The Revenge Games Duet

by Kat T. Masen

  He’s here.

  He has found me.

  I’m terrified.

  I can’t look at him.

  I don’t need his judgment on top of everything else.

  “Will you say something, please?”

  I check my shoelaces, making sure they’re tight. Like a well-tuned engine, my heart rate accelerates, sending waves to my brain that begin the adrenaline rush. Without lifting my head, I try to remember which path to take through the dense bushland. If I need to escape him, it will need to be quick.

  Three. Two. One.

  I run, my arms moving at rapid speed, the sticks beneath my feet breaking. He’s yelling, birds are flying from their nests in fear, but I run, I don’t need him. My life is better without him. I can do it all on my own.

  My body is yanked backward, and with my breath caught into my throat, he turns me around and smacks me into his chest, suffocating me.

  I can’t breathe.

  I smell only him.

  I feel only him.

  My willpower fails me, and with a heavy scream, I sob into his chest, slamming my fists into his body like I’m beating a drum. Part of me wants to escape him, to hurt him, and to push him away out of my space, but the other part of me, in an exuberant amount of pain, remains in his arms though trying to fight how comforting he makes me feel at this moment.

  “Milana, please stop. I beg you.”

  I can’t. Hysterical but so hopelessly sad that he’s here. It takes me moments, my chest heaving loudly inside his embrace.

  He’s trying to protect me, but he can’t stop Mama from dying, no one can.

  Softly, and with a gentle touch, he lifts my face. My eyes have swelled, and with only the moonlight hovering over us, we both search each other until our eyes meet, and my whole world falls into his hands.

  I love him.

  I can’t deny that.

  “Don’t run away from me, please. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  The cries that escape me are driven by fear, the hurt seeping out in every tear.

  “I’m terrified. I’m terrified of loving my baby and her losing me one day, just like I’m losing Mama. I can’t live without her… I don’t want her to die!” I choke, the sobs punching through me as the raw pain begins to tear away at me again.

  “You won’t lose her. You need to love her, just like your mom loves you.”

  The tip of his thumb swipes beneath my eye, his expression compassionate and overcome with worry as his brows draw together. In an attempt to calm my raging emotions, I take a moment to examine him, instantly noticing his gaunt cheeks. Now I want to touch him, feel his skin beneath my fingertips for my own selfish reasons.

  “Milana, I was a fucking idiot not to understand how much you love your mom and gave up everything for her. She’s special. I’ve known her for two minutes, and in my whole life, no one, aside from you, has made me feel accepted. So, I get it, I get everything you’re feeling right now. And you know what, I’m jealous. You have so many years and memories with her.” He gazes at me, longingly, yet the pain is transparent. “I should have been there for you. God, I just kept fucking up, you know. I mean, Carson… fuck! I just should have—”

  “Stop.” I place my hand on his chest, my turn to ease his pain. “I shouldn’t have questioned your relationship with your mother. You have every right to be upset, angry, and everything else you feel toward Gina. I should have understood that, after all, it’s how I feel toward my dad. But the thing is, you can’t blame yourself for her actions. You didn’t choose that childhood, Wesley, but you can choose how you live your life as an adult.”

  “I miss you. It fucking killed me when you left.”

  I sigh. “I had to. We were toxic.”

  “But now?”

  My finger moves toward his face, caressing the scar on his jawline. I miss it, a flaw yet a piece of him that’s unique and only belongs to him.

  Suddenly, my brain reacts, remembering his words only moments ago. “You met Mama?”

  “Yes.” He smiles, wrapping his hands around the back of my neck and casually resting them there. “And I plan on spending as much time with her while I can.”

  Again, this all seems rushed and farfetched. He wants to spend time with Mama after meeting her for two minutes. Does he think this is how he can woo me back? And then, the giant elephant that has been in my room, or should I say head, for the last nine months has suddenly made its way in front of both of us.

  “The baby…” I mutter, trying to find a way to explain all of what happened.

  “Yes.” He sighs. “You really threw a giant curveball at me. I never, in my wildest dreams, expected something like that. The last twenty-four hours have been the most intense hours of my entire life. I mean, fuck, Milana, she’s our baby. You had a baby, and she’s mine.”

  “God, Wesley, I don’t even know where to begin with telling you—”

  He cuts me off, placing his finger against my lips. “I want to be wherever you and Katerina are. You are my family, you’re my life. I’ve known her for one day, and I can’t imagine life without her.”

  “You spent a day with her?”

  “Yes.” This time, he caresses my cheek, softly, watching his hand glide against my tear-streaked patchy skin. “I’ve barely slept.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. We were just so fucked up, you know. And when we were together, it was like a high. I just forgot everything existed, and then you left, and I went back to the old me. I don’t blame you, in a way, for hiding this from me.”

  Wesley pulls away, and instantly, I miss the contact. He rubs his face with his hands, perhaps the exhaustion weighs down his emotions much like me. “I’m not going to hide that, Milana, or lie to you. I wasn’t good during our time apart, and I need help. I need to find a way to deal with my demons and not keep feeding them.”

  “I should have helped you.”

  “Don’t you hear what I’m saying?” His tone turns into frustration. “We’re both hurting for different reasons, and we both need help. If we’re going to be together, we both need to work on ways to move forward.”

  Instinctively, my hand reaches out to him, grazing his arm with the palm of my hand.

  “Play the game, by the rules, and everyone’s a winner.”

  “Yeah, but you gotta be honest. Tell me what you want. You.” He points to my heart, forcing me to look deep within myself and ask the question that I have so easily buried beneath all the pain.

  “I want to learn to bond with our daughter, but I also want to give Mama her dying wishes,” I croak, bowing my head down. “I just can’t be everything to everyone.”

  “You know what?” He lifts my chin, knowingly capturing me with his luring stare. “Knowing Katya, and I think I can say I do, you’ve granted her wish. She just wants to see you love and love her granddaughter just like she loves you. Anything else is a bonus.”

  The corner of my lip curves upward, a smile in tow as the tears slowly dissolve. “Like visiting the Colosseum and kissing an Italian man?”

  “Yes.” He grins, eyes beautifully lighting up with joy. “I’m sure we can make that happen.”

  “Or cuddling a koala in Australia?”

  “Yes, although I heard they are fierce and can claw your eyes out, but sure, we can.”

  I take a step back, analyzing his body mannerisms to see if this is all a scam to get me back into his life. In the short time we have spent together, I never expected this to happen. Fall in love with a man so wrong for me, and me so wrong for him, then create this family.

  “You would do that? Give up everything to spend these next few months with my mama… Flynn included?”

  Extending his hand, he reaches for my shirt and pulls me into his body. As soon as it touches his, that jolt, the sensation that happens every time his body touches mine, kick-starts my heart and makes my stomach flutter all in that one moment. With a soft, tender scrape of his thumb against my
bottom lip, he moves in closer and grazes his lips against mine, kissing me deeply as the whimpers of anticipation become trapped in our kiss.

  My hands move toward the back of his head, clutching his hair as I did so many times before but this time, I allow myself to succumb to the moment, missing him terribly and questioning my need to escape him when it becomes so painfully obvious that he’s the only man I’ve ever loved.

  His lips are warm, and each time we pull apart, our breathing is shaky and shallow.

  We both need each other like the air we breathe. Without it, we have no chance of survival.

  In the cool of the night, nestled between the tall, dark trees and surrounded by no one besides each other, we kiss as if our lives depend on it. Both of us so desperate to regain the last nine months we have lost.

  Wesley moans into my mouth, placing his hand on my shoulder then sliding it up and settling on my neck. Pulling away, slowly, he rests his forehead against mine, catching his breath.

  “For once, I can say money does buy happiness. I will spend every cent I own to give your mom the final moments she deserves. As for Flynn, he’s like the brother I never had.”

  Resisting the urge to kiss him and control my ravenous breathing, which becomes more difficult as each moment passes, I manage to whisper, wanting reassurance, “You would do that?”

  “I want it all. You, family, happiness, your mom with us… hell, I’ll buy a house next door to Phoebe’s.”

  My laughter escapes. How does this man evoke so many emotions from me that no one else can ever do? He’s crazy. Plain and simple.

  “Wow, you must really love me if you’re willing to move next door to Phoebe.”

  And just like that, his expression relaxes, and the beautiful man that I have unraveled beneath all the masks is standing before me and offering me a life that I have never imagined.

  I don’t care what people think about Wesley, or us, for that matter. All that matters is what we think. I love him, every inch of his screwed-up soul. And just maybe, he has finally met his match.

  I’m every bit as screwed up as he is.

  And that, oddly, makes me content.

  “Seeing you happy makes me happy. Jesus, Milana. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you. I knew it, that day in the café. Something about you, I just couldn’t forget. And yes, the twisted piece in that puzzle is that you were Em’s assistant, and I wanted revenge. But everything I do from this moment will ride on one important thing, one important condition.”

  Taking a step back, my breathing becomes rapid and shallow. My pulse is pounding in my temples. I have no idea what condition he will demand, or if I’m even willing to sacrifice whatever it is to make him happy. I gaze into his eyes, willingly drawing myself in and experiencing the magic which arises every time he looks back at me this way—mischievous with a deadly grin—a man with an ulterior motive. In ways, this look—so deep and transcending—scares and excites me at the same time.

  It’s Wesley Rich.

  Mr. Bad Boy.

  What could he possibly want from me that I haven’t already given him?

  And then, in the middle of these rusty woods, Wesley Rich gets down on one knee.

  “Marry me.”

  Epilogue

  Wesley

  There’s a hum of excitement in the room, nerves amplified as the anticipation builds, and the long-awaited video is playing in the background.

  My hand is drenched in sweat, gripping Milana’s while tapping against my knee beneath the table. The collar on my shirt is irritating me. I haven’t worn a tuxedo in quite some time and only just realized how restricted this ridiculous get-up makes me feel.

  God, I even had to shave my beard to look semi-human.

  But it isn’t just this moment, it’s everything around me.

  Hollywood.

  The place that created Bad Boy Rich.

  Actor, husband, father—former drug addict.

  The people surrounding me seem so foreign. A lifetime of memories ago, and ones that I hate to relive. You can smell the ego-maniacs in the air. Each one willing to draw each other’s blood for a place at the top. I could do a fucking line, and I hated admitting that, especially since I’ve been clean for almost a year.

  “Baby, just breathe. You’ve got this.”

  Simple enough to say, but what if I don’t want this?

  I have everything I want. A beautiful wife who married me on the beach in The Maldives while Katya, Flynn, Phoebe, and Katerina stood beside us and witnessed our moment. Hell, even Barry Manilow was there. Sung his little heart out and made it all the more special.

  We have a home that sits on the side of a lake, private and serene with a big, open yard for Katerina to run around in. I just want to go fishing.

  Who would have thought, Wesley Rich, fisherman?

  Fuck, not me. But I fucking love it, even considering buying one of the local bait shops.

  Finally, I have a home and people inside it who love me. I left this rat race behind and never regretted it. And here, in this moment, I so desperately want to escape and go back to the comfort of the life that Milana and I created for each other.

  “And our nominees for best actor in a motion picture…”

  The names are called out, and then, my name sounds on the loudspeaker.

  “Wesley Rich, Riding the High.”

  They play my scene, the part of the movie where I scream at the nurse in the mental asylum to let me go. The crowd claps right after, nothing loud, nothing more than the other actors nominated.

  “And the Academy Award for best actor goes to…”

  I feel all eyes on me, and the fucking cameras on my face. There are five of us nominated, and the reality is, I have no chance against these big A-listers. I have removed myself from this industry as much as I could and escaped to a better life up north.

  Milana insisted I continue acting, it’s my passion according to her. I still doubt that, of course. Insecurities run deep when it comes to Hollywood, and it isn’t the acting that I hate, it’s the media and publicity attached to it. A double-edged sword with the sharpest of blades.

  Instead of moving to Alaska, she suggested we move somewhere still driveable but more secluded. Knowing how much I love San Francisco, the home we bought was close enough but away from the city life.

  The media had a frenzy with discovering that I became a dad, this time, for real. Not Farrah’s bullshit lies she often fed them. And it didn’t dwindle, at least, not immediately. They followed us around the world, each time we traveled with Katya and Flynn to somewhere new. It made headlines, but much like anything, people eventually get bored. Or I assume they got bored. Milana never said a thing, ignoring the stories they conjured up.

  Phoebe’s the annoying one and pointed out that people are fascinated with Bad Boy Rich settling down with a small-town gal. We were offered a five-million-dollar contract to star in our own reality television show which I flatly refused. That’s a part of my life is well over and done with. It works well for Em despite my intolerance for Carrington—they are a huge success.

  Although my annoyance with Phoebe runs deep at times, she makes a great manager. Exactly what I need. Fierce, headstrong, and has become this shark of a woman. She moved to Los Angeles, knowing so much about this industry which surprised the hell out of me considering she came from Alaska and has no actual experience being a manager. Between her and my assistant, Diedre, I’m surrounded by the right people. They run a tight ship when it comes to business and my trust in them, combined, allows me to focus on my family.

  And now, it boils down to this moment.

  “And the winner is… Wesley Rich, Riding the High.”

  The crowd applauds loudly, many standing and shouting my name with pride. My nerves are in shock, and in that moment, I glance toward the hand nestled in mine and see the emerald gold ring staring back at me.

  My wife.

  My savior.

  My fucking life.
/>   “You did it,” she squeals as I turn to kiss her, openly in front of the cameras.

  She’s fucking beautiful, and each time I look into her eyes, I wonder what I did to deserve her. She’s mine, she’s the mother of my child, and I want to spend every day making her happy.

  Taking a deep breath, I let go, just for this final moment, and slowly make my way to the stage. Every step I take becomes more and more surreal. Is this happening? I’m being rewarded in the greatest of ways for my ability to portray a character.

  I don’t deserve to be here.

  I don’t deserve this.

  And I need to shut my fucking demon up.

  Maybe, for once in my life, I do deserve something good.

  The gold statue is handed to me. It’s heavy, more so than I imagined, and its weight carries enormous significance.

  This is it. My moment.

  I may never get a moment like this again, and so, I will do it justice.

  “A long time ago, someone told me I wasn’t good enough for anything. And I held onto that, for years. You saw that play out whether you watched my life on reality TV or followed the headlines.

  “And despite all that, people still chose to believe in me. Jerry, our director, Nigel, our producer, and all the cast on the set. You put up with me at a time when I was at my lowest, and here we are. This award is a testament to our hard work, not only mine.”

  Jerry and Nigel stand, an ovation follows with loud applause and whistles.

  “It was at my weakest time that someone told me to fight for my dream. Dreams? I remember looking at her oddly, I didn’t have dreams. I had nightmares. But she pushed me to search inside myself and fight for what I wanted.”

  I don’t need to search the crowd. My eyes gravitate toward her, standing at our table, wearing a beautiful red dress that crowns her queen of the night.

  “I married my beautiful wife, Milana Richland, and she gave me the greatest dream possible… our daughter. This award is the icing on my already-perfect cake.”

  Milana is beaming with pride, and I smile back at her, desperate to take her home and celebrate with her privately.