I nodded. "Yeah, when he chased us, he didn't seem in a hurry, like he knew we wouldn't be able to get out." Mason intervened. "Just because they can't get out through the doors doesn't mean they can't get out; there are other ways." Like which ones? Could you be a little more direct? Does he always talk like that? — Émilie asked me, and I just nodded. Mason looked at us reluctantly, and my brain remembered something useful in the midst of all the chaos. "I know a place." Émilie crossed her arms over her chest. "If you're thinking about the windows, I'll remind you how sealed they are thanks to that girl who broke one and cut herself on the glass." I know, I replied. But there's a window in the girls' bathroom that doesn't work properly; Flynn snuck in there once to meet Lyra. Émilie's expression darkened. "Flynn? My Flynn?" Shit. No, of course not; do you think your Flynn is the only Flynn in the world? — I couldn't deal with that now. Before Émilie could inquire further, I s
I couldn't speak; I couldn't coordinate. — But you... Mason wasn't looking at me; his eyes were still on Émilie. "Both of you, out of the car, now. If you try the slightest stupidity, I won't hesitate to shoot you." Shaking, we both got out of the car, Mason pointing at Émilie at all times. With her hands in the air, he made us walk to the back of the car. I noticed how he walked perfectly; had he never been hurt? Émilie kept begging for her life. Mason raised his hand in front of me, stopping me, while Émilie kept walking. Pressing the gun against the back of her head, he ordered. — Kneel down. Émilie cried uncontrollably. — No, please. Mason, please, she hasn't done anything wrong. Please, I beg you; don't hurt her. — I pleaded. Mason stood in front of her; I could only see Émilie's back and shoulders shaking as she cried. Mason's eyes met mine; sobbing, I begged, "No, please, please." His voice sounded cold and calculating. "I don't want witnesses." The sound of the gunshot
A nightmare... It must be a nightmare. I prayed in my mind. As I came back to consciousness, I slowly opened my eyes, expecting to see the ceiling of my room in the psychiatric hospital. However, the first thing I saw was a ceiling fan that I had never seen in my life. My chest tightened at the cruel reality, my stomach churning. It's not a nightmare. Don't panic; you won't achieve anything that way. Émilie... Tears formed in my eyes and fell down the sides of my face. Oh Émilie... she didn't deserve to die like that; she hadn't done anything wrong. I couldn't stop thinking that her death was my fault. If she hadn't gotten involved with me... If I hadn't been stupid enough to let Mason fool me, she would be alive. Calming myself down, I turned my head to both sides to take a look at my surroundings. I was lying on my back in a large bed with white sheets. It was a huge room; it had two windows that touched the floor and reached the ceiling, with white curtains on both si
With that, he disappeared through the bathroom door. As soon as he did, I let out a long breath I didn't know I was holding, and tears rolled down my cheeks as I held my chest. "Oh my God," I murmured, my hands shaking. I was in his hands. The killer of my family had gotten to me, and who knows what he was going to do to me. Torture me? Kill me? Rape me? Or maybe all of that and more? I knew everything Mason was capable of, and that only increased my fear. Wiping away my tears, I decided to hurry. I didn't know how many minutes had passed, but I knew I didn't want Mason forcing me to do anything. I searched the closet, and my stomach turned when I noticed that all the clothes were my size. Since when had he planned all this? I picked out a long-sleeved shirt and wool pants, which had a zipper on one side of the leg, so I could put them on with the chain. Bastard, he had really prepared everything. It looked like pajamas, but I didn't care; I wanted to cover myself as much as p
Police Station, K Division, Ontario, Canada. Agent Foster -Shit! Shit! Shit! - I hit the wall with all my pent-up rage and frustration. I couldn't believe it; I couldn't believe this shit. -Can someone explain to me how this happened? The four agents only shared a glance without saying anything, so my gaze fell on Officer Ferguson who, although he had a broken nose with a bandage over it, looked calm, chewing gum. I eliminated the formalities and spoke to him directly, "Logan, what the hell happened?" He shrugged, "Boss, I did warn you about Mason, didn’t I?" Agent Miller ran his hand over his face. We never had any reason or evidence to suspect him. He had a confirmed alibi for the night of the murder. What were we supposed to do? Logan leaned back in his chair, "They should have trusted me." She gave him an incredulous look, "How can you be so calm?" Miller rolled his eyes, "Did you really just ask him that?" I sighed, "Can someone tell me how a killer was right under our
"The same story, but he went to Greece." I let out a laugh full of irony. "The bastard planned everything very well. Did they send someone to check the crime scene?" Hudson replied, "Yeah, there's nothing, and I don't think it's going anywhere near that place." The sound of a notification echoed through my office. Logan checked a tablet on his lap. "We need to move; he's near the U.S. border," Logan spoke confidently. I gave him an incredulous look. "Logan, I feel like there's something you’re not telling us." Logan held up the tablet. "Even though she doesn't know it, she's wearing a tracker. It hadn't emitted any signal until now, but now she gave me a faint signal before disappearing near the U.S. border. So let's stop wasting time regretting what we didn't do right and let's go find her." "Shit! The border? The last thing I need is international agencies involved in this." He grabbed his jacket and quickly put it on. Silently, we all left the office, prepared. Anaís Garnie
Survive... What would you do to survive? I had underestimated what I would do to survive. I think we all have at some point. But the moment your life is at stake, your whole body is on alert, and your survival instinct kicks in, you become a different person, maybe not a person you would recognize. And it didn't always mean becoming more violent or aggressive; you just had to use whatever you could and what was best for the situation. In my case, it was pretending and gaining Mason's trust until I found an opportunity to escape. So I did my best to survive: pretending I wasn't repulsed as I kissed Mason. His lips were soft, and under different circumstances, I might have enjoyed kissing him, but definitely not in this situation. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to forget everything that had happened. Everything he had done. I relaxed my tense muscles. He had to feel me relax, like he actually enjoyed it. I couldn't deny that Mason knew what he was doing, his mouth moving
His eyes met mine again. “I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. I loved my mother; I would never have wanted to hurt her.” He sighed. “But she was crazy. One night after Thanksgiving dinner, she murdered my father and my two younger sisters. She tried to stab me, but I fought her. It was her life or mine; it's amazing what the survival instinct can turn us into.” I did not know what to say. Mason put his knife and fork on either side of his plate. “Our survival instincts are impressive, don’t you think?” I swallowed hard. “It is.” He looked me straight in the eyes. “I know what you're doing, Anaís. You're acting very well, and if I were a person with average intelligence, I would have believed you. But don't underestimate me; there are many ways to escape me, but being smarter than me is not one of them.” Feeling exposed and stupid, I stopped eating too. “So what do you want me to do? Attack you? Scream? Disobey you?” “Of course not,” he shook his head. “I think it's gr
The next day, when she came down the stairs and her gaze was on us decipher emotions, I knew Anaís was back and it was time to remind her. Logan….. Days after. I had to wait a few days for Anaís to be able to look me in the face and talk to me, we didn't talk about what happened between us, we didn't have to and to be honest, we love each other. I need you to come with me. Anaís wrinkled her eyebrows at the ice cream I offered her, “Ice cream?” Just came. We left the house, heading to the trees where I had installed a couple of swings the previous few days. She furrowed her eyebrows, taking a lick of her ice cream, What is this? Ice cream and swings? Aren't you too old for this? I smiled widely at him, “Just sit down.” She did so, her free hand gently stroking the metal rope at her side, a confused expression taking over her face. Mason had looked at me reluctantly, -You recreate the place, the moment as much as you can and this might help her remember it, - he paused, But
No.- she interrupted me, -Don't lie, grey eyes. I'll give you another chance because I'm in a good mood, and honestly, it would be a waste to kill Adam, he's good. I don't know what I feel for her, but it's the closest thing to love I've ever felt in my entire life.- I said honestly, She... - I could feel Mason and Adam's eyes on me, -She makes me believe that my diagnosis is wrong and that I can feel. The red princess narrowed her eyes, “Since when? Why her?” I didn't want to say it, but I knew I had to tell the truth, "I met her when I was twelve." Mason furrowed his eyebrows. The memory was as clear in my mind as if it had been yesterday. Are you crying? - she asked me curiously. I looked up to see a little blonde girl with an ice cream in her hand and a flowery dress with too many colors. I quickly wiped my tears away, embarrassed. She sat on the swing next to mine without saying anything. We stayed silent for a while, until she spoke after taking a lick of her ice cream, Whe
Adam. Blood dripped from my knuckles in a slow but mesmerizing rhythm. Mason remained silent, leaning against a tree with his hands crossed over his chest. There was no reason for him to be here anymore, I had calmed down and had no more bullets. Maybe he didn't want to go back and have to deal with what was going on in there either. I clenched my fists, causing more blood to pour out of the cuts on my knuckles. I wanted to say it hurt, but no, my pain tolerance was impressive thanks to all those years of dealing with it. Physical pain was an area I had under control, emotional discomfort was another matter. Emotional discomfort... A self-mocking smile formed on my lips. But then, what is all this shit that I feel? That was a question I had never found an answer to. Maybe I confused the feeling of losing an object of fun with jealousy or something else, but it didn't matter anyway. I heard footsteps and within seconds I had Logan standing in front of me at a safe distance. Hi
Adam… I shouldn't have let her go like that. Anaís was disturbed by that kiss; I knew it, and yet I had let her run away from me like that. I had to make it clear to her, to make her understand that she and I had history, long before Logan and Mason got into this. I paced back and forth in my room. Should I go to her? I didn't want to overwhelm her either; it would only push her away from me. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration, not knowing what to do. I shouldn't have lost control and kissed her like that, although a part of me was happy with her reaction—she kissed me back. Maybe her feelings were coming back. Maybe she was coming back to me. A smile formed on my lips; that would make me the happiest man on the planet. I had abandoned everything for her; I had done the unimaginable for her well-being and to keep her by my side. I just needed her to accept me for all this to be worth it; I didn't ask for anything else. Regaining my resolve, I left my room and headed
The darkness was stifling; I could barely breathe, my heart threatening to jump out of my chest. The daylight that filtered in under the door was barely enough to let me see Logan's silhouette a few feet away from me, but I couldn't see his face or his expression, and that scared me. Logan... My voice came out shakier than I expected, my throat dry, my hands sweaty. Logan didn't say anything, the silence gnawing at him. "Logan, open the door," I asked, praying that this was just a game that would last a few minutes. He wants you, Anaís. That voice again. That wasn't true; I was just a game to him, nothing more. You want him too, even if you don't want to admit it. No. Its darkness attracts you, intrigues you. No, that's not true. You want to see what lies beyond that cold demeanor. You want to see the man behind the indifference. You want to dig deep and find his humanity. No... I didn't realize I said it out loud until I heard it. I expected some sort of response or mocke
"They're not going to have you," he hissed in annoyance. "I know you'd never be that interested in them, and they wouldn't be able to force you." Won't they be able to force me? - I laughed sarcastically. - We're talking about two psychopaths, Adam; I think you should know that limits are not something they have. They have limits when it comes to you. I shook my head. - Suppose they don't do anything against my will; so what if they win? Logan and I already have history; what if I fall for him again? Adam didn't say anything; he just twisted his lips. So I continued, “Could you stand it?” I didn’t know where this strength came from to say these things. Seeing me with him every day? Seeing him touch me, kiss me, let me have sex in his room? Anaís... I took a step toward him, looking him straight in the eyes. Would you please? Adam clenched his jaw; he was angry, rage rolling off his posture in waves. I kept pressing it. Maybe he'll let you watch him make love to me and... A
I'm going crazy. And I know, because I'm starting to be like them. I silently observed each of their expressions, each gesture, each exchanged glance, analyzing, trying to make sense of all this madness. Struggling to find reasons, motives, weaknesses. The only difference was that no matter how hard I tried to act like them, I wasn't like them and never would be; there was only so much I could imitate or try to copy; everything had a limit. However, the little that I had noticed had to be of some use. Mason…. He was the most dangerous of all; he didn't take anything seriously, everything was a game to him, no matter how twisted and bloody it could get. Plus, he was extremely intelligent; that ability to manipulate and decipher people could be even more dangerous than any physical ability. Logan…. He was unpredictable, volatile behind that mask of coldness. I could see how unstable he could be when something didn't go his way or when something bothered him. Logan was easier to a
He took two steps toward me. "You say you hate me, but you can't, and that makes you angry." Don't come near me. He didn't stop, forcing me back until the back of my knees touched the bed behind me. "Despite everything, you can't help but feel the way you feel about me." I hate him, I hate him; he's a murderer. I keep repeating it in my head over and over again. But Logan didn't let me think; he grabbed me by the waist tightly with one arm, sticking me to him. I struggled, trying to free myself. —Let me go, Logan! He gave me that signature crooked smile of his. I missed you, Anaís. Before I could say anything, he used his free hand to grab me by the neck and smash his lips against mine. Those soft lips that were so familiar and that I had kissed so many times still felt good against mine, but I couldn't respond. I fought against that feeling of comfort and pushed him away. Logan stepped back, smiling. I slapped him as hard as I could. —Don't you ever do that again. Logan con
Memories………Blood... So much blood on my hands... I move my fingers in front of my face, warm blood sliding down them, running down my palms to my wrists and falling into the void. Stop... That soft voice... angelic... I turned around, but there was only darkness around me. Where am I? I'll bite you back, red princess. Mason's voice in the distance made me fall to my knees, a sharp pain spreading through my head, squeezing my skull, making me gasp in agony. I'm not interested in you; I'm interested in Anaís. It hurts so much. I heard footsteps approaching me; they were slow and steady. Whoever it was was in no hurry. Holding my throbbing head, I managed to stand up, staggering from side to side. The light came back around me, blinding and imposing, and there in front of me was my father. Dad? —I couldn't believe it. I hurried towards him. —Dad, my head hurts so much. Standing in front of him, my father smiled and hugged me, but instead of feeling good, it was the opposite