7. Tyson
SEVEN
TYSON
We came back to California with conditions, as I was not going to allow my brother to behave like a vigilante, but give him the grace to work this maze out on his own.
That’s what loving Carter has turned into, us finding our way through a complicated corn maze, and although I quickly found the exit, he has to forge his own path through the dead ends and tricks.
So when I turned over all my research, let him make the moves to get her alone, and I promised that if things got too heated, I’d step in.
Of course, he wanted to behave like a mafia kid, abducting the target and moving her to an unknown location, with plans to torture her until the truth spilled from her lips.
While that’s all good and well, the second he put a gun to her head was my breaking point, and I emerge from the shadows, putting an end to their game of ‘who wants to die more.’
They’re both the strongest soldiers I’ve ever met, but hearing the one person I’ve ever loved beg for a bullet in her brain snaps something inside of me that I refuse to let break fully.
“Enough!”
Both sets of bright eyes search for mine in the darkness, and while I limp with a cane to stop their madness, neither of them make another sound until they see my face.
Massi drops the gun, and Carter ends the theatrics, while a sigh of relief escapes from my chest at the sight of them both together, and alive, for the first time in months.
“Tyson? Oh my god, no! No, no, no. Please, let him kill me,” Carter cries, her body slumping against the wall slightly, due to the very little slack he gives with the restraints, and my eyes meet Massi’s, ready to cut her down myself if he doesn’t.
“Do you fucking believe her now?” I yell, yanking him by the shirt and shoving his back into the wall, effectively snapping him out of the trance his clouded ideas of revenge put him in.
“I … don’t know, Ty.” His body sliding down the brick as his heart and head battle each other, but we don’t have the time for his doubts.
“We came in here with a time limit, Massi. Make a choice. Right now,” I order, and he nods, snapping his eyes shut, but I don’t bother hounding him further, knowing exactly what he’s going to choose.
It only takes a few moments, the room silent other than Carter’s soft cries and pleas, but finally, he stands, leaving the gun on the floor as he crosses the room, back to Carter.
“Come here, Principessina,” he says, releasing the cuffs on her wrists, catching her body in his arms while I work on the restraints at her ankles.
“Say that again,” she whispers, snuggling into his chest while he carries her, the bond they once thought was destroyed immediately rekindling.
“Come here, Principessina.”
“Why, Jasper? Why didn’t you just kill me?” She sobs, and I bite my lower lip, hating the fact that once she was finally in a free space to speak, all she’s done is advocate for her own death.
When I came to see her alone, I knew we needed to save her, but her mindset is so far gone that I didn’t realize how much damage would rise to the surface.
Six months has done a number on our girl, but I’m determined to heal those broken pieces, and eliminate those thoughts from her head – for good.
“I’ve seen that look in a man’s eye before. The one where they aren’t afraid to die, even while staring down the barrel of a gun … you meant every word, didn’t you?” He asks, tears breaking from his eyes and rolling down his cheeks while she’s none the wiser, keeping her head tucked into his chest.
“You shouldn’t be saving me. Take me back to live out the punishment I deserve …
I don’t want your grace! I killed your fucking family!
” She pounds her fists against his back, screaming while we follow the escape route under the tunnels, but he doesn’t say a word, ignoring the desperation in her hoarse voice as long as he can.
She doesn’t stop, a relentless stream of insults and pleas leaving her lips, until Massi finally has enough, his loud voice echoing off the walls.
“I’m not letting you go, Carter. Never again. So, you can either kill yourself begging, or shut the hell up and let us fucking save you!” He shouts, picking up the pace as we near the end of this underground tunnel.
Her eyes hold a fiery rage, like she’s ready to argue until she’s blue in the face, but I interrupt whatever was on the tip of her tongue, instead, taking charge of the situation that requires us to move a little faster than we are.
“Baby girl, I need you to be quiet now,” I say, using a softer approach that I know she needs, waiting as her head snaps up, our eyes meeting in the middle, and I can see the internal struggle on her face.
To be a brat, or not to be a brat.
“And if I don’t?” She sasses, and I bite my lower lip, knowing the game she’s playing.
“I’ve never hesitated to shove a gag in between those pretty lips, and I sure as hell won’t start now.” I grab her chin between my fingers, waiting for that glint of submission in her baby blues, and finally I see a tiny sparkle, giving me my answer. “Good girl.”
With those two little words, her body relaxes even more, like a code word for a sleeper spy, and she sighs in content as we approach the doorway.
“Can you walk? We need to blend in with a crowd until we reach the car,” Massi says, dropping her onto the pavement and she only nods, lacing her fingers through his, blindly following us without any further questions, or sass.
The rest of this mission needs to be carried out perfectly, or we won’t make it out of here alive, and more than likely, we’ll never see Carter again.
She’s been missing from her office for about thirty minutes, just enough time for her to take a proper lunch break, but soon enough, people are going to start asking questions.
The darkness turns to light as we emerge from the tunnel, exiting through a service entrance to the office building.
The three of us shield our eyes from the sun, moving with the hustle and bustle of the crowd in the street, and Carter keeps up flawlessly, her ability to follow our lead still unmatched.
Even with the truths revealed in that tunnel, she’s still with us, and that’s exactly where she belongs.
From here on out, she doesn’t leave my sight, and not a single finger touches her skin without my permission – including Massi.
He was more than willing to pull that trigger, to end her life all because she asked, and I’ll be damned if I let either of them get that chance again. I rebuilt my body, ran across the country, and saved the girl I love, all while still clinging to the belief that she loves us, too.
Now that we’ve got her back, I’m not allowing the three of us to sink down into the pits of hell again. We’ve been apart for far too long, and reunification has never felt so fucking right.
“Where are you taking me?” Carter asks, looking between the two of us as we keep a steady pace, and I steal a glance at Massi, wondering if he’s willing to clue her in.
“Somewhere safe. That’s all you need to know right now,” he says, a harsh tone in his voice, and I know they have more shit to work through, but his attitude will only go so far before I step in.
Carter doesn’t ask anymore questions, or say another word, only holding Massi’s hand and keeping her eyes low.
Just like the last time I saw her, life seems to still be missing from her body, and I take note of the clothes she’s wearing, wondering how she’s even breathing in this heat.
I’m in a t-shirt and shorts, sweating from head to toe, but she’s dressed like it’s winter, the all-black long-sleeved shirt covering every inch of her skin, including her chest. Similarly, the leggings reach her ankles, and I realize that all she’s letting show is her hands and face.
She’s covering up something, and once we get to safety, I’m going to uncover exactly what it is she’s hiding under those layers.
If this fiancé of hers has laid even a single finger on her body, I’ll happily partake in the gruesome side of violence I usually leave to Massi, gutting him from bow to stern, and hand-delivering his organs to whoever he fucking answers to as a warning shot.
The girl made of steel has been broken, reduced to nothing but skin and bones, but I’m here to put a stop to that, and revive the soul of the woman I love.