Rose Tinted (boyxboy)

Chapter 29: Ultimatum

"..I'm not coming back to you.."

☆

"Now, this is what's going to happen..." Frank yanks Max by the arm, forcing him to look over the ledge of the deserted bridge. "You will stay quiet, stay still and behave, or somebody will suffer." 

Max wriggles at the words, only making Frank's hold tighten, tutting at the reaction. "Tttt...another one who doesn't listen to me." Frank shakes his head in apparent disappointment. Max then receives a kick to the back of his legs, making him buckle and fall to his knees. Frank chuckles at the sight. "It would have been more fun trying to make you yield, Tayce was always far too easy. I think I'd have preferred a challenge, but it's getting late. He should be here soon."

Almost on cue, Frank turns to see headlights pull up a few meters away....

***

"Shit." Jerry utters under his breath as he sees the sight of Max on his knees, tied and bound, with Frank still holding tight to his upper arm. "We really need to call the police Tayce. We really do." 

Tayce looks at the sight before him. "Ok, but I'm still gonna try. I still need to try." 

Jerry looks at Tayce in horror. "What? You can't go out there! He could kill you!"

"...And I can't sit here and watch an innocent man, who wouldn't...no, who didn't think twice to come and save me. Not just from Frank...but also from myself." 

"No...wait." Jerry watches, panicked as Tayce hurriedly undoes his seatbelt and gets out of the car. Jerry grabs his phone from the cup holder and dials... "police!" 

"Let him go Frank, this is between you and me!" Tayce shouts, just a few feet back from the pair, a little unsure where his confident voice was coming from as he was a mess inside.

"You dragged him into this sweetheart, with your tales and now it seems he has your heart too... I don't recall allowing such a transgression to unfold."

"You had my heart Frank and you tore it in two! Can't you see we are over? We are done and you did this Frank, not me, not Max, you!" Tayce now feels the adrenaline kicking in as he takes a step forward towards Frank and Max. 

"I saw the kiss!" Frank suddenly shouts. "Outside on the street this morning. You're a cheater. We are still together!"

Tayce's eyes widen. "You were spying? How did you even know where I was?"

"You thought I'd fix your phone out of the goodness of my heart?" Frank laughs. "I needed to find you, track you. Both of you thought you could outsmart me on that stupid motorbike, dodging through trafffic, knowing I wouldn't be able to follow. You don't get to walk away that easy. You don't get to make a fool of me."

Tayce feels stuck. He looks at Frank, his hand still firmly gripping Max's arm keeping him down. "Just let Max go. He has done nothing." 

Frank's grip on Max tightens, making him cry out a little under the pressure, through the gag. "He is the reason why we are no more. He's poisoned you against me!"

Tayce can now feel the tears begin to fall down his cheeks. "Frank, you poisoned us.... you don't even know how much I loved you. But you hurt me. You hurt me in every way and I just can't live like that anymore. Please. Let me go!" 

For the first time, Frank's malicious exterior seems to falter. "I...I can't. I need you. You're the only one who knows me. You get me. You understand me. I won't let you go." 

"Frank...I'm not coming back to you...if you have any love for me, just let me be." Tayce is now pleading.

Frank suddenly regains his authoritative composure. He yanks Max into standing, then using his strength, pushes him up onto the wall, with Max laying on the thin stone barrier. Frank then gets up next to Max, again pulling him to standing, gripping his arm so tight Max cannot move, with the fear of falling down the huge drop into the fast moving river. 

"What are you doing?" Tayce begins to step forward but stops when Frank takes a dangerous step back towards the edge.

"Choose!" Frank says, his voice sounding unnervingly sure of itself. 

"What?" Tayce looks at Frank in shock.

"I said choose! Him...or me?" 

Tayce looks at Max who's eyes are filled with so much fear that Tayce feels so helpless. "Frank just come down...please."

Frank stares intently at Tayce. "Let me make it clear for you. You pick him, he jumps. You pick me, I let him go."