Page 19 of Unmasking Mayhem (Behind the Mask Duet #2)
“Everything had a consequence, didn’t it?” I mutter, the gravity of his words chilling me to the bone, feeling the weight of years spent unraveling trust while cementing our connection with false pretenses. “But you never told me this was the world I was stepping into.”
“I had no right,” he murmurs, heartbreak carving lines into his face. “And yet, here you are—alive, and I’m terrified that I can’t protect you from the past. All our choices led to this moment, where I... I don’t know what could happen to you because of me.”
The shadows of doubt linger between us, casting long shapes upon the kitchen floor like stalkers of the past—but within them, I also see flickers of a brighter history.
“I’ve clung to my fear of getting hurt again for too long,” I say, my voice steadier. “But I want to believe—I want to forge a future that isn’t tainted by our past.”
“Then let me show you,” he responds, stepping closer again, voice thick with emotion.
Something shifts—a bond tethering us together, electric and palpable.
The stakes loom heavy, but the promise of possibility ignites a flicker of hope between the cracks of the storm outside.
Finally feeling a sense of clarity through our chaos, I shake my head, and a tiny smile curls at the corners of my mouth.
“I’m ready to see it,” I whisper, a resolute tone intertwined with the shudder of uncertainty threading through my veins.
I have to grasp the reins of this transformation, to seek clarity not just in Hawk’s revelations but within the wreckage of my own past as well.
He studies me, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his expression—trepidation, perhaps, or awe at my willingness to dive deeper into this madness.
“Are you sure, Whitney? Because once you step into this light, there’s no going back. And what lies ahead may not be easy.”
“I’ve lived in shadows long enough,” I respond, my voice steadier now. “I’m not afraid of the truth, no matter how ugly it might be.”
His lips curve ever so slightly, a hint of admiration flickering in his intense gaze.
“Then let’s begin,” he says, voice low, yet filled with a determination that invigorates me.
He takes my hand, pulling me gently toward the living room, and I can feel the anticipation slowly creeping in as he settles onto the couch, urging me to sit on his lap.
I want to dive straight into the heart of his secrets, but I can feel the weight of everything hanging heavy in the air, and I realize we might need more than just words.
“How about we start from the beginning? You and Raze—what’s your entire connection to Dustin?”
The tension in his shoulders eases just slightly, but there’s still a lingering intensity about him.
“Dustin was always a snake in our lives. When Raze and I found you—when we hid you from him—it was a turning point. But you have to understand something: we were way deeper then than you knew. Our gang has enemies, alliances, and blood ties to uphold. Making a move against Dustin was never just about you; it would have repercussions we couldn’t foresee. ”
“And you thought keeping me in the dark would protect me?” I argue, emotions boiling again, furious yet desperate to understand. “That by hiding it from me, you were allowing me some kind of blissful ignorance?”
“I thought… I thought it would keep you safe. I thought if we shielded you from the darkness of our lives, you’d never have to know the dangers that lurked. But now I know better. The more we tried to protect you, the harder it became to do so,” he admits, voice filled with strained regret.
“Did you ever actually think that I might want to be in this fight with you?” I implore, needing him to understand, needing him to see me. “Did you think that clinging to the truth would make me weak?”
Hawk’s features soften, and for a moment, the weight of understanding glimmers in his eyes. “I was scared you would crumble under it.”
“I’ve faced the demons of my past, Hawk!” I assert, voice rising with passion. “I’ve fought through hell and returned! You don’t get to simply dismiss me as fragile. I need to stand next to you, shoulder-to-shoulder. I need to be part of this.”
With that, he moves in closer, brushing the hair away from my face, his fingers gentle and reverent. “I see that now. I see how strong you’ve become. And I understand I have put you at risk by keeping my secrets.”
We sit in silence for a long moment, eyes locked in a held breath of understanding.
Then, without breaking away from the connection of our gazes, he breathes, “What you need to know is that Raze and I—we’re not the total heroes you used to think we were.
I deeply wish we could have been pillars of safety in your life, but we’ve made choices out of desperation too many times.
Rescuing you was part of a larger scheme—we had our debts to pay, but you were the light that encouraged us to fight against a life we never wanted. ”
“Debts?” I whisper, piecing together the fragments of our lives that have all merged. “What do you mean?”
He exhales, the lines of his face etched with the weight of countless secrets.
“There are things we’re tied to—gang affiliations that demanded we prove our allegiance.
We wanted to extract you from that world—way before Dustin could ever come back to haunt you—before you were forced to be a part of any of this chaos.
We made choices that had us pledging allegiance to the wrong Bloods. ”
“Bloods?” My breath catches in my throat, a chill creeping through my skin. “You mean like the gang? Are they the ones who kept you and Raze away from me?”
He nods, the darkness pooling within his gaze. “They’re merciless. We tried to make our escape without ever expecting to be pulled back. But after all the lives we’ve affected, they will come for us, and now that you’re caught in the middle of it—I can’t let them have you.”
My heart races, the gravity of this revelation tightening around my chest. “So, this isn’t just about unearthing our past? This is about keeping me safe?”
“It’s about more than that,” Hawk clarifies, the urgency in his voice breaking through layers of tension both fragile and pressing.
“It’s about taking you away from here, getting you to a point where you no longer have to fear threats at your door—or the memories of a life that nearly suffocated you.
I just need to buy us time to sort this out. ”
I swallow hard, feeling the stakes rising higher. “But I need to understand this world—yours and Raze’s.”
“Do you really think we can keep you safe with the truth?” he asks, so earnestly that my heart sputters. “You’d never be able to look at us the same.”
“Maybe not,” I say softly, “but it’s the truth I want. Even if it shatters our illusions, it’ll be so much better than standing in the dark, lost.”
There’s a moment of silence as he weighs his decision and then nods. “All right, I’ll tell you everything. But I want you to know—if you decide you can’t handle this, you have every right to walk away. At any moment.”
I shake my head as conviction fills me. “I won’t leave. Everything I’ve fought for has led me to you, to this moment. I’ve felt the darkness breathe down my neck for far too long, and I refuse to run anymore.”
His breath hitches, and I can see the tension release just a bit in his jaw as he takes me in, his heart daring to trust again.
“Then let’s dig into this,” he says, the voice of a man prepared to lay his soul bare before me. “Let me show you the reality behind the shadows…”
The air thickens with possibility: clarity swirling with uncertainty, yet I feel ready to embrace whatever lies ahead, knowing the jagged edges of our truths could lead us closer to understanding—or tear us apart at the seams. As the raindrops keep rhythm against the window, I brace myself for the path ahead, a dance with destiny awaiting us both—hope intertwined with the shadows still lingering, navigating the tumultuous world that both connects us and threatens to pull us apart.
But with each revelation comes the promise of something monumental—the fragile thread holding us together growing stronger with every unwavering dawn.
For, dare I say, even through the storm, love could finally be waiting to rise.
And so, as Hawk begins to recount, navigating into the depths of secrets and revelations in a world I never truly understood, my heart beats forward, a dynamic rhythm blossoming with fierce courage—its light thriving in the dark.
"When you started dating Dustin and he isolated you from everyone, well, the reason we disappeared was because Dustin paid us to leave town. At the time we thought we were doing the right thing. He told us he'd kill you if we didn't leave, so we took the bribe and never looked back."
I clench my jaw, my teeth gritting painfully as anger surges through me once again. Here I thought they just moved on because they couldn't get around Dustin and his guard dogs, but it was much worse than that. They took money to leave me with the devil, knowing full well what he was capable of.
I feel sick to my fucking stomach.