“Stop it now,” said Seth, cheeks reddening.
Sophia lied, saying, “I felt sorry for you, Seth. That’s all it was. Pity. I didn’t like you. I certainly didn’t love you. I could never love someone like you. You know why? Because you treat people like shit. You did that crap back then. Don’t think I didn’t hear the stories about you. Everyone did. You were a fucking laughingstock for a reason. A reason you brought down on yourself. And you’re still doing that stupid shit now. You’re even worse than before. You’re fucking kidnapping people. What is there to love, Seth?”
“I said ‘enough’!” Seth screamed, waving the gun.
Years of worry, fear, and anger about him stalking her just came pouring out of Sophia, who knew she was saying everything wrong and risking too much, but she was so sick of all of this that she just had to say whatever hate-filled thoughts occurred to her, whether she believed them or not. The only truth here was emotional. He’d been stoking her feelings all this time, just like he wanted, but stoking the wrong ones. And it was time to tell him, once and for all, how he made her feel.
Really
feel. To tell him whatever it took so that she never had to listen to this bullshit from him ever again.
Even if it got her killed.
“Oh please,” Sophia yelled back. “It’s never enough with you. Nothing is ever enough to get through that stupid fucking head of yours. Not telling you no. Not ignoring you. Not even a restraining order. I mean Jesus fucking Christ, Seth, I got a Goddamn restraining order put on you and you
still
didn’t get the fucking message, that I want
nothing to do with you
.
Ever!
You’re the stupidest motherfucker I’ve ever known. You’re dirt poor, ugly, and obscene in every conceivable way. No one could ever love you, Seth. You are the most unlovable creature the world has ever seen. You’ve proven it with every action you’ve taken this week.”
She stopped there, the well of vitriol at last run dry. Such terrible words had never passed her lips before. They were alien sounds. Alien thoughts. But not alien feelings. That’s all he’d been stirring in her for years. She’d never dwelled on the awful things in her life for long. Her life hadn’t been that bad, really, not that she thought it was extraordinary or something. It was, if anything, a little too plain—up until she met Connor. He was everything she’d dreamed of in a man, and more. He made the simple wonderful, the ordinary extraordinary, and the mundane a delight. He was all she wanted, the future with him so bright with love and fulfilment that it seemed a dream. Especially when contrasted with the nightmare before her.
And for all she knew, this little asshole had killed him tonight. If Connor was dead, or in any way not alright, she’d kill Seth and relish doing so.
In the dreadful silence that followed Sophia’s rant, Seth had a moment of clarity. Not the uplifting kind that inspires people. The kind that shatters everything they hold dear. It didn’t last long, the moment. Just a second or two. He saw the reality of what she’d just said in all its stark truth, which struck him like a blow. He cast a look of horror at her. That she looked so stunningly beautiful in her passion made a deep impression on him, but it was a hideous beauty, for it sprang from utter hatred of him. He saw that now. Indeed, it was quite impossible to miss. He’d made her more gorgeous than her normal walking-around self, just like he’d always assumed he would—but out of
love
for him.
And this was not love. He’d never seen such hatred. Except his own reflection. Funny how she reminded him of himself just now. After all this time of seeming so far apart, in so many ways. Maybe they really
were
soulmates.
But the reality that he’d made her hate him, when so many other people had made him hate
them,
was a shock. He’d put that
into
her. Which meant he was poison. Despicable. Loathsome. But as much as he’d always felt he deserved every harsh word, disgusted stare, or indifferent glance sent his way, he’d always felt misunderstood. That an injustice had been visited upon him. It had fueled him. Given him purpose. Focused him. Given him a spark. A reason not to blow his Goddamned brains out.
But now he realized, in a moment of utter despair, that none of those people had ever misunderstood him. They had been right. It was him who was wrong and had been all along. And Sophia knew it. She saw it. Saw
him
. Saw all that was nasty in him, when nasty was what he reveled in, if truth be told. Nasty was what he had to give her. What he’d already given her. What he’d intended to give her more of, in a delusion that he loved her. That she’d loved him, cared for him, or even liked him, for one small moment in time all those years ago.
He almost wanted to laugh then. Or cry. Or just fling himself from the cliff that he knew perfectly well was behind him. He’d stood there countless hours over the years wanting to. He’d often thought no one would care about him splattering all over the rocks below. And when he was younger, that was self-pity talking, but in recent years it had been a sober truth gnawing away at him. Ignoring that niggling truth had become harder and harder.
And when that desire started to overwhelm him, he always remembered Sophia on that day so long ago now, when she’d taken the time to make him feel better in his distress. He’d always wished she was here. To bring him back from the edge. And now she
was
here. After all this time, the woman he loved was here at his real home on this Earth. But she wasn’t real. Or rather, the woman he’d imagined had been just that, his imagination. The Sophia Turner he was in love with didn’t exist. Whether she had ever been real or he’d killed her with his actions, he’d likely never know, and if he’d killed her, he deserved death. Worse than death. He suddenly felt sorry for everything he’d done. And furious.
Because what he
did
know was that, for all of his dreams and desires to show her what was best in him, for all his efforts to do so, he had instead shown her the absolute worst in him.
And made her
hate
him. Not love him.
He felt fairly certain that he was losing his Goddamn mind. And part of him loved it.
Death was in the air.
“Okay!” Seth screamed. “So I get it. You don’t love me. Never will. I’m just not good enough for you, is that it? You stuck-up bitch!” He took a menacing step toward her before stopping himself. “So, what, you were just screwing with me? All those looks in the hallways. All those smiles. You smile like that at everyone, is that what you’re telling me? Huh? Did you smile like that at Connor? Right before he fucked you?”
Seth leered at her. “That’s right. I saw him fucking you. I saw you fucking
him
! What did it take for that little shit to get you naked? Huh? Years of me sending you roses, love letters, and my best damn smiles and that guy has to what? Just smile and you throw your clothes off?”
Sophia edged toward Jess’s purse and the pepper spray. A glance at Jess showed her alarm, too, like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Goddamn you, Sophia!” Seth screamed, lungs heaving. “Look what you made me do! I thought we had a future together because of you. Now I’ve got
none
. The fucking police are after me now. I’m gonna go to fucking jail for you. You destroyed my whole life. I was willing to give you everything. Everything! And you can’t even give me the time of day. I did all this for you. For us.
Look
what you made me do!
”
“I didn’t make—”
“Don’t you fucking lie to me! I’m done listening to you, done with your lies, done with you altogether! If you hadn’t led me on all this time, I wouldn’t have done this. I thought you loved me. You played me for a fucking fool. I bet you liked that, huh, getting me to fall in love with you so you could just string me along. I bet you told all your fucking friends about it, too.” He then imitated her voice, saying, “Oh, I’ve got this stupid little country boy back home that thinks he loves me. It’s so funny. I just string him along and he sends me the most embarrassing love letters. What a loser!”
“Seth, I would never—”
“Shut the fuck up!
“Just let me go, Seth.”
“
Never
!” He raised the gun at her.
“No!” Connor stepped into the camp and pointed a gun at Seth. Surprised eyes, including Sophia’s, turned toward him.
Riley swore and came out, too, his handgun aimed at Seth’s chest. He hadn’t spotted Mark and had been waiting for him to appear, but Connor had screwed this up, though not without good reason. Still, never go into a gun fight with a known enemy nearby and unaccounted for. He could be anywhere, like behind them. And as it turns out, that was the truth.
“Don’t move,” said Mark, his gun on the back of Riley’s head. The motion caused Coby, who was standing beside the Kendall brothers, to growl.
“Shit,” Riley swore. A quick spin could get himself killed. “Stand down, Coby.”
Mark said, “I’m serious. Everyone needs to calm down and do what I say. Don’t do anything stupid. Please. Put your guns down. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
Riley muttered, “Funny thing for a guy holding a gun to say.”
Seth was grinning, the arm with the gun lowering by accident in his surprise. “Good fucking job, Mark!”
“You, too, Seth.”
“What?”
“Put your gun down.”
“Fuck you, Mark. You ain’t the boss of me.”
“I am now, asshole. I said put the fucking gun down.”
“Fuck off.”
“Well, if you like, I can put
my
gun down and let
these
two shoot your ass. How’s that?”
Riley said, “Sounds like a plan.”
Seth glared at the three of them, hand squeezing the gun harder. Everyone was out to get him today. He’d make them all pay. Feigning cooperation, he snidely said, “Alright, have it your fucking way. They put the guns down first.”
“Fine,” said Mark. “Guys, do it please. Nice and slow.”
Connor glanced at a frowning Riley, who nodded. They reluctantly put their guns on the ground. Riley had several more on him, some obvious, others not so much, but no one seemed to notice. Ryan and Quinn would come up behind Mark in a matter of minutes.
“Make that dog behave,” Mark warned.
“Lay down, Coby,” said Riley. The dog obeyed, its ears perked up. The Marine had trained Coby well; the dog only appeared to no longer be a threat.
“Okay,” began Seth, “now Riley can tie up Connor and then himself.”
“Yeah?” Riley asked. “With what?”
Seth sneered. “Don’t play dumb with me, asshole. I know you got something for that on you. And another gun. Ditch that one, too.”
“Sure thing.” Riley slowly put down the other obvious gun from his waist and took his time getting out plastic zip-tie handcuffs from a pocket. Mark backed up warily, giving the Marine a wide berth.
Riley pulled Connor’s arm in front of him and put the ties on. That wasn’t best practice, as the hands should be behind, but no one told him to do it right. He didn’t tighten them particularly well either. He then put another zip-tie around his own wrists and used his teeth to mostly tighten that one. Mark then tossed their guns into a bush.
“Now sit down!” Seth barked.
The brothers complied, Connor’s eyes desperately seeking Sophia’s and finding them staring into his.
“Well, you’re not so tough now, are ya?” Seth continued, smirking. “Looks like two country boys was all it took to capture you.”
Riley calmly replied, “You are not long for this world, boy.”
Coby looked over at Seth, who swiveled the gun at his master. Before Seth could say anything, Jess stepped up to him and gently pushed the arm with the gun down.
“C’mon, Seth,” she began. “It’s over. Just turn yourself in. Others can’t be far behind. We’re never getting out of here without getting caught. Everyone knows what we did, so even if we got away, there’s nowhere to go.”
He glared at her, then at Mark, who’d walked past Riley and Connor to stand in the camp, his gun lowered. “What’s this ‘we’ bullshit? I saw you and Mark making moon eyes at each other. What the fuck happened tonight? You two are together now? Are you fucking kidding me? What the fuck is going on? Has everyone gone insane?”
He stepped away from her toward the cliff with its long drop below. For a second he wanted to just jump off and get it over with.
Everyone gets to be with someone they love but me
, he thought.
Nobody loves me. They never have. Never will
.
His gaze fell on Jess and Mark, making moon eyes at each other again. Even that loser Mark was coming out of this better than him, on what was supposed to be Seth’s triumphant night. What a crock of shit this was proving to be. Everyone was going to win except for him. He had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Sudden anger filled Seth, who aimed the gun at Jess this time.
“I ought to shoot you,” he said, voice beginning to shake. “You betrayed me with him.” He barked out a short, bitter laugh.
“I told you to drop the fucking gun, asshole,” said Mark.
Seth saw to his amazement that the little prick had the gun aimed at him. “You wouldn’t fucking dare.”
Mark snapped, “Watch me, asshole.”
Seeing that Mark was serious was too much. Seth’s face contorted in rage and malicious intent as he swung the gun toward Mark, whose days of playing a fool were over. Mark pulled the trigger and a shot rang out in the night. Seth jerked backwards, a scream of pain splitting the air. His hand came away from one shoulder, covered in blood.
“You motherfucker!” Seth screamed, seeing red. “I’ll fucking kill you!” With a grimace of pain, Seth lifted that arm and aimed at Mark. As Jess screamed, another shot rang out. Mark dropped the gun and shook his stinging hand, for the bullet that missed him struck the gun, jarring it loose.
In the sudden chaos, Coby began to charge at Seth until Riley ordered him to guard Sophia, who ran for Connor and Riley. Her hands ripped at the ties as she tried to free them.