Page 19 of Fatal Fantasy

She doesn’t stop, a relentless stream of insults and pleas leaving her lips, until Massi finally has enough, his loud voice echoing off the walls.

“I’m not letting you go, Carter. Never again. So, you can either kill yourself begging, or shut the hell up and let us fucking save you!” He shouts, picking up the pace as we near the end of this underground tunnel.

Her eyes hold a fiery rage, like she’s ready to argue until she’s blue in the face, but I interrupt whatever was on the tip of her tongue, instead, taking charge of the situation that requires us to move a little faster than we are.

“Baby girl, I need you to be quiet now,” I say, using a softer approach that I know she needs, waiting as her head snaps up, our eyes meeting in the middle, and I can see the internal struggle on her face.

To be a brat, or not to be a brat.

“And if I don’t?” She sasses, and I bite my lower lip, knowing the game she’s playing.

“I’ve never hesitated to shove a gag in between those pretty lips, and I sure as hell won’t start now.” I grab her chin between my fingers, waiting for that glint of submission in her baby blues, and finally I see a tiny sparkle, giving me my answer. “Good girl.”

With those two little words, her body relaxes even more, like a code word for a sleeper spy, and she sighs in content as we approach the doorway.

“Can you walk? We need to blend in with a crowd until we reach the car,” Massi says, dropping her onto the pavement and she only nods, lacing her fingers through his, blindly following us without any further questions, or sass.

The rest of this mission needs to be carried out perfectly, or we won’t make it out of here alive, and more than likely, we’ll never see Carter again.

She’s been missing from her office for about thirty minutes, just enough time for her to take a proper lunch break, but soon enough, people are going to start asking questions.

The darkness turns to light as we emerge from the tunnel, exiting through a service entrance to the office building.

The three of us shield our eyes from the sun, moving with the hustle and bustle of the crowd in the street, and Carter keeps up flawlessly, her ability to follow our lead still unmatched.

Even with the truths revealed in that tunnel, she’s still with us, and that’s exactly where she belongs.

From here on out, she doesn’t leave my sight, and not a single finger touches her skin without my permission – including Massi.

He was more than willing to pull that trigger, to end her life all because she asked, and I’ll be damned if I let either of them get that chance again. I rebuilt my body, ran across the country, and saved the girl I love, all while still clinging to the belief that she loves us, too.

Now that we’ve got her back, I’m not allowing the three of us to sink down into the pits of hell again. We’ve been apart for far too long, and reunification has never felt so fucking right.

“Where are you taking me?” Carter asks, looking between the two of us as we keep a steady pace, and I steal a glance at Massi, wondering if he’s willing to clue her in.

“Somewhere safe. That’s all you need to know right now,” he says, a harsh tone in his voice, and I know they have more shit to work through, but his attitude will only go so far before I step in.

Carter doesn’t ask anymore questions, or say another word, only holding Massi’s hand and keeping her eyes low.

Just like the last time I saw her, life seems to still be missing from her body, and I take note of the clothes she’s wearing, wondering how she’s even breathing in this heat.

I’m in a t-shirt and shorts, sweating from head to toe, but she’s dressed like it’s winter, the all-black long-sleeved shirt covering every inch of her skin, including her chest. Similarly, the leggings reach her ankles, and I realize that all she’s letting show is her hands and face.

She’s covering up something, and once we get to safety, I’m going to uncover exactly what it is she’s hiding under those layers.

If this fiancé of hers has laid even a single finger on her body, I’ll happily partake in the gruesome side of violence I usually leave to Massi, gutting him from bow to stern, and hand-delivering his organs to whoever he fucking answers to as a warning shot.

The girl made of steel has been broken, reduced to nothing but skin and bones, but I’m here to put a stop to that, and revive the soul of the woman I love.

EIGHT

JASPER

As someone who keeps their emotions close to the vest, I’m on the brink of losing my fucking mind for the entire world to witness.

Seeing Carter again, after believing her to be the villain for so long, has brought up so many different thoughts and feelings, I can barely breathe in her presence.

The girl I knew has been replaced by a desperate, dead-inside, barely alive human being that I don’t recognize, and that alone is sending me on a spiral.