Haze walked over to Mary-Jane’s side. She flinched as he bent down and examined her forehead. “She’s fine. Aren’t you, Mary-Jane?” She glared back at him as fresh tears flowed from her eyes. Haze pulled a phone from his pocket and tossed it to me. I recognized it as hers. “See, when you first told me about all the trouble she was causing you, I decided to find something to distract her. Or should I say…someone.” He looked back at Mary-Jane. “Isn’t that right?” She began to cry, muffled sounds breaking past her gag and duct-taped mouth. Haze looked up atme. “Don’t you think it’s odd that someone like her could find a guy online so easily? Let’s just say, I called in a favor.”
I made a face. “Wait…PussyKiller69? That was Aiden?” Haze smiled. “But, why?”
“Mary-Jane has always been a whore. You said it yourself once before. I knew with losing me as her fuck buddy, she’d been looking for someone new. And once I learned about how much shit she was giving you, I figured it couldn’t hurt to keep her distracted. So, Aiden offered to help. He pretended to be interested in her, sending fake photos—it was actually pretty funny. That is, until she started talking about you.” His smile fell. “That’s when it became personal.” He pulled out a knife and held it to her neck. She sobbed uncontrollably, unable to do anything to save herself.
I looked at Haze and Mary-Jane. It felt like deja-vu.
“I would’ve been willing to let it all go, but then we found out Mary-Jane had been talking. And not just about you.” His eyes met mine. “I told you, Felix and I interrogated that man yesterday, after what he did to you. But what I didn’t tell you was how he found you.” He turned his focus to the bound woman. “Or better…who.”
What? Mary-Jane?
“You mean.” I swallowed. “That man—the one who was asking about you—she was working with him?” Haze nodded. “But…why?”
He pointed to her phone in my hand. “It’s all in there, but we already know everything. You see, Mary-Jane here was approached by Carter’s family not long after I disappeared. They’ve been paying her for information. As a matter of fact, they paid her a rather large sum to move you into her apartment. Isn’t that right?” He pressed the knife into her neck, making her bleed.
“No,” I exhaled. I looked at Mary-Jane. “There’s no way. She may be a bitch, but she wouldn’t do that.” Haze didn’t speak. “Mary-Jane.” I looked at her with watery eyes. “You wouldn't do that, would you?” Her eyes fell, and I felt the truth in my gut.
Haze pulled the blade back and walked over to me. “Indi, she fooled you once before. Don’t let her fool you again. All the proof, the texts, calls, everything is sitting right there in the palm of your hand.” I looked down at her phone as tears fell down my face.
I always knew deep down Mary-Jane hated me. But I had accepted that. It was something I could live with. But to hear that she’s been using me, since the very beginning, that was something else. Something darker.
“All this time,” I whispered, looking down at the hogtied woman. “All this fucking time!” She watched me with red eyes. “And for what? Money?” I scoffed. “I thought we were friends. Maybe not now, but at some point. I guess not.”
Haze watched me closely. “She never cared for you, Indi. Not once.” I shook with anger. “She’s been nothing but a lying little cockblock. A selfish whore who used you to get everything she wanted. You mean nothing to her, Indi.” He looked back at her with hate-filled eyes. “She wants us dead.”
Tears flowed down my cheeks as the sick reality of everything settled.
“Why?” I asked through tears. “Why!” Mary-Jane flinched at my scream.
Haze eyed me as I dropped her phone at my feet. “Indi?”
“I don’t need proof.” I slowly turned my head and looked up at him. I could tell he was nervous, still pained by the way I had rejected him the last time we were all together. But things were different now.
My hand touched his face, softly. “I’m not making the same mistake twice.” I pressed my forehead against his. “I won’t loseyou again, Haze.” My hand curled over his as I carefully took the knife from his grasp. “You’ve already killed for me. Now, I think it’s time I killed for you.” I kissed him sweetly before stepping away.
Mary-Jane eyed the knife in my hand and rolled around, unable to really do anything but panic as I walked towards her. I stopped in front of her and kneeled, gripping the hilt firmly in my hand. She tried to move as I squeezed her and forced her onto her side. “Saving you that day was one of the biggest mistakes of my fucking life,” I hissed. “And I’m done letting you ruin everything.” Her brows furrowed as her face twisted in fear. I leaned in close to her ear and whispered my final words to her, “You will never have what’s mine.”
As the last syllable fell from my lips, I shoved the blade deep into her heart. Her eyes grew wide and stared at me in absolute disbelief as I twisted the blade and ripped it free. Her blood spewed across my face, but that didn’t stop me from nearly straddling her and stabbing her again. And again. And again. Truthfully, I lost count, seeing only red and feeling so empowered, fueled but the freedom of ending her life. It was like a drug, better than any strain of weed I’d ever had, and it made me feel fucking great.
“Indi.” I finally stopped, panting as I held the knife in the air. Haze was standing there, staring down at me with a look I couldn’t pinpoint.
“Haze?” I dropped the knife as he fell to his knees and hugged me tight. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
He only pulled me closer. “You chose me,” he whispered.
The weight of his words made my heart ache with pain. I knew choosing Mary-Jane before hurt him, but I never stopped to really think about the real impact it had on him.
“Haze,” I cried into him, hugging him back. “I told you, I’ll never make that mistake again.” I pulled back and held his headin the clasp of my bloodied hands. Tears streamed down my face as he stared into my eyes. “I will always choose you.”
Haze smiled. “You better, because I’m never letting you go. You’re mine, little sis.” He grabbed my throat and yanked me to his mouth as he kissed me.
“No,” I breathed into him. “You’re mine, big brother.”
We sat there, kissing next to Mary-Jane’s lifeless body as she bled out all onto the plastic, her blood mixing with the food and bodily fluids we left behind. Kush ran over and pranced around in it, making an already big mess even worse.
“Now, what are we going to do about her?” I asked.
Haze helped me to my feet as someone knocked at the door. My face ran white as Haze laughed. “Relax, it’s only Felix.”
