by Skye Tisdale
“Business is business.” He shrugged apathetically. “And you saw her picture, didn’t you? A piece of that would’ve been all mine…” He licked his lips. “But only after Boss had his turn, of course. That’s how it works: first him, then me, then everybody else. In the end, not such a bad deal for 30 grand.”
My grip tightened around the tire iron. I pictured myself bringing it down against his skull over, and over, and over again… I wanted to keep hitting him until his skull cracked and his brain fluid leaked out and stained the snow. That’s what men like him deserved: death. They didn’t even deserve a proper burial. They deserved to lie in a ditch and rot while crows pecked out their eyes. There was only one problem…
My parents didn’t raise a murderer.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I snarled and threw the tire iron at his feet. “Quickly, before I change my mind! If I ever see you again, I will kill you.”
The man nodded wearily and began dragging himself to his car, leaving a red trail of blood on the ground behind him. I jumped into my car and quickly started up the engine. The man urgently needed medical attention, but it wasn’t him I was worried about… It was Morgan.
Could I still save her, or was it already too late?
***
CHAPTER 17
MORGAN
The engine sputtered and coughed. I patted the dashboard and mumbled some quiet words of encouragement. I only had to get through this mountain pass and into the next town. There, I could dump the car and hop on a random bus. It would be harder for David to track me that way. And for Axel…
A few miles away from the cabin, I saw my first and only car on the road. It was a black SUV with a Rent–A–Car sticker on the back windshield. I was excited to see some other people out and about—until I got closer and realized that it wasn’t moving.
“Oh my god!” I cried out and stomped on the breaks. The wheels of my car burned black skid marks into the asphalt as it came to a screeching halt—stopping just inches behind the other car’s back bumper. After sucking in a few deep but shaky breaths, I looked down at my hands. My knuckles had turned white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. I let go.
Once the initial shock passed, I began to feel furious. If my reaction time was just a tiny bit slower, I would’ve driven straight into their car—and at this speed, if I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt, the crash would’ve sent me flying straight out the front windshield. I could’ve lost my life, and for what? Just so someone could save five seconds by stopping in the middle of the road instead of pulling over like they were supposed to?!
The more I thought about it, the more infuriated I became. I didn’t suffer through that snowstorm just to die in a car accident the next day. I refused.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door handle, but the other driver beat me to it. The other car’s door opened, and a man slowly stepped out. He locked eyes with me through the windshield and turned the corners of his mouth upwards slightly, and I felt my guts turn to water in an instant.
It was David.
He started walking over to me, moving slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. I looked around, frantically searching for a way out, only to quickly realize that there wasn’t one. My car had twisted around, pinning me between David’s rental car and the steep cliffs. I was trapped. Panicking, I did the only thing I could think of: locking all the car doors. That would keep him out—but not forever.
David stopped on the other side of the driver side door and rapped gently on the glass. “Found you. I had a feeling you’d come through here…” He chuckled to himself. “Unlock the door, Morgan. You’ve had your fun.”
I was so stupid. How could I ever have let myself believe that I could escape, even for a second? Of course David would find me, and of course things would go back to how they’d always been. Even if I ran away to the opposite side of the world, they’d just follow me there and drag me all the way back, kicking and screaming. They were never going to just let me go and live my life—because my life didn’t belong to me. It never had, and it never would…
David rapped on the glass again, harder this time. Each jab of his fingers felt like a dagger in my ears. “I know you can hear me, Morgan! Look around you.” He threw his arms out. “There’s only one way out of here, and that’s through me. So, stop dragging on. The only person you’re making this harder for is yourself.”
I looked up at David with eyes filled with contempt. The life I always wanted had been within my grasp, but now it was being ripped out of my hands… By him. “I wish I’d never met you,” I hissed.
“But it was never up to you, my dear.” David laughed. “Did you really think I was going to leave something as important as the selection of my future wife up to chance? Come on. You know me better than that.”
I stared at him. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You watch your tone,” David warned me in a low voice. “Your sister already filled the family bitch position, and your parents certainly don’t need another one. God knows I don’t either…”
“Don’t talk about Amber like you know her!” I shouted at him through the glass. “You never even met her!”
“…Didn’t I?” David cocked his head and smiled knowingly. He chuckled to himself. “It’s funny. Sometimes I forget just how little you know… Your parents really don’t tell you anything, do they? Meanwhile, they tell me everything.” He licked his lips and thought for a moment. “Did your mother ever tell you about that box sitting in the attic? You know, the one containing all the letters your sister sent you throughout the years?”
My face paled. “Stop lying. She never sent me any letters.”
“Oh, but she did.” David said, his eyes glistening. “Every Thursday since the week she left—or at least that’s what your mother tells me. I imagine that box must be pretty full by now.” He chuckled lightly. “Don’t be angry at your mother for keeping it from you, though. She’s only doing what she thinks is best. After all, nobody wants a repeat of last time… Least of all me.”
I just stared at him. David was a liar, but what if he was telling the truth this time? I wanted so desperately to believe him, because Amber wasn’t just my sister—she was also my best friend. Or, at least… she used to be. How could she just abandon me like that, without even saying goodbye? It didn’t make sense. It never had, because Amber wasn’t the kind of person who would do that. But if she’d actually been sending me letters all this time, then… she never truly left.
She was still out there.
“What do you mean?” I asked hoarsely. “What happened last time?“
I could tell from the way David smirked that he knew something I didn’t, and he was loving it. It gave him power over me—but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from finding out the truth about what happened to my sister.
“I knew your sister,” David said. “I mean, of course I knew her. We were engaged.”
“Engaged?” I repeated in disbelief. “Amber was engaged to you?“
“Oh yes…” David nodded thoughtfully. “Because she is your older sister, it would’ve been inappropriate for your parents not to offer her up first. But I was pleased with her—at first. After spending the last months building myself up in your parents’ eyes, I was finally about to receive my reward: the sweet and beautiful Amber… That’s how I saw her in the beginning. It wasn’t until a month later that I began to see her for what she truly was: a fucking bitch.“ He spat the words out like bitter poison. “She was defiant and stubborn; too corrupted by our modern society to ever let me mold her into an obedient housewife. It was a relief when she finally ran away. It saved me the trouble of having to deal with it myself.”
“No…” I whispered and shook my head in disbelief. “No, it can’t be…”
I always knew that Amber ran away—that wasn’t something my parents could cover up so easily—but I never knew why until now. If what David was saying was true, then Amber and I had be
en running for the same reason: David. He was like a toxic cloud, infecting everything and everyone in his path. But what I didn’t understand was: after seeing what it did to my sister, how could my parents even consider setting me up with the same man? Were they really wrapped so tightly around his finger? Didn’t they question him?
“But even though I was relieved, I was still angry that she ran away—and rightfully so. Your sister may have been damaged goods, but she still belonged to me. She was mine!“ David took a deep breath to recompose himself before continuing. “Your parents begged for my forgiveness. They told me I could have you instead, if I so desired. They told me you were mild–mannered, tame and easy to control—not corrupt like her. I decided to accept, which was another mistake.” David sighed and twisted up his face. “You turned out to be just as rotten as your sister, if not even more so. The worst part is that I truly believed in you, Morgan. I thought you had potential for something more…”
“Then why are you chasing after me?!” I cried out. “If I’m so horrible, why won’t you just leave me alone?!“
“Because you’re still my fiancée, which means you belong to me,” David hissed. “And I’m not done with you yet.”
“I’m never going to marry you!” I spat. “If someone hands me a marriage certificate to sign, I’ll just tell them to get lost. You can’t legally force me to sign it.”
David laughed bitterly. “Marriage? You can’t be serious. After everything you’ve done, I wouldn’t touch you with a ten–foot pole—let alone put a ring on your finger! Tell me, Morgan…” The smile faded from his lips as he looked at me for a long moment. “Did you enjoy it?”
I glared at him. “Did I enjoy what? Being away from you?”
David’s face twisted in anger. “No,” he spat back, the muscles around his mouth tense. “Did you enjoy giving it up to the first man you saw, like a common fucking street whore? Did you enjoy letting him degrade you? Huh? Answer me!”
My face paled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Morgan!” David shouted and punched the window between us in anger. The glass pane shattered, showering me with shards of glass. I screamed and moved backwards in the car. David reached in through the open glass and unlocked the door before ripping it open in anger. “I know where you’ve been, and I know what you’ve been doing. Did you think I wouldn’t fucking find out? Huh?!“
He grabbed my upper arm, digging his fingernails into my skin, and dragged me out into the cold. He threw me down against the hard asphalt, and I felt warm liquid trickle down my forearm.
“I didn’t do anything!” I sobbed desperately. “David, please! I promise you, nothing happened!”
David stood over me with his fists raised and his face twisted into a frightening grimace. “Your promises mean nothing to me. They’re as worthless as you and your bitch sister!”
I sobbed and curled into a ball, covering my face with my arms. There was nothing I could do to fight him. All I could do was lay there, pray, and hope that he’d be satisfied after only a couple of punches, and that he wouldn’t hit too hard…
***
CHAPTER 18
AXEL
I drove along the main road, following the tracks in the fresh snow left behind by Morgan’s car. They seemed never–ending, and my car felt unnaturally slow even though I was driving well above the legal speed limit—something that wasn’t just stupid, but dangerous too. But I had no other choice. If I didn’t get to Morgan before they did, her life would be ruined forever. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, I was starting to lose hope. The sun was already at its peak. Morgan and I said goodbye what felt like forever ago, and I simply couldn’t imagine that they hadn’t found her by now…
Suddenly, my eyes fell on a car on the road just ahead. It was a black SUV, non–moving and strangely positioned in the middle of the road. As I drove closer, a second car came into my view. This one was older, beat–up, and twisted sideways like it had come to a sudden halt. I recognized the car in an instant, and it made my heart drop. It was Morgan’s car—but she wasn’t in it! Why would she get out of her car? Had they ambushed her?
I looked around frantically and saw her on the ground, laying curled up in the snow with her arms over her face. I felt a rush of relief—but that only lasted for a second before I saw him standing over her. David. Even though I’d never seen him before, I knew right away that it had to be him. It was obvious from the way he looked at her with his eyes dark and filled with bitter, personal contempt.
…He looked exactly how I’d imagined.
I brought my truck to a screeching halt and jumped out into the cold; my face flushed with rage. “Hey, you!” I bellowed. “Get the fuck away from her!”
David looked up in surprise. The wind must’ve covered up the sound of my truck. He sized me up and realized quickly that he stood no chance in a fight. Smartly, he took a step back. “This is none of your business, pal…”
Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong…
Before he realized what was happening, I tackled him to the ground and wrapped my hands around his bony neck. I pressed down and watched with strange pleasure as his eyes grew big with fear. He began to flail, scratching desperately at my forearms with stubbed fingernails, but I was too wound up on adrenaline to even feel it. Unlike back at the bar, this time I actually wanted to kill…
“How does it feel?” I hissed and stared down into his blood–shot eyes. I felt no pity; no shame. Only disgust. “Not so fucking tough when you’re not fighting a helpless woman, are you?!“
David sputtered. He was trying to say something—maybe even beg for mercy—but it didn’t matter. There was nothing he could say that would change my mind. Closing my hands tighter around his neck, I forced the words back down his throat…
“Axel!“ Morgan cried out in a shaky voice. “Stop! It’s not worth it.”
Dazed, I looked up and saw the fear written clearly on her face. It’s okay, I wanted to tell her. I won’t let him hurt you anymore. But she was looking at me, not David, and I realized that it wasn’t him she was afraid of… it was me.
I let go in an instant.
David kicked backwards and gasped for air while clutching his throat. “You fucking lunatic!“ he croaked. “You could’ve killed me!”
I turned away from him and pulled Morgan against my chest. She collapsed in my arms.
“Axel!“ she sobbed. “Oh, Axel. I don’t know how you found me, but I’m so glad you did.”
I looked down at the red lines along her forearms. “You’re hurt.”
“It’s nothing.” She shook her head and gazed up at me tearfully. “I’m not dreaming—you’re actually here…” She mumbled, running her hands along my chest. “But why? I don’t understand. Why did you follow me here? How did you know that I needed you?”
I hesitated for a moment before answering. I didn’t want to frighten Morgan, but I couldn’t shield her from the truth forever either. She had to know. “He’s not alone,” I murmured and nodded at her fiancé curled up pathetically on the ground. “A sketchy–looking guy showed up at the bar, looking for you. I dealt with him before coming here, but there may be others. It’s that call you made to your mother, Morgan. They put a tracker on her phone—that’s how they found you. But don’t worry…” I ran my fingers through her hair and spoke softly. “You’re safe now.”
“Safe?“ David’s hoarse and bitter laugh pierced the cold morning air. “Five minutes from now you’ll be dead in a ditch, and she’ll be tied up in the back of my car…”
“Shut your fucking mouth,” I growled at him. “You think this is some kind of game? I’ll put you in the fucking ground.”
He scoffed while cradling his bruised neck. “Good luck with that. You think you’ve won, but that’s just because the battle isn’t over yet. Take a close look at your whore. It’s the last time you’ll ever see her…”
Whore? I felt the rage coursing through m
y veins. I let go of Morgan and moved towards David—but a sudden gunshot stopped me dead in my tracks. A flock of birds shot up from the trees and took off, frantically flapping their wings. I stumbled backwards and ducked on instinct, grabbing Morgan by the arm and yanking her down beside me to take cover behind the car. David’s hands were clear. Whoever fired the shot, it wasn’t him.
“What was that?!” Morgan cried out.
“A handgun,” I said hoarsely through the ringing in my ears. My heart was palpitating. I felt like I was back in that cursed desert, hiding behind sandbags from enemy snipers to the sound of uncontrollable machine gun bursts. I thought about the rifle in my truck. It had a large caliber cartridge that would tear through a person’s body easily, but the long firing range and small magazine rendered it almost completely useless in close quarter combat. Even if I did manage to get my hands on that rifle, I’d be better off just butting the other shooter over the head with the stock…
A long shadow fell on the ground in front of us. I looked up slowly—past the shadow, past the carbon black handgun pointed at my forehead, and straight into the cold yet familiar eyes of the man holding it. Unlike David and that man who confronted me back at the bar, this man was not a stranger to me. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a friend either…
“Maverick?!“ I grunted and rose slowly to my feet, feeling that handgun follow my every move. I positioned myself protectively between him and Morgan. “What the… How are you here? Why now?“
The corner of Maverick’s mouth tugged upwards. “You look surprised to see me, soldier. Don’t be. You must’ve known this day would come when you chose to defy my orders. Believe me, I haven’t forgotten…”
I shook my head in disbelief. I always knew Maverick would hunt me down and probably even find me one day—which is why I spent the last five years of my life hiding out on some frozen mountain—but I never expected it to happen like this. It wasn’t a coincidence that he and David showed up at the same time. They were working together somehow.