Page 45 of Fatal Fantasy

The trail Jasper left will undoubtedly keep him busy, but by the time those dead ends are combed through, we’ll be even further away than we are currently.

“Massi, get the lady whatever she wants,” I say as we pull into a liquor store, handing him a stack of funky looking bills, the cash we exchanged at the border looking like a rainbow.

“Vodka. Maybe a little juice for you boys, if you need it,” she giggles, winking at me while Massi runs into the store without a smart ass remark.

“What’s the matter with him?” I muse, tapping into Carter’s mind, since she lives inside of Massi’s head just as much as mine, and that hasn’t changed, even with how long we’ve been apart.

“He was tense when we went into the gas stations, too. Probably worried about cameras, which we should be trying to avoid,” she says, shrugging while staring daggers at the front of the store, her breathing slowed as she waits for Massi to exit.

“Hacking internationally, in real time, is quite the challenge, even for the most skilled techie,” I tell her, hoping it eases her worried mind, and allows her to breathe while we make stops over the course of our journey.

The second Massi exits the store, she audibly exhales, her shoulders relaxing as he walks toward the car, carrying a rather large bottle of vodka, and cranberry juice.

“Aw, did someone need a little juice? Did you buy a sippy cup, too?” She laughs, poking the bear so to speak, but Massi doesn’t even bat an eye, flicking her in the back of the head while she howls like a hyena at her own joke.

“Not everyone can knock back a line of vodka shots straight, my little party trick,” he snarks, referring to the one time we attended a party at our old house, watching with pride as she drank all the frat boys under the table, and then some.

She was an animal that night, and while they all fawned over her beautiful frame, she ran into our arms, the two of us struggling to spin her around while she latched her legs around our waists.

It was a rare night where we blended in with the crowd, felt like normal college kids, and had the chance to let loose, rather than always being the terrifying products of our parents.

“What are you thinking about, all silent and mysterious?” Carter regains my attention, her pretty blue eyes staring up at mine as she rests her elbows on the middle console.

“The night you showed those frat boys who was boss,” I laugh at the memory, but Massi freezes behind me, his stare burning into the back of my head.

“Ty, don’t,” he warns, and I pinch the bridge of my nose, suddenly remembering a very morbid detail about the night of the ambush.

It never sat right with me how the soulless mercenaries dispatched by Carter’s father executed those poor kids, the haunting massacre Massi witnessed, and then explained to me, being something I’ll never forget.

“What?” Carter wonders, her gaze shifting between us, but I understand Massi’s stern tone, and the reasons why we should nip this in the bud, now.

If Carter never knows, she’ll never put their blood on her hands, because as tough as she is, there’s still an emotional hurricane threatening to be unleashed under all that armor.

My eyes meet Massi’s in the rear view, the two of us exchanging a quick, but knowing glance, falling directly on the same page.

“Nothing, Principessina. We’re taking it easy tonight, that’s all. Ty shouldn’t be reminding you of the absolute spitfire you were that night … especially once we got upstairs,” he jokes, spinning the conversation back into something lighthearted, and for that, he deserves some kind of medal.

“Jesus Christ, I don’t think we slept until the sun came up,” she smiles, the most genuine one I’ve seen since we got her back, and it warms every single nerve-ending in my body.

“We’ll have one of those nights, and many more, once we sail away to somewhere tropical, Stellina. I promise,” I say, following the directions up the mountain, our cabin retreat only a few miles away.

“Tyson, will you help me take a shower? I really, so desperately, want to wash my hair,” she says after a few minutes of silence, and although her plea shocks me, I roll with it, acting nonchalant to chalk it up as no big deal.

“Absolutely. I’m pretty sure I got everything you need, including the diffuser,” I smile, catching her eyes as we roll through a stop sign.

“You did, but I need you to help me. Make me get under that water,” she reiterates, that tough tone of voice representing a version of her that immediately sends a shot of fear down my spine.

Carter has a unique way of getting what she wants, using her power of persuasion to push the needle in the direction she so chooses, but right now, I have to drag my heels in the sand, for her own good.

“I won’t be another person who forces you into something that feels like torture,” I argue, never one to stunt her growth, but also not interested in being another reason she loses control due to her trauma.

“You’re the only one I trust. Just like Jasper, he’s the only one I trust to help me through the nightmares. Please?” She begs, her voice breaking as her eyes meet mine, the tears welling while she attempts to blink them away.

There’s always been a reason why the three of us were brought together, and the perfectly balanced relationship we share is the exact remedy that Carter needs to put her pieces back together, with Massi and I playing different roles, but keeping the same goal in mind.

Over time, we’ve become masters in all things Carter, and six months apart hasn’t changed that, both of us finding a weakness in her and vowing to be the one to help her through it.

“Only because you said please, baby girl. Name the time and place,” I concede, not wanting to fight the beast, and choosing to do the thing that might break her down further than when we found her.