Page 45 of Master B-1901
“That’s treason,” Elec roared. “In that case, we all fall.” His tight grip locked on my shoulders as he stared me down, dropping his voice, but not losing the deep tone. “You have to trust me. You’re not the only one who’s pissed. Braddock, she’s been doing this to me too. I’ve told no one the details.I will tell no one,but you are not alone. I didn’t get it as bad as you did?—”
“That you know of.”
Elec paused, his face hardening. “Yes, that I know of, but we are not alone in wanting to fix this. We have others, but we do this right. Melissa has made her rounds, and all her evil deeds are coming to light. Our cases aren’t the only ones. Let’s do this by the book. Promise me you’ll wait this out. You won’t regret it. You have my word. You know I keep my word. One way or another, I will give you your justice.”
“You promise?”
“I swear it,” Elec said, pulling me in. “And if you let me, I’ll spend however long it takes to erase what she did and insert the truth. I can do that, Brad. If you can trust me, I’ll make you better again.I’ll make you better than you ever were.It is within my abilities. All I need you to do is say yes. We can even start now. We can start tonight.”
f0091
Not once had I ever felt like I didn’t belong. I was my Master’s slave under the direct guidance of my Main Master, with whom I was loyal to. Yet, replaying our conversation over repeatedly in my mind did nothing to make me feel like I was doing my job. I wasn’t protecting anyone. My Master was getting no justice, and my Main Master may never be able to make Mistress Two pay if the Uppers had their way. It was a lose-lose situation, and the only one who’s life wasn’t in peril was mine.
With Melissa alive, Braddock would always be at risk. She could make the rest of his life a living hell, or at least make him fear the entirety of his existence. As for Elec, he was my friend. He was the Main Master of the Gardens. Even though he ran it, Mistress Two was getting in the way of that. She was committing evil deeds and hiding the evidence. People were probably even helping her, and maybe they had no choice in the matter because she was brainwashing them too. None of it was fair, and I couldn’t sit around like the rest of them and follow rules so that my future wasn’t impacted. Without my Masters, I had no future. I was the disposable one, and maybe I was the only one who stood a chance against her. I’d fought the mind tricksbefore, hadn’t I? I could do it again. I could kill her and face the consequences of that proudly.
“Allison, you’re doing it again. What are you thinking about?”
I forced a smile, hating the tinge of guilt that surfaced. And it wasn’t over the murder. That was a matter-of-fact order in my mind. I saw no way around it. It was the guilt over wanting to deny my Main Master’s command not to do it that had my stomach twisting sickeningly.
“I guess I’m getting a little tired.”
He blinked, confused.
“You never get tired. You just go to bed.”
My eyes dropped at him seeing through my lie. Had I just done that? It came so naturally when I knew it was wrong. Still, my mind stayed on the path it chose. For some reason I couldn’t fight it. Something said I should want to, but it was as if it was an order.It had to be done.It was that or…
I swallowed back the shaking that came as I took in my Master’s pulse point. Ticking time bomb. Ticking. Ticking. Him. Me. Who would it be?
No.
Her.
It had to be her.
“I’m sorry if that came out harsh. Don’t look so sad. You really are starting to feel again aren’t you. Is it a lot? You don’t always show emotion, but I guess that doesn’t mean you don’t feel it.”
“I’m so confused.”
“And angry,” he rushed out in a deeper tone. “You said that to the Main Master.”
I kept silent despite feeling my lids lower.
“Come here.” Braddock slid me over to sit closer to him. For seconds he searched my eyes. “You want to hurt her.”
“Yes,” I breathed out. “She hurt you. She hurt the Main Master. She betrayed you both when you trusted her.”
“And she deserves to pay. Fuck, I want her to so much that I can barely sit still. What do you think of the Main Master telling us to wait? Do you think what he’s doing will work? Will Melissa face punishment for her crimes?”
I thought over his words, pressing my lips together as thoughts came out matter-of-factly.
“The odds of her receiving fair punishment for her crimes are slim. She has power. Power goes a long way when you’re already at the top.”
He nodded, squeezing his eyes shut before rubbing against them.
“I thought about ordering you to kill her. I thought?—”
“You mustn’t.”