Mason Book 2

MASON

“I feel like punching someone.”

“When was the last time you actually punched someone?” Gale asked, a grin on his face as he tapped his fingers on his thigh.

We sat in silence in the car, the quiet before the storm, the pause before the final wave. To answer Gale’s question, it had been a while since I had punched anything.

I never really felt the need to use my fists. I had words for that, and they were more brutal than any punch. Plus, I had the brains to really hurt someone.

I fiddled with my tie, which felt too tight around my neck. I loosened it and rested my elbow on my thigh, my fingers supporting my cheek as I checked the time.

A knock came from the tinted window.

Right on cue.

The door opened, and a man was shoved inside. He almost fell to the floor, gasping for breath.

“Hello, Jimmy.”

He turned to face me, sitting next to Gale. Jimmy’s eyes widened when he saw me, and he started to shake, waving his hands in front of him.

“No, no, I didn’t do anything wrong, I swear.” He was panting, sweat soaking his collar and underarms.

“You’d be dumb enough to, but let’s hope you didn’t.” Gale tossed him a handkerchief, which Jimmy used to wipe the sweat from his forehead and neck.

I watched him, my hand resting on my thigh, as he took his sweet time, probably trying to delay the inevitable confrontation.

“Jimmy,” I said, my voice tight. I didn’t want to repeat myself. He knew the consequences if I did.

He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a large envelope, extending it towards me.

I looked at it, noticing the wet spots, and sneered. I glanced up at him, my glare making him shake even more.

Gale sighed, took the envelope, and pulled out the contents. He didn’t even look at them before handing them to me. I grabbed them eagerly.

“You said to notify you if anything happened,” Jimmy was saying, but I was only half listening. The other half of my attention was on the photos of my wife and Anthony in a classroom that looked just like Arden’s.

The other pictures showed Anthony and his men entering the school, and Lauren walking in alone and then leaving with our son.

I clenched the pictures in my hands, and when I saw the last two, I wanted to tear everyone in the car apart.

I wanted to make them suffer, to make sure they never felt happiness again. I wanted to choke them every time they tried to breathe.

“F-from my sources, he’s threatening her with those…those pictures. He, uh, Anthony orchestrated everything so she would have no choice but to do what he says.”

If he didn’t shut up, I was going to punch him. The vein in my neck throbbed, a sure sign of my rising anger. My vision started to blur with rage.

I had known something like this was going to happen. I knew that bastard was going to find a way to get to Lauren, but I never expected him to do it this way.

My jaw clenched.

The photographer had captured Lauren’s fear perfectly as she stood near her car with Arden, looking back at the school.

I remembered finding her in the bathroom, a mess. I had thought it was because of me.

But it was for a completely different reason, and she never told me. I didn’t blame her. I didn’t fucking blame her at all.

I could almost taste the revenge. I was practically drooling at the thought of wrapping my belt around Anthony Brown’s fucking neck for crossing me.

For hurting my sweet girl.

He had finally done it.

I hadn’t planned on confronting him directly. I thought I could just keep an eye on things without getting involved, but all bets were off the moment he hurt Lauren.

Forgive me, Lauren, but your father’s going to pay in blood.

It had been a long time since I had taken matters into my own hands.

“Is there anything else?” I asked. If Jimmy left anything out, I’d kill him, and then I’d kill everyone he knew.

“N-no, but I’ll find out for you. I promise I will find out. Can I please go now?”

I didn’t say anything, but Gale must have known I was done with him. I heard the door open again, and Jimmy stumbled out before it was shut.

“Fuck,” Gale whispered.

The image of Lauren and Anthony made me see red, so I crumpled the pictures and threw them across the car. They bounced off the seat and fell to the floor. I ran my hand through my hair.

“What are you going to do?”

The question echoed in my mind. I knew what was going to happen. Gale wouldn’t approve because times had changed, but I hadn’t.

I was still the same, even though I pretended I wasn’t. There were things only I knew, things from the past that I had buried but now needed to resurface.

“Let him enjoy what he thinks he’s won,” I answered. Anthony thought this was his playground and that he could move his toys around whenever he wanted.

I would let him enjoy it; I would let him play with his little toys, and when he realized my playground was bigger than his, it would be too late.

But first, I needed to tie up a loose end.

I looked at Gale. “Jimmy. Find him. I want him dead.”

Gale just stared at me, dumbfounded. “We’re trying not to raise suspicion, and the man helped us,” he reminded me.

He was right, but it didn’t matter anymore. The stakes were too high.

I gave him a look that said he was pushing his luck. “I don’t care. Kill him and make it look like an accident. Pay off his family or whoever he leaves behind.”

“Could I possibly take him captive? Do you really want to be responsible for an innocent person’s death?”

“Gale, if you can guarantee that Anthony won’t find him, you can do whatever you want with him as long as he stays hidden. If you can’t guarantee that…” My voice trailed off, my gaze fixed on him.

He nodded, understanding he had no other choice but to comply. I didn’t want to kill Jimmy, I never intended to, but what I was about to do required him to be dead. I couldn’t let him live.

Sure, he was scared of me, but he was equally scared of Anthony. How long would it take before he spilled the beans? How long before Anthony figured out I was onto him and turned the tables on me?

“And Lauren?”

The question irked me. I tried to regain my composure. My head felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer.

I was so damn in love with my wife that nothing could hurt me as much as her pain and tears did. I tried to blink away the images in my head that made me want to kill someone.

That made me want to hurt myself, but the pain I was feeling wasn’t enough.

The fact that Lauren couldn’t confide in me about this, thinking she was doing what was best, was a constant source of pain for me.

No one understands me like she does, not even Gale or my family. She gets that even when I don’t say anything, I’m saying a lot. She sees through my lies, and she calls me out on them.

I surrendered myself to her. I gave her everything because it was hers to take.

Did I give her a reason to doubt my love? Did she think what I felt for her was so weak that I could believe anything I saw when I knew her? When I knew her heart and mind?

“She feels trapped. She feels like she has no other choice but to do what Anthony says.”

Gale shifted uncomfortably, as if he was feeling claustrophobic in the car. He looked angry.

He cared for Lauren, and I respected him a lot for it. I also knew he wouldn’t hesitate to take a bullet for her.

“Are you going to tell her that you know?” he asked calmly.

Damn it, I should. I should go home, grab her, shake her, and remind her just how much I fucking loved her before I confronted her about trust.

If our roles were reversed, I would have told her immediately. There was no room for secrets in our lives.

But wasn’t I being a hypocrite? I hid the truth from her. If I had just told her Anthony was snooping around, none of this would have happened.

I could have controlled the situation before it spiraled out of control.

Without looking at him, I replied, “I want to see how this plays out.”

As much as I wanted to relieve Lauren of this burden, I wanted to see Anthony’s cards first. Regardless of his intentions, he broke the deal.

Gale frowned. “She’s your wife. Don’t you two have a policy of not keeping secrets from each other?”

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself again, clenching my fists with the urge to hit something.

“We do, but this is different.” It was a harsh reality. We didn’t keep secrets from each other, but recently, I discovered that we were both hiding things that could hurt us.

Gale nodded slightly, letting it go, only because he knew if he pushed, I would beat the shit out of him. “And the other matter?”

The mention of another less troubling matter was a relief. It was what I needed: something I could work with—something easier to handle.

“Well, Ginny seems to like her new prison cell. It doesn’t have a nice view, but I don’t see her complaining about it. I saved her from death.”

Fuck. Me.

How many secrets do I have to keep from Lauren? Each fucking thing needed to be handled delicately. The fact that all the problems in my life were caused by Lauren’s parents should be funny.

And it was pretty ironic that I had to save the woman who had hurt both Lauren and me and still despised me. I could have just let Anthony kill her.

Karma is a bitch, and it came for her, but I had to play the fucking hero and save her.

“Remind me why you did that again?” He was amused, and indeed, it was amusing.

“I don’t know. I was feeling generous.”

He laughed. “Are you trying to lie to yourself or me, Mason? You did it for Lauren.”

Of course, I did it for Lauren. She was the first woman, the first person, that I ever put before myself. Everything I did and would do would be because of my wife.

Sending Ginny to a high-tech prison was the best punishment for her. Sure, she escaped from Anthony, but I had to make sure she was sent so far away no one could ever reach her.

To the outside world and Anthony, she was dead. It didn’t take much to make all of this happen.

Ginny was finally where she deserved to be. She would never see the light of day again.

“Whatever the reason, she’s gone, and I don’t think she realized that things are a little different there.

“She was happy to be out of Anthony’s clutches, but now she’s going to see what hell looks like.”

It was the world’s most secret prison, located on an island in the middle of the ocean.

“The bitch deserves it. I wish I could have seen her face.”

I leaned forward and touched the door handle to open the door for him. “Go get things done, and try not to fuck things up for me, Gale. Take the driver with you. I’m driving myself.”

“Charming.” He got out of the car and closed the door, but I stayed right where I was.

The urge to go to Lauren was so strong I didn’t know how I would manage to stay away, but I had to. However, I sent her a text.

I needed to check on her. I just needed her, but right now, I couldn’t even call her because I was still consumed with anger and pain.

Until her name flashed on my screen, and I had no other choice but to pick up. Her face lit up my screen, and I felt a surge of warmth in my heart.

She was wearing one of my shirts, which was covered in white powder, as were her cheeks and hands.

Her hair was swept up in a bun, and the way her eyes sparkled at me made me feel like I didn’t need anything else. All I needed was her gaze.

Just seeing her face, I could breathe easier. I looked at her, and I felt better. More at peace. “What’s that on you?”

Lauren glanced down at herself and laughed joyfully. “Flour,” she replied, her eyes twinkling. “I baked you a cake with your face on it.”

My heart twisted at her words. I felt a deep sense of satisfaction knowing I held her heart, and no one else could claim it. I saw the softness in her expression, and the knot inside me began to unravel.

Her face vanished from the screen, leaving me staring at a blank wall. Not ten seconds later, she was back, proudly showing off her cake.

I almost wanted to smile. The cake was the most hideous cake I’d ever seen. She’d attempted to recreate my face on it, and I looked like I was in dire need of medical help.

The way she was looking at me, smiling, her brilliant blue eyes watching me, made my stomach tighten.

Any other man would have jumped at the chance to praise her for such a thoughtful gesture, but I wasn’t any other man.

“Why do I look constipated?”

She gasped, her eyes wide as she kept glancing between me and the cake, as if trying to spot the resemblance.

When she finally made up her mind, I studied her face carefully, noting the small pout she made.

“Babe, what are you talking about? You look like this all the time,” she said.

I raised an eyebrow. “Constipated?”

Her eyes widened again, and I could see the surprise in her expression. Then she closed her eyes tightly and opened them, looking like she was trying to suppress her laughter.

“No!”

All I could see then was her stolen laughter. The sparkle in her eyes dimmed, and my blood started to boil again. My throat felt raw, and I could barely speak.

I could barely even breathe. But I couldn’t let her see the changes in me.

Both eyebrows shot up. “Not constipated, but still bad…”

“What—”

I tilted my head, my frown deepening. “So, all you see is the unattractive part of me?” I asked, fighting the smile that was threatening to spread across my face.

Teasing her had always been the best part of us.

“I—” She choked on her words, blinking a few times as if she couldn’t figure out if I was joking or not.

When she realized I wasn’t smiling, she put the cake down and grabbed the phone.

“Sorry, you’re breaking up. I can’t hear you. Hello? Hello? Okay, bye!” She yelled and dropped the phone, but my little wife forgot to end the call.

I was left staring at the ceiling.

“For fuck’s sake, you can’t do anything for that man.”

I let out a silent laugh, resting my head on my fist. Lauren had given me love in ways no one else in my life ever had, and I could never stop loving her.

“You know I can still hear you, right?”

I heard her gasp, then, “Bye!” She ended the video call.

I sat there for two minutes, and I hated being forced to endure the imagined vision of where she was at the moment. Alone. Vulnerable. Unprotected. Anything could happen.

I would have crawled through the damn phone if the laws of physics allowed it. I was dialing her before I could stop myself. I just needed to reassure myself that she was okay.

Our eyes met, and a powerful unspoken communication passed between us.

“You forgot something?” she asked.

“You’re still covered in flour.” I observed. Every time Lauren looked like a mess, she had never been more beautiful to me. The simplest things she did made my heart ache.

Wearing my shirt. Standing in our kitchen. Doing things for me, for Arden. The simple fact that she was my home never ceased to amaze me.

“Yeah—”

“Where’s my cake?” I interrupted, coming out a bit harsher than I intended. If she had thrown it away…

“So, yeah, after we finished talking, I realized that I could do better than that. I’m going to throw the cake away and make—”

I cut her off again. “Don’t fucking touch that cake, Lauren,” I warned.

She looked surprised by my aggressive reaction. “I thought you didn’t like it?”

“I hate it. You made me look weird, but it came from you, so I’m asking you not to touch it. You’re forbidden from even breathing near it. You hear me?”

She nodded.

I growled, “Use words.”

She mouthed, “Fuck you,” instead.

I lifted the phone higher, glaring at her. She pressed her lips together.

“Find the courage to say that again but with words, and I promise you, Lauren, when I see you, it won’t end well for you.” My voice was laced with a sinister undertone.

She studied me in silence, holding my gaze steadily, and my heart pounded fast in my temples.

My voice heavy with disappointment, I added, “Despite being married to me, you haven’t learned bravery, huh?”

“I learned to annoy you.” She flashed a grin. “Which is why I’m ending this call and switching my phone off until you’ve learned to be nice.” She blew a kiss and ended the call.

I stepped inside the shop, taking in the colorful silk arrangements, vibrant potted plants, and eclectic giftware decorating the shelves and display counters.

In short, it was the most revolting thing I’d ever seen. Too many colors. I inhaled the sweet scent of greenery and all the flowers in the shop. I hated that too.

The store owner immediately greeted me.

“Hello, what—”

“Give me that.” I pointed at the bouquet of lilacs, not sure if I wanted to go with that, but I knew Lauren would like it. Why was I buying her flowers again? I didn’t bloody know, but I wanted to.

“Lilacs?”

I fixed a hard stare on the shop owner, who seemed to shrink a bit under my gaze. “Do you see me pointing at something else?” I asked, my tone sharp. Stupid questions deserved sharp answers.

“No.” She stuttered, trying to regain her composure as she went to get the flowers. “Would you like some chocolates with that?” she asked.

Her smile faded when I shot her a look of impatience.

As I took the flowers, I handed her a black card. She blushed.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we only take cash.”

My eyebrows knitted together. “What?”

“We—”

“I heard you the first time. I don’t have cash, but I want these flowers. How are we going to fix this?”

“I—”

I was so damn irritated, I couldn’t even pretend anymore. “I’m not leaving without the flowers.” And I meant it.

It wasn’t about the cash. It was the fact that yet another person was trying to bend me to their will, and it pissed me off.

Everyone was trying to make a fool out of me. Ginny, Anthony, the shop owner…

“Excuse me, I’ll buy the flowers for him.” A woman pushed her way into my line of sight, pulling out a few bills from her purse before turning to smile at me.

Her eyes were a deep honey color. Ugly. Anything that wasn’t ocean blue was ugly to me.

“Oh, thank you!” The shop owner’s relieved voice echoed through the store.

I turned a heated gaze on the stranger. “No, thank you,” I said, my words heavy with conviction.

To avoid touching her, I placed the bouquet on her chest and watched it fall to the floor before she could catch it. “My wife doesn’t accept anything paid for by another woman.”

She blinked, looking shocked. “I’m not trying to—I just wanted to be nice, and…”

“It’s good to be nice,” I said. “You just picked the wrong guy to be nice to.” I turned and walked out of the shop. Without the flowers, and still annoyed.

***

“He’s here.”

Tomás’s voice alerted me to the headlights approaching us. When the car stopped, he rushed to open the door, and a man stepped out of the black car, followed by his security guards.

“Am I seeing things, or is that you, Mason? Come here, buddy.” He laughed and pulled me into a hug, slapping my back. He stepped back, and I put some distance between us.

“Dean,” I greeted him casually. “Do that again, and you’ll leave here a crippled man.”

He laughed again. “There’s the asshole I know and love. Do you know why we’re here? Who called this meeting?” Dean looked at me. “Wait, you called this meeting? Well, shit.”

Another car screeched to a halt, a bright red Lamborghini that came in fast and nearly hit Dean’s car. The man who stepped out of it was wearing a bright purple shirt and white shorts.

“You can’t use my vacation time to call a meeting. That’s not cool, man,” he complained, tossing his car keys at Tomás before strutting toward us.

He hugged Dean first, then looked at me.

“You look as handsome as ever, darling. Almost made me forget that I saw you at the conference meeting two months ago and waved, but you pretended not to see me.”

Dean started to laugh while I narrowed my eyes at Vlad.

“Vlad.” My voice dropped, and I could feel my eyes turning icy. “Nice to see you could make it. Though, you could have dressed appropriately.”

He smiled anyway, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I take it you called this urgent meeting?”

I jerked my head toward the building behind us. “Shall we?”

Vlad fell silent. He looked around as if he was surveying the place. “I don’t see the others. Will they be joining us?”

“No one has ever turned down a summons before,” Dean reminded him, turning around. “Come on, guys. It’s been a while since Delta Inferno has been called into session.”