Let Me Go (10 page)

Living with Mason and being around him so
much, she knew he was a very complex man. She knew there were many
layers to him, and although he had shown her a few softer layers
over the past month, she had never seen him like this. He truly was
human, just completely broken. She finally understood what the
point of this punishment really was – he wanted her to feel as
broken as he was. He wanted her to feel like nothing mattered
because that was how he felt. But the fact that she hadn’t broke
yet and had kept up with all his demands was something he couldn’t
fathom. It was something he revered but couldn’t comprehend.

He was so certain that she was truly behind
his downfall. But she knew she wasn’t, that there was no way. There
was no time in her life for that to have happened. She didn’t
understand why he wholeheartedly believed it was her.

She needed to learn more about the rape
accusation; she needed to learn more about him. She couldn’t even
believe she thought this, but she needed to fix him. She was
clearly starting to suffer from Stockholm syndrome because she
actually related to Mason and wanted to help this broken man. She
briefly wondered what he was like before he was sent to prison. She
wondered if they would have ever met.

It didn’t matter now. They had met, he was
unapproachable, and he was damn handsome. And now, to her, he was
human.

Chapter 14

The next week,
Kat tiptoed around Mason. She was still trying to understand him
and figure out a way to get him to open up. And she was trying to
process her own feelings for him. That Sunday Mason took her
outside again. She was giddy from being outdoors, especially since
this was only her second time in months. She sat on a lounge chair
with her eyes closed, basking in the warmth of the sun on her face
while a slight breeze blew her hair around. She recalled the
conversation she had with Mason the previous week, but she pushed
it back because she was on a high. If she stopped to think about
it, it was actually pretty sad that she was so darn happy to be
outside. She wanted to hug Mason and thank him for letting her out.
Yep, definitely Stockholm syndrome, how else could she explain
the silly feelings she had.

After about an hour or so, Mason came
outside and announced, “The boys are coming over for the playoffs.”
She knew he had been referring to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and her
happiness went up another notch.
Hockey! Yay!

Still on her high she asked, “You think
there is a chance I can watch the game with you guys? I mean, I’ll
still make sure everything is prepared and you guys are served and
get everything you want or need, but I love hockey. I would love to
watch the game and have fun with you guys.”

“Give a finger, they ask for the whole
hand,” he muttered.

“Huh?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

“Oh.” She couldn’t hide her
disappointment.

“But I’ll pretend not to notice if you
happen to accidentally watch the game while getting me a beer or
something. You know, if you take an extra long time setting it down
in front of me,” he said while smirking.

The change was such a pleasant surprise that
before she even knew what she was doing, Kat threw herself at Mason
and hugged him. She felt him hug her back, and she forgot herself
for a moment in the feel of his strong arms wrapped around her.

She pulled back slightly and looked up at
his face. He was looking down at her with a bit of an uneasy
expression on his face. She should have let go, but for some
reason, she couldn’t. And he didn’t either, and they stood like
that for a little longer. It was what some would call an awkward
moment, right out of a movie, but Kat was lost in his green eyes
and the humor he had just displayed. And then he shifted and Kat
remembered where they were. And more importantly, who he was.

She pulled back. “Thank you.”

“Right.” He coughed a little uncomfortably.
“Well, there will be a few more guys today, some friends of John’s.
So you better go get everything set up.”

“Yep, right on it.” She walked back
inside.

*****

Mason kept his promise and Kat got to watch
most of the game as if she were one of the guys. The usual
suspects, John, Benny, and Chain, regarded her with their usual
attitudes – Benny’s was friendly, Chain’s was flirty, and John’s
was indifferent. But there were two new guys, one of whom barely
paid attention to her, almost like John, while the other leered at
her practically the entire time. It was like she was the game and
not what was on the television. And although Chain had stared at
her the entire time when she first met him, she didn’t seem as
troubled by his appreciation of her as she did by this new guy. She
hadn’t figured out his name, but his friend had called him Junior
once, so maybe that was it.

Kat went to use the restroom. When she
stepped out, she ran into Junior. Bumping into guys on her way out
the restroom was starting to creep her out. Of course Benny wasn’t
creepy, but this guy sure as hell was.

“So I hear Benny call you Kitty Kat. But I’m
thinking I’d like to call you Pussy Kat. You’d like that, huh?”

“Um, no, but thanks for asking. Bathroom’s
all yours now. I should get back out there and get Mason a new
beer.”

“I thought me and you could get to know each
other a little better. I thought we could step back into one of the
rooms and play a little show and tell, just you and me.”

“Sorry, not going to happen. So if you’ll
excuse me.” She tried to push past him, but he blocked her and
pushed her against the wall. He was taller than her by at least a
head and had her pinned. He leaned in close, his hot stale breath
on her neck, and he ground his hips into her. She wanted to scream,
but the sound died on her lips. She was paralyzed with fear. This
guy was going to rape her and she was locked up, frozen.

“Listen bitch,” he whispered in her ear. “A
sweet, tight thing like you isn’t meant to be used by only one guy.
I know Mason’s been taking the edge off with you. Hell, Pussy Kat,
I took one look at you and knew you’d be a little spitfire in bed.
And I need a little something too. I deserve a hot thing like you
too. Ol’ Mase can’t be man enough for you anyway. So you’re going
to be a good little girl and not make a sound, right?” It didn’t
really matter as he had covered her mouth with his other hand.
Whatever muffled noises she could make would be lost by the
television on full blast. When she didn’t respond, he let his other
hand trail toward her chest. If Kat wasn’t so terrified, his touch
might be considered gentle. But when he reached her breast, he
squeezed hard. She gasped beneath his hand, but the sound was
muffled. “I can’t wait to taste you. I bet a fine gal like you
tastes like sweet honey. I bet your nipples are dark pink and match
your pussy. You’ll probably moan real loud like a whore when I
slide my fingers in you.” And then his fingers started trailing
down, down.
This couldn’t be happening.
Suddenly her mind
started working again. This was it; he thought this was the moment
she was going to break.
Wrong!

She couldn’t scream, but she sure as hell
could bite and that’s what she did. She bit into the palm that was
against her mouth, causing him to let go and loosen his grip.

“You bit me. You little bitch,” he sneered
as he slapped her, hard, before she even had the chance to scream.
The force caused her to sink to her knees. She put her hands to her
face and covered herself, prepared for another attack, but none
came. She hadn’t registered when or how Mason had gotten there, but
there he was. He had pinned Junior against the wall, his hands
around his neck, squeezing.

“You come into my home and assault my
things?” She let it slide that he had called her a thing,
considering he had saved her and all. “Who the fuck do you think
you are? You like taking advantage of women? You like taking what’s
not given freely? You like hitting people? You like hitting women?
I should kill you right now. You are lucky I can’t do anything to
you. Get the fuck out of my house and I swear to God, if I ever see
you again, I will rip your head off. If you ever see me, run, run
fast and hard, in the opposite direction as me. John,” Mason called
and turned around to see John behind him. All the guys had gathered
at the commotion. “Get this fucking piece of shit out of my face
and out of my place. And if you ever hang out with trash like this
again, you won’t be welcome here either.”

Mason hadn’t let go of Junior and Junior was
still struggling for air, his eyes wide, clearly afraid of Mason. A
small part of Kat was kind of proud that Mason had been her savior
right now. Of course, if Mason hadn’t kidnapped her, she wouldn’t
have been in this situation in the first place.

John held his palms up as if in defeat.
“Hey, man, I don’t know him. He is Cole’s cousin.” Cole must have
been the other guy.

“I don’t give a fuck who he is; you brought
him here, get him out.”

Cole finally spoke. “Hey Mason, man, sorry,
he’s a bit of a wild one. I’ll take him out, just ease up a bit,
yeah? I don’t think he can breathe.”

Finally Mason let go. He took a swing and
landed a punch on Junior’s face. “Now, get out.”

Kat was still huddled on the floor, watching
the exchange, while her throbbing cheek reminded her this was
really happening.

Mason stood fuming, not sensing anything
around him, and she had the sudden urge to get up and comfort him.
Before she could act on that thought, he turned toward her and
lowered himself to her level. He looked at her red cheek and
winced.

“Benny, ice,” he ordered as he lifted his
hand to caress it. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, after Benny gets me ice, I’ll keep it
on and should be okay in a few days.”

“Yes, you’re right, but that’s not what I’m
talking about. Are you all right?”

She thought about it for a minute and
decided that she couldn’t change anything, so she gave him the most
honest answer she could. “I will be.”

Mason nodded, like he understood. And
somehow, she knew he had. She struggled to get up, but Mason
swooped in and picked her up like he was carrying a baby. He took
her to her room, gently setting her down on the bed. He sat down
beside her, not saying a word. There was a blankness in his
expression; one she knew had to do with him reliving his own past.
She should be thinking about what just happened to her, what almost
happened to her. The way Mason came in and saved her and then
frightened the shit out of Junior, with good reason. But all she
could think of was how affected Mason seemed by all this. It was
actually kind of good since it kept her mind off her own situation.
It was oddly comforting having him beside her, knowing that he
understood what she just went through.

She put her hand on his and he turned to
face her, his eyes glazed over, but no tears in sight. “I’m sorry,”
he said, the words barely a whisper.

“I know.” She nodded.

“No one deserves to be raped. And no one
should hit a woman. Despite what punishment I’ve served to you, I
have never laid a finger on you. I don’t believe in that and I
never will.” With that, he got up and left.

Benny came in shortly after and stayed with
her until she fell asleep. They didn’t say much, but Benny did make
a startling discovery. “You know, don’t you?” She didn’t
acknowledge that she understood what he was talking about. “You
know he was accused of rape, don’t you?”

She nodded. “I overheard him talking to
you.”

“So you truly don’t remember anything about
that?”

“No.” He simply nodded, but she still didn’t
know whether he believed her or not.

Chapter 15

Mason lay on his
bed, staring at the ceiling, wide-eyed and a little terrified.
After he had put Kat to bed, he practically ran out of there. It
was too much for him. She had left the room during the game and as
much as he wanted to pretend he didn’t notice her around him, he
knew whenever she was near. He had felt her leave, presumably to
use the restroom. He continued watching the game, laughing, joking,
and not paying attention to much around him except hockey and Kat’s
absence. Time went by, minutes went by, and Kat wasn’t back yet. He
didn’t think much of it, maybe she had an upset stomach or womanly
issues, or maybe she snuck into her room for a minute or two. Then
he glanced around and realized someone else was missing. The new
guy, Junior, wasn’t in the room either.

For a brief minute, something very close to
jealousy reared its ugly head, but Mason put that feeling to rest.
What did he have to be jealous of?
She wasn’t his girl or
anything, she was an ex-junkie who put him in prison and was now
his prisoner. That’s all she was. That still didn’t explain why was
he more than a little pissed off about the possibility that she was
off somewhere with Junior. He didn’t give her permission to go off
and have a little fun behind his back. She was using his recent
moments of kindness against him.
That lying, manipulating
bitch.

He sat there for another minute while the
anger built up inside him, until finally, he couldn’t take it
anymore. He got up, thinking to head straight to her room, but the
sound in the hallway distracted him and as he turned, he saw all he
needed to see. Junior had Kat pinned against the wall, but the look
in Kat’s eyes had nothing to do with lust and need. Her eyes
screamed fear. A well of emotion broke through him as images
assaulted his mind. He stood, lost in his own memories. He could
see what Junior was doing to her, but he was watching through a
foggy window, unable to get a clear picture. And then he heard Kat
gasp and everything was suddenly clear. She was huddled on the
floor, clutching her cheek in her hand. That bastard had touched
her against her will, and then he fucking hit her. Mason only felt
rage, and in seconds, he was across the room and had pinned Junior
against the wall, much the same way he had just had Kat. The only
difference was that Mason was choking Junior and his rage was
consuming him. He was imagining the pain he had felt over and over
again at his own violation as well as what Junior would have done
to Kat. He knew what it felt like to lose yourself that way, and he
would never wish that on someone else, no matter how much he hated
them. It didn’t matter; Junior was a scumbag, a little shit who
thought he could play with the big fish when no one was around. He
didn’t comprehend the kind of hate Mason had toward him in that
moment. Mason raged at him, barely even registering the words
coming out of his mouth as he watched himself squeeze Junior’s neck
just a little more. He was vaguely aware of his friends gathering
around him. All he could see was a red haze before him. He was
projecting every ounce of hurt, pain, and betrayal he had felt onto
Junior. Mason wanted to end his life, not only for what he had done
to Kat and what he had the potential for doing, but for everything
that was done to him as well.