“Mason! You could’ve killed him!” Christine cried in horror as the car sped off out of the underground parking.“Yeah? Pity I didn’t. It would’ve been one less asshole to worry about,” he cackled. But Mason realized this means a shitload of trouble lying ahead for him. He had to think of something plausible to explain the situation away if Alexander cornered him.Christine worried her bottom lip between her teeth. She hoped Raven was alright. Maybe now she could be saved from this monster. She prayed Raven would act swiftly. Watching the road ahead as the Audi travelled onto the interstate west, Christine wondered if they were going to Phoenix. They would have to stop along the way and maybe, just maybe she could get away from him then.“Where are we going, Mason?” Christine tried her best to sound calm.“Home, Darlin’.” Mason smirked at her. “I have a pretty place up in Phoenix. Very isolated.”Isolated. Christine felt her blood run cold. An isolated place with a deranged man. She sw

Mason carried Christine to the room he booked for the night. Thank goodness it was on ground level. She wasn’t that heavy, but being unconscious meant carrying deadweight, and Mason wasn’t exactly a bodybuilder. He groaned, dropping her on the single bed. He had to make do with what was available. Two single beds. He would prefer sleeping close to her, but he could wait.“Sorry, Darlin’, this isn’t the most comfortable bed, but it’ll have to do.” Mason handcuffed her wrists above her head to the bedpost. He patted her cheek, and she stirred a little. “That ought to hold you a while. I’m getting us some takeouts. Be a good girl.” He tilted his head to think. On second thoughts, he’d better gag her. She might just wake up while he’s gone and scream the roof off.He took off his tie and rummaged in his coat pocket for a handkerchief. He pulled her jaw open and stuffed it into her mouth. To make sure she didn’t push it out with her tongue, he used his tie to secure it at the back of her h

Mason stretched and yawned. He felt refreshed and ready to hit the road. It was still a long way to Phoenix, and he needed to fill the gas tank. He looked over at Christine who was still sleeping, and mumbling something as if she were having a bad dream, her eyebrows knitted together. Mason touched her face and immediately her eyes snapped open, looking wild and confused.“Bad dream, Darlin’?” he smirked at her.“More like a waking nightmare.” She pulled her face away. “I need the bathroom. Now.”Mason took the keys out of his pocket and took his time unlocking the cuffs while Christine glared at him. He pulled her up from the bed and walked her to the bathroom while keeping her in a vice grip.“Really, Mason? I need some privacy. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.” Christine tried to pull out of his grip but his fingers bit into her flesh, making her cringe.“Leave the door open. You know what will happen if you don’t.” He pushed her into the small bathroom. There was only a tiny wi

They left at the break of dawn. Mason shoved Christine into the passenger seat. She didn’t resist even when he cuffed her hand to the seat.“I feel sick. You have to take me to a doctor.” Christine’s face was glowing with fever, but she was shivering uncontrollably.Mason turned up the heat of the climate control.“You’ll be fine. We’ll be home before sunset.” he said, keeping his eyes on the slippery road.Christine rested her forehead against the window and closed her eyes. Home. The way he said it made her skin crawl. But she stayed silent, feeling too exhausted and feverish to argue.Mason watched the girl out of the corner of his eye and grinned to himself. Knowing Chase as he did, he knew he would be coming for him, knew where he, Mason, would go. If only he hadn’t taken Amanda away for him, they could still have been friends or something like that. Although Chase would always be an entitled shit, his father’s golden boy who thought the sun set and rose with him.Mason scoffed.

Christine picked at the food Mason made, although her stomach growled from hunger, she hated the thought of accepting anything from him.“Don’t waste food. That is one thing I can’t stand.” Mason pointed his knife at her. “You’ve never gone hungry, have you? I bet your parents made your life as comfortable as possible.”Christine didn’t answer. She wasn’t about to trade stories with him about her childhood. When she didn’t answer he scoffed and ate his dinner with relish. Being in this house brought back a lot of memories, some of them downright frightening, he thought.Hiding from his father in the darkest corner of the living room while he beat the living shit out of his mother was only one of the old memories that came flooding back. It was a regular occurrence as his father drank and the slightest thing would upset him.It wasn’t only his mother that bore the brunt of the man’s rage. “You are no son of mine!” was regularly thrown at him. “Your mother’s a filthy whore. I bet she do