Masked Mayhem (Fright Nights)

Chapter Five

We’re all loaded up in the truck again but this time I’m not zoned out. Liam opens the passenger door for me but then he gets in the back with Reynolds. I can’t remember who drove last night, but Nate is driving now so I’m assuming this is his truck.

It suits him.

The faded hat on the dash has their business logo on the front and is obviously well loved. A local rock station comes through the speakers, and an old air freshener dangles from the rearview mirror. It’s a little chaotic, but it’s comfortable.

Nate looks at ease in the driver’s seat, his left hand on the wheel as he whips us out of their driveway. I had a car for a while, but then Adam pointed out that I didn’t really need one and it was a waste of money to have an extra vehicle sitting around. We ended up selling mine so he could get a nicer one for us. Us. Like he ever did anything that wasn’t for him. Looking back it’s so easy to see all the manipulation, how he made sure he kept control over every aspect of my life until I was trapped.

I’m not going to spend my life under his thumb. He doesn’t get to dictate how I live or use me as his punching bag anymore. That ends now.

The thought of facing him is terrifying though. I wish I could just disappear, but I need to get my things and cut ties with him. I need that closure and he needs to know I’m serious.

Unfortunately, the rational part of my brain that knows he can’t do anything while the guys are with me is at war with the side of my brain that Adam has spent years gaslighting. My fingers pick at the hem of my borrowed shorts, unable to find calm in the storm raging in my chest.

Reaching across the seat Nate covers my hand with his own in a comforting gesture. “It’s going to be alright Zoe; he won’t hurt you while we’re there and we aren’t leaving without you.”

The others agree and I try to calm my nerves, but years of anxiety are hard to move past. I can’t let myself give in though, if I go back to him now I’ll never get out, this is my chance and I have to take it.

We ride through town in silence, this early on a Saturday morning hardly anyone else is on the road so it doesn’t take long to get to the up and coming neighborhood Adam insisted we had to live in. Appearances are all he cares about. He had to have the right car, we had to live in the right house, his whole life is a show, and everyone just laps it up.

No one sees the anger in his eyes when he throws plates against the wall because dinner isn’t perfect. He makes up excuses about my poor health when I have to hide out at home so the bruises he gave me have time to fade, and no one sees past the bullshit doting husband act. Everyone has always taken him at face value, even I did once upon a time.

I point Nate in the right direction through our neighborhood and my stomach sinks when we pull into the driveway next to Adam’s BMW. Part of me had secretly hoped he wouldn’t be here. That might make me a coward, but it would have been so much easier.

There’s no turning back now.

Nate’s hand squeezes mine again and I realize he never moved it off my leg, for some reason it didn’t bother me. Anytime Adam touched me my entire body would tense waiting for the harsh words or the pain that would follow. It’s strange having normal human contact, but he runs his thumb across my knuckles as he speaks, and I find the motion soothing.

“You’re running this show, Zoe. We can sit out here as long as you need, and we can leave as soon as you’re ready, just say the word.”

My head nods automatically. I wish I could listen to that scared voice in my head and just stay out here, but I can’t. That voice is the reason I didn’t leave a long time ago, but now I’m realizing that voice isn’t even mine, it’s Adam’s, and there’s no room for his voice here anymore.

Taking a deep breath, I try to hold my head high and keep my voice steady. “I’m ready. Let’s just get this over with.”

They all move as one to get out of the truck, and as we approach the front door I can’t help but notice the way they gravitate around me, keeping me in between them where I almost feel safe. The three of them have been best friends for as long as I can remember. We never hung out when we were in school, but in a town this size you pretty much know who everyone is anyway. They were never exactly small, but they’ve all filled out since we graduated. Adam might be picture perfect, but the three of them are real and sporting the kind of muscle you get from putting in a hard day's work, not from toning in the gym.

When we get to the porch I realize I don’t have any keys with me, but before I can even check to see if the door is unlocked or not it swings open. Startled I jump back on instinct, but when I bump into Reynolds he doesn’t budge, or reprimand me, he just gently grabs my elbow to help keep me steady.

“Zoe! Where have you been?” Adam is struggling to keep his voice steady as he takes in my haphazard appearance and the three men surrounding me. I can tell he wants to yell, his jaw is twitching from how tightly he’s keeping it clenched, but he doesn’t want to show his true colors .

“I’m just here to get my things and then I’m leaving.” Somehow my words come out coherently, despite the unease I feel being back at this house.

This place was never a home for me, it was a cage. A jail cell my husband locked me away in. These walls have only ever held misery for me, and I won’t miss them at all.

“Leaving?” He’s struggling to hide the edge of anger creeping into his voice, but I don’t back down. Finally acknowledging the guys he tries to send them on their way, but not one of them moves even a single inch. “Thank you, gentlemen, for bringing my wife home, but if you’ll excuse us I think we need to have a private discussion.”

Adam holds the door open wider, expecting me to fall in line and go inside alone, I’ve never fought back before so he’s not expecting me to now. This time is different though.

“They’re staying, they’re here to help me get my things. I’m leaving Adam, I mean it. I want a divorce.”

That’s the first time I’ve said that out loud and I almost laugh from giddiness. Saying the words is so freeing, like a giant weight has been lifted. I want a divorce. I want freedom. I want my freaking life back.

His expression tightens, but he doesn’t fold that easily, I knew he wouldn’t. Adam isn’t going to let me go without a fight. I attempt to walk past him, but he tries to step in my way and his sudden movement makes me flinch. The reaction is involuntary, but my cheeks heat all the same .

Reynolds moves to stand in between me and my soon to be ex-husband, shielding me from my abuser and making a point. Adam might be able to intimidate me, but they aren’t afraid of him.

“I think you need to back up so Red can get her shit. You wouldn’t want us to call the police and explain to them how she got that cut on her lip or those nasty bruises would you? That seems like it would be a lot of drama to air out in front of the neighbors.”

I don’t know if he knows what he’s doing or not, but Reynolds just hit all the right buttons. Adam quickly looks around behind us to make sure none of the neighbors are outside before stepping back and letting Reynolds shoulder his way past him.

Nate smiles smugly but the way he tenses as we walk inside suggests he isn’t as relaxed as he’s pretending to be. It’s oddly comforting to know I’m not alone in that sense. Liam stays behind me as we walk through the door, making sure to keep me between them where they can keep me safe, and their tactics don’t go unnoticed.

When Adam shuts the door behind us his mask slips a little and anger flairs behind his perfect fa?ade. The expression would normally mean trouble for me, but not this time. This time I have back up.

Seeing the guys in the perfectly decorated living room is like a neon sign of how fake this place is. Their house is homey, lived in. It has personal touches from all of them, yet somehow, they created a comfortable blended living space. Adam insisted we hire a professional to decorate this place and it looks like a catalog showroom. Sterile and joyless.

“I don’t know what game the three of you think you’re playing but it’s time for you to leave. My wife and I have a lot to discuss.” He’s struggling to keep a grip on that control, his mask slipping even more in the face of a threat he can’t flatter or intimidate his way out of.

Reynolds moves closer to me, and I expect him to start ripping Adam a new one because he looks pissed, but it isn’t his voice that fills the air. Liam’s sharp tone cuts back at Adam while his two friends shift to maneuver me between them.

“You don’t listen very well do you Adam? Zoe said she’s leaving, we’re here to make sure that happens. She’s going to pack her things, the four of us are going to leave together, and you’re never going to darken her doorstep again.”

Liam moves forward as he speaks until they’re in a standoff in the middle of the living room and I’m sure Adam is about to bust a blood vessel. His jaw is clenched shut, lips twisted in an angry sneer as my defender blocks him from getting to me.

“Let’s get this over with so you can get out of here Zoe, which way is your room?” Nate’s question snaps me back to our mission. He’s right, there’s no need to drag this out.

Nate and Reynolds follow me down the hall while Liam stays behind to keep Adam where he is. My hands shake as I push open the door to what was our bedroom, knowing I’ll never have to see this place again after today. I grab a few duffle bags from the closet and start shoving in my necessities.

Turns out there really aren’t a lot of things I can’t live without. The little bit of makeup I own, and some clothes, go in first so I can try to make myself presentable and get out of the guy's clothes, but other than that I don’t have many keepsakes. A few old family pictures, a few books, and my favorite blanket.

It’s sad that my entire life can be reduced to two duffle bags.

Sliding the tasteful diamond ring off my left ring finger I leave the symbol of our marriage, of his hold over me, on the dresser. I could probably sell it for some money, but I don’t want it. I don’t want anything from him. This part of my life is over now, I’ll file for divorce and no man will ever put a leash on me again.

The guys grab my bags for me, and we go back to the living room to find Adam and Liam exactly where we left them. Seeing my bags must be the final straw for Adam because he finally let’s himself say what he’s really thinking.

“Really, Zoe? You’re just going to show up after being out all night with three other guys, wearing their clothes, to just pack up your shit and leave? I always knew you were a whore, but I never thought you would stoop so low. After everything I’ve done for you, the life I’ve given you, this is what I get in return?” He’s seething, but he’s not the only one.

Nate’s easygoing smile drops from his face as he hears Adam’s spiteful words. “You don’t get to call her a whore. You don’t get to call her anything, and if you ever need to be reminded of that I’ll be more than happy to make sure the message sinks in.” He cracks his knuckles as his threat hangs in the air.

Adam is fuming, but there are three of them and only one of him, this isn’t a fight he can win, and he knows it.