That Thing Between You and Me

40. Damned

Double Update: Part 2 of 2, Read in order.

Some references to Chapter 30 Damaged Goods. Particularly the scene where Andrew tells his mother about the strange man. The flashback scene is also there in Chapter 11 Startling Revelation.

Chapter 40 | Damned

"If I'm allowed to make one mistake in my life, it would be you.

And if I'll be damned to make to make another mistake, it would be you again.

And again."

"So, wait a second, you told your mother everything? Like everything? Even when I explicitly mentioned not to? Are you insane? Do you realize what you have done?"

They were in another expensive car, on their way to Victor's fundraiser and Andrew was driving. Mallory had just finished telling him how she was confronted by her mother only a few hours earlier.

"No, obviously I couldn't tell her that you are Emily's supposedly non-existent brother. All I told her was that you are helping me out in building the case against 'The Beasts' because they killed your sister."

"That's all? She didn't question how we are building the case?" He enquired his eyes glued to the road.

"I might have told him that you are associated with them," she replied sheepishly, tracing her fingers over the leather clutch in her hand.

"Associated with the gang."

Andrew's head bobbed towards Mallory with such speed that she was worried he might get a whiplash. The car swerved dangerously before Andrew slammed the breaks stopping by the edge of a rather deserted route. Around them, there was nothing but an endless stretch of forest and for a minute it seemed like the world had stopped.

The wind had stopped blowing in through the open window. The rustling of trees silenced to nothing. The sound of beetles disappeared. Mallory couldn't even make out the noise of breathing. The only indication that Andrew was breathing was the fast rise and fall of the chest that she could see through his dress shirt. And then all of a sudden --

"Are you fucking insane!" He bellowed.

She flinched.

"Do you even understand what you did?!? Oh God, I don't even know how to fix this." He ran a hand through his hair frantically.

And then suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder pressing into her skin. Hard. "Do you know what would happen if the word gets out?"

She tried to shrug away the hand but it was firm, "S-She's my mother. Obviously, she w-wouldn't tell anyone. I-I clearly told her not --"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" His grip became painful.

Mallory cringed. And her memory flickered. It was like, she was back. She was back with her captor, yelling in her face. She shook her face trying to ignore the transition. It wasn't Antonio. Why would she be in a car with Antonio? It was Andrew.

"What if she accidentally slips something? The Beasts have people everywhere. You know what you did Mallory? You killed Emily. You first killed her and now you also killed us."

You killed her.

The words daunted her, bringing back more memories, the ones she was trying to bury. She was momentarily blinded by the onslaught. Andrew's words faded, making no sense whilst his eyes with green contacts were transforming into a darker color. Her breathing came into short pants.