Insatiable (UNDERGOING REWRITES)

Chapter 36 : Julian Mason

TW : mentions of abuse, rape and suicide

"It was pretty easy to find you. Using Julian as your name is what really gave you away. Just couldn't give it all up, huh?"

I rolled my head to the side to look up at Phineas as he sat in a chair above me. His face was pensive, emotionless even. Arms crossed over his chest, hair pushed back from his sweaty brow, sleeves pushed up over his forearms...for a second, he looked like the boy I fell in love with. Until I remembered where I was, the ache and pain of my body like a second skin, and the fighting temperatures of warm blood and cold floor.

I was that kid all over again.

"From Gabriel Julian Morgan to Julian Mason. So unoriginal. It was pretty simple putting the dots together. Julian, as in your middle name...Mason, as in your father's dead lover's maiden name. What a bore. Though you were never that original, were you, Gabe? Didn't even try to get plastic surgery or anything to look different. It's like you wanted me to find you."

Phineas lowered himself onto a knee right by my face, leaning and hovering above me. He took a finger and made a path from my lips over my chin, down my neck and all the way down to my naval. He paused there, watching me with those empty eyes.

That's what changed the most: his eyes. They were now completely void of any emotion, matching his soul perfectly. At least when we were younger, he still had some kind of sparkle and shine to his blue eyes.

Now, there was nothing.

"But here's a little secret, babe. You never got away from me in the first place. You can never run from me, I'm always going to be there. Whether you can see me or not, I'm your shadow. I even found Mateo, the man who would do anything for revenge. Even go as far as join me in hunting down you and bringing you back to me. Expect this time, when I'm done with you, Mateo is going to do the honors of disposing you."

My eyes grew wide as I met Phineas'. He just smirked back.

"I'm sure you've forgotten, but the boy that you killed? Tino? That was Mateo's little brother."

It felt like I had been shot, all the air rushed out of my lungs.

"You killed his little brother. And now he wants to kill you."

My fingers shook in their cuffed hold, my arms and legs and whole body following suit. Phineas moved to straddle my hips, stretching his torso so slid his hands along my arms and twine between my fingers. He ground his hips against mine and I let out a noise that I swore I would never do again all those years ago. But here I was: beaten, bruised, broken and wanting nothing more for this nightmare to end once again.

– – –

"Gabe? Gabe is that you?"

The person on the other end of the phone let out a shuddering breath, and I could just imagine the way he was clutching at his phone.

"If this is you Gabe, just know that I miss you."

I closed my eyes, letting the silent tears fall down my cheeks.

"Dad and I both miss you so much. I hope to God that you are safe and nothing has happened. Wherever you ended up... please be safe."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, hearing my brother's voice for the first time in a year... leaving my family was so much harder than I expected. I always started to dial one of their numbers, but never had the confidence to call them. Not until now when I everything was weighing me down.