Brie picked up one of the glasses and told her, “Water’s perfect. Thank you.”
Mary didn’t say anything. She only gazed pleadingly at Captain.
“We’ll leave you two alone now,” he announced, holding out his arm to Candy to escort her out. Together, they left Brie alone with an obviously unhappy Mary.
Letting out a nervous sigh, Brie took a small sip of water before setting the glass back down. Mary still refused to look in Brie’s direction, keeping her gaze focused on the wall in front of her.
It gave Brie the chance to stare openly at Mary.
Although she had dark circles under her eyes and her hair looked stringy and unwashed, Mary still looked striking, as if nothing could touch her beauty—not even the horrors of Greg Holloway.
It gave her hope for Mary. Just as she was about to reach out to touch her friend, Mary snapped, “Get it over with, bitch, so I can leave.”
Brie expected the anger in Mary’s voice, but it still cut her like a knife. She was mute for a moment. It suddenly occurred to her that this might be the last time she would ever be in the same room as Mary.
“M—” she started, but the huge lump in her throat strangled her voice. Brie knew their friendship was on the line and the next few minutes could define the rest of their future relationship. Taking a moment to recover, Brie tried again. “Mary…I’m sorry.”
Mary frowned, turning her head to gape at Brie. “What. The. Fuck.”
Brie swallowed back her tears, adding, “I understand why you never want to see me again.”
Mary shook her head in disbelief. “Are you seriously trying to fuck with me right now?”
Brie stared at her in bewilderment. “I—”
“Don’t play me, bitch. I’m the reason you almost died. If I could turn back time, I never would have joined the Training Center. That way I could protect you from Greg.”
Brie shook her head, certain she had misheard. “Mary, I thought you couldn’t forgive me.”
“Bitch, I thought the same.”
The two stared at each other for several seconds and then burst out laughing in response to the absurd situation.
“You thought I came here to yell at you?” Brie laughed, tears running down her face.
Mary nodded. “Why else would you be here?”
“I was terrified of losing you.”
She snorted. “That would be the best thing for you, idiot.”
“Never,” Brie declared, grabbing a tissue and handing it to her before getting one for herself. While she was dabbing her eyes, the reality of what they had been through suddenly hit Brie full force.
What started out as tears of laughter quickly disintegrated into ones of pain. “Oh, Mary…”
Mary got up and sat beside her on the couch. “I know…” She hugged Brie, trying not to disturb Antony. Sitting together in that awkward position, the horror they’d faced suddenly bubbled up to the surface. It spilled out in a torrent of tears as the two shared that unspeakable pain.
Mary reached over and grabbed the tissue box, clutching it in her hand as the two of them continuously wiped the tears that refused to stop. It was a shared experience that only those who’d lived through the pain and suffering could understand.
“You’re stronger than I thought, Stinks,” Mary said, blowing her nose loudly.
“Me? I can’t believe you are still standing. I saw what Venom did to you…” A burst of fresh tears started as Brie recalled how brutally Mary had been punished.
Mary calmly cleaned up her face before stating, “I discovered an untouched place inside of me back when I was a kid. No matter how bad the beatings got, my step-father could never hurt that part of me. No one can…”
Brie looked at her in admiration.
“No one, until you.” Mary snarled. “Not being able to protect you was the most helpless I’ve ever felt. It was calculated on Greg’s part—and far crueler than a fucking lashing.”
Brie shuddered as she thought back on it. “Watching you take the punishment that was meant for me is something I can’t forget.”
Mary looked at her with red-rimmed eyes. “I planned to die that last night, you know. I would have done anything he asked to protect you.”
Brie felt chills.
Mary looked down at Antony. “I wanted to make sure your kids didn’t grow up without their mommy. No child deserves that.”
Brie looked at Mary with compassion. “I wasn’t about to watch you die. I vowed to see it until the bitter end so we could both get out alive.”
Mary snorted. “Greg hated that about us. He couldn’t stand the bond we shared because it threatened him.” She growled. “That’s why he used it as leverage against us. It had to be destroyed because it was something completely foreign to him.”
Brie shouted angrily, “I hope to God he goes to the deepest, darkest part of hell, along with everyone involved!”
“They will,” Mary stated with confidence. “And I plan to meet them there one day so I can fan the flames under their feet for all of eternity.”
Brie realized Mary’s intense hatred for Holloway had given her the strength to survive the horrific abuse. But it also tied her to him in a way that was unnatural and harmful to her soul.
Mary had literally fought demons trying to protect Brie.
“You are a good person.”
Mary glared at her. “Shut the fuck up, Stinks.”
Brie said nothing. She knew it might take years, maybe even decades, to unravel the damage Holloway had done to her friend. But Brie silently vowed to remain by Mary’s side every step of the way.
Despite Holloway’s hellish efforts and their own doubts about each other, their bond remained unbroken.
Cowboy Charm
Brie called Sir to let him know she was ready to head home. She didn’t want him to worry about her.
While Captain was escorting Brie to her car, Brie was shocked to see twice as many reporters as before.
They started talking over each other, trying to get her to answer their questions.
“Is Miss Wilson on the verge of suicide?”
“Mrs. Davis, were you sexually assaulted by your kidnappers?”
“Is it true that this is all a PR stunt to garner attention for your latest documentary?”
Captain raised his hand and growled in a commanding voice that left no room for dissent, “There will be no further questions!”
Blessed silence reigned as Brie finished buckling Antony in his car seat. She then jumped into her car and thanked Captain.
He nodded to her, then glanced back at the reporters, daring any one of them to speak.
Brie had been excited to tell Sir about her visit with Mary, but the encounter with the reporters upset her. She found their questions unsettling.
When she arrived home, she was pleasantly surprised to see that the last remaining holdout had given up. Obviously, the reporter had a better story to pursue, and her street was now free of the press. It made coming home feel much more like the welcomed escape she’d always known.
When she opened the front door, she found Sir in the living room on all fours with Hope riding piggyback. “How did it go with Miss Wilson?” he asked amid Hope’s delighted giggles.