MASON (Second Chance Novels Book 2) (32 page)

Nearly half an hour into my time at Second Chance, I finally get a text from Sofia. I immediately say goodbye, anxious to get home and meet her there after her shift. We pull up to the house nearly at the same time, and I kiss her desperately when I see her. I'm anxious, nervous, excited, and amped up. She's nearly breathless by the time I release her lips with a smile. She chuckles at me.

"You done good," she says with a wide smile. "The DA's office went ahead with the assault charges. The arraignment was held privately, of course, and they went through every process all the way to sentencing. Bennett has a few hours of community service to do, but they're allowing his job to count. In other words, he got off completely. The DA is still playing along."

"That's probably smart. Did you get to question Bennett?"

"I kept myself out of it," she says. "That was fucking difficult. I figure since I've been so public about my desire to take him down, the charges would come off to the public with more strength if someone else took the reins on this one. My precinct chief himself is handling it."

"Glad he's not on our list."

"Me, too."

I kiss her again, simply happy to have her in my arms. I follow her to our bedroom where she changes into her leggings and a t-shirt of mine. I smile at her, even wider when she comes to straddle my lap as I sit on the bed. I wrap my arms around her waist loosely, and she does the same with her arms around my neck. She leans in and kisses me deeply. I swim in the connection.

"We're getting close to finishing this," she says. "The grand mayor now has a record, even if it's a tiny one."

"Very close," I grin, thrilled at our win today, and even more thrilled at her physical comfort with me. She is healing, and allowing me to be close with her in every way. My life is as it should be. "Ok, phoenix. We are going to order some pizza, drink some beer, and take the night off."

"
Perfetto
," she smiles.
 

That smile reminds me how much I love her…but also of
how badly
I'm failing at a real proposal. I've almost given up on finding the perfect way to ask for her hand. Any overt show of romance would be obvious bullshit. On the flip side of that, I don't want to toss her the the ring from across the room with a "Here ya go." All she's gotten from me so far is that I want to fucking marry her.
Classy, Pratt.
 

Earlier in the car, on the entire quiet drive home, I rolled through different scenarios in my head. Getting myself worked up over today's victory only served to get me impatient for my future with Sofia. Our relationship is epic, but sadly, I have no idea how to represent our relationship in a proposal. How can I do that in a single moment? I'm not sure any moment is worthy of such greatness.

I realize the fault in my thinking. Of course there's no single moment. Sofia is my entire future, and she released the chains of my past. She is the culminating point allowing my life to swirl in a circular whole rather than a linear series of highs and lows. I think of one way to show her.
 

I hold onto my thoughts, waiting for the moment to follow through. We spend the next half hour, still in our comfortable quiet, like we're two regular people. Average activities of starting laundry and making a grocery list occupy our time. While Sofia is unloading the dishwasher, I subtly excuse myself to prepare what I need. With a final deep breath, the ring is in my grip and I call for her.
 

A moment later she's walking into the bedroom to see what I need. When her beautiful eyes find mine, I'm sitting on the edge of the bed with my elbows on my knees. I smile at her, simply because she's beautiful and she's mine. She returns my smile in mild confusion at the look on my face.
 

"Sofia…" I start, then I shake my head and smirk at myself. I let out a small chuckle. My beautiful phoenix waits, apparently amused by my behavior. The concept of explaining my feelings almost makes me laugh again, so I drop the entire speech.
 

With no ceremony at all, I reach for her hand and open her palm, placing my whole world in her grip. My dog tags now rest connected with her ring. Until today, that simple chain held nothing but tarnished symbols of my past.
 

She holds the tags and the ring in her palm and lets the chain dangle below. Keen understanding and a soft smile grace her beautiful features. She wraps my past and my future in her fingers and closes her eyes for a deep breath. When she opens them, she looks straight into me. With one kiss, she offers her quiet answer to my silent proposal.

She pulls the chain around her neck and settles her hair over the metal, already warmed from her touch. Unable to stop myself, I reach forward and lift the tags and the ring into my fingers and rub my thumb over the lot as I see the tokens shine in front of her flawless skin.
 

She kisses me one more time. "I think I'll wear these a while before I put the ring on."

I smile softly at her. "Do me a favor?"

"Of course," she says, trying to read my expression.

"When you're ready to put the ring on, let me do that for you," I request. "On one knee if you don't mind."

She smiles so widely. "I don't mind. I think my family would like that part of the story. But this," she covers the tags over her heart. "This is ours."
 

I smile in quiet admiration of Sofia.
 

"
La mia fenice,
" I say before I take her face in my hands and kiss her with the strength of my dedication.
 

Our kiss was interrupted by the pizza guy which made us both laugh. Maybe one of these times we'll get the proposal just right. Until then, we can simply enjoy the knowledge that we'll be together. There's nothing more simple, nor as strong as that.
 

Ten minutes into our dinner, Bash comes in through the back door, looking quietly stressed. Evelyn is right behind him, her eyes half angry, half scared.
 

"What—" I start, but he holds his hand up.

"Bennett's been leaving violent threats on her phone, and she knows too well what he's capable of. He's off the rails."

My chest shrinks. We can easily use those messages against him, but that's minor comfort when the fear is so real in Evelyn's eyes.
 

"She disappears
now
," Bash continues, hard and determined.

I stand quickly and walk to the computer. Bash follows, easing Evelyn away so Sofia can sit with her. I know my phoenix will help her deal with her fear while Bash and I work on the next move. With nine years experience of working with this guy, neither of us has to discuss the details of potential strategies, simply which option is the best play.

"New identity?" I ask as I sift through a file box looking for another envelope of basics to give him.
 

"All I need is a place to go."

"If you're ok with nontraditional I know a place," I say, facing away from Evelyn and speaking more quietly. "Would she be ok with something that doesn't fly first-class?"

He nods simply. "There's more in her than most would think."

I nod in return and call over to Sofia. "Can Lizzie go rent a car?"

I smile as she drops into that role in a second's time. "Can I get something shiny red?" she ditzes excitedly. Bash smirks. If not for all the tension, he'd have been on the floor laughing. Sofia squeezes Evelyn's hand before she excuses herself to change clothes and personalities. When she's back, dressed hot enough to be Lizzie but subdued enough not to get overly noticed, I toss her the keys to my truck. No electronic devices on that piece of shit to get tracked. No one needs to know what we're doing.
 

Bash sits with Evelyn while I call Ledger from my
personal
phone and text
Lizzie
from
Aiden's
phone. Within a half hour, everything is in motion. Ledger has joined us at the house and Sofia is back with a car. Sofia hands over the keys to an average sedan over to Bash.
 

"I already disabled the GPS," she tells him.
 

"I called Cam on the way here. She's getting provisions for you two right now," Ledger says. "The place is messy from some renovations, but there's no work scheduled for another week. You'll have complete privacy. Do you want me to get your things from the hotel?"

"That'd be great," Bash nods, pulling a keycard from his wallet. "Wipe down for prints, then take my jacket and ball cap. I've been wearing them around. Get yourself on camera checking out. Keep your head down, and face left if you need to look up."

Ledger nods and takes the keys to the rental car Bash has been using as Mr. Fells. "I'll go straight from here. Cam will have an air mattress and bedding along with the food. Is there anything else you need?"

"Does the place have power?" Bash asks.

"Yes, and I already have wifi there," he says to Bash. With his keen ability to read people, he turns to Evelyn, offering her something else to focus. "The bar you're staying at…I haven't named it yet, and I haven't decided on a theme or decor. It's in the financial district, very high end. Maybe you can help figure out what to call the place or what I can do with it. You'll be up close and personal. I could use your help."

"Financial district?" Evelyn asks, coming out of her quiet shock, sounding surprisingly strong and angry. "That's right near his office…"

Bash starts with a genuine smile. "It's perfect, Evvie. Right under their noses. They'd never think to look there. We can watch them, but they can't find us." He turns to me, ready to get Evvie hidden. "I might as well disappear, too. Mason, you good if I burn Halden Fells?"

"Yep. Settled?"

Bash nods. "We'll drive until we hear from Cam."

He hands Evelyn's phone to Sofia, who nods in complete understanding. Every threat against Evelyn rests in her hands.

"First thing tomorrow," she nods.
 

Bash turns to his companion and takes her face strongly in his hands. He tilts her head so she'll look at him. "He's not going to touch you," he promises in simple truth.
 

"Do you need anything else?" I ask, ready to offer cash, my truck, anything.
 

"New phone," he says, tucking Evelyn protectively into his chest.
 

I reach for one of my burners and hand it to him in trade for his. "I'll move your car back to the hotel," I promise. "Go."

He turns immediately and doesn't let Evelyn even an inch away from his body. She clings to him. I watch Bash lead Evelyn from my house via the front door and drive away in the car rented by 'Lizzie'. At this point, anyone looking for Evelyn Bennett won't have to dig very deep before they find a direct connection between Bash and the two of us. I spend the next few minutes deleting Halden Fells from the digital world, ready to show every asshole on our list exactly how easily they were infiltrated by someone who doesn't even exist. Let them fear each of us.
 

I have a strong feeling that over the next few hours, Bash will fill her silence with all the reasons she needn't be scared. She'll know exactly how strong he is and what kind of skill he brings to this fight.
 

I drive Ledger's Jeep to pick him up from the hotel, leaving the 'Halden' rental car there wiped free of prints, removing every other trace of his existence. We drop off Bash's bags at Ledger's newest bar, and I'm ready to be back home with Sofia. We need to finalize our strategy to win this war now that our biggest enemy is wounded and vulnerable.
 

Once Ledger takes me to my truck, I drive home, ready to talk strategy. I'm riding the high of this victory. I love the anger, frustration, and panic the mayor and his corrupt friends will experience when they realize Halden Fells wasn't who they thought. When they figure out Evelyn Bennett has abandoned her husband, the anger will boil hotter. Not only is their frustration fun, it also allows for easier manipulation and subsequent errors on their part. We are in prime position.
 

When I walk in my front door, however, I see Sofia looking at me with a smoldering smile. "Strategy later," she says as she walks to me and pushes me backward against the door. "For now we celebrate."

She's claiming her victory on every level, kissing my neck with heated passion. Her lips play strongly along my throat. Completely allowing myself to get caught up in the moment, I grip her strongly against me. The very sound of her voice gets my heart pumping harder.

"I spent too long away from you," she breathes across my skin.

Instantly I'm craving more, but I force myself to remember how close to the surface the memories of her ugly attack rest. Again, this has to be all her. "Tell me how you want me," I say in a husky voice as I reach around her perfect body and squeeze her ass. She immediately wraps her leg around me.

"Strong," she says, looking me in the eye with heat and confidence. She kisses me hard and I snap her body into mine. Part of me is worried, but most of me understands. This is one more step forward, along with a perfect evening of celebration. I know she'll take me how she wants me, and drop as much stress as she's able. She breaths a sharp moan of satisfaction as I grind into her.
 

"You are so fucking sexy," I rasp, reveling in the heat between us. She drags her tank top over her head, and I strip my clothes between hot kisses and strong grips. I push her panties quickly down her legs before I pick her up and carry her to the bedroom with her legs gripped around my hips. I turn and sit with her still wrapped around me, and I force myself not to roll her to her back. I so badly want to hold her down and fuck her hard, but instead I drop myself back under her. There's no need to push so soon. I kiss her and play along her body strongly. She responds to every touch with heat, allowing herself to let go and feel the pleasure.

"Yes," she says through her heavy breath. I fucking love this woman so much. I grab her hips and I push myself up into her. I groan in pleasure, fucking her hard without pinning her down.