Chapter 37
Masons grip tightens around me, and my lungs feel constricted. Fear courses through my veins. He’s so irrational. What’s he going to do next? Even turning on his mother. His promise to Brody of taking me from him infuriates me. I’m not his to take, and I will fight him tooth and nail to make sure he doesn’t get his hands on me. Right now, I just need to stay alive. He drags me to the elevator, banging furiously on the button. Tears roll down my cheeks, I can’t stop them. When the elevator doesn’t come, he grows impatient, dragging me farther down the hall into another hotel room.
“Please, Mason, I will help you get what you want if you just let me go,” I beg him, not sure what else to do. I can’t believe he’s the same man I met on that date; he’s barely recognizable now, his features hardened, his eyes dark.
He shoves the door closed behind him and secures the lock. “I already have what I want. You.” He grins at me, brushing hair away from my face. “Don’t cry, sweetheart.” He leans in closer, talking to me sweetly, but it only adds to the sick feeling washing over me. “I know what you like.” He kisses the side of my neck just below my ear. I can’t help the way I tremble. I want him to stop touching me, to leave me alone.
My head moves from side to side. In a silent no. This isn’t what I want. My heartbeat echoes loudly in my ears, each thud seemingly pushing me further into a surreal abyss.
“All those times you and my brother snuck off thinking no one could hear you or see you, I was there watching. Listening to your little cries of pleasure. So fucking perfect, aren’t you. You going to cry for me, sweetheart? I live to hear those little murmurs, knowing it’s me bringing you apart. I know you so much better than Brody ever could. He’s been too busy obsessing over work while I studied you from afar, learning all your intricacies.”
I meet his eyes. “Then you know you’re scaring me,” I cry. “Can’t we just talk all this over? No weapons, no threats. If you care about me at all, you won’t do this.”
Frantically, his eyes search the empty room. Then he pulls me along with him toward the hole in the wall where the window should be, covered with a loose sheet of translucent plastic. What the hell is he thinking? Mason’s arm snakes around my middle, pulling me into his body up against the wall as he looks outside.
He glances back at me. They probably have us surrounded, sweetheart. What they don’t know is that I’m happy to shoot every last fucker who gets in my way. The two of us are getting out of here together, he says, determination etched on his face. With a swift motion, he produces a box cutter from his back pocket and slices through this plastic shielding the room from the elements. The salt spray licks at my face, signaling just how exposed the room is.
“Please, Mason,” I try again to calm him, fear coursing through my body. The only way out of this room now is down, and we’re four stories up. I’m sure by now Brody will be out there; he would do anything to save me. I don’t want him to get hurt.
Panic takes over as I watch him shove plastic out of the way. I catch sight of the drop straight down to the outdoor deck and swimming pool area, and an unexpected wave of dizziness surrounds me, causing the room to spin. The ground beneath my feet feels unsteady, my vision blurs, and the white walls of the room become distant and hazy. Attempting to steady myself, I grip onto a nearby surface, but it feels ephemeral, slipping through my fingers like mist.
“Gisele.” Mason’s words are far away and jumbled together. “Gisele, sweetheart.”
I’m not sure what’s happening to me, but the strange sensation intensifies, accompanied by a growing sense of lightheadedness. I feel so weak. The world fades into darkness, and the last thing I remember is the sensation of falling and his arms catching me.
I wake up when I hear shouting.
“Step away from her, asshole,” comes Brody’s voice from somewhere behind me. I glance toward him and see that the door to the room has been thrown off its hinges and there he stands with a detective by his side. Something else catches my eye—Mason’s gun.
He must have put his gun down to help me when I passed out. It’s right next to me, my body in the way. His eyes flick from me to it, and without thinking, I snatch it up. With shaky hands, I aim it toward him. Tears stream down my face as I scramble away from him. “Don’t come near me or I will shoot you,” I warn.
Mason stares at me, his eyes wide, weighing his options. No, Gisele, this is not how it’s going to go.
Just do what they say, Mason. This is all so crazy. No one needs to get hurt. We just do what they say, and everything will all be fine, I sob, my vision blurring.
Brody comes farther into the room, and I can feel him right behind me. Mason, listen to me. Step away from Gisele. You dont want to do this. We can work through whatever it is thats driving you to do this, he says, his voice commanding but calm.
He shakes his head slowly, stepping away, but his eyes are still focused on me. I’m not living in his shadow anymore, Gisele. You don’t understand what it’s like, he pleads with me.
You don’t have to. We all know who you are now, everything is out in the open. No more lies. Everything will work out now. You’ll see. I offer a half-smile, trying to convince him he’ll be okay.
His eyes dart around the room, like a caged animal about to go feral.
Brody moves past me, positioning himself in front of me, with his attention solely on Mason. I get that youre feeling trapped, but this isnt the escape route. There are people who want to help you. Please let them.”
“Distance yourself from Gisele and make your way toward the door.” Another voice, this time from a man in a uniform. The police are outside as well, closing in on him.
Our eyes meet. Please, Mason. Let’s just do what they say, I beg. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. I understand hes been backed into a desperate situation by his mother, but I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.
He takes another step back toward the opening in the wall. What is he doing? “Maybe in another lifetime, Gisele. I’ll see you there,” he says sadly before stepping backwards out the window.
I gasp, and when his body disappears, I scream, the sound echoing off the empty room walls. I drop the gun, my hands too shaky to hold it any longer.
I crumple to my knees, tears streaming down my cheeks. Strong arms wrap around me, and I realize Brody is right here with me, pulling me into his body.
“It’s okay, sweet pea. Everything’s going to be alright. I have you.” He hugs me close, and I sob into his chest. We stay like this for some time, my body feeling too weak to move. Eventually he helps me to stand, moving me away from the window, wrapping a jacket around my shaking shoulders. I slip my arms into it, suddenly freezing cold. He ushers me out of the room, past uniformed police, their faces all a blur.
Once we arrive at the ground floor. Paisley and Mae come running toward me, embracing me tightly. Their scared faces say it all.
“I’m so glad you’re okay, we were so worried.”
“When Parker called, I feared the worst,” Paisley admits.
“I’m okay, just a bit shaken up,” I tell them, not wanting a fuss. But I’m not okay. I thought the worst in there. I thought he was going to take me out that window with him, both of us plunging to our death. Nausea rolls in my stomach.
“We need to get you somewhere quiet,” Brody says, his voice hushed, and I realize the ground floor hallway is packed with people: uniformed police conducting interviews with staff, friends I recognize and others I don’t.
Brody wraps an arm around me, guiding me away from the chaos and down toward reception. I’m not sure where he’s taking me, but I go with him.
I make out a woman coming toward us in a hotel uniform. “Emerson,” I cry when I realize it’s her.
She wraps a comforting arm around me. “Are you alright?” She looks me over with concern.
“Mason’s gone,” is all I can get out. So much has happened today. It’s all so confusing, and I feel partly responsible for the loss she and Brody will feel knowing their half-brother’s gone.
“Hush now, it’s all going to be okay.” She tries to calm me, but I know it’s not okay. “It’s a media frenzy down here. Take her into your office,” she tells Brody.
“What about you?” he asks, full of brotherly concern. “We can get someone else to deal with this circus. Noah or Parker,” he suggests.
“I have it under control.” She glances toward the camera crew, and I see Hamilton in one of his fancy suits standing just off to the side. She gives me a more serious look, and I know what she means. No one else can handle this because she’s cutting a deal with the devil so the hotel doesn’t come off looking bad. She’s the strongest woman I know. And right now, I love her for it more than words can say.
A commotion sounds behind us, and two uniformed police officers walk through with Lana in handcuffs. Her normally perfectly put-together persona is gone. Her hair is a mess, her dress all over the place. Her eyes find us and narrow in on me. I feel her hatred right through to my bones. “Where’s my boy? If anything’s happened to him because of you. There will be hell to pay,” she seethes, spitting her poison at me.
Brody wraps a protective arm around me and ushers me away. “Don’t listen to her. This is all on her, not anyone else.”
I shake my head, knowing he’s wrong. “I tried to help him. He wouldn’t listen to me. He was irrational,” I try explaining, fresh tears welling up in my eyes.
“I know you did. Unfortunately, I think Mason was beyond help.”
We get to his office, and he closes the door behind me. “Detective McAllister will need to question us before we leave today. But not until you’re ready, okay?” He holds me close, and I let him. Part of me thought one of us wouldn’t make it out of there today. I thought I might never get to hold him like this again.
I nestle into his chest, trying to block out all the awful things that happened today. Then something occurs to me. “The wedding, what’s happening with the wedding,” I cry in a panic.
“It’s under control. Luckily for us it’s far enough away from the main hotel. Emerson rallied her fix-up crew, and Elliot, Mae, and Paisley pulled it all together.”
I relax again. Why did I listen to Mason in the first place? I should have known something was up when he asked me to go up to the fourth floor with him, but before today he seemed perfectly normal. How could I have known?
I’m not sure how long we stay in silence just curled up on his office couch, but when a knock sounds at his door, I nearly jump out of my skin.
“It’s okay, it will just be Detective McAllister. He’s a good guy, Elliot’s middle brother.”
“Okay,” I agree.
“Come in,” he calls.
Detective McAllister strides in with Emerson by his side.
“The media circus is done. Can’t promise you we won’t be front-page news tomorrow, but at least the story will be told correctly.” She sighs heavily, exhaustion showing.
“Thank you, Em,” Brody says, giving her hand a squeeze.
The detective pulls up an office chair and sits in front of us. “Hi, Gisele, we haven’t officially met. I’m Detective McAllister, but you can call me Kane.” He holds out a hand for me to shake. “I need to ask you a few questions about what happened today.”
“Okay,” I say softly, not sure how much help I will be in my current state.
“I know today was quite an ordeal for you all. And from Emerson’s statement, you have been thrown some huge life-changing revelations already. But before we start, I wanted you to be aware that we didn’t find Mason.”
I can feel Brody’s body stiffen next to mine. “You what? He fell four stories. If he wasn’t down there, where is he?” he demands.
Detective McAllister looks to Emerson then back to us. “We don’t know. Some of the witnesses say they saw him land in the hotel pool, then take off for the beach. He’s on the run.”
“He escaped?” I gasp. I didn’t want him to be dead, but knowing he’s out there somewhere on the loose is almost worse.
“We will keep looking for him, but it’s best you all stay alert in the coming weeks in case he shows himself.” The look of concern on his face scares me more than I already was. Where would he be? How do you survive a drop like that? I watched him jump.
“It’s okay. I’ll make sure he never touches you again. You’re safe with me, Gisele,” Brody tries to assure me. And I know I am. He didn’t stop until I was back in his arms again. And I’m glad Mason’s not dead like I thought he could be. But now what? I’ll spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, wondering if he’s coming to get me.