Deadly Sins
Chapter 12: The Choice
John's POV
Luke cocks the gun and forces it so hard against Maryse's head that her face is shoved into the carpet. The sight lights a fire under me. "Don't!" My lips twitch with anger.
Luke slowly lowers his gun and glowers up at me. "Okay." He takes a step back from Maryse seemingly handing her off to me. I grab her by the wrist without taking my eyes off him. I pull Maryse to her feet and step in front of her blocking Luke from getting to her again. "You've made your choice." He aims the gun at the back of Trish's head. "You can't have them both… not anymore." A flash of a grisly scene shoots through my head.
A bullet blasts through my wife's head showering the living room with her brains. Blow back blood covers Luke's face. He runs his finger over his cheek collecting some blood on the tip of his finger. He slides his digit across his tongue with a moan of enjoyment at the taste of Trish's blood. He relishes in the taste before laughing out loudly at my dismay. I gawk down in shock at the tennis ball sized hole in the back of my wife's head. Blood pours out all over my white carpet staining it for life. My heart breaks as I sink to my knees in despair. "TRISH!" Her body lies motionless in front of me, her blonde hair discolored with her own blood and brain matter. "No..." I weep uncontrollably as the realization sets in.
The click of the gun draws me from my imagination. Luke grins eerily up at me as his finger itches on the trigger. The fire under me burns and explodes into rage. I've had it! I'm tired of this power play from Luke. He doesn't scare me with his pussy little gun. I refuse to let another man come into MY home and try and kill my wife. Fuck that!
I let out a war cry as I whip my own gun at his face. It connects hard right between his eyes catching him off guard. I capitalize on the moment pouncing on him and taking him to the floor with me. I pin him underneath me and wail away on his face.
I've had enough of his shit. Beating Maryse up was one thing but I won't let him get away with it again. I will not let him come to my home and threaten either of them. I'm not going to choose between Trish and Maryse. Neither of their lives is worth more than the other's. I'm not going to make a decision like that. I'm not God. I'm not going to pick who lives and dies. The only person who needs to die is Luke. I reject the option of letting him hurt the women I care about.
I continue to bash his face in the same way he did to Maryse. I grab hold of his neck and squeeze without relent. He tried to choke Maryse out. It's only fair he gets the same treatment. This waste of sperm needs to get a taste of his own medicine. He knocked in Maryse's face and I'm going to do the same to him. I clock him in the face a few more times as stiff as I can.
"John, stop!" Trish's voice rings through my ears but I choose to ignore her. I've never felt this way in my life. Inflicting pain upon Luke is soothing to my soul. A couple of hands grab me around my arms and shoulders pulling me from Luke. They yank me to my feet and I stomp him in the face for good measure before forcefully bringing my temper under control.
I glance around the room to find Trish and Maryse huddled in a corner staring back at me wide eyed visibly shocked at my lash out. The bottom of my right foot throbs from the feeling of his face underneath it. That's a feeling I'll never forget. Two police officers aid Luke as another man places his hand on my chest holding me back from the asshole.
"What the hell is going on here?" I take a good look at the cop. It's Officer Hinkle; the same man who responded when Maryse was attacked. I glance at Luke as the cops try to lift him from the floor. He's conscious but I can tell he's a little out of it. Officer Moore is one of the cops with Luke. I take a deep breath as I try to assess the situation.
There's no point in lying. These guys obviously know who Luke is and what happened the last time we were together. "He tried to shoot them." I point at Trish and Maryse. They nod at Hinkle to approve of my story as he stares at them. Hinkle shakes his head in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me. Not this shit again." He turns to watch as Luke comes around and shakes off the cobwebs. Moore and the other cop slap cuffs on Luke's wrists and start to drag him towards the door. Maryse and Trish scoot toward me as Luke comes close to where they were. He pauses in front of us and takes a nice long look Maryse. The injuries he gave her are still prominent. Now his face matches hers. His eyes are both beginning to bruise and his face is in just as bad shape as Maryse's was when I found her. His eyes search Maryse's face examining his own damage.
"It's like looking in the mirror, isn't it? You piece of shit. You disgust me." I spit in his face as he's dragged out of the house. I've never felt this level of ill feelings toward another human being before. I was never the type to hate someone but Luke broke that pattern. I loathe him.
Officer Hinkle sighs. "I'd normally take your statements now but that guy is in pretty bad shape. That means a trip the hospital. Thanks a lot." He glares at me blaming me for the extra step they're now required to take. I shrug.
"He asked for it." I state bluntly. I wasn't about to apologize for anything I did. Luke brought this all upon himself.
"I'm sure he did. Look, you three need to keep it in check. I'll be in touch." He shakes his head once more before leaving. I sigh trying to clear my head. The sight of Luke's bloody face resounds in my mind's eye. I really did a number on him.
I look to both Trish and Maryse worried about their well-being. "You girls alright?" They both nod silently. They stare back at me like deer in headlights. I instantly begin to regret my actions. Sure, Luke deserved what he got but I wouldn't do it again. Not if it means scaring them like this. Shit… "Look, about what I did…"
Trish steps forward. "Don't. I understand why you did it." She gives me one last glance before disappearing into the kitchen ironically going exactly against the words she just said.
"Maryse, are you okay?" I rub the back of my neck ashamed of letting Maryse see me in such a light. All I want is to impress her and now I've acted like a fucking rabid animal. I wouldn't be surprised if she lost respect for me after the show I put on.
She nods slowly. "Yeah." This poor woman is only 21 and I can't even begin to fathom what all of this chaos is doing to her psyche. She's been through so much in such a short time I hope she doesn't get traumatized in the long run. I take a step toward her but she holds her hand up halting me in my spot.
"John, don't. Give me some space." She stunts off the same way Trish did moments earlier. Geez, now what? What did I do?
I sit at the kitchen table quietly nibbling on my dinner. I glance across the table at my wife. She sits in silence eating her homemade meatloaf. To my right Maryse sits soundlessly fiddling with her meal. Dinner is eerily exceptionally noiseless tonight. I know it's because of what happened earlier with Luke. The stillness becomes too much to handle. I set my fork down and exhale loudly. "Look, I know what you're both thinking. I'm some kind of monster, right?" Neither of them respond to my outburst. "Say something. Anything." I plead with them. I can't bare this lack of acknowledgement from them. "Trish?" I look to my wife hoping she'd speak up. Nothing. "Seriously? You always have something to say and now you wanna be quiet? You don't have any new insults to toss at me? Huh?" She presses her lips into a hard line completely disregarding my words. "Maryse?" I look to my mistress hoping for some kind of response from her. Maryse knows me. She knows I did this for her. For Trish. To protect them. "You know why I did what I did, right?" I try to reason with her. She's smart, she'll get it.
She brushes a strand of hair out of her face as she finally makes eye contact with me. She opens her mouth to respond but Trish cuts her off.
"What the hell is going on? Why did that man come after you like that?" She gawks at Maryse blaming her for what happened. "What did you do to him? What kind of illegal shit are you in to?"
"Hey, don't blame her." I butt in defending Maryse. "This isn't her fault. She's as shaken up as you are. Place the blame where it's due. Luke is the culprit; point your finger at him." I snap at my disgruntled wife.
Trish cocks her head at my words. "Excuse me? Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" Her hands clench into fists at the other side of the table.
"I don't think I stuttered. Maryse didn't…"
"John, I got this." Maryse announces cutting our argument short. I don't know what's gotten into Trish lately. I hate to admit it but she's been nothing short of a bitch these past few months. I'm getting real tired of her shit. "Trish, allow me to explain." Maryse asks her for permission to continue speaking. You've got to be fucking with me. This isn't kindergarten. We don't need to raise our hands and shit for consent to talk. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this whole mess…"
"You're damn right; you should be." Trish rudely pronounces. I clasp my jaw fighting the urge to tell her off. "You could have gotten me killed."
"Because your driving didn't already do that enough?" Maryse quips back. Trish stares back in shock at Maryse finally defending herself.
Trish smirks in a knowing gesture. I look from both of them cautiously. I don't want a cat fight to break out here now. That would just be bad for everyone involved. "Oh, I'm sorry, Your Highness. Excuse me for trying to help you get away from a maniac." Trish sarcastically declares.
"I'm sorry..." Maryse sighs. "See, I was married for a few months about a year ago. The man was Frank and he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. He had 3 months to live and wanted to make sure that his wealth went somewhere it would be used for good. The man that came after us today is his resentful son. He wants his father's money. I promised Frank on his death bed that I would keep his fortune safe and sound. Luke and his siblings never appreciated anything their dad did for them and they don't deserve his money. They weren't even there for him when he needed someone… I was. I was the one who was there when he took his last breath…" Maryse covers her face and inhales deeply. Trish seems to soften at the sight of Marye's despair. "I'm sorry." Maryse excuses herself from the table and runs off to the shelter of her bedroom.
Trish stares back at me in shock with her jaw wide open. "Are you fucking happy?" I ask her in a fit of rage. Because of her careless words and accusations Maryse is upset.
Trish shakes her head in denial. "I didn't know..."
"You never fucking do! You just open your mouth and spew out shit without even thinking." I glare at my wife in disbelief. "Why are you so hateful?" I ask rhetorically as I leave the table in search for my mistress. I knock on the bedroom hosting Maryse and she opens the door peering up at me through her beautiful hazel orbs. It's evident she's been crying. "Mind if I come in?" She steps aside and I enter. "How are you feeling?"
She takes a seat on the edge of the bed and shrugs. "I'm alive so I guess that means something." She's really taking this whole thing pretty hard. I don't blame her. She's been at the center of a mad man's attempts of murder and now she's at the center of my wife's hate. I know how that feels because I'm always there.
"Look, don't worry about Trish. She gets like that sometimes. She doesn't mean to come at you like that. I'm the one she's angry with, not you. She lacks a filter is all. I apologize on her behalf." I explain. "What happened today? How did he get here?" I change the topic from Trish to the real issue at hand. I'll deal with Trish later. Right now I want to get the whole picture.
"Trish and I were heading back here when I saw his truck following us. Trish nearly killed us with her reckless driving but we got here in one piece. I guess that's saying something. Trish told me to text you in the car because you'd know what to do. He burst in here. He wanted to take me away but surprisingly… Trish stepped in. She defended me." Maryse peers up at me with sincerity. Trish actually protected Maryse? To think she truly put another person before herself is almost unheard of. Why the hell did she yell at Maryse like that then?
"Really?" I ask out of shock. I never thought Trish would do such a thing especially for a woman she barely knows. "Then what happened?"
"And then he tried to attack us and tried to have you make that horrible decision…" She breaks down into tears. I quickly go to her aid and pull her into a tight hug.
"It's alright. That's all over now." My shoulder grows cold from the dampness of her tears. This is the first time I've seen Maryse like this. She's always cool and collected. I've never witnessed her just break down and cry like this. "Shhh… It's alright. He's not going to hurt you anymore. I saw to that." She sniffles against me.
"John?"
"Yeah?"
"What was that from you earlier?" She pulls out of our embrace and guises into my eyes, my soul. I knew this was going to come up.
"I'm sorry you had to see that. That wasn't me back there. I don't know who that was or what came over me. He wanted to kill you and then he tried to make me choose and I just snapped. I'm sorry. What I did…"
"What you did saved all our lives." She explains my own actions to me. "Thank-you." I've felt shitty all evening because of what I did but Maryse makes me feel comforted. Like I did the right thing; for once. It touches my heart. It's genuine. It's caring. It makes me feel secure with our relationship. I'm there for her and she's there for me.
I place my palm against her cheek gently and rub my thumb against her smooth skin. "Thanks for that. I'm gonna let you have your rest. If you need me, you know where to find me. Good night." I nuzzle my nose against hers and linger in her touch needing this simple physical contact. I give her a soft peck on the lips. "Have a good night." I kiss the tip of her cute nose before leaving to my own bedroom.
I sit on the edge of my bed just as Trish walks in. She glares at me from across the room and I stand up refusing to let her get the best of me again. "What the fuck was that down there? Huh? Attacking Maryse like that... What the hell is your problem? You feel like a big shot now? Do you like making people cry? You feel good about yourself don't you?" I can feel the veins in my neck throb from the anger protruding through my blood stream.
"I know, I know. I was wrong. She wasn't the one who caused this. The person to blame is sitting in a jail cell right now. I never should have gone at her like that. I realize my mistake so just lay off me, alright?" I scoff partially in skepticism and astonishment. Trish admitting she was wrong… holy shit. This is going to go down in history as a first. "Isn't that lawyer's ball coming up soon?" She changes the subject. I glance at the calendar on the far right of the wall. August 15th. Shit, she was right. The Annual Night of Prosecutor's is a mere days away. How could I forget about something like that? I haven't missed it once since becoming a lawyer.
"It's on Friday, why?" I ask suspiciously.
"I think you should take Maryse." She blurts out. I furrow my brows in surprise once more. "She's been through a lot these past few days and I think she deserves a nice night out." She crosses her arms almost as if she's shy. It's unbelievable. Trish is bashful to simply be nice to someone else. That's pathetic.
I think about it for a minute. I don't really want to take Trish with me this year but I don't want to miss it either. Maryse is a perfect candidate seeing what we're becoming and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding this past week. I nod. "Alright, yeah." I agree to her suggestion. It'll be nice getting away from here for a little while and having some alone time with Maryse.
"Can I ask you something?" She questions biting her lower lip in angst. "Who would you have chosen?"
I gawk at my wife in shock. Did she really just ask that? I'm hushed. I don't know how to answer that. Who would I have chosen? I can't answer that. It's not my place to decide who lives and who dies. This is her selfish nature shining through again and just when I thought she was going to change. "I wouldn't choose. You both deserve to live." I leave that conversation at that. I'm not going to stand around and have such a ridiculous conversation with Trish. I can't believe she could be so cold, insecure and self-centered.
