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“He’ll probably want Julia, too, because I’m pregnant. If he’s as unhinged as I suspect he is, he’ll try to convince me to get rid of my baby rather than forcible do it himself.” With every day that passed, Mason would become less coherent. He’d get impatient and sloppy, and it’d been four months, already, since I was shot. Ihadto be right that he wasn’t as in control of his actions as he pretended.Otherwise...
“You mean kidnap you. If you’re going to go through that, maybe we should up your dosages and meals.” Thoughtfulness and apprehension permeated Julia’s voice.
I nodded because it was just easier to agree.Why am I concerned about this baby when we’re not going to be alive to meet each other?
But the question had no answers even as I inhaled sharply and nodded more to myself a second time.
“If it comes to that. I want to kill Mason when he demands to meet up, so hopefully it won’t. More importantly, Julia, you’re staying here. When all this is over on the island, I need you to help me confirm bodies. Jett has a birthmark on her arm. I need you to describe it to me. If she escapes, she’ll go back to Mason and effectively glue her rectum to his fist.”
Nathan barked a harsh laugh at my colorful analogy, but he quickly covered it with a cough. Jett might’ve been bad with a gun, and the picture I saw when I looked up the phrase ‘crazy bitch’, but she had uses.
She was a better street-fighter than me, and she always seemed to know what to say to rile people up until they were reckless and vulnerable. Even knowing that she’d play mind games wouldn’t mean I couldn’t fall for them.
“What if she gets away?”
I stabbed my way through my salad as I shook my head slightly at Julia’s pondering.
“I’m working on that part. I’m not smart enough to plan that far ahead. For now, I just need to make sure Brandon doesn’t do something stupid like call Audra and spill his guts.” Casting Nathan a look, I pursed my lips when he nodded, gulping down a huge glob of yogurt. Finally, things were moving, something washappening, and satisfaction hummed weakly in my ears.
ChapterFourteen
BRANDON
“You can’t grasp the seriousness of the situation because you don’t understand what’s at stake.”Nathan’s words raced around and around in my head, banging against my skull, hurting my ears, and clogging my nose. I truly did feel exactly like a chicken with a knife, trying to fight a bear, and I held my head in my hands. Staring at the floor, I didn’t dare blink for fear of that wretched image that seared on my eyelids.
Of Katie, holding a gun to her own head, her eyes shimmering with absolute certainty. In that moment, I realized... shecouldkill herself. No, not could... Katiewouldkill herself, and my face grew tight as tears dripped down my cheeks and nose.
“Knock knock...” Julia poked her head in.
I struggled to breathe as I wiped my face hastily.
“I brought you some crackers. You’ll feel a little better with something in your stomach.”
“Th-thanks.”
Handing me the roll of circular butter crackers, Julia sat down next to me to hold her hands in her lap. My own shook so bad that crinkling plastic film was all I heard over the furious beating of my heart in my throat. Anxiety burrowed deep in my gut, and goosebumps swept up my arms when she gingerly took the package. A little scoff escaped me, and I propped my elbows on my knees to practically shove my fist down my throat. My knees bounced uncontrollably, and my eyes felt about to pop out of their sockets from the ache beating against them.
“I’m a mess.”
“Yeah, well... most people would be in this kind of situation. Here.” Holding out a cracker, Julia smiled softly, encouragingly, and I gulped down the dense lump blocking my airway. “Listen, Brandon... I think you need to take a step back and let Katie and Nathan handle this. You said it yourself— you’re a mess. You’re not equipped to deal with the shadowy side of life, and I think that’s why Katie fell in love with you in the first place.”
“She doesn’t love me... she’s gonna kill herself and o—” My stomach heaved before I could get the phrase out completely, and Julia rubbed my back soothingly. Between my fingers, my cracker started to crumble under the pressure, like some sick metaphor for my mentality. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”
“You didn’t give her much to work with, here, Brandon. You were so worried about Nathan beingrightlysuspicious of her that you threw away all his advice. You ignored me when I told you that Katie would probably refuse to give birth here— you said you could convince her to. This entire time, you’ve ignored her in one way or another. If it were me, I don’t think I would be able to take it anymore, either. But Brandon... Katie is right. She knows this kind of thing, and you don’t. Let her help.”
“If she wants to die so bad, why doesn’t she just do it? That’ll for sure stop whatever sick plans Mason has for her.” The venom in my tone surprised me.
Julia frowned under furrowed brows when I glanced over at her. My heart tried to squeeze out from between my ribs, and a hurricane of emotions swirled in its place.
“People who threaten suicide to get other people to do what they want...”
“... You really don’t get it.” Julia’s voice dipped in disappointment, and she shook her head as she stood up. Setting the crackers down, she looked down on me with sadness blazing in her eyes. “She’s not trying to manipulate you. Manipulating you implies malicious intent, and Katie doesn’t want to hurt you. She’s not some emotionally abusive spouse who threatens to kill herself if you leave her because she likes having control over you, and you’re afraid of her. That’s not what’s happening. What’s happening is... Katie may be too tired to admit it, but I know she hopes you’ll just listen to her and back down and let her handle Mason. It’s too bad that you can’t see she’ll do it until she actually does.”
“All she did wassayit! It’s not like she has a plan or— or— or all that stuff!” Sputtering wildly, I almost vomited at the mere direction of what I was saying, and I clamped my hand over my mouth hard.
Julia’s shoulders slumped slightly, a heavy sigh escaping her that tingled the bridge of my nose. “I’ve tried to be gentle with you, Brandon, because I know you’re not accustomed to suffering or caring about people... but you’re exhausting. It’s a miracle Katie made it this far because your ostentatious denial of the situation is too draining to try to correct. Okay. Let me try to explain it one other way. You’re a pussy.”
For a fraction of a moment, I couldn’t believe my ears, and shock emptied my chest. Julia’s calm, benevolent, doctor-y manner dropped for a second, and she shot me thenastiestglare— even rivalling Katie’s.
