Chapter 17: Love Me Dead or Alive?

Flint Morgan

What he had first thought to be his brother, through the devilish glint in his steel eyes, Flint realized he was anything but. Backing away from the man with soot and blood wrapped around his features, he found the man coming closer and closer to him. Flint trembled, how could he see him? Wynn was cowering as well and Flint realized that this was the first time he had seen her actually scared of something, which made Flint tremble even more.

The man's lips curled upwards as his eyes brewed a cold cauldron of fuming anger.

Flint whispered his concern, "Who are you?" The man's eyes caught on Flint. Flint gulped. Him being able to see him meant he was part of Blank Slate. Flint's eyes narrowed trying to solve the mystery of who this man was who looked so much like Jared that it was scary.

He repeated in a scared tone, "Who the hell are you?"

The man's eyes danced. "Jay Farley...Now that we got that over with that. Flint Morgan, you're coming with me."

Flint shuttered and Wynn looked bewildered and estranged in her expression.

"Who's Flint Morgan and why do you look exactly like Jared," she asked. As she did, Charlie came bustling through the open French doors. A smile lit Jay's lips and he slowly staggered over to the young boy. Once Wynn saw this, her emerald eyes held a double shot of terror.

"Please, don't touch Charlie. He's not a part of this. Please." She pleaded.

Jay moved closer to Charlie while the soft jagged ends of tears began to drip down her plaster white cheeks . Jay laughed at her display of emotion. Flint's heart stopped at the thought of Jay doing anything to Charlie.

There was only one choice.

He stepped towards Jay with mountains of apprehension wading at his chest.

Flint's green eyes were stuck in the suspense of what Jay wanted and why he looked so much like Jared.

His brows creased in vexation as Jay slowly put his soot covered hands over Charlie's small neck.

"I'll do...do it Jay, just let go of him." Jay nodded and his smile slipped from his face.

Jay lamented, "Ah...the easy way is no fun. Well, what are you waiting for boy scout, let's go."

Flint solemnly nodded but Wynn ran up to him.

"Jared, what is going on with you?" Jay looked back at her with a scowling expression.

Wynn's features, however, only remained stretched in deep concern.

Jay pulled away from her with an intense glare seeding deep within his steel eyes.

"You should remember me, Wynn. I was the one that wanted you, never Jared. But you don't get it do you? I will never be enough for you, even if I do look exactly like him."

Wynn's eyes widened in response and her mouth stretched in infinite wonder.

She stuttered out, "But...you...you died that night. I saw it happen."

Jay shook his head, "No. You saw what you wanted to see; Jared alive and me dead. Well, here I am, Wynn...and now I'm walking out that front door, yet again." Wynn's expression remained unreadable, but understandably in distress.

He exasperated a long, loud sigh. Staying for a moment, he ruffled his hands through his dark hair. "But you're not going to chase after me, because I'm not the one that women chase after. I am the man that only chases after them. Forever I am out of reach of the ones who I love and your arms will always tangled around a man who doesn't love you either."

Finishing his thought he emphatically said, "We're both destined for loneliness." Pausing for a moment, he looked at her gauging a reaction. Seeing anger furl in her cheeks he softened and hardened, telling her, "Once upon a time, I thought we could be lonely together, but not anymore."

A tear caught on Wynn's eyes as she grabbed at his wrist.

Jay turned to her once more with his intense steel glare, "You lost me that night when you ran after Jared instead of looking to see if I was alive."

Then Jay left, slamming the door behind him.Flint walked solemnly out of the house. Jay instructed him into his blue caravan. Flint obeyed trying not to anger him so he'd leave Charlie alone.

Looking at Jay, he found a man deeply hurt who turned the ignition in efforts to leave, but moved nowhere.

Jay's eyes were hung in a blistering sorrow. Jay ruffled his hands through his dark hair. The silence was a heavy.

Flint wanted to help him, but words could he say?

Soon, Flint couldn't handle it. The silence just was unnerving. " I'm sorry Jay." Jay's eyes flicked to him in complete and intense anger.

He quickly took the keys out of ignition saying, "No. Not after all she put me through does she get to walk away."

Next, Jay swiftly jumped out of the caravan and onto the ground. He slammed the door with another thunder of commotion.

Locking the doors of the caravan, Jay ran up to the house once again. Flint's green eyes widened as he saw an intent glare form in his eyes.Fear pricked through him as he tried to unlock the door. His fists beat against the door as Flint saw Jay walk through the front door of the house.

Jay's bloodied and soot ridden hands gripped the gas can clenching them in his soot covered hands.

That image was the last one he saw of Jay before he came out of the house a few moments later.

All the while, Flint banged on the window. Desperation coiled around his tightly wound fists.

His eyes tentatively watched the house as Jay walked out. Jay's eyes lit a hazed steel mystery. Quickly, Jay climbed into the blue caravan.
He started up the ignition while Flint's eyes were perplexed in anger."What did you do?" He screamed at Jay.

Jay looked over to Flint. "Just do what you are asked and Charlie will make it out alive." His intense gaze casted over Flint in a pleading note that begged him to not do anything further. Flint sighed just hoping they'd be okay.

Meanwhile, his heart raced thinking about where they were going.

Jay's eyes were just steadied on the road ahead of him.

******

After a hour passed, the city filled with Chicago's esteemed and notable bustling concrete skyscrapers, disappeared.

The concrete was bit by bit replaced by towering trees which scraped the sky all the same. Slowly, the tires crunched over a worn path that lead to a charred house. Flint's eyes sharpened at the sight of the blackened cabin. His mouth drew wider as he realized where he was.

He was at that cabin. The one he'd heard about from Jared and Jay.

Soon, the engine stalled and Jay hopped out of the caravan. An intense glare still laid steady on his features. Flint followed suit with Jay. His heartbeat quickened while his soft shoe soles treaded on the gravel driveway. He walked slowly and cautiously to the charred door of the cabin.

Jay followed close behind.

In front of the cabin laid dead flowers in old brown pots. The cabin itself seemed to echo death.

Trees curled and crooked their limbs around the freshly charred building. Flint's limp heart trudged forward.

The deafening sound of his feet as walked against the gravel, churned around him. Jay's footsteps behind him were deliberate. Slowly but surely, Flint made it to the door of the cabin, afraid of what he would find.

Unsure, Flint glanced back at Jay. Jay replied with a tight nod. That nod signalled he was to enter the door.

Wearily, Flint creaked the wooden door open.

Once he opened the door he saw Jared tied to a chair. Blood hung around him and his face looked to be ashen. Soot covered his entire body. Ropes held his whimpering body at bay momentarily. He whimpered with a gag bound in his mouth.

As soon as Flint's eyes were held captive by the sight of Jared, a heavy brown pot smashed over his head.

Darkness enveloped and he felt he was being dragged somewhere. He felt a wooden floor scraping against his face. Pain effaced in every limb of his body. Blood had panged at the top of his forehead. He was in a state of total disarray as he was thrown into a wooden chair.

Ropes tightened around his body as he futilely began to try to get out of them

Flint's breath bated for the next attack with every inhale.

After he gave up his struggling, he panted in admission to his weaknesses.

Voices sounded from the other side of the room. They argued loudly as Flint tried to get a grip on reality. Finally, he was able to piece together what they were saying.

A sweet voice pleaded, "Why can't we just take off their blindfolds. They both know where they are."

An older lady's voice crackled sinisterly like static on a television. "Fine."Almost immediately, sunlight daggered through his forest green eyes.His head, which was tipped back, it fell forward and was now cast on the scene before him.

His eyes met Jay's, Phoenix's, then they met...Nikki's?

Nikki was a part of all this?

Flint's cold voice croaked out blatant curiosity, "Nikki?"Her blond curls billowed as she got closer to him. Her cold hand rested atop his cheek while her brown doe eyes stabbed his guilt for how things ended on their last date.

As her gentle hands cradled his neck, she spoke softly, "My name is Annie Caraway Baxter. Daughter of Jessica Baxter."

She looked at both Jared and Flint expecting them to recognize her.

Flint had no idea who she was and why she looked so much like Nikki.

As she saw there was no response to her name, immense irritation bit a her features.

Soon, her grip tightened on his neck and Flint began to gasp against her tight hold.

Jay yelled out to her, "Annie, we have to keep him alive for now."

Annie nodded with anger furrowing into her brows. "But he chose that lying, cheating Katelyn over me."

Jay pulled her back, strong arming her back into place.

Finally, Phoenix spoke up. Her voice crackled a cold impatience, "Come on. Annie. Jay. Let us start the task at hand., shall we?"

They both nodded and retreated.

Jay looked over to Phoenix and then at a Jared who sat there beside Flint. Jay asked her, "Now?"

Phoenix smiled and replied, "Now."

Slowly, Jay made his way to Jared and uncovered his blindfold.

Jared arose in a panic. His limbs strained against the rope, again finding it futile.

Immediately afterwards, his eyes flung up to Jay's.

Jay sighed a sigh of relief. "Well, Jared aren't you thankful that Dr.Phoenix was feeling merciful last night."

He continued after a moment of awkward silence."Okay now that the 'gang's all here', let's go over what you two will be doing."

Flint's brows raised as Jay proceeded. "Jared, you will be killing Marilyn Bishop wearing Flint's suit."

Flint's eyes raised when he realized Jared had seen him.

Did that mean he was assuredly becoming a part of Blank Slate?

Jared looked at Jay with widened eyes. Jared responded incredulously. "I will do no such thing."

Jay took a step forward towards his captive brother. His intense steel glare returned.

"You will do this. Otherwise, Charlie and your wife will be dead by sunrise."

Both Jared and Flint gulped.

Then Jay turned to Flint. "You will be showing up at Kate's work with flowers and chocolates. Jared will also use his blood from his venture to make you look guilty."

Their mouths flung open gasping in utter shock of what he was proposing.

Jay steadied himself over Flint and Jared. He loomed menacingly and with a devilish smile he said, "Its your choice. Wynn and Charlie...or Marilyn Bishop? Tik tok, boys, figure it out. I don't have time for uncertainty...and if you don't choose one...I will kill both. Remember, you're on the clock."

Then Jared and Flint both looked at each other, and in a defeated nod they agreed.

Jay gleamed another devilish smirk. "Good boys. Seems you're worth something after all."

He cackled maniacally again. Flint's curiosity dug into him as he listened to Jay's boisterous laugh.

"So why do this? Why get Kate to hate me?" Flint asked.

Jay looked over at Flint. His gaze a heavy steel trap that he'd fallen into earlier thinking that this man was anywhere near close to Jared.

Jay walked closer to Flint and loomed over him like a storm cloud while he softly spoke his response.

"Because...you're not the one who decides if you stay. She is. We only sent her to convince her so that she would fall into our trap. Then, when you two got to know each other better and she started to disappear, she would drop you like the plague. The only flaw in our plan was she still liked you even after you were the cause of her starting to disappear...so we had to get creative to make her hate you. That way you both will disappear into thin air. "

Flint's jaw tightened at the thought, "She was disappearing because of me?"

Jay nodded with a smirk still blistering on his lips.

"Yes. Don't you see, Flint? When you disappear, so does she. You two are linked," Jay said.

Confusion bit at his lips as he uttered his next question. "How...exactly...are we linked?"

Phoenix stepped forward with a tight frown capping her teeth.

She yelled out, "Because you are the two people who screwed me over long ago." Her voice raised in a jagged rush as she continued to shout at Jared and Flint. "You two made my sister's company fail and forced her to kill herself."

A knowing expression flared on Jared's features.

Jared began, "Her sister was the founder of Baxter Corporations. Jessica Baxter owned the company and her daughter is Annie"

He paused. Looking over to Phoenix, she nodded at his guesses.

Jared was right...and she was right. The Morgans' and Bishops' did screw her over.

He coughed for a moment and then continued his guilty admittance to what they'd done.

"She was the company that we took over to offset the Bishop's debt."

Thank you for reading! I know its been a minute since I updated...but I finally got to it! So...They both could disappear if Katelyn chooses to hate Flint. Yes, that's right. This wasn't about money. This was about Phoenix's revenge. How do you think this will all play out? Will Katelyn be able to forgive or see past their scheme? How do you feel about Jared being forced to kill and then coat Flint in the evidence? Find out in chapter 18 of Blank Slate. Thank you all those who have read this far in. I love all you guys ❤❤❤❤❤❤