Page 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Iwas a ball of nerves as I walked to my destination. My throat felt clammy, my palms were sweaty, and I kept contemplating turning back and running far away, but something kept me going.

Perhaps it was because of how everyone had been telling me to go after him, or I had just reached the limit of my tolerance from being apart from Mason too long. Either way, something about the kiss I shared with Aaron made it clear that Mason was the only boy I wanted to kiss. He was the one I wanted to be with, and if there was a chance that he would take me back, I would fight for it.

I released a shallow and anxious breath as I came to a stop before the gates of the enormous mansion that belonged to the Welsh family. My finger lifted to ring the bell, shaking intensely as it did.

"Who is it?" a voice I recognized as Miss T's, the household maid, rang through the intercom.

I cleared my throat to speak, "It's me, Kat," I said, hoping she wouldn't ignore me or send me off.

Luckily for me, the intercom buzzed, signaling for me to go in, and I did. I had just walked up to the door to knock when it opened to reveal a tall, blonde and beautiful woman I recognized as Mrs. Welsh, Mason's mother.

Her blonde hair was styled into a low tight bun, and her icy blue eyes, coupled with the white pantsuit she wore, made her look cold and a little bit scary. I swallowed as I held her gaze. The only times I had seen her was at the hospital when Mason had been shot by a serial killer and at Connor's funeral, and both times her appearance left me tongue-tied.

"Um, you probably don't remember me, but I'm…"

"The girl that got my son killed."

I gasped at the raw hate and accusation that dripped from her words. Even though I had known this was a possibility, I still hadn't prepared myself for it. "I'm sorry, I didn't… It wasn't…"

She simply watched me fumble with words while staring at me with cold eyes and a blank expression. When it was clear I was at a loss, she sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "What do you want, girl?" she snapped.

Shaken, I begin to stammer "I… I just want to… Ma… I just want to see… Mason.”

A short bark of laughter filled the air as she watched me with an expression that said she found my request unbelievable. "Teenagers, they never fail to amuse me," she muttered under her breath with her head lowered, but I caught every single word. Then she raised her head to glare at me. "Mason doesn't want to see you," she said, shattering my heart.

"That's not… that can't be true. He wouldn't…"

"You think he would want you anywhere near him after you got his twin brother killed?" she asked, and I lowered my head in shame and guilt. "In case this has escaped your notice, that boy in there has been unable to have a normal life for the past few weeks because of the reporters that keep swarming our house wanting to know what on earth happened. All this is happening because of you. Because you just couldn't mind your own damn business,” her voice had now risen several pitches higher.

However, something in me clicked as soon as she was done speaking, "No," I said.

"What?"

I raised my head to glare at her "None of it was my fault. If anything, the people that are to blame here are you and your husband. I saw that video Mrs. Welsh, the one those men were threatening your family with, and the one Connor tried to bargain with them for your family's protection.”

Mrs. Welsh came to stand nose-to-nose with me, her voice lowering to a dangerous tone as she stared at me with rage. "You better keep your mouth shut about that video, or you won't like what happens next," she said as her nostrils began to flare in anger.

"Is that a threat?" I asked defensively, and she jumped back in shock.

"No, that's not…"

"I wasn't going to tell anyone about that video anyway. The last thing I want to do is put Mason in danger like that and have Connor die in vain. But I won't have you blaming me for something that wasn't my fault. If you and your husband had stuck around instead of traveling, you would have known what Connor was going through. You would have been able to protect him," I paused to suck in a breath and make sure she was listening. "Your son is dead because of you and your husband, Mrs. Welsh, and it's high time you both took responsibility for it," I finished and turned around to storm off.

It wasn't until I was a few feet away from the door that I turned back to say, "As for Mason, I completely understand if he doesn't want to see me, but please tell him that I'm sorry and that… I miss him,” I gulped and ran off, my eyes dripping with tears.

A few feet from the gate, I raised my head just in time to see the curtains in Mason's window draped shut.

He had seen me; I was sure of it.