3. Lena
The voice that’s the muse to my nightmares breaks me from my trance. Our heads jerk toward the door in sync, the only movement I make as fear turns my once boiling blood to ice. The figure in the doorway takes a step in, his broad shoulders blocking out the light from the club behind him like an eclipse.
“ What the fuck is going on?” Matt’s voice is almost a roar as it rings out down the hall.
The masked man’s hands slide down my body, the last bit of warmth against my skin leaving me exposed. He slowly turns toward the door, blocking me from view. He adjusts the sleeves that are rolled to his elbows nonchalantly before his once smooth voice shatters, the edges now jagged and sharp. “Can I help you?”
Matt takes another step in, his hand tucked behind his back. “You can help me by getting your hands off of my fucking woman.” He closes the distance more, his eyes narrowing in the blue neon lights. “Come here, Lena. Now .”
My body involuntarily flinches at his command. My legs ache with the need to run, either to him or as far away from him as I can. I force myself to take a step away from the wall, then another, one at a time until I am in the middle of the hall looking at Matt head on, the masked stranger still standing between us. Matt’s eyes flash, his pupils nearly swallowing up all the color from his irises like a black hole .
“What are you doing here, Matt?” As hard as I try to keep my voice steady, it still wavers, giving away my fear.
He takes another step toward us, the arm that’s bent behind his back tensing, the muscles bulging as if he’s holding something heavy. “This little game of yours is over. You had your fun and now it’s time to come the fuck home.” The masked man shifts, his hands moving to his pockets as he attempts to relax his stance, but the tension continues to grow. “Let’s go.”
I keep expecting this stranger to intervene, but he doesn’t. However, he doesn’t move from between us, his muscles tense as if he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. Matt’s movements are jerky as if he’s fighting off someone. The vein that runs through his forehead bulges and I swear I can hear his teeth grinding from here.
“I’m not going with you.” I nearly choke the words out as fear grips my throat. “We’re done.”
His eyes flash again and it might as well be his hand wrapped around my throat. He looks me up and down, his face darkening. “We’re done when I say we’re done.” He snaps his fingers as if he’s commanding a dog. “I’m not going to tell you again.”
The masked man takes a slow, nearly feline step in Matt’s direction. “If she says she’s done, then she’s done .” His voice is still sharp. “I think you need to leave while you still can.”
Matt’s arm drops from behind his back, his fingers curled around his gun as it hangs at his side. His eyes flash again, anger swirling through the dark depths of his pupils. “Do you know who the fuck I am?” His fingers tighten around the grip, his knuckles going white.
The masked man takes another step, his hands still casually placed in his pockets, but I don’t miss the tic in his jaw. “I think the real question is, Matt , do you know who I am?” His voice is low, the edge in it growing sharper, nearly drawing blood.
Matt scoffs. “I know you’re the man who's been seen with his hands on what belongs to me.” His steps are slow, his eyes turning predatory. “So, be a good boy and get the fuck out of the way.”
The masked man’s mouth curls into a cruel smile as he takes a step in Matt’s direction, the heel of his shoe clicking loudly on the floor. He makes a show of straightening his rolled sleeves and collar before running a hand through his hair. It’s almost as if he’s put on a whole new layer of skin, it even seems like he’s grown taller and filling the room.
He glides his hand in and out of his pocket, the light gleaming off a blade as he flips it open, never taking his eyes off of Matt. “Oh, she’s not going anywhere with you,” he says darkly, his finger running up and down the side of the blade. “In fact, I think both of you are going to come with me and have a little talk.”
Matt shifts, his eyes darkening as he watches the masked man. He doesn’t bother to look at me as I tremble behind the masked man like a fawn. “Lena…” His voice crawls across my skin. “Get the fuck over here. Now .” He bites out the words, but I don’t make a move.
“I-I’m not going with you. I told you we’re done.” I try my fucking hardest to keep my voice steady, but my trembling body makes my voice shake, the words losing their luster.
Matt’s growl echoes down the hall as his large body lunges forward, barreling toward me. I let out a scream, but before he can tackle me, the masked man throws himself between us. Their bodies slam into each other and I don’t know how I don’t hear the sound of bones breaking as they fall to the floor.
Matt’s gun goes skidding across the floor to my feet, right in my reach, but I don’t make a move for it. I just watch in frozen horror as they roll, grappling at each other. The masked man manages to grip his arm around Matt’s neck, pinning him to the ground. The muscles in his arms nearly bulge out of his shirt as his free hand grips Matt’s hair, yanking his head back.
“Get your fucking hands off me, you motherfucker!” Matt roars. He tries to free himself of the masked man’s grip, but he doesn’t make much progress.
“All I’ve wanted is to get my hands on you, Matt ,” the masked man growls into his ear. “I’ve been waiting patiently, and now, I finally fucking have you.”
He picks the knife up that had fallen from his grip and presses it to Matt’s throat. His eyes grow wide with panic and fear, a foreign expression for me to see on his face. Matt never showed fear to anyone. He was always the one being feared, by me, by the people around him, and by anyone who crossed him. Seeing him in such a state sends a small thrill through me.
“Lena, baby. Help me, baby. Please,” he begs.
There’s a small voice in my head, one trying to remind me that he was my fiancé and he provided for me and kept me safe from the dark corners of the city and the world. That everything he did was for the best.
But there’s another one, a voice I don’t recognize, that snaps for me to let him suffer. To let him feel the pain that was inflicted on me. That he inflicted on me. He kept me as a prisoner, locked away in his high tower over the city, and loved watching me become nothing more than a shell of a woman. One who wouldn’t talk back or act out. One who would hang on his arm and his every word.
But enough is enough.
I don’t want him to die tonight; I just want him to fucking go away. To finally leave me alone.
He struggles as the tip of the blade presses into his throat, a trickle of blood rolling down his skin. The masked man tightens his grip even more, and I swear I can hear Matt’s hair ripping out at the roots as he struggles against the masked man.
Against my better judgment, I take a step toward them. The two voices in my head screaming. Completely at war with one another. I suck in a breath, one that rattles my ribs with the force, and silence one of the voices. Shutting it out.
“Please, let him go,” I said, my voice wavering slightly, the familiar voice the victor, rising above the other. The masked man’s head jerks in my direction, his blue eyes going cold. Malicious .
These weren’t the same eyes that I was looking into mere minutes ago, and for the first time this evening, I feel a tinge of fear looking into them. A chill runs up my spine, the temperature seeming to plummet around me.
His whole demeanor shifts as he looks between Matt and me. His look is murderous as he holds my gaze, his eyes darkening even more. There’s a flicker of emotion, one that I can’t seem to put my finger on.
Disappointment? No… betrayal .
Seizing the moment, Matt jerks his body, throwing the masked man off kilter. He loosens his grip enough for Matt to turn on him, flipping and throwing his fist right into the side of the masked man’s head. Matt jumps to his feet as the masked man shakes his head and tries to get up, seemingly dazed from the impact. Matt kicks out, slamming his foot into the masked man’s stomach. He groans and bends over just as Matt kicks again. His foot slams into the man’s ribs and he falls to the ground as Matt repeatedly kicks him.
“Stop!” I yell, my voice bouncing off the walls. He freezes, mid kick, his eyes wild with a look I know all too well as he turns toward me.
He gives the masked man a smirk as he curls in on himself. He turns to me fully, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths. “Come on, Lena, let’s fucking go,” he says between breaths. He reaches out his hand, but I take a step back, trying to make as much room as possible between us. “I’ve had about enough of this bullshit.”
My mouth gapes open as I take him in, because how the hell did he find me? Just when I felt like I was loose from him, he comes back trying to leash me again. My eyes flick to the masked man on the floor as he lifts himself onto his hands and knees, holding his side where Matt kicked him. His breathing is ragged and I see the blood drip from his mouth, splattering on the floor beneath him.
I take in a deep breath and straighten my spine. The other voice in my mind rises up and comes forward to take command of the situation. “No.” My voice echoes down the hall, the defiance blowing a hole through Matt’s plan.
Matt stares at me. His eyes darken with anger, and his jaw tics. I do my best to push my fear of him down, but it slowly crawls back up. My body starts to tremble as we face each other off.
For the first time, I’m going to use the fact that someone else saw him slip, someone outside of his circle, to my advantage. “Fuck off , Matt,” I spit at him. “We’re done. We’ve been done. Now leave me the hell alone.”
His eyes go wide with shock, and anger flickers across his face, but only for a moment, and then he conjures up his look of despair.
“Lena…” His voice is soft, almost a plea. I was never granted that voice unless he was worried I’d really run off or he was at risk of someone seeing him slip. “I’m sorry, please, baby.”
He reaches out his hand and takes a step toward me. The masked man gets to his feet, stumbling slightly, sliding his free hand into his pocket.
I’m shaking now, because I realize that I’ve been brainwashed for years to just go back to him all those times. To think that he was the only one for me and that I needed him. I feel the flush of anger rising up my chest and neck. Squaring my shoulders, I let the anger ooze into my voice. “Leave, Matt. Now . I fucking mean it.”
His eyes go hard, anger screwing up his face. His hands curl into fists at his sides as he takes a step toward me, his boot stomping the ground. As if he’s stomping at a dog who misbehaved, ready to raise his voice and reprimand it. Remind it who its master is.
“So, you’re whoring around now, Lena? Finding men at this sleazy club and luring them into dark hallways for a quick fuck?” His voice is breathless, but his words strike me hard. So hard that I take a step back from him and fight down a sob. “I always knew you were a fucking whore. Anytime I brought you here, I saw the way you fucking looked at other people.”
The pounding of my pulse roars in my ears as my anger mixes with fear, unease curling in my gut.
“You’re a fucking, ungrateful, whore ,” he grits out. “And after all I’ve done for you. Everything I gave you. This is how you treat me? Fucking bitch .”
His eyes are wild, and his face is beet red as his anger rises. Before he can take another step, the masked man steps behind him, throwing a punch to the back of Matt’s head, causing him to stumble forward.
He turns on the man and starts throwing more punches as they square off. Matt’s a stocky man, barely hitting six feet, giving this man a few inches on him. But Matt has never been one to back down from a fight and has come home with the cuts and bruises to prove it. I’ve had to call the doctor a few times to come in and stitch him up after a few bar fights, with no one ever asking any questions about the incident. They were in and out with hardly a word, making only passing glances in my direction.
Blood splatters as they hit each other. I take a step toward them and my foot bumps into something on the floor.
The gun .
My eyes widen and my heart thunders as I bend down to pick it up, hands shaking as I curl my fingers around the grip. I’ve never held one before, and it feels like a cool metal brick in my hands. I raise it and point at the men as they continue their assault on one another.
“Stop!” I screech, my grip tightening on the handle, my finger hovering above the trigger. My finger twitches and I take an erratic breath. Narrowing my gaze, I swallow down the bile that’s rising in my throat, gritting out the next words. “Stop or I’ll shoot.”
They both freeze, their heads turning in my direction, eyes locked on the gun. The masked man takes a step away from Matt, as if to politely give me a clear shot. My hands continue to tremble and my heart thunders in my ears. It’s deafening, drowning out their words. I can see Matt’s mouth moving, but I don’t hear a thing he’s saying. He raises his hands in surrender, slowly taking a step toward me.
“Lena.” His voice is low and muffled, but it finally reaches me, cutting through the pounding that thrums through me. “Give me the gun.”
He lifts his hand, but I press my finger on the trigger more. “No,” I choke out as a sob works its way up my throat. “Leave now .”
He chuckles softly. “Lena, Lena, Lena,” he croons. “You won’t shoot me, sweetheart.” He takes another step toward me. This time, I take a step back, not letting him close the space between us. He slides his hand into his pocket and pulls out a second gun. My heart plummets into my stomach at the sight of it. “You don’t have the fucking guts to.” He lifts the gun, pointing it right at my head. “But I do.”
His finger presses on the trigger, and a shot rings out. I squeeze my eyes shut and scream, the sound tearing at my throat. I wait for the pain to fill my body, but it never does. My eyes fly open and I see the masked man gripping Matt’s wrist, the gun pointed at the ceiling. His other hand is wrapped around Matt’s throat, squeezing the air from his lungs.
I try to let out another scream, but my voice lodges in my throat. Before I can raise the gun again, the sound of boots fills the hallway as four large men rush in right toward Matt.
Another shot rings out, and this time, I drop to a crouch, covering my ears and squeezing my eyes closed. The sound of grunts and curses is chaotic, along with the sound of bodies slamming into one another. I look over, trying to gauge the danger around me, and see Matt pinned to the floor by one of the men just as three more figures enter the hallway from the club.
There’s more shouting and the sounds of punches hitting their marks as more people join in on the fight. I try to back away from the chaos in front of me, but bump into something hard. I turn and see the biggest man I’ve ever seen in my life, his steely gray eyes staring down at me.