Forest Lake

Chapter 34

Mason POV

I am more of an angry man.

Any emotion I’ve ever felt, I managed to turn into anger. Sadness? Find somebody to blame, and take your revenge on them. Annoyance? Find somebody to blame for it, and be angry. Anger? That one was always easy. Just add more anger until you punch the living shit out of someone. Fear? Turn it into anger and attack what scares you.

Now? Now I am scared shitless, and no matter what I do, I can’t find a way to turn it into anger. I’ve never felt fear like this before. It was a completely unknown feeling. It was dark and cold, and I wanted that red, hot anger again. But I couldn’t find it. I couldn’t fucking find it!

When detective Peters said that my sister was that fucker’s main target, I felt cold hands wrapping around my neck, making it impossible for me to breathe. Something was in my stomach, too. It was a tingling feeling that radiated from there to the rest of my body, and I wasn’t even able to move.

I have no fucking idea how I managed to jump up. I have no fucking idea how I managed to yell. I have no fucking idea how I did that, because I felt paralyzed. It never happened to me before. Anger always helped me move. It always helped me fight.

And now I can’t find it. How the fuck am I supposed to fight that sick bastard if I can’t find my anger?!

The words written in the notes he left came back to me. Doll, mine, say goodbye, life and death, belongs to me…

NO! No, no, no, no, no. FUCK NO!

And did she say she wanted to help them?!

“Mason.” she said softly, turning to look at me.

How did she manage to turn around? I was holding her tightly. Or not? Holy fucking shit, I wasn’t holding her tight enough! If she managed to turn around, that means that anyone could have taken her from my arms right now. My hold on her wasn’t tight enough.

What the fuck was I thinking?! Barely five minutes have passed since the detectives told us that he wanted her, and I’m already letting it happen?!

SHIT!

I tightened my hold on her, pressing her to my chest. One of my hands was wrapped securely around her waist, while I used the other to lean her head on my shoulder.

Try to take her away now, you sick motherfucker!

“She is not helping you.” I managed to say to the detectives. “I am not letting it happen.”

“Mr. Richardson…” one of the detectives started saying, but I interrupted them.

“No.” I said sternly, trying to clear my head so that I could focus better. “I am taking her away from here right the fuck now.”

“I want to help, Mason.” Emma said, her voice muffled from her head being pressed against my shoulder and neck. “I want to help Annie.”

My heart was beating so fucking hard that I was afraid that it would jump out of my body, and I would have to chase it around the fucking room.

“Annie could still be alive.” one of the detectives spoke.

I didn’t really give a shit which one. I was trying to focus on calming my heart down. I can’t protect her if I’m fucking dead.

“If we could catch him with the help of your sister, we could still save Annie.” the detective finished.

Was he for real?!

He was, wasn’t he?

I felt a spark of anger in my body. Fucking finally!

“My sister is not your fucking bait!” I shouted, pressing Emma even closer to me.