then her cheek, as though Jill were still only five years old.

  “No, mom, I’m just really tired.”

  “Actually, I hope you don’t mind if I take Jillian away for the evening. I’ll ensure she eats something,” the practiced mask was on my face, and I bestowed a charming smile on Jillian’s mum. Her family remained oblivious, and I was silently thankful to Ian Brennan for this.

  “Oh, you don’t have to, sweetheart,” Jillian’s mother looked between the both of us.

  “It’s okay mom. I need to spend time with Mason, and he got a hotel just in town,” Jill spoke with distraction in her voice.

  “Please just make sure she gets some rest and eats something,” Mrs. Pryor looked up at me. I nodded.

  “Of course, Mrs. Pryor. My wife-to-be is my top concern.”

  ****

  I brought her back to the hotel room I had booked for the night. She remained quiet, but kept her grasp on my hand. There was so much that needed to be said, and I was going to start from the beginning. My arms remained wrapped around her tightly as we lay in the bed, still fully clothed. I wasn’t going to allow anything to distract myself from telling her the truth.

  In detail, I explained my situation with Wei. I tried to remember every detail. I explained the real reason why I had to sell the properties in London, and that I was in the process of signing over paperwork for J.A. Woodward and Company and it was very likely that I would have to give up my hotel in Las Vegas. Fortunately, during the car ride to the Heathrow airport, Jackson stated that he would purchase my Vegas hotel and keep it maintained until I was financially prepared to buy it out from him.

  “Who is Ian?” Jillian asked, gazing up at me. I kept my arms wrapped around her, and our gazes locked after she asked that question.

  How do I begin to explain this one? There was no careful way to explain the answer to this question, and I had been avoiding this topic above all others.

  “Ian is… a professional freelance,” I answered slowly, cautiously. “He has a trained eye and…” I exhaled deeply and raked a hand through my hair.

  “He’s a killer?” Jillian blurted softly.

  “Don’t call him that. He finds it insulting,” I warned her.

  “He’s not really a consultant, is he?”

  “That’s a matter of perspective.” After a long pause, I answered her question. “Ian is the reason you fell down the stairs at Jackson’s party.” I swallowed hard, continuing before she could interrupt me with questions. Jillian shot upright in the bed, and opened her mouth to speak, but I continued before she could say a word. She blinked rapidly, trying to process the shock I had just given her.

  “My father saw you as an interruption to his plans for me. He hired Ian to remove you from the picture, so he pushed you down the stairs at the party. He was told to make your death look like an accident.”

  I watched the blood drain from Jillian’s face, and I realized I should have waited for another time to unleash this news. No, I will always have an excuse why I should keep secrets from her. That ends tonight.

  “When it looked like you and I broke up, he withdrew from the arrangement to have you killed. But after we got back together, he tried to hire Ian again. Ian refused, and when I learned this, I knew my father would hire someone else to do the same job, so I did what needed to be done.”

  Jillian’s face was still pale, and she cupped a hand over her mouth.

  Seeing her like this only fueled my passion. “I fucking did what was necessary.”

  “Oh my God.” She whispered. “You didn’t.”

  “I did.”

  I watched her quietly process everything before I continued. The explanation wasn’t over just yet.

  “Ian followed my instructions and made it look like an accident. He was much more efficient than I had anticipated.” I spoke slowly. “Once my father
was dead, I thought I had eradicated the problem. I didn’t realize James Woodward owed so much money to a man named Jian Wei.”

  “You hired Ian to kill Wei also?” Jillian sucked in a breath.

  “No. I promised myself I would never hire a man to take another life.” I exhaled deeply. “Ian already knows Wei. I don’t know how. He doesn’t discuss his personal life. But he knew that Wei would try to go after you, which is why he was in Ohio. I can’t be certain, but I think he also knew the man who was sent to kill you today-”

  “Mr. Collins?” Jillian blurted her interjection.

  “It’s a feeling I have, yes.” I answered as I ran my fingers through her hair.

  “Maybe you’re right. Ian was there all along. He knew when I was being followed, and he knew when Mr. Collins was there…” Jillian spoke quietly, as though she was thinking out loud.

  I nodded. We remained quiet for a long time, and I waited for any other questions she might have. I watched the wheels spin within her mind.

  “Do you think Wei will try to hurt us? You? After today?” Her questions were broken as she tried to absorb the information I gave her.

  “I don’t know. Possibly. He might assume I hired someone to retaliate.”

  “What is Ian’s vendetta against Wei?” Jillian’s questions were pouring out at this rate.

  “I don’t know. The man doesn’t tell me a bloody thing. He only said he goes by his own rules. I don’t think Ian would allow Wei to get away with much more…” my voice trailed.

  “How can you be sure?”

  I didn’t have a good answer to her question. I wasn’t sure.

  “There’s another thing,” I added with hesitation, completely redirecting the subject.

  Jillian turned to look at me.