AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They didn’t rough me up too badly, though I’m sure that could change. What I want to know most of all is why. What’s it all about? Why bring me here if she knew I was only going to be thrown into what’s basically a cell?
It doesn’t take much time before I know. Before the lock clicks and the door opens, and I’m suddenly face-to-face with my mother.
At first, I can’t make sense of what I’m seeing. “Mom?” I whisper, squinting like that will do anything to change what’s in front of me. Like that will erase her black eye or reduce the swelling to the rest of her face.
Her peaches-and-cream complexion has gone red, purple, and green. A patchwork of bruises in various stages of freshness. Somebody has beaten the hell out of her, and more than once.
“What happened to you?” I whisper as horror squeezes my heart and tightens my chest until I can barely breathe.
“Don’t worry about it.” She always did have a way of sounding cold and dismissive when she didn’t want to discuss a certain topic. I don’t think it’s ever been this important, though. Did they do this to her? They’re supposed to be working for her, aren’t they? At least, that was always my belief.
She runs a hand over her limp blonde locks, taking a deep breath. “You came. I’m glad. I was hoping you would find a way.”
“Why did you want me to come here?” I keep my voice at a whisper in case there’s somebody listening outside.
“This is all part of the bigger plan.”
“And what is the bigger plan? You’ve never told me. You keep hinting at it, but how am I supposed to be a part of anything if you won’t tell me what you’re going to do?”
Rather than answer, she takes a seat in a wheeled chair with cracked vinyl covering its seat. Something squeals horribly, even though she barely weighs as much as a bird. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look this thin. “I hope you never have to make the sort of decision that’s been left to me. I hope you never know the sort of pain I’ve been through. It’s not the sort of pain that comes with a broken bone or a wound. It goes much deeper than that when it comes at the hand of your own child.”
Her eyes narrow, and her brows draw together. “It would’ve been bad enough, losing Jonathan. But the fact that your brother was behind it?—”
“Mom, how many times do I have to tell you?” I blurt out before she can finish. “That’s just not true.”
She rubs her hands over her slacks, which I notice are dirty and wrinkled. “What did he say to you? What did it take for him to brainwash you the way he has?” she asks, sounding disappointed.
She’s one to talk about brainwashing. Her brain is practically squeaky clean at this point. “I know he had nothing to do with it, Mom. He was devastated. It wasn’t his fault. Remember when we used to play out in the yard?” I ask suddenly, trying to laugh when all I want to do is sob. “All I ever wanted was to be like them. They were always brave and confident. They weren’t afraid of anything.”
Her lips stir in the beginning of a smile. “They worried me half to death sometimes. I was sure one of you would break your neck, climbing that tree, seeing who could go higher.”
My head bobs up and down eagerly. “We were so happy. You guys gave us a truly happy life. It’s not the kind of thing you understand when you’re a kid, but you appreciate it when you get older. You gave us everything we needed.”
She swallows hard, her nostrils flaring, and her chin trembling. “And what good did it do? I lost one child at the hands of another.”
Fuck trying to be quiet. “No! You didn’t! That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Mason adored Jonathan. He would’ve done anything to protect him.”
Her shoulders rise and fall when she sighs. “I think I’ve heard all I need to hear from you.”
“You can’t do this!” Is there desperation in my voice when she stands up like she’s ready to go? Yes. I’m beyond trying to hide it. “You can’t honestly believe Mason was behind Jonathan’s death. You can’t believe it in your heart.”
“An eye for an eye,” Mom murmurs. Her face is expressionless, but it’s her flat voice that chills my heart. “This is what needs to be done.”
“You can’t kill him!” And now, a whole new range of possibilities opens up in my frantic mind. What if this was nothing more than a way of getting me out of the hotel so I can’t warn my brother of what’s coming? What if they want to use me to lure him out?
