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ChapterSix
KATERINA
Mason’s beady eyes lit up once he flung open the door to his flat, and I smiled pensively. Gesturing me through easily with a sweep of his long arm, he didn’t say anything at all, but expectancy thickened the atmosphere. His apartment was a little messy, as it always was, but I ignored the beer bottles on the coffee table and the smell of microwaved chicken nuggets.
“So... is getting close to Brandon supposed to be scary easy? I didn’t think I’d enjoy it this much, Mason, and there are things that are inconsistent.” Cutting myself off before I revealed too much of my insecurity, I whipped around to cross my arms over my chest and huff. “This was supposed to be like every other job I’ve done, but it sure as hell doesn’t feel like it.”
“The best lies are the ones closest to the truth, Katerina.” Frowning at the level response, I narrowed my gaze on Mason as he shrugged carelessly. “Plus, it’s good to have an air of genuineness to get him to believe you. The plan may be three simple steps, but you should’ve known this was different. Those other men weren’t the reason your father killed himself, so that was easy. This is hard because you’re finally confronting the man who ruined your life.”
I’m not so sure anymore that Brandon did... although I do think he enabled it or let it happen.Inhaling sharply into the silence, I checked the time on my phone while Mason just stared at me blankly.
“I’m supposed to go meet him in two hours, but I wanted to talk to you first. Mason, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Get close to Brandon, marry him, kill him. I just didn’t think I’d like it.” The words balanced on the tip of my tongue. I was seriously worried that I was oversimplifying this. Brandon didn’t seem like the kind of man to do something with such serious implications... but his partner was a different story. I couldn’t imagine feeling so inferior to someone, and the more Brandon spoke of this Bert guy, the more intense my gut rot became.
But the conviction of revenge didn’t dim even if it did need to be refocused.
“Katerina, you’re doing great—right on schedule, right? Just remember that people don’t change. No one who could do that to all those people—your dad—deserves you. Those people deserve justice. All those lives that Brandon ruined... who knows if your dad was the only one who chose that route?” That struck a chord in me, and I nodded firmly with a clenched jaw. Smiling to show off the wrinkles around his mouth, Mason reached to gently clasp a hand on my shoulder. “Just take a breath and fortify yourself. Think of your dad. So, what are you meeting up to do?”
“Brandon didn’t tell me. He said it was a surprise.” Grumbling the response, I raked my hand through my hair as Mason snorted. His knobby elbows rose, making him look kind of like a duck, and I rocked back on my heels absently. “I can’t stay for long, but..."
“You’re a big girl now, Katie. Everything will work out in the end, okay? Trust me. And if you feel like you’re getting too close or something might go wrong, just come to me. I’ll always have your back.” A small smile tilted my lips, and I nodded again before making my way toward the door. Mason’s eyes dug ruts into my back, and I bit down on my bottom lip as I let myself out. Glancing around his U-shaped apartment complex, I silently wondered why he’d moved here.
Not that it didn’t reflect his personality very well. The place was a bit of a dump and located in the worst part of town.
“What would my dad want?” The question was haunting me and had done so for years. I was ten years old when he hung himself, and my memories of my father were faint. Clenching my hands into fists by my sides, I shook my head wildly and strode for the stairs, but the questions didn’t scatter like I’d hoped.
This wasn’t about my dad. Not entirely, at least. This was about me, my mother, and the horrible life we had to live because some rich guy a hundred stories up decided to sign a piece of paper without thinking of the consequences. All of the obscenely wealthy were the same. Ignorant.
Right?
The irony of the fact that Brandon and I got along so well wasn’t lost to me, and I kicked the gravel in the parking lot on my way to my car. He was lonely, sure, but things just weren’t adding up like I’d expected.
Brandon liked taco trucks and food stands. The truck people on South South knew him by name and gave him extra cheesefor free. He bribed his way onto my set because his company was partnered with my studio, but he didn’t try to make a scene to get attention.
He went to my final scenes to support me, and my stomach flipped dangerously as I fished my keys out of my pocket.
My cellphone chimed well after I’d left Mason’s, and I leisurely pulled onto the side of the road to grab it off the dash. Brandon’s name flashed on the screen, and a slight smile tilted my lips as excitement bubbled up in my chest. The troubling thoughts that dogged me vanished, and I accepted his call and held the speaker to my ear.
“Hello?” The line crackled slightly, and I slumped back in my worn cloth seat to stare out the windshield.
“Hey, Katie. So, I have a question for you.” My brows shot up at the excitement in Brandon’s tone, and I closed my eyes to picture his boyish smile. Guilt twanged my heart, and my toes curled in my sneakers before he spoke again. “Okay, I know you said you’d eat pretty much anything, but what do you feel like eatingright now?”
“Ah... uh, I don’t know. I’ve been wanting seafood these past few days. Why?”
“No reason. Gotta go. See you in two hours.” Just like that, Brandon hung up on me, and I pulled my phone away from my ear to stare blankly at the dark screen. His giddiness raised the hairs on my face even now, and I blinked hard.
Something splashed onto my cheek, and I stiffened as my fingers reached to swipe it away. My eyes stung, and my pupils blew at the wetness that coated my fingertips. Struggling to come up with the name of what was happening, my brain worked hard enough to produce smoke, and I inhaled an unstable, shallow breath.
When was the last time I cried?When was the last time anyone was so happy to be with me that they couldn’t contain it?
“What am I doing?” My voice cracked like a whip against my cheek, and I gasped as my ribs constricted my lungs. “What am I doing?”
“What if I’m wrong?” The phone fell into my lap as I slammed my palm against the wheel and my tenuous grasp on my emotions released. Everything I hadn’t let myself feel and think rushed at me to clog my throat, and I jerked my head back against the seat with a groan. “Why, why, why?”
My mom just wanted me to be happy, to have everything she lost and couldn’t get back.
Mason wanted me to get revenge for my dad, to bring down the people responsible for his death and all the suffering I went through.
But what did I want? What did I want for myself? What kind of life did I want, and who did I want in it? They were questions that I didn’t have answers for, and I blustered a hard, hot breath. Cold shivers raked my spine, and I wiped my face roughly with clammy hands.
