“He was the last thread suspending me in the light. Without him, I can feel myself spiraling downward, falling to a place where I can no longer pull myself back up.”
― ,
Then…
Jesse Montgomery
YOU’RE UNDER ARREST for the murder of Marco Montgomery.
Those words echo in my mind since they hauled Bane away. The look in his eyes as he warned me to not say a word. Little did he know I couldn’t, I had to watch them arrest my man for murder, and there was nothing I could do about it.
It has been about an hour since they took him, I thought about going to the station, but a clean break will make my betrayal easier to handle. Soon he will realize he no longer has me, and that I will be the nail on his coffin, figuratively of course, this was to keep him alive, but the person he was, we were, is dead.
I can still feel his lips on mine, and I will cherish that last moment for the rest of my life. I touch my lips and close my eyes. The way his breath fanned my lips right before his touched mine. The way he smirked right before, knowing I wanted him just as badly. His hands on my hips, pinning me to him. I’ll never forget.
I’m standing on the balcony, braced on the railing. I hear the footsteps from behind and forget that I am not alone. Travis is here. Did he know? Was he part of this?
“Did you do this” I snap and turn towards him.
He shakes his head, not breaking eye contact. I know it’s ridiculous to blame him, but I need to feel better. The only persons to blame is me and mother. The sound of a phone ringer brings me out of my thoughts. I rush to the phone in the living room and pick it up.
“Hello”
“Hello dear” her hellish voice booms through the phone.
“Mother” I say with as much disdain as I can muster.
“Get back to Ohio, we have work to do”
With that she hung up. I looked to Travis, trying to school my facial features, not trusting him enough to tell him what’s going on. For all I know he already knows and is working with mother.
“Listen Jesse, I don’t know what’s going on, I also know I made a bad first impression, but if you’re in trouble, I want to help.”
“We’re going back to Ohio”
“But what ‘bout Bane, you’re just going to leave him,” disbelief coating his words.
I thought about his question. He looked at me puzzled, not understanding the severity of the situation. He will be transferred back to Ohio, since that’s where the crime was committed, not that it matters, I won’t go see him. I look to Travis, and smirk.
“It’s done.
✽ ✽ ✽
The drive to Ohio was long and quiet. Travis didn’t look at me or even speak a word, after my callous attempt at numbness, I preferred the silence. I didn’t know what my plan was once I got to Ohio. I really don’t have much choice as to what happens, my life belongs to her and nothing I do can change the impact of my own existence has on the people around me. Travis for example, he tried to kill me, but for some reason I find myself accepting his change of heart and using him so I am not completely alone.
“What is going on Jesse?”
I ignore his attempt to break the silence, and continue driving. Even if I know what I could tell him, I didn’t even know where to start, or if I could trust him to begin with.
I look in the mirror and notice the same black SUV following behind us that has been on our tail for hours. I look to Travis, and he seems to notice the same vehicle as me.
“We’re being followed,” he states.
“I know”
I start to pull off on the next exit, as they start to speed up to catch us, my skills in defensive driving are lacking, so my nerves are already shot. It dark, there are no other cars in sight.
The sound of metal clanking and the jerking of the wheel causes me to scream, as I notice the SUV ramming the back of the truck trying to push us off the road before we exit.
“What the fuck!!” Travis bellows. He starts to pull a Glock out of his back pocket, “Stop the car, whatever you do, do not get out of the truck, understand”
I nod. Not knowing what else to do.
I pull the truck over and I can still see the SUV’s headlights behind us, they have stopped as well. Travis opens the passenger side door and steps out, keeping his head down and body out of sight of the other vehicle. He looks up to me and motions for me to stay down and to stay silent, and disappears out of sight.
My heart is racing, and I can feel the sweat dripping down my back. Whoever these people are they have no problem ending out lives. They couldn’t work for mother, I am no good to her dead, so who are these people? What do they want?
The sound of gunshots hitting the truck has me falling to the floorboard for cover. The driver side door opens and I scream profanities in fear of who opened it. Travis appears blood coating his stomach and his face ashen.
“Take the truck and leave, NOW!”
“NO! I am not leaving you Travis” I try to pull him up in the truck but he pushes me back.
“Jesse, you need to go, I can fend for myself, but they don’t want me, they want you. It’s not safe. Run, go, I’ll find you”
With that he is gone, and I am alone. Numb.
✽ ✽ ✽
I drive. I left him. Any emotion drained from my body. There is nothing left for me to do but go to mother. The fight in me has left. I am broken. I have let everyone down, and I deserve the life in front of me. Travis is dead.
I pull up to the house, and a feeling of dread erupts the air. This is hell, and I am back to claim my throne next to the devil herself. Two squad cars are parked outside and I know that things are about to get worse.
I park behind the officers and march my way up the steps to the front door, showing my agitation, I mean, what do I have to lose? I slam the door shut and all eyes fall on me. Mother shows her disapproval of my entrance instantly, but goes back to the part of the blubbering widow.
“Honey, you’re here” she sniffs as she pretends to be distraught over her husband’s demise.
She grabs my hand and strokes the top as a loving mother would do to console her child. I subtly remove my hand from her grasp and lie through my teeth, “Father would want me here.”
“I am so sorry for your loss, Ms. Montgomery, I am Officer Hall and this is my partner Officer Crusoe, as you know we have arrested a suspect in the case of your father. But we need to ask you a few questions about Bane Stratus.”
I nod, not wanting to answer any question, because they are all lies. But knowing I must play the part and not allow any cracks in my story. If they release him, she will kill him, and I can’t stomach knowing I could have done something to stop this madness. He may hate me, but he will be alive, that is all that matters.
“I have already spoken with your mother, I just need to speak with you in private to match the stories. I need your side of the story.”
My side will never be told, not even as my last breath. It will be my pain to bare, and nobody can’t take it from me. Just like what I am about to do now, this is mine, no one else’s. Mother told me what to say when I spoke to the police, so our stories match.
I follow the officer to the kitchen and I pull out a seat and sit. I told my hands into my lap and focus my attention on the dirt under my finger nails.
“What happened the night your father was killed, Ms. Montgomery”
“Please, call me Jesse”
“Jesse, what happened”
“That afternoon, after we identified my b-brothers body, B-Ba…” I stutter, the lie not wanting to come to life. I swallow deep, praying the world would swallow me whole. End my misery. I can’t do this to Bane. This isn’t my story. We deserve each other, we love each other. But I can’t live in a world where he is gone. I must do this.
“Bane kidnapped me and admitted to killing my brother, h-he then took me to meet his partner, they then h-held me for r-ransom. It was a set-up, Bane planned to kill my f-father and then kill me” a tear escapes my eyes, driving my false story home. The officer thinks I’m devastated by my father’s death, but what he doesn’t know is that my heart is shattered by the words that are spewing out of my mouth.
“Why were you calm when the police showed up in Colorado. They said you didn’t look worse for wear?”
“I-I was scared, he threatened my mother. I couldn’t let anyone else d-die” the lie tasting like shit passing through my lips.
He nods, buying my bullshit. See me, see through my lie, save him. My silent prayer goes unanswered.
“I am going to need you to come down to the station in the morning, for further questions, and an official report,” he looks down and rubs his hands over his face, “I’m sorry for your loss and the ordeal you have been subjected to, we will get justice, he will serve time.”
I nod, bile rises in my throat. The last nail on the coffin.
After the officer leaves me to my vices, I tread slowly towards the kitchen, knowing mother is probably waiting for me to come have a chat. I round the corner where mother is drinking a cup of coffee.
“They want me to come by tomorrow, to make an official statement. You got your wish mother, you have destroyed an innocent man’s life for greed”
She cackles, and sips her coffee, “Oh dear daughter, you have so much to learn.”
I storm past her and make my way to the spare bedroom, I throw myself on the bed and the tears fall without abandon.
“I am so sorry Bane” I whisper to no one.