Bruised Angel (River of Lies #2) (27 page)

“Just let her be man” Chelsea heard Blade speak through the door to Mason “she needs time”

She heard the two of them leave and Chelsea let out a shaky breath.

“Kelly what the fuck is going on. You’re gone and now everything has turned to shit” Chelsea cried.

She went and laid on Kelly’s bed and read through Kelly’s diary. Something caught Chelsea’s eyes; a poem she had skimmed over it was a verse about Mason and the night Kelly was raped by the guys in the living room. Kelly never blamed him, she loved him more than he could ever realise. But it was the promise she wrote. A promise that she would never leave him. Chelsea sighed and dropped her head as fat tears rolled from  her eyes and hit the pages of the diary, smudging the words. Chelsea stood and wiped her face with the back of her hand and swung the door open.

“There’s the slugger” one of the guys said as Chelsea walked past him.

Chelsea nodded and continued to march towards Mason’s room swinging the bedroom door open. He was sitting on the bed with his head down, flicking through her old sketch pad that Maddison had stolen. She had only used it once after she got it back and it was to draw a special picture. Mason looked up at her with tears in his eyes. He had the book open to the picture of him and his Mum that she had drawn. Chelsea had never got the nerve to show him, she didn’t know how he would react. Mason dropped the book on the floor and ran towards her putting his arms around her waist and burying his head into her neck.

“I’m so fucking sorry Chels. I’m so, so fucking sorry” Mason sobbed over and over into her neck.

Chelsea put her arms around his waist and pulled Mason in close.

“I know you are” she said.

Chelsea pulled him away from her and looked up into his face.

“Never ever do that to me again Mason” she said shaking her head with a frown and angry tears that flowed down her cheeks.

Mason nodded with tears streaming down his face.

“I promise Chelsea. I don’t ever want to hurt you again” Mason said sadly.

Chelsea nodded and put her head on his chest. Her exhaustion was overwhelming. She loved Mason with all her heart, she was hurt, she felt rejected but she knew that she couldn’t or wouldn’t give up on him. Kelly had made the promise to not leave him and Chelsea was going to see that promise through. She wasn’t going to leave Mason either.

“Go have a shower, you stink like whore” Chelsea said.

She could feel him struggle to hold back a laugh as he nodded and let go of her heading for the bathroom. While he was in the bathroom, Chelsea stripped the bed of the sheets, pillow cases and doona cover. On her way out the door she picked up Mason’s clothes, searching through his jeans pocket and throwing his wallet onto the desk. Chelsea marched outside with everything balled up in her arms. Knox frowned and watched as she marched past him heading straight for the whore still huddled in the corner. When the woman saw Chelsea coming for her she quickly stood and put a chair between them. Chelsea stopped and curled her lip again.

“Bitch if I was going to hit you again that chair wouldn’t help you” Chelsea snarled.

The whore looked around at the guys who stood around the fire trying to drum up some assistance but none was given. Even the guys weren’t willing to take on an angry Chelsea, especially when it came to nothing but a prostitute. Chelsea thrust the bundle of linen and clothes at her.

“Do you want these, I can’t stand the stench you’ve spread all over them like some disgusting cat” Chelsea said as she scrunched her face up.

The whore quickly shook her head while the men chuckled behind them, enjoying the show. Chelsea shrugged her shoulder.

“Very well then” she said turning to fire and dumping the linen and clothes into the fire place.

“Fucking hell” Chelsea heard one man laugh as she picked up the poker stick and forced the bundle to burn, watching the demons fly off them into the atmosphere.

“Chelsea? What are you doing?” Knox asked from behind her.

“The laundry” Chelsea replied with a smile.

“Alright then” Knox said with a bemused look on his face.

She smiled again and went back towards Mason’s room, hearing the laughter about her burning the sheets and clothes follow her. She saw Blade clamour his way out of the big arm chair he sat in, he came towards her and looked into her eyes.

“Are you alright kiddo?” he asked, his face full of concern.

Chelsea smiled and nodded as she dropped her head to prevent more tears from falling.

“I will be” Chelsea said smiling sadly at him again.

Blade reached up and smoothed her hair before pulling her into him and kissing her forehead.

“If you need me. I’m here alright?” Blade said.

Chelsea patted him on the chest and nodded.

“Thank you” she smiled.

“No worries sweetheart” Blade replied as she continued her march to the linen closet.

When she got back to Mason’s room he was standing with a towel around his waist looking at the room.

“Chels? Where is the bedding? And where are the clothes that I was wearing?” he asked.

Chelsea looked up at him and shrugged her shoulder.

“I offered them to the whore seeing as she scent marked them I figured she might have wanted to claim them. She didn’t want them. So I burnt them” Chelsea said with a shrug.

Mason’s eyes widened and he shook his head. Chelsea could see the panic on his face caused by her rash actions, she felt a little pleased with his reaction.

“Your wallet is on the desk” Chelsea said pointing absently as she put the new sheets on the bed.

“Alright um, thanks” Mason replied touching it gingerly and relaxing his face.

Chelsea handed Mason the doona cover and the doona.

“Here do this while I put the sheet and pillow cases on” she said.

Mason nodded again and silently went to work putting the doona into the doona cover, ruffling it and laying it out on the bed. He sat down on the edge of the bed with the towel around his waist and watched as she bustled in and out of the bathroom, brushing her teeth and hair and putting on her pyjamas.

“Are you sure you’re alright Chels?” he asked. “I can sleep out in the living room if you prefer”

Chelsea stopped and shook her head.

“No that’s too close to the whore. You can stay here with me, and I’m going to hold your dick all night so if you try to sneak out to her, your cock stays with me” she said with a sweet smile.

Mason’s eyes widened.

“Alright then” he said nodding slowly as he stood and dropped the towel before getting into bed.

Chelsea smirked slightly. She was still hurt but it was fading quickly. It didn’t mean that she was going to let Mason know it. She flicked off the light of the bathroom and climbed into bed beside him. He laid on his back, careful not to invade her space. She reached out her hand and clasped hold of his cock, ignoring the fact that it was quickly growing hard and ignoring her body’s reaction to his hardness.

She fell asleep with his cock in her hand, but when she woke she was on her side with him tucked up against her. His cock twitching against her arse, Chelsea moved and ground her arse against  him, bringing a groan from Mason’s lips. Suddenly memories of the whore on top of him hit her memory and she moved away. He tightened his arm around her waist so she couldn’t get away. She softened her body and lay there letting silent tears drip from her face onto the pillow. By the time Mason woke her tears had dried and she was drifting in and out of sleep.

Mason sat up and gently stroked her back, she rolled over and looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy. His face read sadness and distress, knowing that it was his actions that caused her tears.

“Do you want to go for a drive today?” he asked.

Chelsea nodded her head and sat up in the bed.

“Mason. You really hurt me last night” she said sadly.

Mason nodded his head and reached out taking her hand in his.

“I know I did. I can only say sorry, but I understand if you don’t want to accept it” he said.

Chelsea shook her head.

“It’s not a matter of want. I really want to accept it. I just can’t. Every time I think I’m alright with it, I see her on top of you again, I hear her moaning; hell you were moaning the same way you moan with me” Chelsea said wiping at the rogue tears that fell down her face.

Mason squeezed her hand and nodded his head.

“I understand. I know if it had been you doing that I would have probably never forgiven you. Chels, if it helps you can sleep with another guy” Mason said sadly.

Chelsea shook her head. She knew that wasn’t going to help anything. It would just make them both feel miserable.

“No I don’t want to do that.” she said.

Mason seemed to sigh with relief and rubbed his thumb on her palm.

“Mason is there something she was willing to do for you that I don’t?” Chelsea asked looking at him trying to fight the tears.

Mason shook his head as he ran his hand up through his hair.

“Chelsea I love making love to you. I love your body, I love you. I can’t explain why I did what I did. I’m just a fucking idiot” Mason said bitterly.

Chelsea nodded her head and squeezed his hand with a sigh. She realised there was no point in beating him up for it, he was going to do enough of that for the both of them.

“It’s just going to take time I guess, like fucking everything painful, it just takes time to get over” Chelsea said with a sigh.

Mason nodded his head. Chelsea sighed again and looked up at him. He looked miserable and she could see he was really beating himself up over what he did. She took his hand and looked at the knuckles that were all bruised and grazed open. She shook her head.

“And another thing. Don’t do that again” Chelsea said holding his hand up to him.

He smiled gently at her.

“As long as you promise not to try and take your life again” Mason said.

Chelsea lowered her head and nodded.

“Were you really going to? If I hadn’t been following you, would you have cut yourself?” Mason asked as he creased his face with the horror in he obviously felt in his heart at the thought of losing Chelsea.

Chelsea nodded her head and let the tears slip from her eyes as she looked up at him.

“I miss her so fucking much Mason. She was the first female friend I had, but she was more like my sister than a friend. I know you miss her too, but please understand, when I walked into the room and saw you doing.. Well when I saw you, it just shattered my heart and at that moment the only person I wanted was Kelly. And she was the only person I couldn’t have” Chelsea said with a hiccupped sob.

Mason nodded and put his arm around Chelsea’s shoulders and pulled her into his chest kissing the top of her head.

“Fuck Chelsea I’m so fucking sorry. I couldn’t live without you. You are the only person that keeps me going. I wake up every fucking day and all I want is you. Last night she kept complaining because I was going soft because she wasn’t you” he said with sadness.

It didn’t make Chelsea feel any better that he kept going soft because the whore wasn’t her yet he continued to persist, but Chelsea chose not to say anything.

“Chelsea I don’t know how to make it up you, I don’t even know if I can, but please, just don’t leave me. I can’t live without you” Maason said with tears in his eyes.

Chelsea nodded and smiled weakly and Mason.

“I’m not going anywhere. I made a very important promise that I plan to keep. I’m will never leave you” Chelsea said holding his hand tight.

Mason nodded his head and kissed her forehead again.

“Where are we going today?” she asked wanting to change the subject and forget the previous night.

“I have someone I want you to meet” Mason said. “Also can you bring the picture you drew”

Chelsea nodded and frowned. When Chelsea and Mason were showered and dressed, she pulled the picture of Mason and his Mum carefully from her book and put it on the back seat of the car. 

Chapter Twenty Six

They drove along in silence with Mason tenderly holding Chelsea’s hand. She looked out at the window and remembered times before Kelly died, before everything turned bad again. That brief moment of happiness when her life was perfect. By the time they pulled up to a small suburban house surrounded by clipped grass and roses her spirit had lifted somewhat. Chelsea looked at Mason and he smiled tentatively at her and reached into the back seat to get the picture. He smiled again before getting out the car and leading her up the path to the front of the little white brick house.

When the door swung open there was a man standing shrivelled, with soft eyes, greying hair and a warm smile.

“Mason?” the man said with a smile “well this is a surprise. Come in”

The man moved from the door to allow Mason and Chelsea to enter the small living room filled with a big oversized couch, armchair and a small television that played horseracing without the sound on. Beside the arm chair was the racing guide. The man grunted as he sat down and pointed to the couch for Chelsea and Mason to sit. They both sat down and Mason leaned back into the couch.