Perhaps I shouldn’t have said it like that, but I didn’t care. If he was going to attempt to hide the truth from me, I wasn’t going to give him a fucking inch. Whilst this was playing a dangerous game, the ten years I’d known Mason had to count for something. We’d been friends. Or at least, what counted for friends under the circumstances. He knew way too much about me, and I knew nothing about him.
“She came on to me.”
At least you’re fucking admitting it.
“Right… that makes it so much better and explains everything.”
His eyes drifted away from me to the window, where the rain was still hammering down.
“It happened after the twins disappeared. She was lonely. Then there was you to contend with too. The fact you didn’t remember. And Stuart’s decision to pretend they were your adoptive parents. She didn’t want to go along with it at first, but he was so determined to find out the truth. He knew those four had something to do with the twins going missing.”
Mason rubbed his arm.
“He became so single-minded about the whole thing. It’s like his need for the truth and revenge was fuelled by his grief. He directed all of that at them. And… took it out on you.”
I flinched. Stuart had taken it out on me all right. He’d done it with his fists. But it wasn’t enough for him, clearly. He needed to destroy my men. He wouldn’t be satisfied otherwise.
“He neglected everything else, including his wife. So she turned to me, the only connection she had left to her sons. That’s how it started. It’s not like it has been a constant thing for the past ten years, Scar. Just when Stuart got too much for her.”
I didn’t feel sorry for Phoebe, but I could understand her situation.
“What did you get out of it?”
“Guess it was my way of saying ‘fuck you’ to him over the way he treated you.”
“You could have stopped him.”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
For a moment, I wondered why on earth he wouldn’t have a choice in the matter. Then it became clear. Mason was complicit in my kidnapping. He was complicit in everything going on. Stuart likely held it over him.
It didn’t make it better. The fact was, Mason had been interested in me when I was a teenager. He was six years my senior. It made it creepy and downright disturbing. I wasn’t going to forgive him for it. Mason couldn’t redeem himself in my eyes.
“You had a choice. I didn’t. I’ve had no agency in my life for ten years. And just when I get some…”
Mason’s eyes narrowed. I wasn’t going to finish my sentence. It was clear. He’d taken me against my will and was holding me here. It would be stupid and dangerous for me to try running. Where would I even go? He’d come after me unless I could incapacitate him. And given he watched me most of the time, I wasn’t sure how I could do that without hurting him. It’s not as if he let me near any of the kitchen knives or anything sharp.
I shouldn’t have qualms about hurting him, but the memory of thinking I was killing him the night the boys had forced me to prove my loyalty left me feeling reluctant to take it that far. Going through the pain afterwards wasn’t exactly worth it. It would be more darkness staining my soul. Another thing to feel guilt over. Taking a life wasn’t easy for me the way it was for the boys.
Are you going to leave it for them to do?
I didn’t have an answer to that question. I hadn’t considered how it would feel to kill again, given I didn’t think I would be put in that situation. And I had unresolved issues regarding having thought I’d killed Mason. Sitting here in front of him made me see that. My conflict remained. I wasn’t sure what it would take to push me in either direction.
“There are no good choices in life, Scar. I thought you would have realised that by now.”
His words made me shiver. My life hadn’t had any good choices in it, but I knew what side I fell on in this war.
“Does Stuart know you took me?”
“No. He can fight it out with them. They can burn for all I care. I’m done with Stuart and his revenge shit.” He reached out and took my hands. “I have all I need right here.”
His response made me feel worse. I wanted to pull away. His touching me had my skin crawling. And I had a feeling my time would be up very soon. Mason wasn’t going to let me get away with keeping him out of the bed.
“Isn’t it lunchtime?” I asked, wanting to divert his attention away from me. The look in his eyes made me ill.