Unworthy

by Cassia Brightmore

  Maisie reached over and gripped his hand. "I'm so sorry, Ridge. I had no idea. It's an admirable thing you did, stepping up for Ramsey like that."

  It was enlightening to think that they had similar experiences, losing a parent, or in his case both parents, so unexpectedly. She wasn't the only one that had pain in her past or a trauma they wanted to keep hidden. Everyone had their own issues in life that they had to fight to overcome.

  After they'd moved back inside for the night and washed and tidied all the dishes, Ridge topped up their wine and they moved to lay in front of the fireplace, gazing up at full moon glowing through the window.

  Maisie took the initiative and straddled Ridge's waist, rolling her hips slightly in search of some friction between her thighs before lowering her head and fitting her lips over his. He gripped her hips before sliding his hands up and pulling her sweatshirt off in one fluid movement. Sitting back on her heels, her eyes twinkled as she undid his belt and drew his jeans down, smiling when his already hard cock sprang free. Wrapping her small hands around his thickness, she pumped up and down, loving the way his eyes rolled back in his head. Feeling brave, she sank lower and darted her tongue out, licking the tip of him lightly.

  He groaned and thrust upwards, and that was all the encouragement she needed to full take him into her mouth. Circling him, she kept up her movement with her hands and increased her pace with her mouth until he was thrusting his hips up going deeper and deeper until he hit the back of her throat. She was so lost in the taste and feel of him, she was startled when he suddenly lifted her, pushed her sweatpants down and slammed her down on his cock. They both moaned as he filled her and with his guidance, she started to ride him.

  She could feel her release building and needing it to come faster, she reached up and twisted her own nipples. "Jesus fucking Christ, Maisie," Ridge breathed and his obvious pleasure had her increasing her pace until she was clenching down on him and screaming out his name. He fell over the edge not long after her, and they both collapsed onto the rug in front of the roaring fire, spent.

  This was what true love was all about. Cherishing each other, supporting each other and loving with no conditions. Cradled in Ridge's arms, she drifted off into a content slumber.

  Their time away at the cabin had solidified them as a couple and Maisie couldn't have been more thrilled. Returning to work at Coffee Time was the last thing she needed to do in order to get her life back on track after Brant nearly destroyed everything for her.

  When she walked in for her early afternoon shift, Greer let out a whoop from behind the counter. "Welcome back!" she called out. "Damn, girl, I've missed you around here. You sure you're gonna remember how to do your job?" she teased.

  "I'm sure I'll be fine, just like riding a bike, right?" she smiled at Greer and headed to the back to put her things in her locker. A paper flitted out from her purse and landed at her feet and Maisie picked it up, remembering when she got it in the mail a few days earlier. It was a letter addressed to her and when she'd opened it at her parents' house with Blake by her side, she'd been left in shock.

  "What is it?" Blake asked, concern marring her features.

  "It's a letter from my biological mother, Allison."

  "What the fuck? How did she get our address?" Blake demanded.

  "I don't know, but she says here that she wants to set up a meeting with me. Just to talk and explain some things about my childhood."

  "Well fuck that. You don't need any explanations, Maisie. You're doing so well now and she doesn't deserve to touch any part of the life you're building for yourself."

  "Yeah. You're right."

  Blinking, Maisie came back to the present and looked at the letter again. Was Blake right? Should she just forget she ever received anything from Allison and keep moving forward? If she did that, wouldn't she always wonder what she wanted to say? There was a phone number enclosed. She could simply text her with a public place to meet and if it turned out to be a waste of time, she'd leave and finally close the door on that part of her life for good. She pulled out her cell phone and before she changed her mind, sent off a message saying that she would meet her that afternoon at the Holiday Inn hotel in the downtown square. There was a restaurant there that she liked and it would serve as the perfect public setting for the meeting.

  The response was instantaneous, Allison agreed and they set the meet time for six-thirty p.m., thirty minutes after she got off shift. Now that it was set, she started to panic. What would it be like to see her again after all these years? Had she changed? Was she sorry? Maisie hadn't tried to pursue contact with her after that one letter had arrived when she turned eighteen, informing her of her half-siblings. It niggled in the back of her mind from time to time, but besides sharing a birth mother, there was no connection between her and Allison’s other children. Instead of trying to find them, she wished them well in her own way and hoped they were leading better lives away from her.

  Her shift flew by, Greer was in high spirits and kept her laughing the whole day, when she wasn't pumping her for juicy details on her and Ridge. She gave her a few tidbits, but kept most of their relationship to herself.

  "I'm happy for you, Maisie. I really am, I know you went through a lot of shit. And if anyone deserves to be happy, its you." Greer told her and gave her a tight hug. "Now get out of here, shifts over. I'm sticking around to meet tonight's hot date," she told her with a wink.

  "I love you too, Greer. Have fun...can't wait to hear all about it."

  "Oh, you will. Unlike some people, I share all the tantalizing details of my adventures," Greer replied with a huff.

  Maisie laughed and waved as she exited out the front door. Nerves were starting to form in her stomach as she walked to her car and began the short drive to the hotel. She wasn't sure what to expect, but hopefully she'd walk away from this meeting with some closure.

  Entering the restaurant, she looked around but didn't see any single women that appeared to be waiting for anyone. Her watch told her that it was six-forty, which meant that Allison should have already been there. She sent another text message, confirming that they both had the same location as the meeting place.

  Yes. I have a hotel room here, come on up. Room 215.

  Uneasy, Maisie considered her options, she could argue back and say that she would be more comfortable meeting in the restaurant, but that would likely take precious time, and she really just wanted to get the meeting over with and go home to Ridge. She was already regretting her impromptu decision and nearly walked out the door, but curiosity stopped her. She didn't want to be that scared little girl anymore. She was strong enough to get through this, she just needed to find a little faith. Giving in, she headed for the elevators and took the short ride up to the second floor. Standing outside room 215, she hesitated one last time, trying to decide if she really wanted to go through with it, but then stuck her hand out and knocked, twice, before she lost her resolve.

  The door swung open and what faced her was her worst nightmare. Brant. He grabbed her and dragged her inside, slamming and locking the door behind him.

  Ridge and Blake had been to several jewelry stores and he was starting to get a pounding headache. Why he'd ever enlisted her help in finding the perfect engagement ring for Maisie, he'd never know but he sorely regretted the decision now. She was driving him mental with her yo-yo decision and nonsensical reasons why this ring or that ring wasn't the right choice.

  They'd been at it for five hours and although he'd found several rings he thought Maisie would love, she disagreed. And he'd quickly learned that if Blake didn't agree, it wasn't going to happen. His brother had his work cut out for him with that one.

  "This is the last store I'm looking in today," he warned her as they pulled up outside a store called Tiffany's. "Are you sure this place even sells jewelry? What kind of name is Tiffany's?"

  Blake laughed and patted his arm. "Come on, big guy. You're about to get schooled."

  She wasn't kidding ab
out that. The place was like the creme de la creme of jewelry stores. His credit card was screaming just looking in the showcases. But he had to admit, she was right. The quality of the rings were top of the line and Maisie deserved only the best.

  After an hour of browsing, they were down to two choices. One, a simple, square, princess cut diamond set in white gold with a matching all diamond band. He preferred that one, but he wasn't opposed to Blake's choice which was an oval diamond encircled in another row of tiny diamonds. Both were elegant and classy and would look perfect on Maisie's finger.

  "Okay, Blake. Take yourself out of the equation," he told her.

  "What? What do you mean?" she asked, bewildered.

  "I mean, start thinking like Maisie. Did you choose that ring because you know its perfect for her or because you know its perfect for you?"

  Blake huffed, rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms over her chest. He raised an eyebrow at her and waited.

  "We'll take the princess cut," she told the sales lady, glaring at him. "You're lucky I like you, Buchannan."

  "Back at ya, sis."

  Maisie hit the carpeted floor in the hotel room and rolled, avoiding Brant's foot as it sought to once again, find its target in her ribs. Scrambling back, she came to a halt when she noticed there was another woman in the room. Only she was bound and gagged, tied to a chair. Confused, she started to crawl forward, intent on freeing her, when Brant grabbed her by the hair and dragged her away.

  "Not so fast. I'm a little surprised at you, Maisie. Didn't think you'd be this eager to meet dear old Mommy dearest." His words cut through her like a knife and her eyes flew to the other woman. Memories washed over her and she knew without a doubt that he was right. This was her mother.

  "What? What are you doing, Brant? Why is she here?" she questioned, trying to make sense of it all.

  "Don't you get it? I finally do. She's the reason you're so fucked up. Why you can't goddamn listen to anything and keep screwing up over and over. If it hadn't been for her, we'd have been married by now as you would have learned your place already and stopped giving me so much shit. It's her fault, Maisie. Hers. And you and I, we're gonna make her pay," he seethed.

  His eyes were swinging wildly around the room. His appearance was worse than the last time she'd seen him. He'd lost weight, his clothes were a mess and based on the stink coming off him, she guessed he hadn't showered in days. He didn't seem so scary anymore, instead just a pathetic excuse for a man.

  "Brant, this is crazy. You don't have to do this. You need help, just let us go and we'll all walk out of here together, okay?"

  "Don't you fucking patronize me, bitch! I don't need you telling me what to do or how things are gonna be." His grip on her hair tightened as he dragged her along the carpet, ignoring the way she twisted and turned, trying to get free. He snatched up a large knife from the waiting table and waved it in front of her face. Terror filled her as she stared at the madness behind his eyes. He was just crazy enough to do it this time, she could see it.

  "You think you know everything. That you can just leave me and I'll lay down and take it like some pussy. Not. Fucking. Happening. I'm in control. Me. You need to fucking remember that," he spat.

  For the first time in as long as she could remember, Maisie's temper snapped and she let out a scream. She dug her nails into his legs, ignoring his howl of pain and when he bent down, she brought her foot up and kicked him square in the nose, feeling a sick sense of satisfaction when blood spurted everywhere. He let go of her hair long enough for her to gain her feet and then she ran. Reaching the door, she fumbled with the lock and just as she got the door open, it was slammed shut again. Brant grabbed the back of her head and bashed her forehead into the door. Her vision blurred and she saw stars, but still riding high on her wave of temper, she lashed out with a sharp elbow, catching him just under the chin and snapping his head back.

  He roared and grabbed her throwing her to the ground, landing two quick punches to her face that would have normally immobilized her, but not this time. She scissored her legs up and and caught him in the back of the shin, knocking him to the ground beside her and then crawling on her hands and knees towards the door. Again she got the lock undone and was about to yank it open when a muffled cry sounded behind her. "Maisie, you better stop right now," Brant ordered.

  Glancing back, her mouth widened in horror. Brant was behind Allison, the knife raised over her heart. "Brant, don't. Just put the knife down, you don't want to do this."

  "She deserves to die, Maisie. This is all her fault. I tracked her down, sent you that letter, got you here; all so that we could end this together. Then you can come back with me and things will go back to normal."

  "If you do this, Brant, there's no going back. No getting any help, your life will be over," she tried to reason with him.

  "No it won't! This will fix everything!" he yelled. "If you want to stop me, then get your ass over here now and get away from that door."

  Maisie considered her options. If she ran, he'd kill Allison and that would forever be blood on her hands. But if she stayed, she had a chance at convincing him they could just leave together. She'd have to search for a way to get free later, but at least Allison would be alive.

  The two women locked eyes, each staring into their mirrored dark brown eyes. It was strange for Maisie to see that there weren’t many resemblances between them, just their hair and eye color. Other than that, she was positive that she would have passed Allison on the street and not known it was her at all. Looking at her now, she felt nothing. No fear, no anger, no bitter resentment...just nothing. She was just a stranger to her, that's all she would ever be. Still, that didn't mean she deserved to lose her life, so with heavy regret, she moved away from the door and walked slowly towards Brant.

  When she was just a few short feet away, he raised the knife. "NO!" Maisie screamed, but it was no use, he brought it down in a swift arc, plunging it straight into Allison's heart. Maisie fell to her knees, their eyes locked together as Allison's bugged out in pain, before the light slowly died out and her head slumped forward. She was gone.

  Maisie screamed and cried, forgetting her own safety for the moment. Brant took the opportunity to rush towards her and tackled her to the floor. She bucked like a wild animal and managed to jam her knee up into his balls, pushing him off and scurrying away once again. He grabbed her foot and dragged her back, the knife slicing down her arm. Screaming, Maisie spotted a fallen paintbrush laying a few feet away, having spilled out from her purse. She stretched and grabbed it, rolling back over to face Brant. He raised the knife high above his head and she jackknifed up into a sitting position, catching him by surprise. With an animal-like roar, she plunged the paintbrush forward straight through his eye.

  He let out a bellow and fell backwards, the knife falling at his side uselessly. Maisie quickly grabbed it and tossed it away, afraid the might pop up and grab it. His body jerked once, twice, then he was still. She waited several beats before feeling his wrist for a pulse. He was dead. She'd killed him. Sobs choked her as she grabbed her purse, her vision blurred. She managed to dial Ridge and when he answered on the first ring, she wept with relief.

  "Ridge. Ridge, please come." Was all she got out before she passed out on the floor.

  Maisie was lying in bed at Ridge's house, trying to process all that had happened over the past twenty-four hours. Ridge had been able to track her cell phone and arrived at the hotel with the police and paramedics in tow. She was banged up, but not so bad that she needed to be admitted again, which she was grateful for. She needed a few stitches in her arm and an ice pack for the swelling in her face, and other than that she was cleared by the paramedics to go home.

  The police had hours of questions, and by the time she'd finished, all she wanted to do was sleep for a week. Blake and her father had arrived, both wrapping her in their arms and thanking God she was okay. When she admitted what she'd done, they were both shocked. Her father recovered first.r />
  "Well, I wanted to be the one to end that despicable man, but I'm glad he's out of your life for good all the same." he told her.

  Blake could always be counted on to be blunt, "Hell yes! Good for you, girl. Still wish I'd had the chance to use my gun, though."

  Maisie frowned at both of them. "Brant was really sick. He had some sort of mental illness, I'm sure of it now. I know I did what I had to do, but I wish instead he'd gotten the help he needed."

  Her father drew her close to his side. "I know, sprog. I'm just glad this whole nightmare is behind us."

  Ridge had been so furious when he finally got to her side. "Goddamn it! I wish I'd killed that fucker a long time ago. I'm so sorry he got to you, Maisie. So damn sorry."

  "Ridge, it's not your fault. It's mine. I fell for his games, just like I always used to. What's important is that you're here now."

  Ridge took her home shortly after that, and she'd been in bed ever since, not knowing what to do with herself. She'd not only witnessed a murder; she'd murdered someone. Taken a life. And in a horrible way. Where that rage came from, she didn't know, but she hoped never to see it again.

  She felt pity for Allison, and guilt that she hadn't been able to save her. She may have been a terrible mother, but for Maisie, she would have rather seen her get help as well, then lose her life the way she did at the hands of Brant's madness. It all seemed so surreal. Almost like an out of body experience.

  Needing to stop her wallowing in despair, she got up and took a long, hot shower. Ridge had been giving her some space, but she was ready to accept his comfort and was a little surprised that he'd stayed so far away from her for so long. She needed him to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay. Only then would she truly be able to move on. Grabbing one of his t-shirts that was hanging on the back of the door, she slipped it on and immediately got lost in his spicy scent. It went a long way to calming her nerves and when she walked out of the bathroom, it was with the intent of seeking him out.