Twenty-Eight"Payne is psychotic. I'm sure of it. I just need to find proof." Those were the words that came out of Collin's lips the moment Lucrecia said "Hope you survived your visit to Payne's territory.""Hello, it's been a minute. I've been great. What about you?" She quipped, in a bid to ease him up a bit as he rapped those words of despair. He seemed tensed up as opposed to the last time she saw him when they had shared a moment- the moment that stayed permanently in her mind for days and nights when her nightmares didn't come. The moment that instantly replayed itself in her head, sending the butterflies in her chest to flutter when he had breezed into Reynolds when the first thing he had said was, 'Where is Ajax?" before rapping what Payne was."I've been..." He paused, obviously flustered and secretly sorry. He had almost forgotten about their kiss. "I've just been walking on thin ice." He stopped himself from reaching for her hands.Too late. Lucrecia was able to catch on t
Twenty-Nine"Cheers to you Mel." Lucrecia raised her glass, quipping with excitement as the others joined her in the celebratory gesture of clinking glasses. They were having a girl's day out, just for a few hours in Snug, one of Hingham's precious bars to celebrate Melinda's twenty first birthday."Happy birthday baby sis." Sam winked."I basically got older today. Why the baby tag?" Melinda shot Samantha a look as she got her glass refilled."You're freaking twenty one. You're the youngest among us. No hard feelings." Lorren shrugged, winking in the like manner Sam did."I think we should do something more active than sitting pretty in an equally pretty bar." Sam suggested as she looked around. People that weren't drinking were dancing on the floor while extremely horny people were making out in the little 'private' corners they could find."We aren't just sitting. We are drinking. Who's she again?" Lois fired at Melinda."Samantha James. A good friend and ex colleague in Cock and B
THIRTY Melinda watched Reynolds wine in her glass swirl around the ice cubes in it. It was a pretty sight, the slosh of red against white ice. So was her life, which was beginning to take semblance of a normal one. Her love life was perfect, her music career was taking shape, she had friends who were like family, she had Collins, she had Reynolds in her hand. Over the weeks, Reynolds had proven to be an essential part of her existence. The wine producing company and its owner had stolen her heart for good. The flutter of the butterflies in her stomach flutter every time she so much as thought of him gradually became a norm. Ajax was the perfect gentleman. He brought her breakfast in bed every day and took her out on dates. The dates were romantic. They were ones she never imagined she would have had in all of the gory pre-Reynolds days. The past few days had been series of surprise gifts, flowers, evening walks, snow fights and a trip to Boch centre, Wang theatre. The warmth spre
Thirty-OneOn days like this, when Payne was a twelve years old boy again in Boston Common Park, he was usually sullen as he reminisced his mother's last moments in Boston. Boston Common had been her favorite spot for a getaway with her only son. As soon as she had filed a divorce with his father, she had left all sweet sentiments of a mother-son getaway behind her and left the city for good.It was on his birthday, a Thursday like this, when happy people in the park bubbled with fun activities that his mother had told him frankly she was leaving him. It was also on that same day his father had told him the truth. "Your mother does not like my Job. I don't care about that. Neither should you. It's going to be just us son. I'm going to mould you to be great and rich and fearless like me." His father had said."Why didn't you change her mind Dad? Why didn't you make her like your job? Why didn't she stay at least for me?" His twelve years old broken heart had queried."Your mother is a
Thirty-Two When Melinda saw the familiar West wood signboard, she stepped on the gas. Ajax and his 'wine' family be damned if she didn't handle the Santoz Martinez saga on her own. Quite alright, divine helper Santoz and his shenanigans were not priority. Driving in the cold night air on the Westwood route also, wasn't on the list of priorities for the last day of the year. But Santoz was a nuisance and she needed to stop him from making more moves on her. She had seen the signs from the start. Had she chosen to ignore them? No. Instead, she had chosen to avoid him. Her avoidance and delay stategy apparently was not working. The opportunity of singing again had been too good to miss out even if a man who unabashedly lusted after women to an alarming extent was hot on her heels. But here she was, swerving dangerously at every turn that led to his house because she wanted to let him know she didn't give a flying fuck about what he offered and how he chose his returned favours. Here s
Thirty-Three As Collins walked into Reynolds, he knew that time was going to be their greatest enemy, not Payne, not anything else. If things went south, he knew he was going to die. Guin would die as well. Merciful heavens. Ajax' sister was alive. The reverse could be the case if they didn't act quickly. Without a brief glance to the familiar faces he walked by, he stormed the hallway, bellowing Ajax' name. He scowled at the huge live portrait of Ajax on the wall. He wanted the real guy, not his pictorial representation."Dude, what's the problem?" Owen asked as Collins walked right into him. "Owen." Collins shook his head when he stopped seeing stars from the impact of walking right into muscular Owen. "I need to see Ajax.""Don't we all? I heard he ran after your sister. Looks like she decided to take out Payne on her own this evening.""Shit." Collins rubbed his face."Let's sit it out while we wait for them. Lucrecia is somewhere around the farm." He said. It was no news that
Thirty-Four May basked in her new found freedom as she stuffed her mouth with pizza. Her stomach growled, and she giggled. "Looks like my baby has an appetite tonight." "I guess you can say that. Guess who else has an appetite?" Eric murmured playfully wiggling his brows and, inching closer to her on the couch. "Keep off. Until you've found a permanent housing, and provided security, I'm not tangling. You are considered a danger to me and the baby." She said with her stuffed mouth as she stood up. " I'm exhausted for no reason." She threw herself on the bed. "Understandably so. I'm so sorry for putting you in this situation." Eric sent her a sympathizing look. "I will make it up to you." "Don't you dare get sweet on me. If you make me fall for you more, I don't think I can handle it. It's not your fault we're holed up in this hotel while Payne's men prowl the city on the lookout for us." Suddenly, there was a bang on the door. May froze. Eric stood abruptly, instantly reaching f
Thirty-Five Melinda felt Ajax go still in her hands as Lorren broke the news. She couldn't quite place a finger on what he felt as Lorren repeated for the second time, that his sister, Guinevere Smith was alive and unhale under Payne's roof. Joy, relief, shock, fear, anger. She could feel all of them at once rolling off his stiff shoulders."I don't understand. All this time..." Ajax lacked the words to express himself in that moment. He felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders and then a truck decided to climb his back in its place. He rubbed his face with his free hand as Melinda held on to the other. He had to be dreaming. The knowlege that Guin was alive should have been enough to give him that burst of joy he had imagined he would have when this moment came, but knowing that Payne had been holding her captive all these years set his blood on fire. He was angry and he was afraid. Ajax Reynolds Smith was afraid for the first time in a very long time. If Payne fo
Thirty Seven Melinda counted Payne's steps as he leisurely walked towards her, giving her a once over as if seeing her for the first time. In that few seconds, she took him in all at once, while mentally warming up for his opening remark and the events that would follow after. He looked normal, but make no mistake, the abnormality was in his eyes. He walked like a predator who wanted to take his time to enjoy his kill. His smile was like a smirk. Every move he made sent wicked chills down her spine, but she stood her ground.He stopped short of four inches away from her. She glared at him, wondering what he saw at that moment. Anger or fear. At least, that was the half truth. She was scared of things going wrong. She swallowed when he took another step further. That way, not a single space remained between them. She heard Collins sharp intake of breath, but he covered it up with a rasp in his throat. Payne leisurely fisted her hair in his hands, twirling some strands around his fing
Thirty-SixPayne drummed his fingers on the foot stool beside him as he watched the burning logs crackle in the fireplace. He smiled to himself, picturing the many ways Melinda would react when she saw her pathetic friend, Samantha. He had gone over the top by cracking something on her body. He couldn't remember where that was exactly. Her ribs? Her fingers? He had been so blinded by white hot rage when she called him a sick pathetic monster who didn't have the courage to live a normal life, then she had gone ahead to mention how the slimy Ajax Reynolds Smith would break every single bone on his body if Melinda didn't get to do it first.Payne sniggered, absently rubbing the five o clock shadow on his jaw as he felt another bubble of temper rise in his gut. He didn't believe Melinda would have the strength to challenge him when she saw how broken he had rendered Sam. She would weep, and then ask him what he wanted. That was the perfect scenario. That would be his new year present. The
Thirty-Five Melinda felt Ajax go still in her hands as Lorren broke the news. She couldn't quite place a finger on what he felt as Lorren repeated for the second time, that his sister, Guinevere Smith was alive and unhale under Payne's roof. Joy, relief, shock, fear, anger. She could feel all of them at once rolling off his stiff shoulders."I don't understand. All this time..." Ajax lacked the words to express himself in that moment. He felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders and then a truck decided to climb his back in its place. He rubbed his face with his free hand as Melinda held on to the other. He had to be dreaming. The knowlege that Guin was alive should have been enough to give him that burst of joy he had imagined he would have when this moment came, but knowing that Payne had been holding her captive all these years set his blood on fire. He was angry and he was afraid. Ajax Reynolds Smith was afraid for the first time in a very long time. If Payne fo
Thirty-Four May basked in her new found freedom as she stuffed her mouth with pizza. Her stomach growled, and she giggled. "Looks like my baby has an appetite tonight." "I guess you can say that. Guess who else has an appetite?" Eric murmured playfully wiggling his brows and, inching closer to her on the couch. "Keep off. Until you've found a permanent housing, and provided security, I'm not tangling. You are considered a danger to me and the baby." She said with her stuffed mouth as she stood up. " I'm exhausted for no reason." She threw herself on the bed. "Understandably so. I'm so sorry for putting you in this situation." Eric sent her a sympathizing look. "I will make it up to you." "Don't you dare get sweet on me. If you make me fall for you more, I don't think I can handle it. It's not your fault we're holed up in this hotel while Payne's men prowl the city on the lookout for us." Suddenly, there was a bang on the door. May froze. Eric stood abruptly, instantly reaching f
Thirty-Three As Collins walked into Reynolds, he knew that time was going to be their greatest enemy, not Payne, not anything else. If things went south, he knew he was going to die. Guin would die as well. Merciful heavens. Ajax' sister was alive. The reverse could be the case if they didn't act quickly. Without a brief glance to the familiar faces he walked by, he stormed the hallway, bellowing Ajax' name. He scowled at the huge live portrait of Ajax on the wall. He wanted the real guy, not his pictorial representation."Dude, what's the problem?" Owen asked as Collins walked right into him. "Owen." Collins shook his head when he stopped seeing stars from the impact of walking right into muscular Owen. "I need to see Ajax.""Don't we all? I heard he ran after your sister. Looks like she decided to take out Payne on her own this evening.""Shit." Collins rubbed his face."Let's sit it out while we wait for them. Lucrecia is somewhere around the farm." He said. It was no news that
Thirty-Two When Melinda saw the familiar West wood signboard, she stepped on the gas. Ajax and his 'wine' family be damned if she didn't handle the Santoz Martinez saga on her own. Quite alright, divine helper Santoz and his shenanigans were not priority. Driving in the cold night air on the Westwood route also, wasn't on the list of priorities for the last day of the year. But Santoz was a nuisance and she needed to stop him from making more moves on her. She had seen the signs from the start. Had she chosen to ignore them? No. Instead, she had chosen to avoid him. Her avoidance and delay stategy apparently was not working. The opportunity of singing again had been too good to miss out even if a man who unabashedly lusted after women to an alarming extent was hot on her heels. But here she was, swerving dangerously at every turn that led to his house because she wanted to let him know she didn't give a flying fuck about what he offered and how he chose his returned favours. Here s
Thirty-OneOn days like this, when Payne was a twelve years old boy again in Boston Common Park, he was usually sullen as he reminisced his mother's last moments in Boston. Boston Common had been her favorite spot for a getaway with her only son. As soon as she had filed a divorce with his father, she had left all sweet sentiments of a mother-son getaway behind her and left the city for good.It was on his birthday, a Thursday like this, when happy people in the park bubbled with fun activities that his mother had told him frankly she was leaving him. It was also on that same day his father had told him the truth. "Your mother does not like my Job. I don't care about that. Neither should you. It's going to be just us son. I'm going to mould you to be great and rich and fearless like me." His father had said."Why didn't you change her mind Dad? Why didn't you make her like your job? Why didn't she stay at least for me?" His twelve years old broken heart had queried."Your mother is a
THIRTY Melinda watched Reynolds wine in her glass swirl around the ice cubes in it. It was a pretty sight, the slosh of red against white ice. So was her life, which was beginning to take semblance of a normal one. Her love life was perfect, her music career was taking shape, she had friends who were like family, she had Collins, she had Reynolds in her hand. Over the weeks, Reynolds had proven to be an essential part of her existence. The wine producing company and its owner had stolen her heart for good. The flutter of the butterflies in her stomach flutter every time she so much as thought of him gradually became a norm. Ajax was the perfect gentleman. He brought her breakfast in bed every day and took her out on dates. The dates were romantic. They were ones she never imagined she would have had in all of the gory pre-Reynolds days. The past few days had been series of surprise gifts, flowers, evening walks, snow fights and a trip to Boch centre, Wang theatre. The warmth spre
Twenty-Nine"Cheers to you Mel." Lucrecia raised her glass, quipping with excitement as the others joined her in the celebratory gesture of clinking glasses. They were having a girl's day out, just for a few hours in Snug, one of Hingham's precious bars to celebrate Melinda's twenty first birthday."Happy birthday baby sis." Sam winked."I basically got older today. Why the baby tag?" Melinda shot Samantha a look as she got her glass refilled."You're freaking twenty one. You're the youngest among us. No hard feelings." Lorren shrugged, winking in the like manner Sam did."I think we should do something more active than sitting pretty in an equally pretty bar." Sam suggested as she looked around. People that weren't drinking were dancing on the floor while extremely horny people were making out in the little 'private' corners they could find."We aren't just sitting. We are drinking. Who's she again?" Lois fired at Melinda."Samantha James. A good friend and ex colleague in Cock and B