Page 44 of Fatal Scheme

“I don’t need to be saved, okay? And it’s certainly not my first time being slapped. My father … well, he’s the same way, and my smart mouth has always gotten me into trouble. It’s fine, and I’m fine. I promise,” she says softly, her eyes fluttering shut as Massi wraps his arms around her body, and I stroke her hair, raking my fingers through her dark curls.

“What helps you feel better after … something like this?” I ask her, and she mulls it over for a few seconds before answering.

“I’ve never had friends, or close family members I could turn to. I’ve never had boyfriends, or people to comfort me, so usually I’d just steal some of his scotch and drink myself to sleep. But now, I have to open up to you guys, or allow myself to be taken care of, and I’m not sure I know how to do that,” she sniffles, the sound of her sadness nearly breaking my heart, but I don’t want to overwhelm her with my own needs.

If it were up to me, I’d hold her in my arms all night, encouraging her to talk until she couldn’t anymore, but Carter isn’t the type to open up or show her vulnerabilities.

I’m shocked that she’s even shared a tidbit with us tonight, considering we know nothing about her home life or past experiences beyond the scars on her back.

Seemingly, there’s not much to tell, since her father sounds like a piece of shit as it is, but even in the midst of the chaos, I find myself feeling even closer to her.

The circumstances surrounding her confessions are unfortunate, but anything that can bring out those deep, dark secrets buried in her soul are always a welcome addition.

She’s fascinating, and I want to decode every piece of her that she’ll allow.

“I have an idea, Carter. Do you trust me?” I ask, taking her hands in mine, and she looks up at me with doubt – and what also seems to be trust – in her eyes.

“I trust you both.” She looks between us, tears staining her cheeks, and I swipe them away, not able to stand her sadness any longer.

“Ty, I don’t know if that’s the best idea,” Massi whispers, practically cradling Carter like a newborn in his arms, but I shrug him off, knowing what she can handle, and hoping I can speak for the things she can’t quite explain about herself, yet.

“No, I want to try whatever Tyson has in mind. I know he won’t hurt me,” she argues, but rather than this turning into a full blown bickering session, he simply agrees with her, trusting her intuition.

“I’ll remember you said that, baby girl,” I say, smiling as I unlock the doors, freeing us all from the confines of my truck.

I wasn’t prepared to show Carter the darker, dominant side of myself just yet, but I have a feeling that she’s more like me than she realizes, and we all have our ways to take back our power.

When she was on Massi’s arm tonight, I was haunted with a twinge of jealousy, but having her between the two of us erases that, as if our reunification has made everything right again.

Her smile lights up the darkest spaces inside of me, and although I’ve never cared to share, when she laughs with Massi, or they have their secret moments, it makes me just as happy as if it were only the two of us in this relationship.

They are the closest people I have on this fucked up planet, and somehow, being apart of this throuple has given me more than I ever could’ve achieved on my own.

It’s strange, maybe even taboo to some, but it works for us, and tonight, I’m going to carve it out in a way that’ll be inescapable.

This right here is for life.

TWENTY-ONE

JASPER

Most nights, I don’t have dreams.

On rare occasions, my subconscious will haunt me with faces of men I’ve killed, or conjure up fake scenarios where I torture people until I wake up in a cold sweat, but those few times where my mind wanders to the one place I can find peace are my favorite.

You see, since I was a teenager, I’ve had a recurring fantasy, one that changes or gets added to as the years have passed, and every time I’m granted access to that particular space in my head, it reminds me of what remains to be my deepest desire – murdering my own father.

Of course, I think about that daily, what it would feel like to finally take charge of my own life, to put an end to his reign of terror, but before tonight, I never truly thought about going through with it.

In a flash, I was prepared to end his life, to watch his eyes go hollow and his body turn cold as I drained every drop of life from his still-beating heart – all because he laid a hand on my girl.

My fucking girl.

My Carter.

My little ice princess.

If it weren’t for Tyson, I would’ve done it with no remorse, or fear of consequences, and I’m still shaking at the missed opportunity.