28. I’M THE COWARD?
Mason went inside the house and grabbed another shot of vodka. He downed it without even feeling the sting in his throat. He looked at all the faces around him. Some were staring and others were pretending not to look. Screw them. He felt his neck get hot as he thought about what just happened. He couldn’t believe it. He loved Kaylee and she cheated on him.
He hit the head. As he was standing there, Lily walked in. Stumbled, really. She didn’t seem embarrassed he had his dick in his hands, positioned over the toilet. She walked toward him and reached for it. Mason blocked her, the crazy bitch.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m just saying hello,” Lily slurred her words. “I saw you fight with Kaylee. So now you’re free, right?”
“Right.”
“So? What are we waiting for?”
“Lily. You’re drunk.”
“Absolutely.”
“I thought you had a boyfriend.”
“Do you see a boyfriend anywhere?”
“I know who your boyfriend is.”
Lily froze. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. I know who your boyfriend is. The ‘mature’ guy. Otherwise known as the creep who could go to jail for diddling his daughter’s friend.”
“He’s not diddling me.”
Mason zipped up his pants. “You realize he’s using you, right?”
“Of course you’d think that.”
“Jesus, Lily. Do you hear yourself?”
“Did you tell anyone? Any adults?”
“Adults besides your boyfriend? No. But I will if you don’t turn around and leave me in peace.”
“You little roach.”
“Leave me in peace. You don’t want to do this.”
Mason took his time washing his hands, making it a point to ignore Lily. He walked past her and out the door. Lily fumed. She couldn’t believe she’d offered herself to him. She wasn’t even sure why she did. Something about Kaylee having the attention of Mason and her own boyfriend really bugged her.
Mason was so angry and upset about Kaylee that he barely registered what had just happened in the bathroom. If he’d thought about it, he’d have known Lily wouldn’t handle rejection all that well. But he didn’t think. He wanted to get the hell away from this party so he pushed his way through the crowd and to the door.
He was already in his car, about to pull the door shut, when BAM! Jared yanked the door open.
“What the hell?”
“You crossed the line this time.” Jared pulled Mason out of the car and tossed him to the street. Mason scrambled to his feet as Jared kept at him. “You’re messing with her. You coward.”
“Coward?” Mason faked a lunge toward Jared. He flinched. “Got it. I’m the coward.”
Sarcasm dripped from Mason’s voice.
“We both know what’s going on with you and Kaylee.”
“Oh, yeah? You know? You gangly prick. You don’t know anything.”
“I know you’ve been cheating on her.”
Mason lunged for real this time. He pinned Jared against the Mustang. “I’m sick of you and this shit about me and Kaylee. You think she’s so fantastic? Take a shot at her.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“She’s free. Unattached. On the market.”
Jared pushed back. He used his height to tower over Mason, trying to intimidate him. “You dumped her? It figures. You ruin her, and then you throw her away. You’re not even man enough to own it.”
“I’m trying really hard here not to grind that pretty face of yours into the ground.” Mason tried to walk around Jared to get into his car, but Jared wasn’t about to let him go.
“You’re not getting away with it. “
“Get out of my way.”
“You’re not going to claim she cheated on you when you were the one who cheated.”
“I never cheated on Kaylee. Not once.”
“We both know where you got it.”
“Good. I’m glad we both know! Ask me again if I care about whatever fiction you’ve created about my life!”
“You screwed around with Lily, and you’re trying to blame Kaylee for what you caught.”
Mason stopped. Something was connecting in his head. “Lily? What are you talking about?”
“You screwed around with Lily. You caught it from her and you gave it to Kaylee.”
“Lily has it?”
“Play dumb. It’s not too far from the truth. If you were faithful, how would Kaylee have caught something? You think she’s screwing around with somebody else? We both know she’s not like that. Her only flaw is that she was foolish enough to trust you and be faithful to you.”
Mason thought back to the night Kaylee’s father won the community award, when he saw him going at it with Lily. Lily caught something. Kaylee caught the same thing, then gave it to Mason. Only one person was the link between them.
Mason pushed past Jared and got into his car. He put it in gear and peeled out, nearly running over a girl leaving the party. He drove without thought at first, not sure where he should go. Everything that had happened in the previous months suddenly made more sense, like he was seeing his past through new glasses—Kaylee worrying about what secret he had on her father. Her being freaked out the first time they had sex. The bruises on her arm that didn’t make sense. It was right in front of him. Kaylee was suffering and he didn’t see it.
He swerved to the side of the road and threw open the car door with barely enough time to stick his head out and retch. He heaved with such force it felt like his intestines were going to come out with the rest of his stomach contents. He threw up guilt and agony for what Kaylee had been going through until nothing came up anymore. He felt shaky as he forced himself to think. Obviously, he had to get to her. He had to make sure she was safe. He couldn’t believe he’d broken up with Kaylee over this. What she must be going through. What she’d been through. It made him sick and angry.
Then, a different thought started to form. He had to get to her father. To make sure he never hurt her again. It was the only obvious thing to do.
He was running on pure rage by the time he got to Kaylee’s house. He was going to find her father and make him suffer for what he’d done. Mason parked and made his way to the garage. He used his pocket knife to swiftly disable the flimsy lock.
He pulled open the door, planning to sneak into the house and surprise the man.
But when he opened it, he found William Abernathy in the garage. Dead, on the ground, in a puddle of his own blood. His face and head were mangled, but there was no denying who he was. Kaylee had beaten him to it. Mason wasn’t sure whose fault it was. Her father’s certainly, but Mason felt responsible. He had broken up with her over something that was clearly a result of her being victimized. He pushed her to the edge. Mason had not thought her capable of such a thing. He would’ve sworn otherwise. But maybe that was what attracted her to him, he realized. Maybe she had a deep, hidden anger and was drawn to him because his anger was right there, on the surface, waiting to come up. Or maybe she wanted somebody who could protect her. He wished he had.
A car drove by outside, startling Mason. He quickly got inside the garage and shut the door. He stared at the body, thinking.
He had to help her somehow. This was a mess. Hiding the body at least would buy them some time. Mason pulled his jacket off and looked around for some tarps, or blankets, or anything he could use to wrap it.
It was tough work, but adrenaline fueled him. He laid the blanket down and then managed to lift the body onto it, rolling it like a human burrito. Mason didn’t have room in his own trunk to transport it. He could hardly leave the contents of his car trunk here and take the body. He considered his options, then went over and opened the trunk of William Abernathy’s white Mercedes.
To be continued in Runaways Part 5—On The Run
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esomenessink.com.
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