HUNT, OR BE HUNTED

CHAPTER 35: THE CONFESSION

I tottered up the stairs, and it seemed like forever when I reached the top. I squinted at a dark figure lying sprawled face-down on the smooth floor. A thick, crimson liquid pooled under the body-that was definitely blood. And if someone bled that much, it only meant one thing.

 I knew who the person was the moment I saw his clothing. It was unmistakably the man who had tortured me barely a few minutes before. Now he was just lying there motionless, and my heart lifted a little when I realized he was dead.

I had never liked the feeling of having any one of my enemies dead, but this time, I felt happy. It was as if all of my troubles were gone.

“Jared,” I heard a voice coming from somewhere. My eyes were closing, but I struggled to keep myself awake. Someone slung my arm around his shoulders, and steadied me on my feet.

“Jared, what the hell happened to you?” Raphael said, setting me down on the sofa.

“Long…story,” I could barely speak-I had never felt this weak before in my life. “I…I need food…I’m so…tired.”

“Okay, I’ll get something for you,” he disappeared into a room with a white revolving door-probably the kitchen.

“Hey, mate,” an exhausted voice greeted me from the chair opposite mine.

“Bane?” I croaked, a little taken aback by how damaged he looked. He had an arm over his stomach, holding the blood in as the wound continued to bleed. His face was scarred, and bloody. And I could smell him from where I was sitting-he stank of wild animal.

“Hey,” he nodded slowly. “You look like hell.”

“You look…like hell yourself,” I groaned, sitting upright. “What happened here?” My neck cracked as I turned left, then right. The place was a wreck.

“Long story,” Bane grinned. “But one of our troubles is over. Seth is dead, as you can see.”

“You…killed him?” I asked him, raising a brow.

Raphael placed a plate of food down on the table in front of me. I grabbed the piece of raw meat, and finished it within seconds. “Jacque did,” Raphael said. “He killed his own brother in cold blood.”

“What?” I stopped chewing almost instantly.

“You heard him,” Bane said, wincing as he tried to sit up properly. “His second brother shot his oldest brother in the heart to save him.”

“Huh? Jacque, he…he shot Seth to save your life?” my eyes were on Raphael.

He nodded glumly. “Hell knows why he did it, but yeah. My oldest brother is dead, and so is my father.”

“Ryan-” I trailed off, noticed Raphael’s depressed face, and shut my mouth.

“Jacque ran off right after he pulled the trigger. We didn’t bother to go after him,” Raphael told me. He didn’t want to talk about the death of his father. “He shot Bane, and he knew Bane was going to survive it. Like I told you, Jacque wouldn’t kill us. He isn’t like Seth at all.”

“You…but you shot Jacque back when he tried to stop us from escaping,” I could feel my strength coming back.

“Yeah, that was…that wasn’t real,” Raphael said, averting my gaze. “Jacque planned it all along.”

“What in the world are you talking about?” Bane leaned forward, his ardent eyes on the golden-haired man.

“What I’m saying is, Jacque let us escape. He planned it so that it would look as if it was unintentional. Why else would he convince Seth to let Bane out? He knew Bane would help us escape. Seth was the one being played. So before Bane was let out of his cell, he came to me. He told me he was sick of all that. He couldn’t stand what Seth was doing to us. He told me he had had enough.”

“Jacque…he’s siding with us? What?” I obviously did not believe what Raphael was saying. Jacque had been the bad guy the whole time, so why would he help us?

“The thing was,” Raphael added. “They only needed you, Jared. You’re the key.”

“The key? What is that supposed to mean?”

“I hate to tell you this, bro,” he sighed exasperatedly. “You’re the only one who can cause mass destruction. You are the one they need because with you under their control, they will rule us, and everyone else. It is you they need, not us.”

“In other words, you’re somewhat like a king,” Bane chimed in. “Hate to break it to you, man. But seems like you’re very important, a little too important.”

“I feel like a toy, being owned and controlled and all…”

“That’s the whole point. Whoever that has the strongest person on their side will win, no matter what. So yes, I agree you’re being treated like a toy,” Raphael huffed.

“But that doesn’t matter now. Nobody gives a damn about owning you anymore, since that creep over there is dead,” Bane pointed a finger at the dead body. “And we really have to do something about the body.”

“And this place,” I kicked a broken shard of glass aside. “Raph, I believe this house now belongs to you.”

Raphael spun around to look at me, and the expression on his face was so priceless I knew no one could be as happy as he was now.

###

Kora was once again left alone with her thoughts. Jared didn’t believe what she was telling him, so why bother trying again? Every word of hers was a lie to him. He would never believe her again, after what had happened.

Two arms wrapped around her from behind, and his stubble brushed against her bare neck. “Hey, babe,” Jacque purred sweetly. He sounded troubled, but she didn’t bother asking him what was wrong. The only thing that mattered to her was Jared.

“Hey,” she said. “How did you find me?”

“I didn’t,” he spun her around so they were facing each other. “I missed you,” he reached out a hand to touch her face.

“I want to be alone,” she turned, rested her arms on the metal rail. She gazed at the moon’s reflection in the calm waters.

“Hey, what’s bothering you?” Jacque put a hand on hers.

“I’m fine,” her mind was beginning to wander away.

“Seth’s dead, Kora. We can live our happy lives now,” Jacque forced a smile at her, but she didn’t look at him.

“Oh,” the curt reply seemed to have ticked Jacque off.

“You don’t want this, do you?” he asked. “You never liked me from start. You have never had feelings for me.”

Kora didn’t say a word. She was busy reminiscing the past, the memories this place held. This was the bridge Jared had left her, and also the bridge they had had their first kiss. It was a place with the good and the bad memories.

“You have no idea how much I love you,” Jacque said, lowering his voice. “I just want you to feel the same way about me.”

“I can’t do that,” she admitted after a while. This was her decision. She wouldn’t stop until Jared was hers, until she was happy. He was the only one who could make her happy. He was the one she wanted.

“What? What’s wrong?” he seemed to have taken a huge blow from her brief reply.

“I can’t, Jacque. I can’t feel the same way,” she confessed.

“Why? Are you in love with someone else?” he creased his brows. Damn, he suspected something. Should he know? Should she let him know the truth?

She wasn’t thinking straight. She never thought of what Jacque was capable of, never thought about how murderous he could be.

So she said it, loud and clear, the words piercing right through Jacque’s heart.

“I’m in love with Jared.”