Ocean Of Need

❤️ 63 🗡️ Thief

June 11th Continued...

I'm out of the living room and up the stairs before anyone has a chance to react. The door to the room is open, the edges of it splintered, a large boot print is in the centre of it. I run into the room, then come to an abrupt halt.

Paintings cover the walls. Violent, angry, dripping hearts with words scrawled across them.

FATAL

BROKEN

PLAYER

UNSAFE

EMPTY

Paint drips from the frames, onto the walls and floorboards.

They have a beauty. Raw. Tormented. Honest. You came back. You thought I emptied the room and left a poem in place of your paintings. You warned me about Roxy over and over again. I should have listened to you. You may have started out as my jailor, but you were trying to set me free. You told me that in a thousand ways.

I hear footsteps thundering up the stairs. Roxy, Asher and Noah bound into the room.

'You can't be here,' says Roxy. 'We need you downstairs. We need to stick together.'

'Why did you do it Roxy? Why were you so hell bent on breaking us up, on hurting me? I know you loved him, but you know I didn't know about your past with him. Why are you so angry with me?' My eyes are narrow, my voice tight. This is not going to be some bonding session. I just need to know what's going on underneath this situation. There has to be more to it than a scorned lover surely?

Another set of footsteps on the stairs, slower this time. Freya appears at the door carrying a holdall. Her eyes go to the walls, flicking across the paintings. 'Oh, Lilah. I wish you hadn't seen this.' She turns to Roxy and says, 'Bad call Roxy. There was no need for any of this.'

To my surprise Roxy's eyes fill with tears, she opens her mouth to answer but there's a heavy set of footsteps on the stairs and I hear Mac say, 'Don't fucking move.'

'What's he doing here?' Roxy hisses.

'Who's he talking to?' Asher says.

'Mac,' I gasp, running to the top of the stairs.

Half way up the stairs stands Jameson. 'Take it easy,' he says, his eyes on me, his voice low. He shifts his body slightly, and nods behind him.

All my air leaves my lungs. Mac is standing at the foot of the stairs, a gun in his hand pointed at Jameson's back.

Time slows as Mac's eyes burn into mine, telling me it's him and me. Whatever fucked up thing is going on here, it's still just us. We are in the eye of the storm, and we will hold each other by an invisible tether. We will keep each other safe, and if we can't we will fall together. Just like he said we would.

'Keep walking Jameson, into the room. Hands in the air,' Mac says as he slowly climbs the steps.

I back into the room. Jameson's eyes are on me with every step he takes.

Roxy gasps as I back into the room followed by Jameson and Mac, who now has the gun trained on Jameson's head.

'Ok, let's keep this calm,' Freya's voice is clear. 'Now Mac, there's no need for this. We're all on the same side here. We're all trying to keep Lilah safe.'

'Oh, fucking typical,' snorts Roxy. 'Let's make this whole thing about your precious Lilah.'

'Not the time Roxy,' Freya hisses.

'It's never the time for me is it? It's always about her.'

'Oh for God's sake, Roxy. Pull yourself together,' snarls Freya.

'Fuck you,' screeches Roxy. 'She's not the only one with a broken fucking heart. For once in your life, can't you just be a Mother to me, instead of a boss?'

'Mother?' I gasp.

'Yes a fucking Mother. Haven't you worked that out yet. She's MY Mother. Not yours.'

I look from Roxy to Freya and the similarities are blinding. How did I not see it before? Roxy's right, I really have been off my game.

Roxy continues yelling, 'You care more about her than you do about me. You give everything that should be mine to her.' She turns on me, pointing a shaking finger, 'You...You got it all.'

'All? What are you talking about?' I ask.

'You got my boyfriend,' she points at Mac and then her finger moves to Jameson, 'and you got my Dad.'

The room falls silent for a moment, then I hear myself say, 'Your Daddy? Is Jameson your Dom?'

'No Jameson is not my Dom,' she spits. 'Jameson is my Father.'

'Holy fuck,' whistles Asher. 'I did not see that coming.'