Ties That Bind

by Neeny Boucher

  Mason’s eyes narrowed and he leaned forward. “What if I call your little bluff, Gabby? What if I don’t give a shit about Riley or what he does?” Tell six, rallying.

  Liar, Gabby thought, but feigned shock. This was interesting, but not insurmountable. “What do you want Mason?” Gabby smiled, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

  “Your panties,” he demanded. “The ones you’re wearing now.” Gabby resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Once a panty thief; always a panty thief.

  Mason just needed a win here to maintain his ego. It was so predictable she’d worn two pairs as a precaution. In truth, she was a little disappointed, expecting more ingenuity from the Prince of Darkness.

  Standing up, Gabby reached under her dress, dragging down her top pair of underwear. “Knock yourself out,” she sighed, throwing them at him. He caught them in his hand, burying them in a drawer in his desk.

  Loading the images on his computer, Mason choked. “Gabby, you might not be scared of jail, but it’s not a place I want to go. Believe me, lots of people would gladly throw me in there. You do realize this will open up a shit can of trouble?”

  Gabby nodded. “That’s the plan. Can you do it or not?”

  “Yes,” Mason sighed. “I can do it, but these images are amateur. No one is going to believe Lana Hamilton shoots eggplants out her ass. You can tell her face has been Photoshopped!”

  Gabby laughed. “The aim is to lampoon, not authenticity. It’s so stupid, of course, no one will believe it, but people will be talking about it. I suspect Lana Hamilton will be associated with anal eggplants for quite some time.”

  A small smiled played around Mason’s mouth. “Well, well. The padawan becomes the Jedi. Respect.” Tell seven, surrender.

  “I’m no one’s apprentice,” Gabby stated, standing up to leave. She walked to the door before turning around, locking eyes with Mason. “Here’s something you need to know. Dina’s mainly a defensive fighter, but me? I enjoy it and provocation is just a bonus. If you ever go after my family again, I’ll bury you. I’ll make it one of my missions and that’s a promise.”

  “Gabby,” Mason called out to her. “If you ever want a job, call me. I’m serious. I could use someone with your skills and lack of conscience.”

  She left the building without looking behind her, allowing herself a small giggle. She’d played the wildcard and now she had a sister to find, a boyfriend to meet, and a plane to catch. She had twenty-four hours to get them out of the country before the storm hit and she was making sure Dina wasn’t in the crossfire.

  **********

  Mason

  “Fuck me!”

  Mason breathed a sigh of relief when the scary woman-child left his office. She was a cross between Zoe Kravitz and Hannibal Lecter. He’d almost fallen in love.

  Pouring himself a glass of Scotch, Mason shook his head and let out an appreciative laugh. What she’d asked of him was child’s play. He could do it in his sleep, but he suspected she knew that. He’d lay odds the little bitch could do it herself, but wanted him to bear all the risk.

  He’d never really thought much about Gabby Martin, but that was the hottest thing he’d witnessed in a long, long time. Picking up her panties, he brought them to his face and inhaled. “Oh, yeah!” He groaned. “Andy James is a lucky, lucky man.”

  There were very few people in the world that would have the guts to walk into his office and emasculate him. Well, not without an appointment. She’d eviscerated him and he loved every minute.

  Mason was so turned on right now he felt inspired. Loading his porn applications, he found the ones based on Christina. Darth had always been the inspiration for the High Queen in his porn games, but now he’d found his High Priestess.

  **********

  Christina, Seattle

  “I’m sorry to bother you, but do I know you from somewhere?”

  Christina glanced at the young, bearded hipster beside her, shaking her head. “This was a mistake,” she hissed at Bonnie. “Can we just go?”

  “No,” Bonnie scowled. “This is the first time you’ve been out in public in five days. So drink your soy latte and relax. I got this.”

  They were in the charming Caffé Umbria in Pioneer Square because Bonnie insisted it was time Christina left the apartment. She felt like death warmed up and the smell of food made her nauseous. The two women had hit the lunchtime crowd and the hubbub of the café jangled her nerves, but she was trying to put on a brave face.

  She noticed people casting curious glances in her direction, but avoided eye contact. Infamy had a long reach. The young hipster, however, was the first person to make an approach. “It’s just,” he grinned. “I swear I know you from somewhere.”

  “YOU MUST WATCH A LOT OF PORN!” Bonnie bellowed, startling the young man and everyone else in the café. His face reddened as every eye swung toward them. “I’m Wild Ginger and this is my adult movie partner and bisexual lover, Krispy Kreme.”

  As the young man shuffled away, Christina hunched in her seat and started giggling. “Krispy Kreme? Couldn’t I be something exotic like Dark Angel?”

  Bonnie shrugged. “I was under pressure and it worked, didn’t it? No one’s going to make eye contact with us for fear they’ll be snapped as porn watchers.”

  Both women giggled and every time they stopped, they started again. It felt good to be sitting here laughing with her friend instead of lying in bed and wishing for death. “I need a disguise,” she grimaced. “A haircut, something that changes my appearance.”

  Bonnie sighed. “Come on, Dina. First, there’s the bad breakup and then there’s the bad haircut. Don’t do it!”

  “Please,” Christina begged. “I need a change. I hear you or hair you…”

  Shaking her head, Bonnie laughed. “That’s bad. Even for you. Okay, just don’t do anything… drastic. Promise?”

  **********

  Three hours later, Christina made her way back to Bonnie’s apartment with a bright red, graduated, messy bob, and dark highlights. She was pretty sure she’d failed Bonnie’s ‘drastic’ stipulation, but she loved it. In fact, she liked it so much she was going to suggest they go out tonight.

  “Surprise!” Christina bellowed into the apartment, before launching herself at the person sitting on the couch with Bonnie. “Gabby!” She screamed, hugging her baby sister to her. “What are you doing here? I’m so glad to see you!”

  “Slow down,” Gabby laughed. “I’m happy to see you. I’ve missed you too. Love the hair! By the way, we’ve got to go. Your bag is packed and you need to leave your cellphone with Bonnie.”

  Christina stared at her in confusion. “Go? What? Why?” Suspicion slowly filtered into her consciousness. “What have you done?”

  “Something bad,” Gabby confessed. “Something that cannot be undone. I’ll tell you all about it on the plane. Andy’s waiting for us at the airport.”

  “Plane?” Christina was doubly confused, looking at Bonnie for answers, but her friend remained silent. “I don’t understand. Where are we going?”

  “Out of the country,” Gabby soothed. “We’re going on a nice journey, away from all this drama. You’re going to relax and we’re going sight-seeing.”

  “Really?” Christina smiled and then began to panic. “I don’t have my passports and I don’t have much money. I suppose… if we budget.”

  “I have your passports,” Gabby grinned impishly, “and you have money. Lots of it.” Rummaging in her handbag, Gabby produced the credit card Riley had given Christina for her birthday.

  “No,” Christina whispered. “I can’t take that. It’s unethical. He gave that to me when we were together. We’re not together and I didn’t want it in the first place. I’m not spending his money.”

  “Hi,” Gabby deadpanned, shaking Christina’s hand. “Let me introduce myself, my name is Gabby Martin. I’m your baby sister and I’m like Sherlock Holmes, a high-functioning sociopath. I’ll hammer his credit card without mercy, c
onscience, or principle. Besides, I get money at the end of this month. We can always pay him back.”

  Christina’s eyes narrowed. She knew her baby sister too well. “Liar,” she joked, meeting her sister’s impish grin.

  “I agree with Gabby,” Bonnie nodded, her eyes hard. “Take it and spend it until it’s maxed out. Think of it as a settlement, or therapy, or whatever. Look Dina, you’ve never taken a cent from him and he’s really fucked you over. You have no job and no house because of him. For once, be selfish and get a little payback. God knows if the shoe were on the other foot, he would. If he wants the money back, he can chase you for it, but I doubt he’d have the balls!”

  “I can’t do that,” Christina smiled, making Bonnie and Gabby groan. “But I can give Gabby the pin number.” They all high-fived and it was bad, but they did that on purpose.

  Hugging Bonnie to her, she whispered, “I love you. I couldn’t have done this without you. You’re my rock, my person.”

  “I love you, too,” Bonnie sniffed. “Go and have some fun, Dina. Do some living. You deserve it.”

  Christina and Gabby grabbed a cab, meeting Andy at the airport. Andy wrapped her in his arms, moving her along as fast as he could through security. Sitting in first class, Christina felt a bubble of joy. For the first time since she’d fled the nightmare of Lift, she felt semi-happy.

  Chapter Twenty-Two: Noose

  Riley, Shanwick, Monday, January 28, 2013

  “My beautiful boy,” his mother sobbed. “This is my fault. My fatal flaw.”

  For the first week Riley had mainly slept, woken only for his medication and to eat. Someone was with him at all times and to his surprise, his mother came every day to read to him. At first, he was non-responsive, but by the second week, they were starting to communicate.

  Sometimes he’d hear her crying, when she thought he was asleep, blaming herself for his mental state. He’d overheard many a conversation from the sanctuary of his bed, but until his mood stabilizers kicked in, he hadn’t fully processed the information. He was still shaky and his energy levels were low, but he was making progress.

  By week two, Riley had started walking Cartman at night and doing light exercise. Emotionally, he was relatively stable, but he had to be careful. He’d gone too close to the edge and he wasn’t all the way back.

  “No it isn’t,” Riley rasped at his mother. He’d hardly spoken in the last few weeks because he’d been too lethargic and the simple exercise felt strange to him. “This is not your fault.”

  “Yes, it is!” Grace cried. “I have depression and I’ve passed it on to you. I should have known… I should have seen.”

  Riley knew there was a genetic component to it, but his mother wasn’t responsible for this train wreck. He was.

  He’d gleaned a lot of information lying in his bed, listening as people talked in front of him as if he wasn’t there. At least his mother spoke ‘to’ him like he was a fully functioning human being. He found out he’d been exposed as the lyricist for the band on television, setting in motion the nightmare that occurred at Lift.

  Every time his mind replayed his encounter with Christina, he winced. How could he have been so cruel? Christina. He rolled her name around his tongue in reverence. She’d trusted him and he’d repaid it by mauling her like a rabid dog.

  Steven told him she’d left Shanwick, resigning from the Project and Foundation. Although it hurt, he couldn’t blame her. If he could leave himself, he would do it in a heartbeat.

  “You didn’t do this, Mom,” he whispered. “I did. I drove her away and that’s on me.”

  Swallowing the lump in his throat, Riley confessed. “I hate myself, Mom. I think I always have. No one can sabotage or destroy like I can. I got up close and destroyed her, just to prove to myself that I could. I love her, Mom. I love her more than anything or anyone, but it wasn’t enough. I still did it.”

  “I know what it’s like,” Grace whispered. “It’s like you see the world from the dark places in your heart. You hurt everyone you love. You can’t help it. You just want someone to share your despair, even for a moment. The only reason I’m still married is that your father is a better person than I am.”

  Riley grimaced, reaching out and taking his mother’s hand. It was so accurate, he felt like she could read his mind. “That’s exactly what it’s like, Mom. When it gets bad, I lash out, and do stupid things, bad things. It’s why I go away so no one can see me. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just didn’t come back right this time.”

  Grace shook her head. “No. You’ve been conditioned to fend for yourself because I wasn’t there for you, not emotionally. You learned very early on that you couldn’t count on me. If it weren’t for the Martins, I wonder what would have happened to you. I’m so, so sorry.”

  Fresh tears fell down his mother’s face and Riley squeezed his eyes shut. He and his mother had never been close, but he was beginning to understand her. “I’m a hard person to love, Ma,” Riley joked. “I was a wild, problem kid, and I haven’t turned out much better as a man.”

  “That’s not true, Nicholas,” Grace smiled. “You’re an easy person to love. I love you. I know I haven’t shown you that very often, but I do, and I’m very proud of you. We all are.”

  Riley cringed. How could she be proud of him? After what he’d done, he couldn’t stand himself.

  “I punished her over and over again, Mom,” he rasped. “I played victim because it amused me that Christina got the blame. I tried to take her family away from her and I humiliated her in song. I’ve done things that are so cruel and vindictive, I don’t want to tell you about them.”

  The irony didn’t escape him that he’d thrown them in Christina’s face and he felt his stomach churn. “The only thing she did was challenge me,” he whispered. “She wanted something different from me... more than just being a teenage housewife in Shanwick and I refused to listen to her. I wouldn’t give her anything, Mom. I viewed it as a slight to my pride and ego.”

  Riley tried to keep the tears at bay, but he could feel them prick his eyes. He’d never cried over Christina and sometimes, he thought he should have, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t in his nature.

  “I was wrong about Christina,” Grace smiled, interrupting him. “She’s got her mother’s strength, but her father’s heart, and something that is essentially her own. She forgave me, Nicholas. I confessed what I’d done to her and she found it in her heart to forgive me.”

  Squeezing his eyes shut, Riley shook his head. “She can’t forgive me, Mom, not after what I’ve done. I went to the edge and dragged her over with me. I’m a sick, heartless bastard.”

  “No, you’re not,” Grace shook her head. “It’s the opposite. You feel too much and it’s overwhelming. You love as deep as you hate and it’s hard to find the middle ground. I’m the same. You have to find the middle ground, Nicholas, and hold it. It’s taken me nearly my whole life to work that out, but even now I have my moments.”

  It was true. He’d always found it difficult to find a middle ground. Giving into the darkness and reckless impulses was much easier than maintaining the balance.

  “Does it get easier?” Riley whispered. “I hate this, Mom. I hate this part of me. If I could get rid of it, I would. If I could take back what I’ve done, I would, but I can’t. I just don’t know how I’m going to live with myself after this.”

  Grace’s eyes grew sad. “It’s a balancing act and there’ll always be triggers. I know this might sound strange, but I found acknowledging the parts of myself that I didn’t like helped. They’re part of me; a part of us. Who knows why they’re there? But they are. You have to make peace with them and yourself. Otherwise, they’ll control you.”

  Riley had found that out the hard way. He honestly thought he could control this, but he was an arrogant fool. It was as if he wanted to test himself against the universe and he’d failed dismally.

  Grace kissed his forehead before leaving, gifting him one last piece of advice.
“I never made peace with Ella. She was my best friend and died an enemy because we were both proud, stubborn women. I know this isn’t the same, but I don’t want to see you suffer the same regrets.”

  Riley lay on his back staring at the ceiling before hauling himself out of bed. He knew he was going to have to confront this sooner or later. What he’d done was unforgivable, but he had to try to make amends somehow and he may as well start now.

  **********

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Jed enthused. “Eggplants. She shot eggplants out-”

  “I’d prefer it if we didn’t talk about this anymore,” Steven interrupted. Jed had done nothing, but talk about Lana Hamilton’s ‘specialty’ for over a week. “You know it’s fake right?” Steven added. “I don’t think we should be fuelling something that isn’t true.”

  Ignoring the two men, Riley picked up his phone, calling Meg. “Hey,” he said, smiling at the sound of her voice. “I need you to do me a favor. I want you to release a statement saying I’m the inspiration for “Magnificent” and it has nothing to do with Christina.”

  Meg sighed. “Riley, it’s been over two weeks. I’m not sure if people are going to buy that, and believe me, Entertain You has enough trouble right now. I’m not sure dragging it up again will help.”

  “I can’t let it stand, Meg,” Riley whispered. “I fucked it up with Dina. She’s never going to forgive me, but if I stay silent on this, I’ll never be able to look at myself again. I’ve got to try to make this right. Anyone that knows the two of us; knows I’m the c-word. She’s the best person I know.”

  “Okay,” Meg agreed, after a lengthy pause. “I’ll do it. I’ll figure something out. I’m so sorry about this, Riley. I really am. I led that bitch to the Martins’ doorstep and she trashed Georgie, as well. This is on me.”