MasonsRule-ARe (26 page)

Gabe didn’t back down as he looked between the three of them. “If I have to fight you all, so be it. Three against one are pretty good odds in your favor, but it won’t change anything. I love her and she’s mine now. I’m not backing off.”

Mason felt some of his anger deflate in the face of Gabe’s confession, but only a little. “And what does Nina say about all this? Is she going to cooperate?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t told her yet. But if I can get you jackasses out of my house long enough to talk to her, maybe I can get through to her. Right now she’s too focused on disappointing her brothers. It’s too much pressure for her right now.”

More and more of what Gabe said was making sense. Of course, that didn’t mean he liked it. He wasn’t the kind of man who gave up the reins easily.

“Maybe he’s right, Mace.” Levi pulled his attention away from Gabe. “We had a decade to get through to her and didn’t.”

Growling, Mason turned and paced the room. “She’s more likely to have your balls for breakfast than let you dominate her.”

“Goddammit!” Tucker groaned. “I do not want to picture my sister like that.”

Gabe rolled his eyes. “That’s my problem to deal with anyway. All that really matters is that she’s starting to open up to me. We all have to give her the tools she needs to get through it. It just happens to be I plan to be a part of that.”

“I tend to agree.” Levi interjected. “She’s opened up more to Tori and Gabe in two days than she has to us. We’ve got to do what’s best for her.”

Mason sighed, his shoulders dropping. “For now. But you keep us in the loop or I’ll remove her from your life however I have to.”

“Message received.” Gabe picked up his drink and downed the rest of his scotch. “Anyone got a plan for Savannah? She’s a loose end right now and those have a habit of getting away from you if you aren’t careful.”

Mason nodded, impressed at how easily Gabe inserted himself into their lives. “Knight’s decided to handle her personally.”

“My mother does not need to be handled by Knight. We need to get her out of there before something is said that can't be unsaid. She needs kid gloves or we lose control.”
 

“You got a better idea? And besides we’ve already lost control. I trust Knight enough to give him a shot.”

“Bullshit. You don’t trust anyone.”
 

The bitterness in Tucker’s voice wasn’t lost on Mason. His brother was not wrong. Up to now, he never fully trusted anyone. Not even family.

And he was on the verge of losing everything.
 

Was it worth it?

An image of Rebecca smiling at him, thanking
him
after she submitted to him, popped into his head.
 

No. It was definitely not worth it.

Not without her.

***

Rebecca rested her head in her hands and rubbed her temples. She threw herself into her new job with everything she had in the hopes it would make the pain inside her lessen.
 

It didn’t.

She turned her focus back to her computer and pulled up the notes she had on Tucker Lewis and Reverend Hawkins when a manila envelope landed on her desk.

She jerked, looking up.
 

Maggie Lewis stood in front of her desk. “I figure we need to talk.”

“Now’s not a great time. I’m a little busy.”

“You’re going to want to hear what I have to say before Mason finds you.” She looked at her watch. “You get off work in fifteen minutes, so I’m guessing that's how long you have before he catches you.”

Rebecca stood up. “What are you talking about?”

“He’s been hunting for you. Lucky for you I got here first.”

Geez, she made it sound like Mason was stalking her like prey. She looked down at the unmarked envelope. “What’s this?”

“Open it and look. You’re not the only one who can do research.”

With slightly trembling fingers, and a hunch she wasn’t going to love what she was about to see, Rebecca undid the metal clasp and pulled out a stack of papers.

It was all about her. All of the information that could be dug up on in a thorough background check. Even interviews with people she knew way back when, including more than one man who she had sex with. The picture these papers painted wasn’t pretty.

“Where did you get this?” She sat in her chair and picked up a long forgotten picture of her with Cyndi years before her death.

“I did what any good researcher would do. I went back to the beginning. Found that in some school records.”

Rebecca put the papers back in the folder and closed it. She couldn’t deal with this now. “Why? What were you looking for?”
 

“Just trying to understand you and where you were coming from when you showed up at Purgatory.”

“I think you should go now. Rehashing my past won’t do either of us any good.”

Maggie ignored her. “I can’t pretend I fully understand your grief. Useless violence is cruel and causes the kind of pain it’s hard to get past. You aren’t alone though.”

“You aren’t mad at me? I don’t understand.” And she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

Maggie shook her head. “No. But I hope you’re ready for what I have to say otherwise I’m wasting both our time.”

Rebecca was unsure this would end well, but she didn’t want to lie at night wondering what insight this curious woman thought she could give.
 

“Go on.”

“When your sister died, Tucker grieved hard too. She was his submissive and he felt responsible.”

Rebecca held her breath.
 

“They had an argument. She walked out of the club. He let her go and never saw her again. Just like you, he let that grief twist him up for a damn long time. The thing is, as giving of a submissive as your sister was, I find it hard to believe she’d be okay with the two people she loved most in the world taking the blame for her death.”
 

Maggie reached in her bag and handed Rebecca a package of tissues.
 

“Becca.” Maggie reached out and touched her shoulder. Rebecca squeezed her eyes closed. “Don’t make your sister a scapegoat for holding onto your grief. She deserves more than that, as do you. Whether you realize it or not, Mason loves you. I don’t know if he’s ready to admit it yet, but if you give him more time I don’t think you’ll regret it.”

She glanced again at her watch. “You’ve got less than five minutes to decide what you want your future to hold. He’ll be waiting for you outside. Sorry to rush you, babe, but you’ve had enough time to think. It’s time to make a decision. Live the life you deserve or drown in your grief.”

Rebecca sat speechless as Maggie rushed to the exit and disappeared through the door.
 

What the hell was she supposed to do now?

Chapter Twenty-Five

At five past five, Rebecca had to go. Everyone but her boss was gone now and he was looking at her funny because she was still there. She cleaned off her desk and gathered her belongings, taking as long as she could, until it was obvious she was stalling.

She peeked out the front window to see a man in a suit standing in front of the building, but not Mason. Maybe Maggie was wrong. With a mixture of relief and regret, she pushed through the door and turned in the direction of the parking lot.
 

The man she saw through the window immediately stepped in her path and stopped her. “Miss Adams?”

Her heart beat harder. “Yes?”
 

“Mr. Sinclair would like you to join him.” He motioned to the black car parked a few doors down.
 

“Umm—okay.”

She felt as though she just stepped into a movie and the mob boss was picking up and leading her to a private meeting wherein she may or may not live afterward.

The man she now recognized as Mason’s driver opened the backseat door and motioned for her to get in. Okay maybe it wasn’t one hundred percent cloak and dagger, but it was still outside the norm for her. She settled into the seat with her eyes fixed toward the front, making certain not to look at Mason. It was hard enough to keep her composure without seeing him. To do so would destroy her.
 

They sat in silence as the car pulled away from the curb and headed in the opposite direction of what she expected. It killed her not to turn and ask him where they were going, but she wasn’t going to be the one to talk first. She’d probably stumble on the first word and then fall completely on her face with the second. That’s how strung out her nerves were at the moment.
 

She didn’t have to wait long to find out where he was taking her. About ten minutes into their silent ride, his apartment building loomed in front of us. He was taking her home.

Her insides shook from wanting so badly to say something. She was on the verge of breaking silence when the car stopped and her door opened a few seconds later. The driver held out his hand for her and she allowed him to help her from the car. Mason was already heading toward the elevator, leaving her little choice but to follow.
 

They were about to be alone inside an elevator and he had yet to say a word. Inside the small car whisking them to the top floor, the heat of tension vibrated between them. She tried to keep her eyes forward but with her peripheral vision, she noticed the tic of muscles working overtime in his jaw.
 

A sliver of fear crawled along her spine. Whatever was about to happen, it wouldn’t be easy.

The doors whooshed open and Rebecca walked into his apartment on shaky legs.
 

“Stop right there,” he said.

She froze, the hair on her nape standing on end.
 

“You ran away from me.”

“I only—”

You ran away from me in a strange city where I had no hope of finding you.”
 

The quiet, calm tone of his voice unnerved her.

“I’m a big girl—”

He cut her off again. “I sent you messages all week that you ignored. Your apartment was vacated and you have no friends in the city. For all I knew you could have been dead.”

“You accused me of tricking you into marriage. I couldn’t deal with that kind of mistrust.”

“You let me believe the worst for a week.”

He didn’t seem to be listening to a word she said.

“Mason—”

Undress now. Everything.” His gaze raked down her body. “Except for the shoes. Leave those on.”

Instead of asking him if he’d gone mad, she looked down at her feet. The shoes were ugly. Big chunky heels that probably made her look like an old lady from behind.  Why would she keep those on?

He sensed hesitation and stalked forward, leaning close to her face. “Take your fucking clothes off right now, Miss Adams. Then walk your ass over to my dining room table and bend over it with your butt facing my window.”

Her stomach whooshed. This wasn’t at all what she expected. Where was the big stern lecture and the apology she dreamed of? This was…
 

She didn’t know what this was, but the intensity of his dark eyes locked onto hers took her breath away. Rebecca placed her purse on the nearby couch and reached for the zipper of her skirt. The sound of the teeth scraping together as she pulled it down echoed throughout the room. If she wasn’t breathing so hard, it would have been quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
 

Without any real finesse, she removed the rest of her clothing until she stood naked in front of him. When she didn’t immediately move, his right eyebrow raised in that damning arch of his. With an audible huff and hefty dose of disbelief, she marched to the dinner table. She eyed the bare window and then him. Again with the damn windows.
 

Resigned to the fact that this was happening, unless she used her safeword, Rebecca draped over the end, smashing her already swollen and achy breasts against the cool wood. She’d be a big fat liar if she safeworded out now.
 

Yes, she was nervous.

Yes, she had no idea what he was going to do exactly.

Yes, her pussy was wet.

He disappeared in the direction of his playroom and her pulse picked up speed. He wasn’t gone long and when something dropped onto the table beside her, she opened her eyes to his toy bag.

Uh-oh.

“Look at me Miss Adams.”

Reluctantly, she lifted her head and met his gaze.
 

“Are you still aware you signed a legally binding agreement with me?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“And are you aware you have violated said contract?”

Rebecca gulped.
Was he serious?
 

As if reading her mind, he produced the document from behind his back and put it in front of her face. “Yes, Miss Adams, I am damned serious. And I’ve marked each and every violation.”

Along the side of the document there were various colored flags. More than she expected.