Aftermath Book Two Crash Series

Chapter Twenty-Five

Aria

            My vision tunnels in on the corner of the display glass where I can just make out the reflection of a shadow behind me. With shaking hands, tense muscles, and veins full of what feels like fire ants I carefully turn. I still don’t know who I’m dealing with, the last thing I need is to piss anyone off any more than they already are.

            I’m taken aback when I finally lay eyes on the person that’s now lurking in front of me. Edward? What’s he doing here and what did he do with Connor? Is he alive or will I have another dead body to haunt my dreams? This time with the face and soul of my friend.

            It only takes a brief moment to take in his menacing aura, paralyzing me in my spot and stealing my breath as it wraps me in its tightening grip. His lips are pulled up in a stretched smile, his perfectly white teeth are exposed and shown off. He looks like the cat that caught the canary, but theirs no guilt to be found, just pure smug satisfaction.

            I want to scream for my life as his evil nature fills the room, draining all the light and hope, leaving only bitter desperation and fear. But still, I can’t move or process what’s happening. I mean I’ve been around this man many times, I know he’s despicable, but never not once did I sense the pure evil that seeps from his pores. I can see now there’s no redemption, no saving grace, or an ill-tuned moral compass that needs adjustment.

            He has something missing within him, I don’t know if it’s something that was lost through some trauma of his own that went unhealed too long, or if he was born broken and lacking, but there the man standing in front of me now could be interchangeable with Brian. But where Brian only had the capacity of the BPD and his psychotic mind, Edward has the money and power to bribe just about anyone to get away with just about anything.

            I know it, he knows it, and now here I am. Facing a man that sees himself as an all-powerful emperor as a one-woman crew. Who’s frozen in terror and has nothing close by to use as any sort of weapon.

            The door to the kitchen gets thrown open, smacking the wall behind it with enough force to rattle my signs hanging there, one teeters so it’s hanging at an awkward angle well the other crashes to the floor, the breaking glass fading into the background as I take in the second intruder. I half assumed there was someone else in here, the only reasonable conclusion to Connor falling to the ground and the Edward being behind me in a matter of seconds. But it’s still only seconds later and I’m still not sure what’s happening. Only that I need to getaway. Save myself, before it’s too late.

            The newcomer only heightens my senses as my mind spins. He’s tall and in similar stature as Wyatt. His shoulders are thick, holding up bulky arms around a square torso. His all muscle holding in repressed anger. His blonde hair is cut short so only the very tip of his hair sticks from his almost bald scalp. His eyes are so brown they appear black. He walks to Edward, positioning himself behind him, clearly signifying he’s here to follow orders not to give them.

            Their faces blur as the room spins and my gut churns. Pulling in a shaky breath I try hard to keep myself upright but ultimately my shoulders slope forward as my hands grab for my stomach and grip tight as I try to anchor myself.

            In through my nose, out through my mouth.

            In through my nose, out through my mouth.

            “If only everyone could see you now. Shaken and pale there’d be no way for your little groupies to call you strong or an inspiration then.” His bitter laugh revibrates down my spine, it hooks to my core and reels me further in. He may say more that I can’t hear through the blood rushing in my ears or the churning in my gut. I want to scream but my lips are locked shut, I want to run but my feet are glued to the floor, I want to go searching for help for Connor but I’m pinned and cornered.

            In through my nose, out through my mouth.

            I don’t know how to cut through the tether keeping me in my panic so I can process and assess the situation. I need enough brain cells to properly function enough to get away from these men but seeing how they intruded I don’t know that I have any hope. But maybe Connor does? Maybe I can distract them long enough so Connor has a chance if he isn’t dead already.

            Would they really keep a witness alive Aria? Maybe? Maybe I would have a better answer if I knew why they were here? But to find that out I need to get a grip. Time seems to have come to a halt as I process and shift. Usually, my fight instinct would have turned on by now but instead, my flight is still going strong, even my body knows this is useless, that I stand no real chance.

            Squeezing my eyes closed as tight as I can I picture Mason’s calm and serene face. I grab a mental picture from the other night at the hotel. We had just got back from the game both of us had a few drinks but not too many, there was an unspoken promise to stay sober and present. We wanted a good time but I a time with the two of us uninhibited by being just ourselves, not our drunken alter egos that we’ll forget half the experience anyways.

            There was no work allowed, surprising to Mason himself he didn’t seem to mind, and neither of us was in any rush. We bundled up in a heated blanket that he sat next to the fireplace in the room so we could sit outside on the balcony next to the tabletop fire under the stars. We got lost in a playful argument over the constellations and astrology as a whole.

            Overall we were living in that moment. Both of us were relaxed as we enjoyed the company and the beautiful view. The heat from the fire, the blanket, and Mason’s arms were enough of a comfort to threaten an early night, but his conversation and the look of contentedness in Mason’s eyes kept my craving for sleep at bay.

            It was blissful and peaceful and the exact memory I needed for this moment, to pull myself together and calm down. I concentrate on the promise of that night and the truth of that day. If I can relax and let go of everything frightening even just for a moment I can have better moments. This moment might not be one-hundred percent comparable but it’s similar in that I need to let my panic and fear go so I can have a clear head to make whatever decision comes next.

            Gulping in a lung full of air I shove my shoulders back and peel my eyes open. My chest rattles with every breath after and my vision isn’t precise but it’s better and my hearing is clear enough to make out a conversation.

            “What are you doing here?” I lock my gaze on Edward as I fight not to shift them back towards muscle man. They already witness some of my weaknesses, it’s time to show them my strength. Fake it until I make it right.

            f**k.

            Somehow his smile grows bigger, deeper, and darker. He looks pleased that I asked, or maybe he already said, and he’s pleased to know just how weak I was moments ago. Looking at him is astonishing, how can people hide their true self’s so well, how can evil hide behind pretty faces and crisp suits so easily?

            He steps forward, moving closer in what seems to be an intimidating move, honestly, it seems like one too. I take a step back as he does which might come in handy if I could get to my purse, I have a gun in there. A small little shotgun that Wyatt gave me after our last dangerous escapade. I practiced shooting a few times before Brian found me, I haven’t since but I'm not a terrible shot and if I can get to it, it might be the only way out of this.

            Too bad I’m getting closer and closer to the wall well the case is on my side and not behind me, really I’m cornering myself in even more than I was. This time just literally, pinning myself to the wall with Edward towering before me, locking his arms on either side.

            I gag through my repulsion as my gut churns. The last time any man other than Mason had me in this spot it involved an event worse and more degrading than death. His cologne and deodorant fill the space around us adding to my growing nausea. Maybe I should give in, puke on his expensive loafers, and see how he likes that.

            “I’ve thought of this moment so many times.” I never shrugged out of my jacket thank god, so the only place he has the opportunity to drag his slimy cold hands is down my cheek and along my jaw until he places his thumb at the corner of my lip. I’m tempted to open wide and bite down, and I might but I have to think this through.

            I’ve been learning defense moves, or I was before Brian. I probably should have kept up with it but regardless I know a thing or two. I feel semi-confident I could at the very least knock Edward down long enough to get to my purse, but I have no hope of knocking out Muscle man.

            As disgusting as the contact as, as terrible as it feels I use it to empower me, like every time it didn’t with Brian. I ran with him, all but the last time, I ran into the deepest parts of my mind every time he put his hands on me, just so I could hide from the pain, physical and mental alike. Sometimes it was daydreams of Shirley’s others I was in a constant state of nothingness. I just was.

            But with his grimy finger on my lip and his body pressed against mine I have no choice but to fight. I learned the hard way why escaping inside my mind is the worst thing I can do. The single act of putting his skin to mine was the scissors snapping his hold on my emotions and mental dilemma. With clarity and precision, I focus on the here and now as I work on forming the few moments I’ll have soon.

            His breath fans my face, instinct demands I cringe away, I want to turn my head to the side and push further into the wall like it’s a pillow and not drywall. But I don’t give into instinct, I tamp it down like Mason taught in my lessons.

            Your instincts will be your worst nightmare at first. They’ve been wired the wrong way but we’ll re-wire them until then do the opposite of what they say. His soothing voice fills me, helping me settle even more.

            Thank you, Mason, for always being my savior. My backbone, my strength. I send the thoughts to the universe with the hope that no matter the outcome he’ll know. He has to.

            His finger digs in, pulling my lip down and sliding his dirty fingers across the inside of my lip, painfully. “My son chose well in appearance alone. Really quite surprising with his history. He loves pushing me, testing me. To be fair I see how you could be distracting and since I’ve warned you enough as it is I’m no longer asking nor warning.”

            With my face locked in his grip and his towering body in front of my own, I have no way of knowing where muscle man is but the second Edward goes for the zipper on my jacket I know I don’t have much longer to figure out and execute my plan.     

            “Like I’ve told you before it’s not your decision to make. It never was and it never will be, regardless of what you do now, Mason will never fall in line with your corrupted expectations.” I use the wall behind me to stand taller and support my weight. Is till can’t see muscle man but I don’t have time to waste.

            With my zipper opened, it leaves my jacket at my sides revealing my tight knitted top with a low scooped neckline the skin on my chest exposed and waiting to be violated.

            Lock your elbows, extend your arms, roll your back and rotate your shoulders. I hear Mason clear as day, a guardian angel giving me the only tool I have to save myself and get to Connor.

            I hold still, waiting. That will get me out of his grasp but I still need to make it past him and muscle man. I need to render him useless for as long as I can.

            His eyes sparkle in sick pleasure as he takes in the view. His one grabs my jaw and grips harder guaranteeing a black and blue mark while his other moves inside my jacket so he can slide up my top and grip my bare hips. My heart starts to pick back up as does my breathing and I know the clarity I have now won’t last much longer.

            “He will and you’re going to make him. I might have stayed away for a little longer but then you went and told everyone about Lauren. If you wanted my attention you have it.” He climbs up my side getting closer and closer to my breast with every word, every breath. “You’ll pay for every news article, every time I had to listen to Cynthia endlessly drone on, and every investor you lost me. Oh, you’ll work all your debt off, and I’m looking forward to it.”

            “You’re losing a war you don’t even know you’re fighting Eddy boy,” I pitch my voice as annoying and condescending as I can make it well he grips my breast. “You heard what I did to a serial killer you really think I can’t and I won’t take on a power-hungry whimp like you? Do you think Mason will ever forget everything you’ve already done, or go along with everything you have planned? You’re so blinded by greed and arrogance you have no idea what’s realistic anymore.” Smiling up at him I know he can see my fear, feel my shaking chest but I also know he sees the truth in my words even if he doesn’t understand them.

            He squints his eyes to nothing more than a sliver of a glare. His cheeks turn red and his touch turns angrier. He squeezes harder as he twists my breasts, it pulls at the newly scared tissue from the injury I received from Brian just weeks ago, I want to cry out but I bite down instead as he pulls my face closer.

            His spit hits my face as he speaks his next words, his face could not get any closer if he was my own. “You have no idea who you’re messing with but you will soon.”

            I don’t hesitate, I use his anger as his distraction, lifting my knee up fast and hard I grab his wrist on my breast at the same time, using as much force as I can to twist it to the side hard as he cringes and groans at the impact my hard knee has on his floppy, sensitive, old man balls. Too bad for him he’s wrong I do know who I’m messing with, it’s him who’s underestimated me.

            The second I feel the pop in his wrist and feel his face move to the side as he jerks into the wall for support I do just as I thought earlier, I lock my elbows, fling them straight out as I roll my back and rotate my shoulders. He isn’t prepared for the momentum added to his injuries so his already unbalanced position gives me more leverage than I foresaw. His shoulders and head whip back knocking right into muscle man as he was making his way to us and the growing out of control scene before him.

            Like I said muscle man is tall and thick, like a stone statue but he was also in movement and now he’s off-balance. I know it’s risky and taking a chance but I see an opportunity so I take it. Leaping forward with my fingers crossed and a prayer to the universe I put my weight on my left foot as I jump up and kick my right foot out aiming right for Muscle mans face.

            If I know anything about myself at this point I know my control on my body movements and balance aren’t great so my expectations are pretty low, really I just need to get him knocked back and injured enough to not just push Edward off and come lunging for me before I can get the gun in hand. SO when I make contact with the left side of his face, mainly his eye and temple, and still manage to land on my two feet, shaking and unsteady but standing and uninjured I run.

            I hear both of them hit the ground and groan hard like I was blindsided earlier with their appearance they're blindsided by my will to live or to not be abused.

            I could go right for my purse on this side of the counter but I remember it dumped out earlier and I wanted the added protection the glass display will provide between me and these men. They may be down for the moment but it’ll be only a blink before their approaching. Their need for vengeance stronger than before.

            I skid to a stop in front of the spilled remains of my purse, my jacket feels down my shoulders in all the action limiting my arm movement as I use my precious seconds to grab for my purse and grab my gun, that isn’t littering my counter. I have to reach a few times as I work to shuffle the jacket back up m,y arms simultaneously, I don’t have any time to waste.  

            I make contact with the leather side of my purse and yank it down impatiently, with my heart in my throat and my hands shaking almost to the point of not being able to use them. I dump it out in front of me in seconds and scoop my metal handgun up in the next second. With a satisfying almost soundless flick of the safety, I have my arms extended and my gun aimed and ready.

            “You f*****g b***h!” Edward growls as he straightens out and takes me in. Muscle man stands behind him with a glare of his own as his fingers twitch to reach for his side where he probably has a gun of his own.        

            “Move and I’ll shot you!” My gun shakes in my hands by my voice is fierce and demanding.

            Edward laughs without humor, “You don’t have in you. Even if you did what would you say? We shut your security system down, knocked out your bodyguard. You have no proof we did anything wrong. Shot to kill or I’ll have you locked up for murder in under the hour.” He’s right and I know it but I don’t show him or let his words get to me. If it comes down to my life or his I’ll do what I need to and I’ll deal with the regrets later.

            “Move and find out.” As soon as the words leave my breath there's a shuffling sound that comes from the kitchen before I hear a mumbled “Fuckkk” groaned out in pain. It’s Connor, it has to be, which means he’s alive and he’ll be out here in moments.

            Edward's face drains of color as the realization settles in, he lost this one. “Keep your f*****g mouth shut or I’ll destroy you and Mason.” He turns for the door with fast movements, muscle man following along. They don’t want to be here when Connor makes it out. “You have no idea what you just did.”

            With his parting words, the door slams shut behind him as Connor stumbles out of the kitchen shouting my name. We’re both safe, for now.