Looking over at the clock, my eyes widened at the time. I needed to get my butt into gear so I could go meet Victoria.
~*~
I walked into The Brew and sighed in contentment as the smell of fresh-brewed coffee assaulted my senses. I wasn’t able to have a cup before I left the house, so this was a much-needed necessity.
Looking to the right, I scoped out the tables filling with people and smiled as I caught sight of Victoria waving me over.
“Hey.” She smiled up at me as I made it over to the table. “Long time no see,” she stated as she pushed a cup toward me. “I got you the usual.”
“Ah, thank you. I need my fuel for the day.” I picked up the cup and took a sip. It never failed; The Brew was still the best place to get coffee. I didn’t care how many people told me Starbucks was the only place they’d ever go. They could have their overpriced coffee.
“So, what’s been going on with you? How’s school going?”
I took another sip and looked over Victoria. She was dressed in one of her many sexy business suits, her blonde hair pulled back in a small ponytail.
“Wait,” I stopped her as I put my coffee down. “Why are you not at work? It’s past eight.”
She smiled. “I’m out running errands for the boss man. Plus, he wanted me to stop and get him some real coffee since his new secretary didn’t know how to make a decent pot.”
I laughed. “How’s all that going?” I asked, twirling my finger around while pointing it at her.
The last time I talked to her, she had told me about a crush she was starting to get on her new boss. I’d swear we were a cliché pair.
“That,” she exclaimed, “isn’t going anywhere. I think he has a girlfriend, anyway. It’s just a crush. I mean, he’s hot as hell, but I could never let it get further than that. I could lose my job.”
She took a sip of her coffee then glanced back up to meet my gaze.
“Well? What about you? Stop stalling.”
I shrugged. “There’s not much going on with me. School is school. It’s all I’ve been focusing on lately.”
“And Mason?”
I frowned. “What about him?”
“Come on, Em. I saw the look in your eyes when you talked about him. How are you holding up? I know I’m a pest, but I just want to make sure my girl is okay. After everything with Tim—”
“Oh,” I said, cutting her off. “You will not believe what happened.”
“What?” she replied, her eyes full of interest.
“Mel and I went out the other night, and guess who high-jacked our one-on-one dinner? John Cline, Tim’s dad, and Tim.”
“No way.”
“Yeah. John insisted we sit with them so we didn’t have to wait for a table. And it actually wasn’t so bad. I mean, they mostly talked business and all, but I had to endure a conversation with Tim. Can you believe he asked me out on a date?” I said with a laugh.
“What about the bimbo?”
“He said they weren’t seeing each other anymore.”
“What did you say to Tim?”
“I never had the chance to respond because John started asking me about school and how Mason was treating me in his class. I don’t fully remember the entire conversation, but somehow my dating life got brought up, and I may have mentioned I was seeing someone. Tim pretty much ignored me for the rest of the night after that.”
“Oh, wow,” Victoria said after taking a sip of her coffee.
“Yeah, I probably wouldn’t have said anything either if Mason hadn’t texted me.”
I picked up my coffee, drinking slowly as she looked me over.
“He sent you a text?”
“Yes,” I responded then went into detail about the rest of the night.
“Well, I guess that answers my question on how things are going then.”
“There’s nothing going on,” I said, trying to convince myself, along with her.
She raised an eyebrow at me. “When he kissed you, did you kiss him back?”
I looked out the window as the memory of that kiss played back in my head, and a small smile formed on my lips.
“Never mind,” she said with a laugh. “You don’t even have to tell me. I know the answer by the look on your face.”
I met her gaze and my smile grew bigger.
“So, what are you going to do?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. Have you ever been in a situation where you knew you should back away, but if you did, you might miss out on something wonderful?”
Victoria shook her head. “No, I can’t say I have. And that, Em, is exactly why I keep asking you how you’re doing. I know you’ve said the relationship you guys share is nothing and you’ll try to blow it off as some casual fling, but that’s the furthest from the truth and you know it. There is something there. I know he hurt you, but if you feel like there’s something worth fighting for then why not try? There are too many unhappy people in the world. Make yourself happy, Em, because no one else can do that for you.”
“I don’t think it was just some casual fling, but yes, I am scared. He has a lot of baggage and—”
“Who doesn’t?” she replied, cutting me off. “He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who gives up something he wants.
“I know,” I said with a smile. “He’s kind of dreamy, isn’t he?”
She laughed.
“He did tell me that night that he didn’t care that he was my teacher. I know what he was trying to say, that if he got caught, it wouldn’t matter to him. But if I’m caught, it means my whole career could go to shit.”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” she said, shaking her head. “You just have to be careful. Don’t do anything to get yourself caught. Stay out of the public eye, or go to a different part of town where you’re less likely to be recognized. It’s only for a few more months. If you want it to work, you’ll make it work.”
I held the cup in my hands and looked out the window, letting her words sink in. She was right. She was always right. I’d swear she needed to be a counselor or a therapist. She always gave me the best advice or made me think of things I never would’ve dreamed of. She helped me put things into perspective.
I did want things to work. I liked Mason. He was gorgeous, smart, successful, dominant, and mysterious. There were things about him I didn’t understand, but that just intrigued me more.
“Maybe I should give him a call.”
“Maybe you should.”
Twelve
Mason
Students filed out of the room from my last class of the day and I couldn’t have been more relieved. For the past few days, I hadn’t been able to focus. Sleep eluded me at night and my thoughts during the day had been drifting from Victor, to Donicko, to Sophia, and then to Emma.
I sat down at my desk and rested my head in my hands. I couldn’t keep living this way. John may have ruined my life, but I was the only one who could make it right again. If anything, I needed to do it for Sophia. She no longer had a life, wherever she was.
There wasn’t a day that went by where she didn’t come into my mind at least once and lately, she’d been plaguing my dreams, more so than usual. Maybe it was because, for the first time in a long time, I was starting to open up.
Lifting my head, I turned and looked out the windows on the side of the room. The previous night’s dream had me waking that morning in a sweat. It was a memory of one of those rare occasions I tried to make Sophia feel normal in a fucked-up world.
~*~
Seventeen years old
It was a Saturday, and John was away for some lawyer conference he attended every year. The perfect opportunity to try and get Sophia out, but there was no way that was possible.
John was smart. As much as I wished that weren’t true, he was always a step ahead of me. He’d told me before he left that he’d put in extra security on the place and to not get any ideas while he was gone. He also told me Donicko would be swinging by sometime during the w
eekend to get some papers from his office.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he had someone watching the house, too, so any thoughts I had quickly went out the window.
With him being gone, I wanted to do something for Sophia that I normally wouldn’t be able to do. She was locked in that damn basement with nothing, so my plan was to bring down the little TV and DVD player I had in my room so we could watch movies all night.
I knew the room was under surveillance, so I figured I’d probably receive a phone call from John. Maybe even a little visit from Donicko, but I didn’t care. They could both go fuck themselves. This was for Sophia.
Stashing the DVD player in a bag, I pulled the straps over my shoulder then grabbed the TV before heading downstairs. When I visited with Sophia the night before, I’d told her I had a surprise for her. I couldn’t wait to see her face.
I knew it wasn’t anything to get overly excited about, but I felt like I had to do something. She was the good in my life of fucked-up-ness. When I was with her, I was normal. I was the Mason of the past when life was different. A life where I wasn’t trafficking girls. A life when I wasn’t cutting myself to drown the pain and rid myself of the evil that had taken over.
I needed to be something for her. A part of me felt responsible for her even being there. Why else would John have brought her to the house? He’d undressed her like a fucking present and presented her to me. To me!! He brought her there for me. I was the reason she was there. Her life weighed on my shoulders. I just didn’t know what to do about it.
Making my way down to the basement, I approached the door and lightly knocked before I opened it and walked in.
Sophia was sitting on the bed with a book in her hand, her hair in a messy bun. She still wore the baggy sweats she’d been in for a week already.
I kicked the door closed and met her gaze. She put her book down and slipped off the bed.
“What are you doing?” she asked, pointing to the TV.
I smiled at her. “We’re having movie night.”
She looked at me, confused. “Movie night?”
“Yeah.”
“What about John? He’s allowing you to bring down electronics?”
“He’s out of town,” I said, glancing at her with a smirk before placing the TV down on the floor. There wasn’t a desk or table to place it on, so the floor would have to do.
She walked up beside me, resting her small hand on my shoulder, and I turned to look at her.
“Get me out of here, Mason. If he’s not here, you can get me out. Just let me run. You don’t even have to help me. Just pretend you don’t even realize I’m gone.”
I frowned at her words. If she only knew how badly I wanted to let her go. There was just so much going on that she didn’t understand. So much I didn’t even understand.
I lifted my arms and placed my hands on her shoulders to bring her body closer to mine. Then I wrapped her in a hug.
“Soph, I want to, but you know I can’t.” I pulled her back to look into her eyes. “It’s not that I don’t want to. If I were to just let you walk out, you could get killed. I don’t know what they have in play.”
She pushed herself away from me with a scowl on her face.
“I’d rather take that chance and get shot. Don’t you see that?” she stated sternly as a tear slid down her cheek. “I’d rather die than go through what they plan on doing to me,” she sobbed.
My chest hurt at the sight. I walked toward her and grabbed her again, squeezing her in an embrace.
“I’m doing what I can to get you out of here, Sophia. I promise I am. But I don’t want you to die. I don’t want them to have any reason to hurt you more than they already do.”
I pulled back and rested my hands on the sides of her head, rubbing my thumbs under her eyes to wipe away her tears.
“Please, trust me. I need you to trust that I’m working on it. Okay?”
She closed her eyes, forcing more tears to fall, and nodded in agreement. I leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
I hated this. I hated all of it. Every single time she cried, I wanted to fucking kill John. A part of me just wanted to do it. I’d suffer the consequences, but lives would be saved. He deserved to die after everything he’d done, and with the way my thoughts were starting to go, I didn’t doubt I’d be able to pull the trigger.
Walking away from Sophia, I grabbed the comforter and pillows off the bed and made a pallet on the floor.
“Come on.” I gestured with my hand. “Come sit and watch a movie with me. We can pretend we’re on a date.”
I winked at her and she laughed before lowering herself down beside me.
I didn’t know what kind of movies she liked, so I’d picked out a popular romantic comedy. She lay in my arms and watched the movie as I stared off at the wall, trying not to think about the things I’d done to try and win her freedom. The cut I’d given myself first thing that morning was beginning to ache as I lay with my hip against the hard floor, yet I didn’t move.
I deserved to feel the sting.
~*~
Present
I let out a sigh as the memory washed through me. It took everything I had that morning not to pick up a razor. Every time I had a dream of the past, I’d wake up with those feelings fresh in my mind. It consumed me to a breaking point. The only escape was the pain.
That morning, I fought through it. I pictured Emma’s face when she saw me that night. I pictured Luke’s pity and remembered his words.
The memory faded, but it left me with a rage in the pit of my stomach which I had to work out on my bag. Anger was better than the darkness lurking in the back of my mind.
Looking up at the clock, I reined in my thoughts and grabbed my things. I had a meeting to get to, and I hoped like hell Victor would be there.
Thirteen
Mason
I arrived at The Deli Shop twenty minutes later. My heart was pounding in my chest, and the thought of leaving and going home crossed my mind as I pushed open the door.
I was nervous. I’d never spoken a word about the things I’d done and I didn’t plan on telling Victor, but anything I said could be detrimental to me.
Tony was behind the counter, and I gave him a small smile and nod before looking around.
I spotted Victor immediately. Men in suits didn’t frequent The Deli, and there was no missing his head full of grey hair. His thumbs typed away on his phone as I approached.
“Afternoon,” I greeted him, taking a seat across from him.
He glanced up and met my gaze with a smile, placing his phone down next to the coffee mug that was half-empty.
“Mason, my boy, how have you been? It’s been a long time.”
I chuckled. “Yes, it has.” I folded my hands together and placed them on the table. “How was court?”
“Eh, you don’t want to hear about my day in court, son. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
I was trying to deflect and gradually bring the topic up, but I should have known better. He wasn’t one to beat around the bush.
Lifting a hand, I ran it across my forehead, then looked up to meet Victor’s gaze as I let out an encouraging breath.
“First, I need to know that whatever is said here will stay between us, unless discussed otherwise.”
If my whole idea went downhill, I needed to know he wouldn’t say anything to John. And even though it was a high possibility, I had to take my chances. I made the decision to change. It was almost like cleansing my soul.
“Of course.”
“You and John have known each other for a long time. You’re friends; you’d have to be in order to go in as partners, right?”
“‘Friends’ is a loose term when describing the two of us,” he stated after taking a sip from his mug. “When things first started out, when you were younger, yeah, I’d say we were friends. But now, I’d just say we are partners. He’s the one who keeps the company in the green every year.”
I nodded
at his words.
“Yeah, but how involved are you with the things he does?”
I didn’t want to just blurt it all out because I had no idea what he knew or even if he knew anything at all. When I was younger, it was drilled into my head to keep my mouth shut. Even though I was older and had control over my own life, it still made me nervous.
With everything I’d seen, this had to be the hardest thing I’d done.
“He runs his side and I run mine. It’s the way it’s always been. Why? What are you getting at?”
I took a deep breath and saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned to find Tony on his way over with a smile on his face. I shook my head slightly, wordlessly asking him not to come over, and he nodded in response.
“John isn’t a good man,” I stated as I turned back to meet Victor’s gaze. “Did you know Mom was going to leave him?” I asked. He shook his head and I looked down at my hands. “The night she died, I heard them fighting. She said she couldn’t be with him after knowing what he was doing.”
I glanced up to him again. “At the time, nothing they were arguing about meant anything to me. The only thing that registered was the fact that she was leaving. I didn’t want her to leave without me. I didn’t want to stay with John. That’s when I ran for her, knocking her down the stairs and causing her death.”
Victor frowned, and the images of that night flooded my mind. I looked down at the table and stared as memory after memory assaulted me. “It was the worst day of my life and probably will be until the day I die, but that’s not the only thing that happened. I learned a new side to John,” I stated as I leaned back in my chair. “He called someone after she’d fallen, while I was sobbing hysterically on the landing, and told the person it was done.” I could see the mask of confusion on Victor’s face.
Professor Cline: Redeemed (Professor #2) Page 7
