Chapter 2: Chapter 2

MASON

Rain pelted the window, casting a ghostly light over the dim motel room. Jack’s figure, backlit by the glow, was hastily packing his stuff. I watched him from behind the grime-streaked glass, a cold fury brewing inside me.

Patrick, the private eye I’d hired, stood next to me. “This is where I step out, Mr. Knight,” he said, his voice echoing a sense of closure. “You paid me to locate him, and I did. What happens next is none of my business.”

I nodded. “I appreciate your help,” I said.

“Do you have a firearm?” Patrick asked, his gaze fixed on Jack.

I hesitated, my thoughts racing. A gun? No, I had a gun, but I didn’t need it. My plan for Jack wasn’t about swift and easy vengeance. It was about making him pay, about exacting the ultimate price for his treachery.

I shook my head. “No, I don’t need a gun.”

I peered through the window again, my eyes settling on Jack. A surge of rage washed over me, so powerful it nearly made me lose my balance. I didn’t need a gun. Not for what I had in mind for him.

A spark of something dark and dangerous ignited within me. I wanted him to suffer, to experience the same agony he had inflicted on others. I wanted him to understand that his actions had repercussions, that he would pay for his deeds.

***

The deserted warehouse was a vast, echoing space, its walls adorned with flaking paint and shattered windows. Dust particles floated in the moonlight beams that seeped through the filth. The air was heavy and stale, carrying a faint whiff of decay.

Jack, his hands tied behind his back, was handcuffed to a rusty metal pole. His face was ashen and strained, his eyes wide with terror. Ezra, my intimidating bodyguard, stood watch nearby, his presence a silent warning.

I observed Jack, a wave of anger and resolve pulsing through me. I had never considered taking a life before. My past was filled with quarrels and disputes, heated confrontations that had occasionally spiraled out of control. But this was different. This was personal.

This was for her!

“Take off the bag,” I ordered, my voice reverberating in the vast expanse.

Ezra complied, gently removing the black sack from Jack’s head. Jack blinked rapidly, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness. He looked around, his gaze sweeping the desolate surroundings.

“You!” he murmured, his tone filled with disbelief.

“I’m not the only one who’s been hunting you down, I presume,” I retorted, a smirk tugging at my lips.

“Believe it or not, you’ve been the least of my concerns,” Jack said, regaining his composure. “I didn’t think you’d come after me, but clearly I underestimated what Mason Knight is capable of.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” I said, infusing the words with threat. I turned to Ezra. “You can wait outside, Ezra. I’ve got this from here.”

Ezra nodded and exited the warehouse, his footsteps echoing into the distance.

“Your bodyguard?” Jack asked, his voice tinged with defiance.

“I had to hire him after the crap you pulled,” I said icily. “I needed my daughter to be safe at all times.”

“Penelope…,” he began, but I quickly interrupted him.

My blood seethed. How dare he utter my daughter’s name? Penelope was innocent, a sweet and loving child. She didn’t deserve the pain he had inflicted upon her.

“Don’t you dare say her name,” I growled.

“She must be what…almost four now?” he asked.

I didn’t respond, my anger simmering beneath the surface.

“It must be tough on her, growing up without her mother.”

I could feel my jaw tightening. I wanted to hurt him now, to end this once and for all. At least then I could sleep at night, knowing he got what he deserved, and he couldn’t harm anyone else in my family.

“What do you care?” I spat. “You’re the one who took her mother from her.”

“Believe it or not, I do care. I didn’t wake up that morning planning to kill her.”

“You’re full of it!” I yelled, my voice echoing off the warehouse walls. I spun around, my hand closing around a wrench that was resting atop an oil drum. The metal was icy and heavy in my grip.

“You tried to off me, and when that didn’t work, you went after her instead. Jamie’s been in a coma for two years because of you.”

I swiveled back to face Jack, my gaze blazing with a fierce intensity. His fear was tangible, a stark contrast to the cocky demeanor he’d shown earlier.

His eyes widened in terror as he took in the sight of the wrench in my hand. His fear was raw, a primal emotion that seemed to swallow him whole.

“I’m sorry,” he stuttered. “If I could take it back, I would. You have no idea how many times I’ve wished I could change what happened.”

“Too late for that,” I retorted. “You took her from me. You hurt her. It’s high time you got a taste of your own medicine.”

I drew my arm back and swung the wrench at his leg.

Jack’s screams of pain echoed through the warehouse. His face twisted in agony as he tried to move his injured leg, but his hands, tied behind his back, were useless.

“I think you broke my damn knee,” he hissed between cries of pain. His eyes were filled with agony, a stark contrast to the defiance he’d shown earlier.

“That’s nothing compared to what you did to her,” I shot back in icy rage. The pain and fury I felt was overwhelming, but I knew I had to keep my cool.

“Why… I need to know why you did this. Were you obsessed with her?”

Jack hesitated, his eyes darting away from mine.

“No,” he finally admitted, his voice soft.

“So, you enjoyed the tape, didn’t you?” I accused. “This was about me, wasn’t it? Because in the end, I won her and you didn’t. She made you look good, to your family and your friends.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed.

“It wasn’t about any of that,” he retorted. “You’re so damn blind to this situation, you can’t even see what’s happening around you.”

He paused, his breathing ragged.

“You need to untie me, Mason.”

“You know that’s not happening,” I replied.

I crouched down and unzipped my black leather bag, reaching inside to pull out a gun. The cold, hard metal of the gun pressed against my palm. I hesitated, a wave of doubt washing over me.

Was I really capable of this? I’d always thought I was, but now, standing over the man who had caused me so much pain, I wasn’t so sure.

I closed my eyes, trying to clear my head. Images of Jamie flashed through my mind, her face marred by the trauma she had endured. I thought of the future we could have had, a future that was stolen from us because of this man.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and turned to face Jack. My hand tightened around the gun, the weight of my decision pressing down on me. The cold metal of the gun glinted in the dim light, its barrel aimed directly at Jack’s face.

His eyes widened in terror as he realized what I was about to do.

“Please, Mason. Don’t do this,” he pleaded.

I walked toward him, the fear in his eyes a stark contrast to the anger burning within me. I pointed the gun at his face, my finger hovering over the trigger.

“No, please,” he begged again, his face twisting with desperation.

I hesitated, a wave of doubt washing over me. Once I pulled this trigger, there was no going back. It would become something I’d have to live with…forever.

“Someone paid me to do it,” Jack blurted out in a panic.

He had my attention, but I remained still, the gun still aimed at him.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“This is bigger than me,” he replied. “I was paid to kill you, Mason. It was never supposed to be her. I was paid to date Jamie. The whole thing with the tape was a set up.”

Jack winced in pain as he put pressure on his injured leg.

My forehead creased in bewilderment. “Who… Who hired you?” I questioned. I was torn between believing him and dismissing his words as lies and manipulation.

“Set me free and I’ll spill the beans,” Jack responded urgently.

I shook my head. “Do you honestly think I’m going to fall for that?”

Jack sighed. “Come on, Mason. I’m not going anywhere. Free me and I’ll give you the truth.”

Damn it! I lowered my arm and clicked the safety back on the gun. I slid it into the back of my pants and approached him. Despite my doubts, I wanted him to talk. I was the one armed; he wasn’t going anywhere.

I unlocked the handcuffs and took a step back, putting some space between us. Jack slumped against the metal pole, wincing in pain once more.

“Spill it. Who’s behind all this?” I demanded.

Jack inhaled deeply, his eyes reflecting a blend of fear and resignation. “All right…,” he started. “I’ll tell you everything. But first, I need a favor from you.”

“What?” I snapped.

“I’m concerned about my family… My parents are getting on in years and I’ve always been their support. I need to ensure they’re taken care of…financially, I mean,” Jack explained, his gaze locked on mine. “I know you can afford it.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “You’ve got to be joking. You expect me to support your parents, to hand over my money. Why would I do that?”

“The truth doesn’t come cheap, Mason. And if you want it, you’re going to have to pay.”

I stood there, my face a picture of fury after hearing his request. Jack was ensuring he got something out of this too, despite all he’d done. But I needed the truth, regardless of the cost.

“Fine,” I conceded. “I’ll take care of them. You have my word. Now spill it, what do you know?”

“Good to know we’re on the same page,” he said. “You should know, the person behind this won’t stop. He wants you dead. You should probably get out of town with your daughter, take her somewhere safe.”

“That’s not an option.”

“Well, it’s your call. But I think your little girl needs protection,” Jack continued, his tone dripping with insincere concern. He didn’t give a damn about my daughter.

I let out a sigh of frustration, trying to keep my cool. “I know what I’m doing. I don’t need your advice. Now, spill it, what do you know?”

Jack sighed again, bracing himself to spill the beans. Or maybe he was concocting a lie he thought would be convincing enough. I couldn’t tell.

“This guy wants you to pay… He wants to strip you of everything,” he revealed. “It’s—”

Suddenly, a gunshot reverberated through the warehouse, startling me. Instinctively, I ducked, my heart hammering in my chest. When I opened my eyes, Jack was sprawled on the floor, blood seeping through his worn, light-colored hoodie. His eyes were shut, his body lifeless.

Ezra grabbed my arm and led me out of the warehouse, swift and decisive. I followed him in a daze, my mind spinning from the shock. He sped away from the warehouse, and I sat in the back seat, shaking. Panic washed over me as I tried to make sense of everything.

I had planned to kill him, but I never thought someone would beat me to it. That someone would rob me of that chance.

“I saw someone sneaking around the back of the warehouse, so I trailed them,” Ezra explained. “He must’ve circled back somehow. I didn’t get a good look at his face.”

Ezra glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Are you okay, sir?” he asked, concern etched on his face.

“I’m okay,” I assured. It came out more strained than I intended. I patted my suit pocket for my phone, but it wasn’t there. I glanced around the car seats, thinking it might have slipped out when I got in. “I can’t find my phone. I must’ve left it at the warehouse. Damn it! We need to go back.”

“But Mr. Knight, it’s not safe to return there,” Ezra warned, his tone firm.

“I can’t just abandon it,” I insisted, equally firm. “If they find my phone at the scene, it’ll all lead back to me. I can’t just abandon it.”

I caught Ezra’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “I need you to retrieve it.”

Ezra nodded, understanding the gravity of my request. I paid him well enough for this kind of work. There was no way he would refuse.

After Ezra dropped me off, I headed straight to my hotel room. I took off my suit jacket and laid my gun on the bed, my hands shaking.

My heart was still racing from the night’s events.

I went into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water on my face. I came to Toronto with revenge in mind, fueled by a rage that had been simmering for two years.

I was ready to kill him…ready to make him pay.

But someone had beaten me to it!

I spent the next hour in my hotel room, packing up my few belongings and nursing a bottle of scotch I’d bought before checking in.

I had planned to kill a man, and I’d thought the scotch might come in handy. Even though I hadn’t pulled the trigger myself, it had still served its purpose.

I was pouring another glass when there was a knock at my door.

I went to answer it, revealing Ezra on the other side. He stepped into the room, and I shut the door behind him.

“Did you find it?” I asked.

Ezra shook his head. “I searched everywhere, sir. I’m sorry, but the phone is gone.”

“Damn it!” I cursed, frustration boiling over. I wondered where it could be. I had searched the room and the car. I thought it was there, or worst case, whoever shot Jack had picked it up.

“Okay, let’s check the motel. It might be there.”

I went back to the bed and grabbed my bag to leave.

“There’s something else, sir,” Ezra said gravely. “The body…”

“What about it?” I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.

Ezra hesitated. “When I arrived at the warehouse, it was already gone. Someone must’ve moved it.”