Page 31 of Twilight Mask

I lay my hands flat on the table to keep myself from fidgeting. “At some point, I’m going to have to take the chance,” I say without meeting her gaze. I hate feeling vulnerable like this. “I’m not asking for a lot. All I want is a car.”

“What if we made a deal? You can have a car if you agree to start going to therapy again?”

I grimace slightly and close my eyes. I spent years parading through various offices, meeting with an array of different kind of mental health counselors, and while some of them helped, I still hated cutting myself open again and again. “That’s not an option.”

“Laura, it helped. I know you don’t think so?—”

“All I want is a car. Will you talk to Simon for me?”

She sighs and turns her tea mug around in slow circles. “I’ll talk to him,” she says after a pause. “But I want you to process what happened. What if you meet someone like him again?”

“That’s not going to happen.” I think of Jackal and wonder if I already have. A predator, but Jackal’s a different kind of predator. He makes me feel alive in a way I haven’t in a very long time, and that has to count for something.

“I just worry. That’s all.”

“I’m not fifteen anymore.” I look up and meet my mother’s gaze, even if it’s massively uncomfortable. “What happened when I was a kid won’t happen again.”

There are tears in her eyes. We haven’t done this in a very long time, but I know what she’s going to say next. I push back from the table.

“I just don’t want to be complicit in something bad happening to you again, that’s all.”

“Mom, please don’t make me responsible for your feelings. What happened wasn’t your fault. We’ve gone over this.” I turn toward the door. “Thanks for the tea.”

“Will you at least consider going back to Dr. DeLuca?”

“I’ll think about it.” Although I have no real plans to follow through, at least saying that makes Mom look less stressed out.

“I’m happy, Laura, I really am. I’m glad you want a little autonomy. It’s a good thing. I just don’t want you to rush, that’s all.”

I hesitate before leaving. “Mom, I’m twenty-eight. I’ve barely left my house, and forget about the oasis. I’ve been in prison here for over ten years, and for the first time in my life, I want to see what the world’s like out there. Maybe I’ll fuck up and get hurt, but that’s the risk everyone takes, right?”

Mom sighs and touches my arm. “You grew up too fast.”

“That’s the problem. I don’t feel like I grew up at all.” I pat her hand and leave. I don’t like the way that meeting went, but at least she’ll get me the car. Simon would probably turn me down, but with Mom speaking up on my side, he’ll probably give in and give me what I want.

Maybe I should feel bad that I’m not telling them why. But if they knew about Jackal, there’s no way in hell they’d let me anywhere near the outside world. And I can’t really blame them.

This is objectively insane.

I’ve spent hours thinking about Jackal’s identity and his motives. I’ve gone through a dozen different scenarios, some bad, some good. He could be a spy for another family and he’s just trying to use me to hurt my brothers. Or he could be a rich art patron that sees me as the next hot thing. Or a man with good taste and a dark streak like mine.

Whoever he is, and whatever he is, I don’t care. That’s the game, isn’t it? And the game is all I want. It feels good, being close to Jackal, taking risks and pushing my boundaries, and I feel safe doing it for some bizarre reason. Maybe it’s the mask, or maybe it’s Jackal himself, but I don’t think he wants to hurt me.

As I head back to my place, my phone buzzes. I pull it from my back pocket and frown at the screen. My heart skips a beat and I try not to laugh.

Jackal: When am I seeing you again, little demon?

Laura: I don’t recall adding you to my phone.

Jackal: You’re mine now, remember? That includes all your electronic devices.

Laura: That’s extremely invasive.

Jackal: And yet you like it. When do I get to see you next?

Laura: Five days. I’ll have a car by then.

Jackal: Perfect. I can wait until then. I’m already planning our next game.

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