Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Maisy was uneasy. Not only because she had to go to the bank with her brother this morning, but because Jack was acting…different. And she didn't think it was because of the words of love they'd exchanged last night.

Something had happened, but she had no idea what. He seemed wary this morning, on edge. When they'd gone downstairs to have breakfast, he'd flinched at every little sound. Maisy worried it was because his head hurt worse than before, but he'd denied it.

The last thing she wanted to do was go anywhere with Jason by herself, she'd gotten very used to having Jack around to run interference and act as a buffer between her and her brother, but it was obvious he was completely miserable. She'd convinced him to stay home and take some over-the-counter painkillers so they could go out and look for apartments when she returned.

The second she shut the door to Jason's Land Rover—that he'd bought with her money, all the while telling her that buying her a car would be a waste since she never went anywhere—he unleashed his nastiness.

"Not even a thank you for your brother?" he asked with a sneer.

"What?"

"I bought you a cock and you haven't once said thank you."

Maisy's stomach churned, and she gripped the armrest on the door so hard her knuckles turned white.

"Seriously, sis, the sounds coming from your room at night almost make me jealous. Jack-o certainly seems to know his stuff."

"Shut up," Maisy mumbled, embarrassed that her brother would be so crude.

The palm to her face came out of nowhere. Jason then shoved her shoulder hard enough that her head smacked the window next to her.

"Don't you talk to me like that! Show some respect, Maisy," Jason growled before putting the car in reverse and backing out of the driveway.

Her cheek stung, and Maisy put her hand over what she knew was probably a red mark. She was shocked he was willing to leave a mark for Jack to find. Proof that Jason was becoming more and more volatile. It was a reminder that she needed to tread very carefully. She probably should've insisted that Jack come with them today, but he really did look like he was in pain and she hadn't wanted to make it worse. Selfishly though, she wished he was there because this trip was a mistake. She knew it down to her bones.

Jason drove toward the bank in silence, but when he didn't turn on the road she knew he should've, anxiety made her belly churn. Eventually, he pulled into the parking lot of a shopping mall. It was busy, cars coming and going everywhere. No one would take notice of them sitting in the nearly full lot. Maisy shivered.

Jason turned toward her—and the look on his face made goose bumps rise on the back of her neck.

"We need to talk," he told her seriously.

Maisy nodded. It wasn't as if she could say no, he'd brought her here for a reason, and she'd have to sit here and listen to whatever it was he wanted to say.

"Don't fall for him."

"What?"

"Don't fall in love with that asshole you married. He's not going to be around long."

"What do you mean? Why not?"

"You know why not."

Maisy swallowed hard. "Jase, no. Please."

His hand swung out and he slapped her again. "I told you not to call me that!" he thundered.

A small whimper escaped, and she was ashamed of herself. She should open the door and run. Should stand up for herself. But she was more scared of what he'd do if she dared defy him than what he'd already done.

"Look, the entire goddamn plan has gone sideways. I didn't expect him to lose his memory, although that's been a nice bonus for sure."

"What was your plan?" Maisy asked quietly.

"Don has a friend of a friend who was able to work a deal with this guy. The guy knew you needed to be married, and he arranged to have someone delivered. I have no idea who the fuck Jack is or where he came from, and I don't care—but as I told you before, he was going to marry you one way or another. It didn't matter if he was chained to the fucking wall in the basement, you two were getting hitched. It was a nice surprise when he woke up and had no idea who he was. And don't tell me you aren't enjoying the benefits, because you'd be a damn liar. I've heard you at night. I wonder if prostitutes enjoy cock as much as you seem to."

Bile rose in her throat, but Maisy swallowed it down.

"I mean, I paid good money for him to be your husband, so when you think about it, you're paying him for sex. Might as well enjoy it." Jason laughed. "Anyway, the deed is done. You're married and the countdown has started to get your money. Mom and Dad never should've tied it up in that stupid trust with its ridiculous stipulations. In three months, when the money's released, we won't need lover boy anymore."

"Jason, please don't hurt him. I'll break up with him, divorce him, anything you want!"

"You're so na?ve," Jason said with a patronizing frown. "You think we can just let him go? His memory is gonna return eventually, and what then? He's not gonna be happy that he was kidnapped, thrown in a trunk, and lied to for weeks. And if you think for a second he might learn to love you, that's not gonna happen when he realizes you're a part of all this. How you lied to his face every day. How you knew what happened, but pretended you were already married to trick him into going through with that so-called renewal ceremony. You're in this up to your eyeballs, Maise. There's only one choice here."

Her brother was right. There was only one choice.

Maisy needed to do the right thing for once in her life. She needed to set Jack free and make sure her brother paid for all the wrongs he'd done in his life.

"Understand?" Jason asked in a cold, hard voice.

She nodded.

"Good. Three months. Even you can keep your mouth shut that long. Just keep doing what you're doing, keep spreading your legs, and a few weeks after that money is released, we'll tell everyone he ran off. That he abandoned you."

Maisy bit back the words she wanted to say. That there was no way the police would be stupid enough to believe the same story twice. That Jack had just left the same way Jason's wife had, a few months after they were married and conveniently after the trust money was released.

"After a while, we'll ask the authorities to declare him dead, you know, when he hasn't used any credit cards and there hasn't been any sign of him. Oh! I know, maybe he can leave a suicide note, saying how much he loves you and after learning that you don't want to be with him anymore, he can't go on living. I can plant a seed that he went to the coast and threw himself in the ocean or something. That way his body can't be found. Anyway, once he's officially been declared dead, we can collect on his life insurance policy."

Her brother was insane. That was the only explanation for the calm way he was plotting the death of another human being. Then, his words finally registered. "Life insurance?"

"Yeah," Jason said, leaning into the backseat and grabbing a folder. He took out several pieces of paper then shoved one at her. "Here, sign that."

"What is it?" Maisy asked, trying to read the paper. It was obviously the last part of some sort of official document. There were two signature lines, one for her and one for Jack. Jack's had already been filled out. At the top of the page in the margin, it said this was page fourteen of fourteen.

"Jack's life insurance policy, of course," Jason said with a smile.

"He signed this?" Maisy asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Of course he did, don't you see his signature?"

Maisy studied the paper in front of her, and when she looked up at her brother, she realized of course Jack hadn't signed this. It was forged, probably like most of the papers that had to do with money and their inheritance. "This isn't his signature," she said bravely.

But Jason simply laughed. "So quick on the draw," he mocked. "No, it isn't. But no one will know. I just need you to sign and I'll get it submitted…and backdated, can't have the cops thinking we took this out right after you were married. That wouldn't look good when Jack disappears."

Maisy shook her head and tried to shove the paper back at her brother. "No."

"No?" he asked in a low tone, making no effort to take the sheet of paper she was trying to give back to him.

"No," she said, trying to sound firm. "It's not right, Jason. You're already getting the money from my inheritance. This isn't necessary."

He moved faster than she thought possible, coming across the console and grabbing her throat. He shoved her against the side of the car, smacking her head against the window again. He got in her face and snarled. "What the fuck do you know, Maisy? You've been sleeping for the last decade and a half. I've been the one worrying about the mortgage, the bills, making sure our reputations are pristine. You think that's been easy? It hasn't. There's no money left. None . Without the money from your trust, we're screwed! We'll be kicked out of the house we grew up in and destitute.

"You owe me , sis. I took care of you. Moved back into the house. Hired all those doctors to make sure you didn't kill yourself in your grief. You've been a good girl up to this point, so don't fuck things up now. And don't even think about turning on me. If you do, you'll end up just like poor Martha. Now—sign the fucking paper."

Maisy had no idea where the courage came from, but she managed to ask, "What if I don't?"

To her surprise, Jason let go of her throat and sat back in the driver's seat as he laughed. It wasn't a humorous sound. It actually scared her to death. "If you don't, I'll go home, tell lover boy that you tricked him into marrying you, that you only did it for the money, then I'll lock him in the safe room in the basement like I was going to do if he hadn't lost his memory. I'll give him a piece of bread a day and a cup of water. Maybe. By the time three months have passed, he'll be nothing but skin and bones, sitting in his own filth. Then I'll put a bullet in his brain and get rid of his body where no one will ever find him."

Maisy stared at her brother in horror. She used to play hide-and-seek with this man when they were little. He used to hold her hand when they walked to school. Had accidentally told her there was no Santa Claus, then hugged her when she'd cried. He'd stood beside her at the funeral home after their parents died, his arm around her, and promised to take care of her for as long as she needed him.

Now he was a monster—and she hated him.

"And you?" Jason went on. "I'll fill Jack's head with stories of your treachery. I'll make sure he hates your guts and knows it was your plan to kidnap him. I'll tell him that you laughed at how pathetic he was for falling for every word, how shitty he was in bed. And in the end, I'll lock you up with him for his last few days. Gagged, of course, so you keep your big fucking mouth shut. He won't care what's happening to you by that point, I promise you that. I'll make you watch as I put that bullet in his skull. Then, because I can't have you blabbing to anyone about what you know, you'll join him. You can rest in not-so-peace till death do you part, after all."

Maisy felt numb. This couldn't be happening.

"Sign the fucking paper, sister dear," Jason growled, leaning over the console and pinning her in place with his evil gaze as he held a pen out for her.

As if in a trance, Maisy took the pen and, with trembling fingers, signed the paper.

"I knew you'd see things my way," Jason said with satisfaction as he tucked the signed document back into the folder and threw it back onto the seat behind him. He turned to her once more. "Three months, Maise. That's all. Then this will all be over and we can go back to how things used to be.

"Oh, and another thing—when we get home, you're gonna talk to Jack. Convince him that you don't want to move out. You're staying right where you are until the three months are done. I don't trust you not to fuck up. And because I know how stressful all this has been, I've picked up refills for you. You'll start taking your anti-anxiety pills again today. Trust me, it'll be better for you."

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know why Jason wanted her and Jack to stay until the three-month waiting period was up. He wanted easy access to Jack to make him go away. Permanently. And there was no way in hell was she going to go back to being the zombie she used to be on those pills. She was clearheaded now, and Maisy knew without a doubt that her brother would somehow use her supposed relapse as a way to get her out of the picture altogether. It would be easy enough for her to "overdose."

Urgency shot through her. She needed to get away. Away from Seattle, away from her brother. Needed to get Jack away from him. She needed a plan, and at the moment, she had no idea where to start.

"Maisy? Do you understand me? When we get home, I'll tell Jack that you had a panic attack and you need to start taking your meds again. Tonight, you can get on your knees, suck lover boy's cock, and convince him you don't want to leave. Got it?"

Maisy nodded. Anything to get Jason to shut up.

"Good. Now, we're going to the bank and filling out the paperwork to get the ball rolling on releasing your trust. You sign what's put in front of you without question, or you won't like the consequences."

She nodded again. She couldn't fight him, not now. He'd do exactly what he said he would. He'd hurt her husband.

Jason was right, she was just as guilty as he was in tricking Jack. She shouldn't have gone along with everything. But now that she had, she needed to do what she could to make things right. She'd figure out a way to save Jack. Even if it meant she'd end up as dead as her former sister-in-law.

"It's nice to see you compliant. Things are going to work out just fine," Jason said in what anyone else would consider a soothing tone. But to Maisy, he sounded sinister.

"Leave the thinking to me, Maisy. You've always been too stupid to figure shit out. I've got this, and in a little over three months, all our problems will be behind us."

Three months. It wasn't enough time. Maisy began to panic as Jason started the car and got back on the road toward the bank. Mentally, she took a deep breath. She had money, thanks to her brother needing to trick Jack. She could use that to…to what? Fly somewhere? Her brother could find her if she used her own name. And what about Jack? What would she tell him?

Maybe she could post on social media about Jack and how he'd lost his memory, asking if anyone knew who he was. A lot of those things went viral. Maybe it would find its way to his people.

But Jason or his friends could also see it before Jack's friends did, and that wouldn't go well for either of them.

She and Jack could literally get into the car and drive away, but where would they go that Jason couldn't find them? How would they live once their small amount of funds ran out? Yeah, they could both find jobs, but how long could they stay under the radar under their own names? She wasn't a criminal like her brother. Or at least…she hadn't been. She didn't know about things like false IDs and new identities.

Her shoulders sagged. Getting away from Jason seemed more impossible with every passing second. Maybe Jack would have some ideas…if she told him everything. She truly had intended to do just that last night. She lost her nerve right around the time Jack started kissing her, caressing her…stripping her out of her clothes.

God, she was weak.

And even more terrified than before, if that was possible. She hadn't been sure that Jason had anything to do with her parents' carjacking, but now she was almost certain. And Martha was a given, after his crack about Maisy ending up just like her.

Her brother was a psychopath. Didn't care about anyone other than himself. He had enough connections that he easily could've hired someone to fake a carjacking and shoot their parents in the process. As easily as he'd found someone to kidnap Jack.

She sat up and stared sightlessly out the window. She had to tell the police. It was her only option…though it seemed unlikely Jason would let her out of his sight too often now.

He might succeed in stealing her money, and maybe even killing her…but if she wrote out everything she knew and left it for the police, they'd have to investigate, right? It would at least be justice if Jason ended up behind bars, unable to spend the money he'd worked so hard to get his hands on.

It wasn't the best solution, Maisy would prefer to live, but she was pretty sure that wasn't in the cards for her.

Her first goal would be to save Jack. He didn't ask to be involved in any of this. Second, she wanted Jason to pay for killing poor Martha, and likely their parents.

The more she thought about it, the more she warmed to the idea. She'd write down everything she could remember, every sin she believed her brother had committed, giving details and specifics that could hopefully be used against him. Names of his friends, doctors who'd written prescriptions without question, people who she thought might've helped him take out the life insurance policy on Jack…and now that she thought about it, he probably had one on her too.

"Remember, keep your mouth shut as much as possible, let me do the talking," Jason told her as he parked in front of the bank.

Maisy nodded. For a split second, she envisioned standing up in the bank office, in front of the manager and the executor of her parents' estate, and blurting that it was all a lie. That Jack had been forced to marry her and her brother was a total psycho.

But then she pictured Jack sitting in the basement, chained to the wall, starving and staring at her with hatred…

It made her flinch just thinking about it.

She couldn't do it. For now, she'd do whatever Jason forced her to do, simply to buy some time. There was a one hundred percent certainty Jack would hate her in the end anyway. As long as he was back with those who knew and loved him, and he wasn't living a lie…it would be worth it.

Maisy had made lots of mistakes in her life, but it was past time she owned up to them. It was too little, too late, but it was all she had.

With no other choice, she got out of the SUV and followed Jason into the bank.