MASON (Second Chance Novels Book 2) (11 page)

"I missed your call because I was bandaging Dig. She was attacked and beaten pretty bad. She came to my house for somewhere safe to go. When I got back from camping, I had to help her."

"Oh, God," Shelby says, shaking her head with an expression of quiet shock on her face. "Poor Dig. Is she ok?"

"She will be. She's tough," I assure her with a hint of pride in my voice. "She's back at work today even though she shouldn't be."

"The attack is because of your project," she states with confidence, and also with anger sneaking into her voice.

"Probably," I try to brush away.

"That is such bullshit, Mason. You
know
it's because of your investigation as sure as I do," she says with her brow furrowed. "Why can't you let all that drop? One of you is going to end up dead. For what? This won't change anything! New assholes will replace these assholes. This isn't worth getting hurt or killed over."

"Well it's
these
assholes who wouldn't help Cam. That's reason enough for me," I say with frustration.

Shelby lets out an exasperated sigh. "I know. I'm sorry," she says flatly. "It's noble, what you're doing. But I can't help but worry about you."

I force a grin. "Look at my protective woman."

I pull her in for another kiss and try to regain the connection.

I can't feel it, and I know what Ledger would think of our relationship if he saw me kiss her. I still don't want to admit it. One piece at a time this idea of a calm, quiet, happy life is crumbling and I don't want it to. God damn it. Regardless of what Ledger says, or what I feel, half of me is determined that Shelby remains my path. I kiss her more deeply to prove it.
 

She breaks the kiss softly and looks in my eyes for a moment then smiles. "I'm glad you're ok. I wish you'd quit your project, but I understand why you won't. So, do you want to go somewhere? Ice cream?"

"Shooting range?" I smile.
 

"Let it go," she laughs.
 

"Ok, ice cream is good," I say.
 

The entire time we're gone, we talk about normal topics: work, Cam and Ledger, my offered promotion to General Manager for all Ledger's properties, and the investigation. The thought of being Ledger's right-hand man isn't so bad. I'd be moving around from site to site, double checking site-managers, trouble shooting, studying profits and points of improvement. It's a great job for me. Shelby doesn't understand why I don't jump at the chance. I should take the job, but the half of me that's been gaining strength doesn't want to accept that this is my life, not after working this investigation. Perhaps when the investigation is over I'll be ready to return to that ideal.

I sigh out loud without meaning to.

"What's wrong?" Shelby asks sweetly before she crunches into her cone.
 

"Nothing," I lie. "Tired from camping."

No, I'm energized from camping. Dishonesty now? I force myself to finish my ice cream pleasantly, but my internal struggle is screaming in circles.
 

Dig shows up at my door early on Tuesday in those leggings, two cups of coffee in her hand. She stifles a yawn and walks stiffly through my door.
 

"No work?"

"Simms doesn't think my bruises are professional. Makes me wonder why his cronies put them there."

"You can give yourself a day off, you know," I chastise, accepting my coffee.

"I did that yesterday," she mumbles sleepily with half a smile. Some of her bruises are yellowing, but the evidence of her attack remains obvious.
 

"That keychain fits you well," I say, referring to the phoenix in her pocket. "It was given to me a long time ago by a very good friend from my Army unit, but I'm glad you have it."

She looks at the wall, but nods. She doesn't want compliments, she wants to work. This phoenix was beaten to ashes, but she won't dwell. All she will do is rise up stronger than before, even while bruises stain her skin. She's still beautiful. A few sips of coffee later and I pull out the legal pad and hand it to her silently.

"Your serious?" she asks after skimming my notes.
 

"If you're game," I say. "I'm tired of moving so slow. They brought this on themselves the minute they jumped you."

Her sleepy eyes took longer than normal to scan my ideas and flick up to the board before she nods. "No sense in waiting, I guess," she nods above her sore neck. "We can start today, and I can play along. Simms booted me for the whole week. Half of me thinks he did that just to avoid me."

"Good," I say flatly. "I like the idea of him running scared. So let me run this while you heal, then we hit the ground running together by this weekend."

"Bullshit. Let them all see my face," she says with determination. "If I have to look at my bruises, so do they."

"Lunch then?" I smile with an ornery grin. She remembers as well as I do that Mayor Bennett has lunch every Tuesday with the District Attorney, who is also in the good old boys club.
 

"Sounds lovely. I'll meet you there at eleven thirty."

"Nah, I'll pick you up. Dress pretty," I say with an ornery smile.

"You, too," she says with a matching grin, waking up now and energized by our plans for the week. "Will you tape my ribs again before I go?"

Wow. I'm shocked that she asked, but I'm more than happy to help her. With her body much less sore, she simply holds her shirt up her side while I apply the cotton cast.
 

"Thanks," she smiles as she walks to the door for her purse. "I'll see you in a few hours."

After a few chores, a shower, and a shave, I'm at her door in a pair of dress pants with a shirt and tie. She answers the door of her family's converted Carriage House in a sleeveless green dress, the picture of class. I have no doubt she chose that dress to show off the hand-grip marks on her biceps. If not for all the bruises, she would look amazing to everyone, not just to me.

"You look beautiful," I compliment. The sentiment fell out of me too quickly, but also is protocol for a 'date' such as this. She smiles at me and compliments me in return. I escort her to my truck and she smiles and rolls her eyes as I help her in.

"Such the gentleman," she teases.
 

"I can clean up more than my outfit," I say, faking offense. "We'll see how gentlemanly I can remain at lunch when those douche bags are in the same room with me."

"Now there's my Mason," Dig laughs as I close the passenger door for her. I can easily read her. She's equally happy to be upping our game and glad to have a week off to do it. I can't help noticing she referred to me as
her
Mason.
 

At that moment her father comes out of the main house and eyes me with a hardened glare. In perfect Italian, I greet him with a polite nod. "
Boungiorno, signore
."

His face doesn't change at all, but he nods slightly in return. I offer a small smile as I let myself into my car.
 

"Sorry about my father," she says. "He likes to intimidate. You'd think I was still sixteen. What did you say to him to make him react like that?"

"That was a reaction?"

"Well, usually he frowns or stands stoic. He practically hugged you with that nod," she laughed.

"I only said good morning," I say. She doesn't know one of my secondary languages is Italian. I like that I got a good reaction from her father. The longer this goes on, the more I'm falling into the mindset of thinking of Dig as more than simply my partner in this investigation. I sigh inwardly at the thought of breaking Shelby's heart, but I'm not sure how much longer I can hang onto being the Mason that she believes me to be. I'm an ass for having lied to her for so long, no matter how unintentional those lies were.

By the time I'm done pulling my head out of my ass, we're pulling up to the restaurant. This is going to be fun, and Dig knows it, too. We grin at each other as the hostess seats us with several awkward glances at Dig's bruises. My badass partner walks with grace and dignity anyway. I scan the room for any of the targets on our board. Only the mayor and the DA are joining us today.
 

Dig and I order a simple lunch. The mayor is in my direct line of sight and I smile at my partner.

"I have a surprise for you," I say.

She raises her eyebrows. "You do?"

"I do," I nod. I pull a discrete directional microphone from my pocket along with a wireless recording device paired with the tiny mic. "I thought you might want to listen to their conversation."

"Mason," she fakes romantic appreciation with her hand over her heart. "That is the nicest thing anyone's ever gotten me."

I laugh. "Excuse me for a moment, won't you?"

"Of course," she smiles. "I'll join you shortly."

This is my favorite part. I flick my eyebrows at her with a smile and walk straight to the mayor's table. My goal is to bother him and draw attention without making too big of a scene. Easy.

From a nearby table I reach for a chair, flick it around quickly so the back rests against the mayor's table. I straddle the chair and lean forward.
 

"Hey, guys," I greet simply as I take a green bean off the mayor's plate with my fingers and pop it in my mouth.
 

"Can I help you?" he asks angrily, his eyes darting around the room in the hopes that no one notices my obnoxious intrusion.
 

"No, thank you. I'm quite well," I say pleasantly as I sample another morsel from his plate.
 

"I'm not sure what you're doing here, young man, but you need to excuse yourself from our table," he says, remaining civil, but still angry.
 

"Aww, shucks. Nice of you to call me young. And pardon my rudeness, Mr. Mayor, Mr. District Attorney. My name is Mason Pratt. I'm the one doing all the investigation to reveal you as the assholes you are," I say with a smile as I hold my hand out in a polite handshake greeting.
 

Both men sit stunned, and neither reaches for my hand. I clap the DA on the back instead with a brotherly smile.
 

"Gentlemen," I say nicely, "no need to look so stressed. Maybe we need some group therapy. Would you like me to introduce the three of us to the rest of the patrons here? I'm sure they would help with your feelings of inadequacy."

"Mr. Pratt," the DA seethed. "I guarantee you that I will bury you if you continue this little game of yours."

"You're cute when you're mad," I say as I boop his nose with my first finger. I grin at him in total amusement. Now he's really pissed. And with perfect timing, Dig walks to the table and smiles pleasantly, showing off her still-swollen lip and abraded cheek. She's syrupy sweet when she talks.

"I see you've already met my project partner. Let me introduce myself. Sofia DiGiacamo," she greets with her hand extended. Neither reaches for her hand and she muses arrogantly, "So impolite, gentleman. I would have expected better. But then again, knowing what I know about each of you, I shouldn't be surprised. What with your affairs, Mr. Mayor…yes I know about your girlfriend
and
your boyfriend…and you, Mr. District Attorney with your affinity for the occasional line of coke, well, I guess I'm not surprised at all."

Again they sit stunned, and Dig is still smiling and holding her hand toward the mayor. "Seriously, John," she scolds the mayor. "People are starting to notice you won't shake my hand. Should we announce an explanation why, so they don't have to wonder any longer?"

My God, this woman is now my favorite person on the entire planet. Goddamn, she's perfect.
 

The mayor reluctantly shakes her hand, as does the DA. Dig smiles smugly and turns to me. "We shouldn't interrupt any longer. Are you ready for dessert?"

"One more bite of lunch first," I say, reaching for the DA's plate this time. "I don't think he's going to finish his roll anyway." To add insult to injury, I leave the chair parked backward at their table. With my hand at Dig's back, I guide her to our nearby table where I can watch the two of them. They are beyond uncomfortable and I'm more satisfied than I've been in a long time.
 

I hand Dig a wireless earbud and keep one for myself. The recording device tucked into my pocket is busily taking digital notation of the tense conversation at the mayor's table. No expectation of privacy in this open restaurant, I smile.
 

"She didn't give up at all," the mayor spat at the DA.
 

"Jesus!" he hissed back. "Now shut up. Not here."

"Well something had to be done. How the hell is she getting information on us?"

"John, STOP talking for Christ's sake."

The two fuss with only vague references to their misdeeds for a few moments before they ask for the check. I request mine at the same time, cash ready. While they wait for their Diner's Club card to go through, Dig and I wait outside. The moment they're out the door we're on them again. The sidewalk isn't busy, but there are enough people around for out purposes. The gentleman beside us want to avoid a scene. I put my arm around the mayor's shoulders and Dig links arms with the DA.
 

"You two are a hoot. We should do this again sometime," I say with a wide smile.

The two men try desperately not to react but their eyes strongly display their tension.
This is so much goddamn fun
.

"Goodbye, boys," Dig winks before I help her into the truck.

She's laughing gratuitously the length of the block. "That was too fun. More! Who's up tonight?"

"Let's take a look at some schedules," I smile as I drive both of us back to my house. When we get there, Dig asks to excuse herself to my room. I grab some beers in time to see her come out in a pair of my shorts and an oversized tee. She looks just as good in that as she did in her dress.

I simply shake my head at myself and distribute our files out across the table. Between sifting through updated phone records and our surveillance notes again, we quickly decide on the Director of Public Safety. He's the bastard that had Cam's car towed as an intimidation play as a favor to Garrett. I've been particularly looking forward to this one.