After what seemed like ages, the plane finally landed. Maya didn’t know where they were, not like it mattered anyway, her life was already flipped inside out. Everyone grabbed their bags and made their way to a lone black Range Rover and piled in. The air in the car was still, and extremely tense and no one said a thing to lessen it.
As the car pulled off from the private airstrip, the scenery greeted the Dawson family with a warm embrace. Trees lined on either side of the road , stretching on for miles on end. The bright reds and yellows that bounced poignantly off the leaves brought color back into Maya’s life. The road was an intense charcoal grey color with contrasting yellow lines - that matched the autumn leaves - running in the middle and on either side of the road. The dark gloom hanging in the sky seemed to add to the beauty of the picturesque landscape laid before th
The room was spinning. It was on an endless loop, going faster and faster at every turn. The ceiling soon meshed into the walls and the walls swirled into the floor, every element in the bathroom dancing and flowing into the next. One into the other, no lines or corners to show a separation of any kind. Maya leaned further into the toilet bowl heaving dry emptiness. Her body shook with the knowing fact that it was a matter of when instead of if - that she was going to die. Vermont had only seemed like a ghost of a rival just a few hours ago. A figment of the collective imagination but now with the hard facts of his rotting heart, inexcusable actions and limitless ideas of how far he was willing to go to inflict pain, she knew that he was very real. The poor family she had found herself attached to had survived horrors that no normal person would have gone through in a full life time. Or s
Sometimes when you care about someone, you tend to do things that are completely out of character for you. You say things, act a certain way, go a little extra - you know, put your best foot forward. Do all sorts of things to impress the person you care about simply because you want them to see you. Really, really see you. If they want soft, you give them soft. If they want to feel protected, you make sure to protect them. However, some people can’t go against their nature like that. As hard as they try, they are stuck in their ways and there’s not much you can do to sway them. Maya was the oxymoron that contained both these attributes. After having thought long and hard about her place in the Dawson family’s war, she wanted to be their protector, their savior and most importantly their freedom fighter. That being said, in true Maya fashion, she wanted to do i
C. Prologue “Drink?” With the moon at its peak, illuminating the darkest of nights, a calming chill saturated the air. The Dawson brothers stood on a balcony of the umpteenth high-rise they’d been at that month. The view before them so picturesque in description, that both men were momentarily paralyzed at the sight. Straight ahead the vast sky, inked black – made the perfect canvas – contrastingly brightening the luminescent glow of the bustling city many, many stories below. Jordan placed a crystal whiskey glass weighed down by three ice cubes, filled three quarters of the way, in front of his brother. Not bothering to wait for an answer to his rhetorical question, Jordan knew Reid would never decline one of his favorite vices. Lifting the drink to his plump lips, Reid threw a
It was the first day of freshmen year at college, Maya had been waiting for this day for most of her life. It was a new start for her. Finally being away from her parents, Maya had the opportunity to do the things that she hadn't had the chance to do, things she had only dreamed of. The kind of things she had created in little scenarios in her head, she would finally get drunk or maybe kiss a guy that she didn't know or make friends with an owner of a bar close to the university...the options were endless. It was currently 8:30 in the morning and Maya had been up for the past two hours making sure that her outfit for the day was ironed to the T. She was also trying to finish a book that had captured her attention for the week, while savoring the best balance of coffee.For h
It was six in the morning and the sun had already rose to wake the day and Maya was already wide awake. For the past three days she'd been trying to write the speech for her English Lit class. Mr. Dawson was an uptight control freak and she was going to find out why. Even though Maya knew that in order for that to happen she’d have to have some sort of interaction with Mr. I’m-soo-hot-and-arrogant-but-I-have-a-stick-lodged-so-far-up-my-ass-that...okay! Maya had nothing. No funny comeback or conclusion to that sentence. Something about Mr. Dawson poked at her curiosity. Tearing the paper in her hands Maya let out a frustrated sigh and pushed off of her chair and walked over to her closet.She quickly looked over at the time on her phone and ran a hand through her curly hair. She had approximately four hours until her class started with Mr. Dawson. Grabbing a sports bra and a pai
Friday had finally arrived. Both Maya and Reid couldn't contain their excitement for class. Both for completely different reasons. Maya felt powerful, her confidence had ascended to levels far beyond this stratosphere. She had transcended. Maya didn't think that she had the ability or even the sex appeal to do what she did to Reid. Touch him the way she did, be intimate with him the way she did. Make him groan the way she did. Not only did she manage to get the big bad 'Mr. Dawson' to release his first name but she was able to take control of the situation and every single action felt right. Not right in a ‘I want the professor’ type of way but in a ‘serves you right! You don’t get to sit on that high horse! Not when I’m here” Maya was under his skin. Never in a million years had she thought that she would be able to get under anyone's skin, let alone Reid's. Reid was a man that oozed success and confidence. His demeano
“At this very moment” Reid breathes out, dropping his head into the crook where her neck and shoulder met. His voice dropped an octave as well, heavily trying to soak in the moment. The colossal hands that were sitting on either side of Maya were now gripped to the edges of the sturdy wooden table that she was now leaning on. Gliding his nose along the curve of her neck Reid couldn’t help investigate the little scents that danced on her skin creating her overall signature smell and setting her skin a blaze while doing so. The stubble of his growing beard feathered along Maya’s skin and she couldn’t help let out a little giggle and pull back, placing her hands on his strong and firm chest. This forced Reid to lean back as well and really study her face. Maya’s shoulder instinctively rose to her ear and she pressed her head on it as if to try and get the ticklish feeling off of her skin. W
“Brother...” "Yeah. Reid is my brother." Jordan responded with a raspy chuckle."But I...he...I didn't know..." Maya was still in shock. People had just tried to kill her - they tried to kill her and Mr Daw- Reid. Maya didn't even know who 'they' were. She wasn't even sure if he was alive.Maya's eyes went wide at the thought. She looked down at her clothing and saw that they were covered in blood. Her hands covered in blood. Her thighs, - covered in blood - her shorts. Everything."Is he?" She whispered - her body shaking - and looked up at Jordan. "Is he going to d-" she couldn't get the word out. Maya was too afraid to even think of Reid dying.
Sometimes when you care about someone, you tend to do things that are completely out of character for you. You say things, act a certain way, go a little extra - you know, put your best foot forward. Do all sorts of things to impress the person you care about simply because you want them to see you. Really, really see you. If they want soft, you give them soft. If they want to feel protected, you make sure to protect them. However, some people can’t go against their nature like that. As hard as they try, they are stuck in their ways and there’s not much you can do to sway them. Maya was the oxymoron that contained both these attributes. After having thought long and hard about her place in the Dawson family’s war, she wanted to be their protector, their savior and most importantly their freedom fighter. That being said, in true Maya fashion, she wanted to do i
The room was spinning. It was on an endless loop, going faster and faster at every turn. The ceiling soon meshed into the walls and the walls swirled into the floor, every element in the bathroom dancing and flowing into the next. One into the other, no lines or corners to show a separation of any kind. Maya leaned further into the toilet bowl heaving dry emptiness. Her body shook with the knowing fact that it was a matter of when instead of if - that she was going to die. Vermont had only seemed like a ghost of a rival just a few hours ago. A figment of the collective imagination but now with the hard facts of his rotting heart, inexcusable actions and limitless ideas of how far he was willing to go to inflict pain, she knew that he was very real. The poor family she had found herself attached to had survived horrors that no normal person would have gone through in a full life time. Or s
After what seemed like ages, the plane finally landed. Maya didn’t know where they were, not like it mattered anyway, her life was already flipped inside out. Everyone grabbed their bags and made their way to a lone black Range Rover and piled in. The air in the car was still, and extremely tense and no one said a thing to lessen it. As the car pulled off from the private airstrip, the scenery greeted the Dawson family with a warm embrace. Trees lined on either side of the road , stretching on for miles on end. The bright reds and yellows that bounced poignantly off the leaves brought color back into Maya’s life. The road was an intense charcoal grey color with contrasting yellow lines - that matched the autumn leaves - running in the middle and on either side of the road. The dark gloom hanging in the sky seemed to add to the beauty of the picturesque landscape laid before th
“Are you mental!?” Reid roared, rampaging through anything in his path. Once Jordan had agreed to Maya’s condition the air on the plane shifted and everyone had their own qualms with Jordan. They couldn’t fathom how he could agree to let Maya leave their life after she had become such a big part of it. Sending strong setted browed glares his way. “Don’t look at me like that” Jordan tutted back in a bitter tone “if you hadn’t lied to her” he spoke to his family -in a condescending tone - pointing at Maya as he addressed them “we wouldn’t be here. Frankly, your actions forced my hand.” And with that he left them gaping at the floor at his unruly tone and disappeared into one of the doors towards the back of the plane. Maya sat there perplexed, not
Sometimes in life you have to choose between doing what’s best for everyone and doing what’s best for you. Those decisions are never easy especially if there’s a whole storm of emotions swirling around your head. It’s even harder to make the best moral decisions when everything inside you screams against it. Maya found herself having troubles sleeping, despite the fact that she told Jordan that she was tired. Sleep eluded her, but it gave her more time to think and really evaluate everything in her life, especially Reid and the whole Dawson clan. How could she continue this journey with them after having found out their true intentions? Wouldn’t that make her stupid and naive? How can she believe anything that comes out of their mouths. And how could her dad be connected. Growing up it never seemed like her dad was any of the things Jordan had said he was. Wh
"So you've been lying to me?" The entire Dawson clan didn't know how to respond to that question. It wasn't that simple, it wasn't like they didn't want to share the information. They knew that they would get resistance. "This whole entire time! You've been lying to me? What the fuck happened to trust? Huh? What happened to it being a team effort?" Riley cringed as she was being yelled at, this wasn't supposed to happen. Timing wasn't on their side, fate had rolled the dice and this was the beginning of their end. "I can't believe you guys, you're supposed to be my family." Jordan was out of words. "Don't you dare say that!" Amelia reprimanded "we are your family." "Apparently not, if you're keeping secrets from me. Damn it! I'm so stupid." Jordan could not wrap his head around this level of betrayal. It was a concept so
"Two shots of tequila please" Maya asked the bartender."Black or silver?" He responded "Black" was her reply. She was sitting at the bar, watching as the scenery blurred by. The bartender placed two shot glasses on the counter separating them and skillfully flipped the tequila bottle only to tip its strong dark contents into the aforementioned glasses. Without saying a word, he placed the bottle on the shelf behind him and slid a shaker full of salt and a small plate filled with lemons. Maya briefly looked at him and gave a small smile. Returning the smile the bartender added a small wink and moved to serve another customer. From the opposite end of the cart that held the bar, the door slid open and Maya turned her focus to the sound. Reid walked in, in a
Reid had gone to bed with the biggest smile on his face, it really did grow ear to ear. He couldn't stop it, he was smiling so big that his cheeks ached at the movement. But that ache was all forgotten the moment he thought about why he was smiling so much. Maya was tucked by his side, innocently sleeping and everything was okay. They weren't fighting each other, they weren't fighting anyone. For the first time in what felt like months - but was probably a couple of weeks - Reid felt hope that Maya felt every bit intoxicated with him as he felt with her.Stealing one more glance at the beauty beside him, he adjust the pillow and fell into a peaceful slumber. Eyes tightly closed and everything fading to black, this was going to be the best sleep of his life. If only it lasted longer than two minutes. Reid was jolted awake by Maya jumping on the bed.
"Maya!" Reid yelled over the chaos, music was still pounding through the speakers and people were screaming for their lives. It was a gruesome scene, bodies laid all over the floor. Some people had died and others you could tell were pretending to be dead, trying their best not to make a move but anyone with eyes could see the heavy breathing and in some cases, bodies shaking out of fear. "You and Riley continue to look for Maya in here, Joel and I will look outside!" Jordan shouted at Reid "bring her back brother" With a nod and Riley following right behind him, Reid walked with sure steps and moved people out of his way trying to find his girl. They had had such a great night before all of this madness happened. But you see that's what Vermont does, that's what happened with Rosey. He waited till Reid was absolutely ena