Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
MASON
I rub my eyes, grabbing my phone from the bedside table. Damn it, no message yet from the renowned team of private investigators I hired. Granted that I only called them at noon yesterday, but I’m paying them an insane amount of money to work on Tara’s case urgently. They’d better come up with the goods real soon, like they promised.
I barely slept, haunted by the look on Tara’s face when she realised I was Romeo. That propels me to keep working on finding whatever I can regarding Eric Hislop. I’ve been playing online detective from yesterday afternoon through to the wee hours of this morning, but even though I found a few things about the bastard, they won’t be enough to make a difference to Tara’s case.
Regardless, I’m not stopping. I can’t let Eric ruin not only Tara’s chances at the election but also her reputation. She doesn’t deserve it.
My phone rings, and it’s one of the heads of the private investigation firm. Finally! “Gavin, tell me you’ve got something,” I say, not bothering with pleasantries.
“I do,” he replies, his voice serious. “We dug into Arpi’s background, and his real name is Arman Pinscher. He’s a low-level grifter with a history of scams and petty crimes. He was, indeed, hired by Eric Hislop to discredit Tara.”
My grip on the phone tightens, anger coursing through me. “That bastard. Can you prove it?”
“This case was almost like looking for a needle in a haystack, but luck was on our side. We were able to track down a person who was in the right location at the right time, and her car had a dashcam. She agreed to give us the footage of Eric coming out of a bank and then handing Arman a thick envelope before getting in a waiting car and speeding off.
“With proof that he knows Eric and received money from him, I approached Arman. Long story short, he agreed to confess about his job regarding Tara, and I have a recording of it.”
Relief washes over me. “That’s great work! Thank you, Gavin. You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll email you the files now. Good luck with your next steps.”
“Thanks.”
I hang up, my mind racing. I have the evidence to clear Tara’s name, but I need to present it in a way that will sway public opinion back in her favour. And I need to do it fast. Eric and Arman’s video on Tara is already being viewed by plenty of people at Moonstruck Cove. Soon, it will even spread to the surrounding regions. It could damage her reputation irreparably.
I grab my laptop and find Gavin’s email. Then I start typing a new message stating the facts—that Eric Hislop hired Arman Pinscher to sabotage Tara’s campaign by releasing a YouTube video with a fake, malicious narrative. I attach the dashcam footage and voice recording that Gavin sent me, and then I send my email to the editor of the local Moonstruck Cove newspaper.
Then I prepare to record a video of myself.
* * *
T hank God that luck is on my side this morning. Traffic is light, so I make it to Tara and Odette’s hotel before their checkout time.
My car screeches to a halt in front of the valet. I grab my backpack and drop him the keys before I rush to the elevators. I hope Tara hasn’t decided to leave early for the airport. By the time I get to their door, knocking urgently, I feel like I’ve run a marathon.
Odette opens the door. “Mason!”
“Please tell me Tara is still here,” I say breathlessly.
“Yes, but why didn’t you ring first?”
Tara walks behind Odette, and I direct my answer to her. “I was afraid you wouldn’t want to see me and leave before I could get here.”
Tara doesn’t say anything. She just gapes at me with wide eyes.
“Do you have something regarding Arpi and Eric?” Odette asks.
I nod dumbly, unable to break eye contact with Tara. God, my chest wants to burst at the sight of her.
Odette opens the door wider. “Come on in, then. I hope it’s good news. And you’d better be quick because Tara has to go soon.”
That snaps me back to reality. I walk to the dining table and pull out my laptop from my backpack. “I hired a very good private investigation firm?—”
“You what?” Tara asked incredulously.
I flash her a grim smile. “We needed answers fast, and they did a great job.”
Odette placed her palms in a prayer position. “Please say we can counter Eric’s stupid video. We need something more effective than Mooners saying they heard a rumour. We still haven’t got a video from the original source who could confirm that it wasn’t just a rumour.”
“Yes, this is better. First, read this email I sent to the Moonstruck Cove newspaper.” I pull out a chair and motion for Tara to sit in front of my laptop.
Her mouth hangs open, but she takes a seat while Odette crouches behind her to see the screen.
Tara glances up at me in surprise after reading the email, then she clicks the dashcam footage. She remains quiet, but her hand shakes as she plays the recording of Arman telling Gavin about the job he did for Eric.
“Mason,” she murmurs when the recording stops, looking up at me with tears in her eyes.
“That’s not all.” I reach over to tap on the keyboard. I open YouTube and play the video I uploaded about half an hour ago. I’m pleased that it already has almost one hundred views.
My gaze is firmly on Tara’s face as she watches.
“Hello, Mooners,” I’m saying on the video, waving. “It’s me, Mason Abril—Patricia and Edward’s son. I’m sure most of you remember me, even though it’s been ten years since I left our beautiful hometown. I became very infamous because of another video relating to Tara Davies. You know what I’m talking about, right? But let’s talk about Eric Hislop first. I’m going to prove to you that he went out of his way to discredit Tara.”
Tara seems engrossed as I go on to talk about what the private investigators discovered. Then I get to the most important part. “As for Tara dancing and getting into a cab with a masked stranger, I’m here to set the record straight.”
She throws me a surprised look before quickly refocusing on the screen.
“I am that stranger, and here’s the proof.” My recorded self puts on the masks and shows them my cape, black shirt and trousers that I wore that night. “The truth is the only reason Tara ended up attending A Musical Night in Masquerade was to avoid Eric’s spy—or Arman Pinscher, as we now know him. She didn’t even mean to get onboard the Masks On boat. She missed her actual ride to the venue and happened to get a lift with the Masks On crowd. That was all. I know this because I was the security, not a guest, at the Masks On boat.”
My recorded self leans closer to the camera and looks straight at the lens. “As you can see, Tara wasn’t Moonstruck Cove’s mayoral candidate who ditched her responsibilities for Sydney sexcapades. That was just plain character assassination engineered by Eric Hislop to get your vote in the upcoming election. The receipts I’m including at the end of this video will prove that beyond doubt.”
I watch my recorded self remove my masks before I return my gaze to Tara, who’s still intently watching me on the screen.
“Tara Davies came to Sydney this weekend to celebrate with her best friend,” says I on the video. “But she was forced to change her plans when she learned of Eric’s scheme. And, yes, she had fun while she was here. Not with Masks On members because she was never one of them, although who are we to judge those people? The point I’m making is that she came here in a private capacity. She was entitled to use her time the way she wanted.
“But it’s nonsense to say she’s not ready to become mayor just because she’s a person who’s full of life. I can assure you that she wants nothing more than to continue serving you at a higher level. In my view, she’s way more mature and caring than her opponent, and she has the integrity he doesn’t have. By the way, Tara has not coached me on what to say here. In fact, she has no idea that I’m making this video. But I feel compelled to speak out because it would be so unfair if she lost the election because of Eric Hislop’s dirty tactics.”
My heart races as I wait for my next revelation in the recording.
“Before I end this long speech, I just want to say something about that infamous video from ten years ago. For those of you who’d seen it, you might remember that I said some nasty things about Tara through the text on the video.”
My recorded self takes a deep breath. “I’m bringing this up now because Eric has shown how manipulative he is. I want to ensure he doesn’t get to twist the story again using that older video and the more recent one that also included me and Tara. Whatever I said in the older video was never true. I was just a dumbass kid who didn’t know what he was doing. And you, Mooners, did the right thing a decade ago by overwhelmingly siding with Tara and giving her your full support. I implore you to do the right thing again by voting for her at the election. She deserves to win, and you deserve to have an incredibly wonderful and capable person to be your mayor.”
The video transitions to the dashcam footage, and Tara stands, facing me. “I don’t know what to say,” she whispers, her eyes glistening.
I smile and shake my head. “You don’t have to say anything. I’m just glad I was able to do all that before you return home.”
“But why, Mason? Why go to all that trouble?” Her eyes search mine.
Odette clears her throat. “I’m just gonna…uh…join Kelly and Anne in their bedroom.” She hurries away.
I look into Tara’s eyes. “This weekend brought back feelings I thought were long buried. I can’t bear the thought of people thinking badly of you because of Eric’s video.”
“Why?” she whispers.
I blink. Didn’t she feel what I felt during our night together?
I guess I can’t blame her for still not wanting to trust me.
I take one of her soft hands. “What I felt for you this weekend was unlike anything I’ve felt for anyone. The closest I can think of was you when we first dated.”
She takes a sharp intake of breath.
“I know that ten years of letting it fester, of not even apologising for hurting you, is not conducive to forgiveness,” I say quietly. “But I’m not asking for forgiveness right now, just the chance to spend time with you and make amends, so that if and when you’re ready to forgive me, I’d deserve it.”
A tear trails down Tara’s cheek, and I wipe it away with a knuckle.
“I think I’ve put two and two together,” she says. “That video was part of your punishment dished out by the gang you told me about, right?”
I nod. “I didn’t even create it. They recorded us without my knowledge. Then they edited the video and whacked that disgusting text on it. My boss made me watch it while I was at work. He’s the head of the gang.”
Tara gasps. “No way.”
“I know. I was furious. But there was nothing I could do by then. He swore he would hurt you even more if I tried to tell anyone the truth.”
Anger appears on her features. “Did they make you take drugs?”
“No. I never did drugs. That was just a rumour they started.”
“Did they do all that because you wanted out? Did you discover something about them that made them scared of you leaving, so they decided to show you who’s the boss?”
I hesitate, not wanting to bring up a topic that I know will make her feel bad. But this is the time for revelations. I don’t want to hide anything more from her.
I take a deep breath. “Remember the time when you spotted two guys doing drugs at the back of the childcare centre and reported them to the police?”
Tara nods slowly, her eyes rounding as she seems to anticipate what I’m about to reveal.
“They were my boss’s sons,” I say with a gushy breath. “The reason why he sought me out and offered me a job was to use me in his revenge plans against you because you were the reason both of his sons ended up in jail.”
Tara gaped at me for a long moment. Then her shoulders start to shake as tears rush out of her eyes.
I take her in my arms and caress her hair. “Shhh. It’s okay. It’s okay.”
“They…ruined…your…life,” she gasps in between sobs. “And it…was all…my fault.”
“ No .” I pull back to look into her eyes. “None of it was your fault, you understand? You did the right thing. Don’t you dare start blaming yourself for that.”
“But…everyone thought…you were…an asshole. And…” She glowers. “They broke us up!” she said with venom.
I cup her face, gently swiping away her tears with my thumbs. “There’s no point looking back, Tara. It happened, and they’re behind bars now. We can’t turn back time. All we can do is learn from it and use it as fertiliser for a brighter future. You taught me that.”
A smile forms on her face before her forehead creases again. “You know what hurt the most?”
I shut my eyes for a long second. “Tell me.”
“When the gang members were arrested, you must have approached your family and reconciled with them. But you never even thought to contact me. If we didn’t accidentally bump into each other at the Masks On boat, we still wouldn’t be communicating.” I hear the hard edge in her voice.
“I wanted to talk to you after their arrest. I really did. But…” I press my lips together, my heart pinching at the memory. “I found out you already had a boyfriend,” I say in a flat tone. “And apparently, you didn’t even want Odette to mention my name in front of you. So, I didn’t think you’d ever want to see my face again. Besides, you were doing so well in everything. I didn’t want to disrupt your life. And for the record, I never explained anything to my family. Over time, they just accepted me back.”
Tara blinks. “You mean you’ve never told anyone the truth about that video and the gang’s involvement?”
I shake my head.
“Why not, Mason? Your life—our relationship—was wrecked. You didn’t want to set the record straight?”
I shrug. “After working for years with the police to help round up the gang only to find you’re going out with someone else, I felt defeated. I just didn’t see the point?—”
“Wait, what? You helped the police catch the gang?”
I nod. “Did you think I was just gonna sit there after all they’ve done?”
“Oh, Mason.” Her eyes pool again. “You really should have told me.”
“Well, after five years of that video circulating, I didn’t think that you or anyone else would care to hear my explanation. You’ve moved on, the town has moved on, and I thought I should probably just move on, too. It was hard. Fortunately, a friend of mine helped me find the silver lining, and I was able to put all my effort and energy into my business. I guess deep inside, I wanted to be successful and prove to everyone—especially you—that they were wrong about me.”
Tara curves her arms tightly around my waist. “I’m so proud of you. And I’m so sorry.”
My chest heaves as I bury my face in her hair. “There’s nothing to apologise for. I’m just grateful you missed your ride and ended up on my boat.”
We stay like that for a long time until Tara’s smartwatch starts to beep. She releases me to turn it off.
“That’s my alarm,” she says with disappointment. “It’s telling me it’s time to go to the airport.”
I inhale sharply. “Can I see you again?”
“When? Where?”
I caress her cheek. “How about I visit you at Moonstruck Cove?”
“Really?” Her tone is hopeful.
“Yeah. I can make arrangements so that I can be flexible with my schedule. Moonstruck Cove is only an hour and a half by plane from here. That’s nothing. I can make regular weekly trips. So, the when is up to you. As soon as possible would be great.”
That sweet smile I love so much formed on her face. “As soon as possible, then.”
My heart swells so big in my chest that I’m afraid I’d burst. Before I know it, I’m saying the words that I never thought I’d get to say to her again. “I love you, Tara. I know that sounds crazy. We’ve only spent a night together this weekend after ten years of being apart. But I can’t help how I feel. I loved you then, I still love you now.”
Tara’s eyes pool again. Her silence extends to a length that makes me wish I hadn’t been so impulsive. The last thing I want is to pressure her on?—
“I think I know why I held on to my hate for you for so long,” Tara says softly. “Even though Odette kept telling me you’ve changed, I was afraid that if I forgave you, I’d have to acknowledge that I missed you. And that would have been so very stupid, because how could I accept what you did to me? But I know now it wasn’t the whole story. Far from it.”
She runs the tips of her fingers on my lips. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did. I can’t believe that someone would do such a thing for me,” she adds in a teary whisper.
“Because I love you, and I never stopped.”
She nods. “I love you, too, Mason. Then and now.”
My face breaks into a smile I can’t contain. Then I kiss her senseless, pouring all my relief and elation into the act. “Can you catch a later flight?” I ask against her mouth.
Tara answers without hesitation. “Yes.”