17. Tyson
SEVENTEEN
TYSON
The last time those three words were spoken aloud, chaos followed, leaving us in complete disarray as we were forced apart.
This time, we have the upper hand, a plan that’s solid, and the means to disappear for good, Carter being the last to escape from a Family that represents her name, but cast her into exile.
“Pack everything,” I say, shutting my laptop as the encryption system finishes, and the ransom email is scheduled to be delivered eight hours from now.
That gives us a head start, before the demands are even made, to get as close to the border as we possibly can.
Once we reach Canada’s line in the pavement, we’ll hand over three carefully made passports that allow us to access their country, before we eventually switch between three different identities I bought from a guy who owed the Masseria’s a handful of favors.
We’ll go through a carousel of names, but by the time we cross coasts, we become the printed names on our documents, leaving the Masseria’s – and Cassini’s – behind for good.
It’s the fresh start we dreamed of six months ago, coming to fruition a little later than expected, along with a bit of extra baggage and trauma that has to be worked through.
There’s no two people in this world greater than Carter and Massi, though, and I’m more than thrilled to be leaving behind the tragic lives we were forced to live until recently.
We’re breaking free, using this as a start of something new, and the countdown has hit zero, forcing us to move as fast as possible.
“Like now? This is when we start running?” Carter asks, an alarmed look on her face as she watches Massi move around the room, her nails gripping the sheets while she stays put in the middle of the mattress.
“Yes, baby girl. We’re at least fifteen hours away from the border, and by the time the ransom email is sent, we’ll be halfway there. All you have to do is get in that car with us,” I say, holding her hand out to mine, hoping she takes it, cementing her commitment to the plan I’ve curated.
“You won’t make me drive, right?”
“Absolutely fucking not, Principessina!” Massi shrieks, a horrified look on his face as she sighs dramatically, an inside moment happening between them that I’m not privy to.
“Okay, that’s a bit mean. I almost crashed your car one time.” She places a hand on her hip, the sass at an all time high while Massi narrows his eyes, a playful smile erupting across his face.
“One time was enough,” he says sternly, but immediately breaks into a fit of laughter, a moment of genuine love happening right before my eyes, even if it’s coming at the worst time.
“You challenged me to take that corner at eighty, Jasper! Anything the speedometer said after that was only your doing,” she defends, but I put an end to their bickering, reminding them that we’re on a tight schedule.
“Pack! We’ll have plenty of time for arguing once we’re countries away from here, lounging on a beach for the rest of our days!” I shout over their voices, and they both jump to attention, moving with purpose as we scrub ourselves from this tiny motel room.
Keeping the two of them on track is like containing two little kids, but once we’re on the road, Carter immediately sprawls out in the backseat, falling into a sleep she so desperately needs.
At the same time, I take the opportunity to fill Massi in on the rest of my plan, receiving little to no push back as he listens, accepts, and leans into the fact that I’m in control of our escape.
“And you’re sure this is going to work?” He questions, the cracks in his voice ever-present as I highlight not only the highs, but the lows that accompany the real dangers of this mission.
“No, not in the fucking slightest. But if anyone tries to hurt her, take her, or … worse, I have a third option, a fail safe that we only trigger in the most dire of circumstances.”
“Enlighten me,” he rushes to say, his fear at an all-time high, but Massi needs things in small doses, especially considering the magnitude of this little operation I’ve concocted.
“When we get into the Great North, brother. For now, all you need to do is be my co-captain,” I say, gauging his response from my peripherals while I keep my focus on the road.
“I may not agree with your plan, but Carter’s safety is all that matters, so if you promise to have backup measures on top of fail-safe triggers for her, then I’ll follow your lead,” he concedes, and I take that as a win, thankful that I won’t be battling our enemies, and him, at the same time.
“She seems better, but there’s a lot of shit going on in her head.
She nearly had a panic attack when you were gone earlier.
” I clue him in on the conversation Carter and I had while he was running errands, and his demeanor changes, the idea of our girl fighting against her own head weighing us down severely.
“How do we help her?” He asks, but if I had the answer to that question, I’d already be stitching her wounds and healing the place in her mind that’s housing this doubt.
“We stay beside her.”
“I’m not sure that’s enough,” he argues, and while I feel the same, I don’t have much more to offer that’ll ease his mind.
“Once we’re settled, far away from the cancerous families we spent years serving, we’ll take her to doctors, therapy, or capture the world’s most vile criminals and serve them to her on a silver platter.
Whatever brings our girl back, we’ll do, because we love her,” I say, and he nods along, proving that our dedication to Carter is still as strong as it was back in Jersey.
“We love her.” He repeats, nothing else needing to be said as we land on the same page.
It’s quiet for a few beats, so I choose to find comfort in the silence during this long stretch of eating the miles, and staring at nothing but trees and billboards, but a rustle in the backseat immediately has my attention, sending a shot of heat through my body.
“And I love you both, too,” Carter chirps from the backseat, her voice raspy, but the spirit very much alive in her bones.
Slowly, the light is re-entering her previously dead heart, and although I don’t expect a miraculous recovery, I’m happy to wait while the little things work their magic.
She’s still covering her scars, hiding beneath long-sleeved shirts, but giving her the space to heal in her own ways is the only thing that’ll cure the shame she carries.
It’s misplaced, but convincing her that she didn’t have a choice, and was a victim to her father’s cruelty, is a fight that she’s not ready for. Trying to change Carter’s mind is like attempting to decode a bomb with your hands tied behind your back, and your eyes forced shut.
“Were you eavesdropping, my nosy little ice princess?” Massi laughs, hurdling over the middle console and joining her in the back row.
“Yes, but only because you two aren’t subtle in the slightest. You’re big, loud, and utterly terrifying to everyone, except me,” she jokes, a real giggle erupting from her chest, and my heart skips a beat, the sound of her laughter like music to my ears.
“So I can touch you without you flinching?” Massi challenges, and having them two in the backseat is seriously distracting as I catch glimpses of their bodies, smiles, and closeness in the rearview mirror.
“When I flinch, jump, or hesitate, it’s not you I’m afraid of. You understand that, right? You two are the least scary giants I’ve ever encountered, and besides, I’ve seen your super gooey soft centers,” she counters, and I can’t help but laugh, knowing that she’s completely right.
She’s seen everything that we possess, the entirety of our souls at her mercy, and she’s never been scared straight from being with the darkness that occupies our bodies.
From the second I met Carter, I knew that she was special.
From the moment I saw her with Massi, I knew that they were cut from the same cloth.
From the minute I vowed to share her, I knew she was created for us.
Everything that’s happened since the day we decided to enter this relationship has proven to be some of – if not the best – times of my life, and I’d never act as if she isn’t the sole reason why I’m still alive and breathing fresh air.
This mission is dangerous, deadly, and full of risks, but if she’s unscathed by the end of what I’ve got in store, I’ll be happy to call it a success.
No matter what happens to me, I’m convinced that I was kept on this Earth to rescue Carter from a life of imprisonment, and even if it draws the final breath from my fragile body, I won’t deter from my ultimate goal to get her to safety.