Page 26 of Restitution

Jason is smoking out on the patio again. He’s always smoking, barely talks and sleeps maybe an hour a night. He doesn’t want to watch.

I swallow and train my gaze on the screen.

Tobias has the white, faceless mask on as he stabs a blade into someone’s chest and drags him into a room. He does it three more times before he reaches four guards, two of which lead him to theroom I’m in.

The footage skips to Tobias pulling me out of the room.

My cheeks go bright red. It’s embarrassing watching it all back in front of everyone. I’m in the shortest white dress ever pretending to be his obedient pet.

This is very awkward for me. It’s an act, obviously, but we can all see Tobias pressing me to the wall with my thigh up to his hip. Us holding hands as he drags me through the lobby. He needed the spectators to think I was his.

From the corner of my eye, I see Tobias kissing Aria’s shoulder and whispering something. An apology. He’s pale, pain written across his face as she assures him it’s okay. That he didn’t do anything wrong.

The footage cuts to a different scene, and I straighten my spine at the sight of Kyle punching Chris across the face and yelling at him. We don’t know what’s being said, but my brother looks panicked, raging, grabbing Chris’s collar and pushing him to the ground.

He scurries after him as Kyle walks away, running his hands through his hair. Turning, he stares at the manor again, and when Chris tries to say something, his arm swings, his fist smashing Chris in the nose so hard, he drops onto his ass.

Another cut, and the CCTV footage is grainy, smoke filling the corridor we snuck through, bodies strewn across the floor in the auction room, main foyer and yard.

The manor blows, and the footage stops.

Tobias whistles in the silence.

When I wake up hours later, the lodge is in darkness aside from the glow and crackle of the fire. I try not to make too much noise as I creak open my door and tiptoe into the kitchen for a glass of water.

I freeze when I hear a song playing – “Medicine” by Daughter. I remember it from one of the times me and Kade watched a home movie of Tobias and the twins spending Christmas together in the institution. That song was playing in the background of each clip. Glancing up at the clock above the entrance of the sitting room, I see it’s two in the morning.

When I slowly walk across the landing, holding the doorframe, I look in to see Tobias and Aria… slow dancing?

His hand is on the small of her back, his head lowered to her shoulder as she leans into him, their laced fingers held out to their side. They barely move, but they don’t need to.

In another life, they would make the perfect couple, but in this one, they love each other so dangerously there’s no chance of ever being together. This version of Tobias is already cracking around the edges. He doesn’t have any of his meds, and adjusting to reality when he’s spent over twenty years locked up and controlled is hard for him.

Aria cries softly as she holds on to him tighter while he kisses her forehead. His gaze lifts to clash with mine, and I give him a soft smile before backing away.

I go back to my room, noticing I have a missed call from a random number. I sit on the bed and call it back, thinking it might be Luciella. The person answers on the first ring, but they don’t speak.

“Um, hello?”

“Ah, Freckles. It’s been a while since I heard your voice.”

My lungs stop working, and I’m not certain I’m even blinking as my hand grabs at the bed sheets beneath me. “K- Kade?”

For a split second, things start to brighten. Even a smile pulls at my lips. “Are you okay?” I ask when he says nothing. “Where are you?”

I gulp as he remains silent, and my voice betrays me as it breaks. “Kade?”

“Stand up.”

Frowning, I look around the room. “What?”

“I said…” He pauses as I hear metal clanking. A gun loading? “Stand the fuck up.”

My legs fail me, and so does my voice.

My entire body stiffens when I see the red dot shining against the door. He’s aiming into the room? What is he doing? My lips move, but no sound comes out.

“Stand up,” he snaps. “I won’t tell you again.”