Page 61 of Mason

“But…”

“Don’t worry, JoJo. I got this. I got you.”

By the time Keith showed up, Jo had drifted off to sleep, and as much as Mason didn’t want to leave her, he went to the door before Keith’s constant ringing woke her up.

“Stop ringing the fucking…”

The pipe slammed into his head before he could so much as blink. And then it went dark.

***

Jo came awake slowly out of a dreamscape of shadowy figures and text messages. Her body was cold and stiff, a far cry from how she’d fallen asleep surrounded by Mason’s warmth. Had the heat pump died or maybe the storm knocked the power out? She tried to sit up, but her body felt like lead. And she was all groggy, her head fuzzy.

Blinking, she tried to focus and look around. She was still lying on a bed, but there were no blankets, only a bare mattress. Wait, what? She managed to roll and look around a little better, the fuzziness clearing the more she woke up. This was not Dimitri’s. Where was she? but more importantly, where was Mason?

It took her a few more minutes, but she managed to sit up and swing her legs over the mattress. The room was dark, but she could see a little. Enough to make out the outline of the door and a window on her right. There was no other furniture in the room that she could tell.

She didn’t have her coat, so the cold soaked right through her thin t-shirt. She shivered and stood, but the dizziness swamped her so fast, she sat back down before she fell. What the hell happened to her? She went to rub her arm with her one good hand to try to generate some heat and noticed how sore her arm was. She glanced at it but couldn’t really see anything in the dark. The storm clouds must have hidden the moon and what little light it would have given off.

Shaking her head to try to clear the grogginess, she stopped almost the second she did it. Her head spun and her vision blurred. That wasn’t her brightest idea.

Sitting there on the hard mattress, she gave herself time to recover from whatever happened. Although what, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was she was cold and in a bare room, and Mason wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

Memories of last night, of the texts from the unknown caller, started to filter into her muddied mind. And that was when her fear began to pace around like a caged animal. What if the unknown caller had come to find her? Had he hurt Mason?

She finally managed to stand after a few more minutes and made her way slowly to the door. Only to find it locked.

Banging on the door, she shouted, “Hello? Is anyone there? Mason?”

She shook the doorknob, but it didn’t budge. The light switch was by the door, so she flipped it, but nothing happened. She was locked in a room in a house with no heat and no power. Alone.

She went to the window next and pushed it up. That worked, at least, but she saw why immediately. She was on the third floor. If she jumped, the fall would likely kill her. And with no bedsheets, she couldn’t even make a makeshift ladder like they used in movies. She was stuck.

Hours passed, and she paced, trying to keep warm. She was freezing. There wasn’t so much as a floorboard creaking through the house, so she assumed her captor hadn’t returned yet. He must have drugged her. It would explain the sore spot on her arm and the effects she’d suffered.

But her one constant thought?

Mason.

Where was he? Was he hurt? Bleeding? Scared?

Dead?

She didn’t know, and as the hours passed, it didn’t seem like she’d get any answers anytime soon.

“Mason!”

He groaned and tried to roll over, but he hurt too much.

Hands gripped him and lifted. A moan left him as lights were shined in his eyes, making pain rip through his entire head.

“Do you know what happened?”

He heard more voices, but they faded in and out.

He couldn’t open his eyes. Why couldn’t he open his eyes?

And where was Jo? He needed to get to her, to protect her.

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