Mason’s jaw tightened and he turned back to the screen. Scrolling up he read the messages Holly and Alex had sent to each other. Shocked and angry, Holly tried to stop him, pulling at his arm and demanding he leave.
Ignoring her, Mason continued to read until finally he sat back.
“What can I say, Holly? This is definitely a scam.” He stared at her woebegone face as she now sat slumped in a chair beside him.
“You don’t understand,” she muttered tearfully.
“Yes, I think I do, Holly. You went online to find a friend and this person—Alex—made contact with you and wooed you with poems and flattery preying on your vulnerability, your hopes and dreams, and your grief. He convinced you that he is the answer to your worries and that he was going to marry you and you swallowed his lies. But, Holly, can you honestly say deep in your heart that you truly believed this man?”
Holly lowered her head, finding an inordinate amount of interest in the hem of her skirt.
Mason sighed. “Holly, you have never met this man, so how can you honestly believe that he wants to marry you? And why would you want to marry and put your trust in someone you don’t know?”
Holly’s head lifted. “I do know him. Of course I do, more than I know you, and yet I stupidly slept with you.” She avoided his look and drew a sustaining breath. “Anyway we’ve been communicating for weeks and I believe him. It’s all there and you can see that he cares for me. He said so.”
“Drivel! These people make a living preying on vulnerable people. They start off by checking your profile and in your case, you would have put single? Widow?” He raised an eyebrow.
Holly nodded.
“Then they compliment you, call you pretty, send you poetry, draw you out to tell them more about yourself, things you would never usually tell anyone. And then when they confirm that their victim is lonely, sad, and desperate they go in for the kill. They set up some unlikely scenario and ask for money, which this lowlife has already done. Holly…”
He sighed and leaning forward he took her small cold hands in his. “I don’t want to hurt you, but this Alex has scammed you. He has taken your money and you will never, ever, get to meet him let alone anything else. This is how these people operate. They demand more and more money and when it dries up you never hear from them again. Didn’t warning alarms sound when you read his messages, Holly? His grammar, his language, it’s all wrong. Who says they are on ‘the high seas’? They just say they are at sea. And he never ever uses your name. He calls you dear, or angel but never Holly. That’s because they are grooming more than one person at a time and they don’t want to mix up the names. They call all their victims ‘dear,’ ‘angel,’ ‘love,’ or ‘sweetheart,’ and if that’s not enough for you to believe me there’s this. Here…” He pointed to the screen. “He says his daughter’s name is Mary-Jane and yet here…” He scrolled down. “Her name has suddenly changed to Emma?”
“It’s just a typo. That’s all it is, a typo.” Holly bit her lip, realising she hadn’t picked up on the change of name and suddenly feeling totally demoralised she stared fixedly at the screen.
“I–I know this kind of thing happens, Mason. I’m not stupid, but it isn’t the case here. Alex does want to marry me. It’s just that he’s in a spot of trouble and needs help. But I know that when he’s free he will repay me all the money and he will come and get me and we will live happily ever after. I know it. I do.”
Tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks and she lifted a trembling hand to brush them away. Mason was wrong. She knew it. She just knew it. So what if the daughter’s name was different? So what if Alex had used odd grammar? After all anything goes these days. It didn’t mean he was a bad person. It just meant that he was different.
Mason’s heart was wrung at the misery and distress on Holly’s face and the shining hope that glowed out of her eyes. He knew she wanted reassurance, wanted him to say he was mistaken and that the scumbag Alex would come and get her, but he couldn’t. He was angry that this awful thing was happening to her. Hadn’t she been through enough, losing Adam, her home, her lifestyle, and now this? He wanted to take her in his arms and reassure her, but he knew she wouldn’t want that. Reading her messages his heart had sank. She’d cashed in Adam’s pension, the little bit of security she had left, she’d spent her meagre hard-earned savings, and she’d got into debt with a loan shark. Could it get any worse?
“Look, Holly, I know you don’t believe me, that you don’t want what I’ve told you to be true, but if this man is genuine he wouldn’t ask you to get yourself caught up in debt to a loan shark. I bet if you told him that you’ve had a change of heart, that you are not going back to the loan shark and so won’t be able to get him any more money, he would show his true colours and stop contacting you. He’ll just keep the money he’s had and run.”
He lifted her chin with a gentle hand and looked into her eyes.
“Holly, if you truly want to prove Alex is the man you believe him to be, you will write and tell him you can’t get any more money, and if he is genuine and wants to be with you he will accept your decision and will still continue to communicate.” He gazed intently at her. “So are you game? Are you prepared to put your relationship to the test?”
Holly desperately wanting to do nothing more than throw herself down on the floor and howl her eyes out but instead lifted her chin. She knew Mason didn’t want to hurt her, but he had and she felt crushed. Mason truly believed what he was saying. She also knew that, but he didn’t know Alex. He didn’t understand how powerful their friendship had become. Alex had been there when she had needed a friend and a confidante and he had been kind, understanding, and supportive. She meant as much to him as he did to her and she’d prove it. She’d show Mason just how wrong he was.
“Very well, I’ll do it, but when he proves that he’s okay with my decision you promise not to interfere anymore?”
Mason pursed his lips. “Very well.” He nodded at the screen. “Tell him.”
Holly, with a last look at Mason’s set face, pulled the laptop toward her.
Hello, Alex,
I am so sorry I have been mistaken, I am unable to get any more money after all. Please tell the pirates that there is nothing more I can do as I cannot get any more loans but that I am truly sorry. I do care about you and your well-being and I will be here for you no matter what.
Please understand this letter is the hardest I’ve ever had to write and my heart is filled with worry for you. I will, however, get in touch with your company if you tell me where to contact them as I am sure they will be able to help, maybe negotiate with the pirates or contact the local police out there.
Anyway, please believe me when I say I care more than you will ever know and that I am waiting for you no matter how long it takes.
Yours, Holly x
Staring at the words she had written, Holly’s gut twisted in fear. What if Alex was genuine and what if the pirates killed him because she had deserted him in his hour of need? Could she continue to live with herself after that—horror? Closing her eyes she swallowed hard and her fingers hovered over the Delete button.
“Don’t do it, Holly.” Mason caught hold of her hand and stared intently into her eyes. “Trust me in this.”
“But what if you’re wrong and Alex dies—what then, Mason?”
“He won’t die, Holly. Believe me, he won’t die.”
Staring at him, into his clear, honest eyes, Holly knew she had to do as he asked but her fingers trembled as she hit the Send button.
Chapter Eleven
For Holly, the wait was unbearable and unable to sit still she wandered around the room picking up objects and putting them down again. Conscious of Mason’s eyes on her, she determinedly put on a cheerful, defiant face. She knew Alex would come through for her, because if he didn’t she wouldn’t know which way to turn. It would be like losing Adam all over again.
“Coffee?” She smiled brightly and filled the kettle
. She had to keep busy. “You shouldn’t stay, Mason.” Her glance was deliberately offhand. “Alex might be incommunicado at the moment. The pirates could have him tied up or anything, and it might be ages before he can contact me again.”
“I’ll stay.”
“Why, why!” she cried, slamming the kettle down on the unit, slopping water everywhere, desperately wanting him to go so she could have a good cry.
“Because if you get the answer I think you’re going to get, Holly, I want to be here.”
“Why so you can gloat, call me a fool, and vilify me for my stupidity?”
“No,” he said quietly. “To support and comfort you.”
Holly stared at him, unable to think of anything to say.
* * * *
“You have one new message!”
Holly’s breath caught in the back of her throat and her heart pounded so loudly she was sure Mason would be able to hear it. She stared at Mason, who looked calmly back at her, his gaze intent, his arms folded across his powerful chest. It had taken two hours of sitting there putting a brave face on things and talking nothings to Mason before the disembodied voice had delivered the words she had been waiting to hear.
Lifting her chin, she met his look defiantly and, sitting in front of the laptop, her mouth dry and her lips trembling, Holly moved the mouse and opened the message.
You stupid woman! Do you think you can get away with this? What a laugh I have had getting money from you, my dear, it was so easy. It was how they say, like taking a biscuit from a baby.
“Candy from a baby,” Holly muttered, tears filling her eyes as she felt Mason’s hand close comfortingly on her shoulder.
How desperate you were pouring your heart out to me thinking that I care. Did you really believe I would want to marry you, some man’s leftover? Why is it you foolish women think men want you after you have already laid with another man? A virgin is the woman I would want, not some dirty little harlot. However, no matter what you think all is not over, my dear. You will send me the money I want because I demand it, and because you have wilfully disobeyed me, I have now added on another five thousand pounds. So you will now send me ten thousand pounds immediately, and I don’t care what you have to do to get it.
But take note, my dear, if you fail to send me the money I will hunt you down and kill you. You will die slowly and painfully at my hands but only after you have made up the ten thousand pounds by prostituting for me and my friends. You have a nubile little body and I expect as you haven’t lain with a man for so long you have an eager pussy just begging to be fucked so you will make me much money.
But take this warning, if you go to the police you will disappear as I will steal you away in the night and hack your body to pieces to feed to the alligators.
So, my dear, ten thousand by midnight tonight or else.
Alex.
Holly, her eyes growing wide in fear and her face paling to a white, waxen sheen turned a tear-filled gaze to Mason. Hardly able to speak for the fear and shock, she mutely indicated the screen.
Mason moved behind Holly and read the message, his body close and both hands reassuringly resting on her shoulders.
His jaw tightened and his eyes grew steely and a small pulse beat a tattoo in his neck.
“Ignore it, Holly. It’s just a threat, nothing more. Just a way of frightening you. Revenge for not getting anymore money from you.”
Holly started to cry, her whole body trembling in shock and fear. Why had this happened to her? She was not an evil person. She gave money to the tramp on the corner of the street, and she fed the hungry birds in the park and helped the old lady down the road with her shopping. So why?
Mason pulled Holly into his arms and gathered her close, comforting her as best he could. He knew she was frightened, disappointed, and most of all degraded by the words Alex had written and by her foolishness in believing in him. However, it would eventually pass, but in the meantime she needed to cry it all out.
Silently he held her, gently rubbing her back whilst her tears soaked his shirt and she shook with the force of her emotions. Time passed and eventually she quieted, sniffing and snuffling into a disintegrating piece of old tissue.
Sitting her down in a nearby chair, Mason filled the kettle and proceeded to make tea. The English’s panacea for all that ailed them.
In silence they drank the beverage. Holly’s hand was trembling so much the cup knocked against her teeth. Mason’s thoughts turned to the evil bastard that had done this to Holly. Holly’s thoughts were on, he knew not what.
“You were right after all,” Holly said into the silence, her voice thick with tears.
“A fact which gives me no pleasure, Holly.”
She looked up at him. “What now?”
“Now, you put it all behind you and you never, ever make contact with this man again. In fact defriend him and report him. Then, you rebuild your life and with it your self-esteem. You are a beautiful woman, Holly, and one day you will find a man that truly loves you and wants to marry you, a man you haven’t met online. But for now, I’ll go and see this loan shark you’ve got yourself involved with and pay him off, so you have no need to fear any repercussions there.”
“But you can’t—I mean, it’s far too much money and it’s my own stupid fault, so I should be made to pay the consequences.”
“Holly, let me do this. If for nothing else, for Adam. He would want me to make sure you are okay. And anyway, it’s only money and your peace of mind is far more important than any amount of money.”
Knowing she had been beaten and that she had no way to turn other than Mason and his kindness and generosity, Holly nodded. “Well, thank you, I really do appreciate it, but you know if I had any other option I wouldn’t accept your so-generous offer. But I will pay you back, Mason, I promise you, just as soon as I can.”
“It’s not necessary, Holly. I am a rich man and ten thousand is nothing especially if it sets your mind at rest. However, I do want you to promise me one thing—if you ever need help or get into trouble again you won’t hesitate to come to me. No stiff-necked pride holding you back.”
Nodding, Holly listened to his words and her heart sank. It was like he was saying good-bye. Confirming to her muddled mind that last night really didn’t mean anything to him. It had just been sex.
“Now, I suggest you get some sleep and forget all what has happened. Put it down to a slight aberration on your part and the meanness of human nature on his.”
He moved to the door. “You will feel better after a good night’s sleep. Things will look clearer and maybe one day you will be able to laugh when you look back on this. Anyway lock the door after me and no more tears, emm.”
Holly, wanting nothing more than to beg him to stay, nodded again, trying to put a brave face on things especially in the face of Mason’s stoicism. She couldn’t ever imagine a time she would laugh about what had happened. Alex’s words had worried her far more than she had let on and she was terrified. But also she suddenly realised, it was not Alex she had wanted to marry after all—it was Mason.
Locking the door, she leaned back against the wood feeling gobsmacked for wont of a better word. She just realised she was in love with Lieutenant-Coronel Mason Black.
Chapter Twelve
It took hours for Holly to get to sleep that night. A further bout of crying left her dehydrated and headachy, but eventually toward dawn she dozed off only to come quickly awake at the creak of her gate. Frowning up at the ceiling, she held her breath in an effort to hear better. Minutes passed and she strained to hear, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. She must have imagined it.
Around six she climbed stiffly out of bed, and it all came flooding back, the humiliation, the sense of loss, and the self-loathing. And suddenly it was like a veil had been lifted and she realised just how caught up in Alex’s fabrication she had become. How could she have been so stupid as to believe what some stranger told her online? How could she have been so gullible
believing a man she didn’t know, and had never met, would want to marry her? And why or why had she fallen under his spell so much so that she’d fooled herself into believing she wanted to marry him? Feeling vulnerable, desperate for attention and for companionship she had most thoroughly been brainwashed. Then there was the money, Adam’s pension, her savings, and, oh God, the loan from the loan shark—all gone. Sitting on the edge of the bed she cried bitterly and noisily, sobbing and snuffling into the corner of the duvet.
Eventually of course she pulled herself sufficiently together to make her way into the kitchen. With a strength born of determination she absolutely closed her mind to the terrifying vileness of Alex’s last e-mail. A cup of tea and then—what? It was Sunday, so no work today. She hated her job, but for once she would have welcomed the heat of the cooking, the smell of food, and the aching tiredness a day’s hard work brought. Anything to take her mind off her gross stupidity and, yes, she had to admit it, the sheer loneliness of life.
Sipping her coffee, Holly went to the door. The autumn sun was filtering through a low-hanging cloud and she needed some fresh air. There was an envelope on the mat and she picked it up with nonchalant curiosity. Who could be writing to her?
Back in the kitchen she ripped open the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper. Her face feeling like an icy blast had wafted over it. She felt for a chair sinking gracefully into it as shock numbed her limbs. Her gaze scanned the paper again.
Bitch, you need to pay up. Ten thousand pounds must be wired to this account by tomorrow. If the money is not received by midday you will die a violent death.
Oh my God! Holly stared fixedly at the sheet of paper, but the hand holding the letter was shaking so much the words began jiggling around making them difficult to read. Mason was wrong! Alex and his people were not some distant illusionary figures. They were real and they were near and they were going to get her. She quickly looked at the envelope, turning it over and over. No postmark, which could only mean that whoever had delivered it was in the vicinity, which meant, it had been delivered by some shadowy figure in the middle of the night. And worst of all—they knew where she lived!
Third Time Lucky (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 6
