Page 6 of Payback
“I...”
“Why on earth would I involve a young boy’s medical record in this?” he questioned, dropping me the hint I needed.
However, my mind was a blur, struggling to keep up. All I could focus on was the impending devastation. No amount of damage control could weather the nuclear bomb this man could unleash upon my life with these dark secrets.
“I...”
“Think, Alison,” he growled, once again infusing my name with disdain. “What purpose would a stranger’s file serve?”
Gradually, it dawned on me. As I observed the man before me, another vision began to emerge. My mind reshaped him, extending his hair, diminishing his skin’s smoothness to a pimply, sweaty texture. I imagined him in dark attire, with black-painted nails and a dirty, deep green backpack slung over his shoulder. The pieces fell into place. Like Pandora’s box flung wide open, exposing the darkness hidden for so long. I shook my head, struggling to accept that the person facing me could truly be Jared Tyler. The scrawny emo kid, devoid of friends and hardly speaking. He was such an insignificant figure that he almost melded with the wallpaper. The notion that this man was that kid made no sense. He had put on significant weight, not in fat but in muscle. His body had changed and grown, making his clothing appear a bit snug. I recalled Jared’s slender build, yet the man confronting me had a chest resembling Thor’s. I hadn’t even realized how deep green his eyes were because those absurd bangs concealed them. How was I supposed to recognize him when he had undergone such an astonishing transformation? Nevertheless, it appeared it was time to pay up. My past had caught up with me. A past I never anticipated would muster the courage to resurface. But I was well aware of what I’d subjected Jared to. While I had moved forward, maturing and leaving behind juvenile pranks, someone refused to let go so easily.
“I see you recognize me now.”
“It’s impossible,” I whispered.
“People change, Alison. You understand how biology works, and more importantly, revenge. It can drive you to accomplish things you hadn’t thought possible.”
“But you’re... you’re...”
“What?”
“You simply can’t be,” I breathed.
He smiled, leaning back once more, exuding self-satisfaction. Crossing one leg over the other, he emitted an aura of power.
“But I am.”
“This can’t be happening,” I whispered, shaking my head and running a hand through my blonde hair. I’d kept it long, though not as long as during my teenage years. It now reached slightly above my lower back.
“But it is. Your worst nightmare has finally materialized,” he taunted, his expression one of delight, as if he were the one receiving a birthday present.
“So you intend to expose all of this?” I asked, anxiety bubbling as I envisioned the big headlines.
“Oh, the idea has crossed my mind many times. I could do it swiftly. I could hit send to a news magazine and simply sit back, watching everything burst into flames. But where’s the fun in that?” he mused.
“I thought the fun part would be watching me burn.”
“I won’t deny that I’d enjoy witnessing the flames. But you see, Alison, that wouldn’t even the score,” he elucidated.
“Ruining me wouldn’t even the score?” I asked.
He shook his head. “You spent years making my life a living hell. It would be like granting you a swift death if I just released this and let events unfold. Sure, I might relish the spectacle, but what if I want to be the instrument of justice? What if I want to be the one doing the reckoning?”
“I don’t understand,” I murmured.
“You wish to keep this out of the tabloids, correct?”
“More than anything,” I admitted, leaning slightly forward to emphasize my desperation.
“Then I have an escape route for you.”
“Are you saying... you won’t expose this?” I implored.
“No, I won’t expose this. All you need to do is sign this,” he informed me, producing something from behind him that I hadn’t noticed before. It was another yellow envelope, now physically present. I was growing to despise the sight of it. He handed it to me, and I accepted it cautiously. Heart pounding and vision slightly blurred, I withdrew a single sheet of paper. It wasn’t difficult to decipher its contents. A few concise lines clearly stated Jared’s demands from me.
...relinquish all autonomy rights for a full month.
Chapter 3
