The NSC Boxset: Heart of Stone (224 page)

She huffed and shook her head in frustration but conceded the fight and leaned back onto the headboard. “So where’s my little people and where are you staying?”

I stood back up, more relaxed now that Kerrie had accepted how things were gonna be. “We’ve rented a house and they’re already round at Layla and Lucas’s.”

I flinched at her hurt look but smiled as I took her hand, “I didn’t know what to expect with you so I stopped them from coming until I was sure you could handle them. George is going through some issues at the moment and I didn’t wanna upset him more.”

She frowned at me as Courtney came to sit beside her, both of them concerned with what I had said. “What issues?”

I exhaled noisily and shrugged. How did I put into words what I couldn’t even explain to myself.

“I don’t really know but he seems to be drifting away from me and clinging on to Ava too much,” I clicked my tongue as my stomach clenched with George’s recent behaviour. “It’s like he . . .”

“Like he . . . ?” Courtney pressed as I moved my gaze to the window.

“Like he . . . hates me.”

They both shook their heads and rolled their eyes at me, as though I was exaggerating but they didn’t know, they hadn’t seen how he was with me, so I just shrugged it off with them.

“Details” I ordered as I pulled up a chair and leant forwards, resting my elbows on my knees as I braced myself.

“Mason, I’m tired. Greg has all the details, can’t you just ask him?”

I sighed with a heavy anger as I watched her struggle with the pain as she tried to settle down under the sheets.

“Come round tonight. I’ll dump the kids on Greg’s mom and we can make a night of it.” Courtney told me and I didn’t miss the heat in her eyes as she silently revealed what else we would be doing along with talking.

“Sure.” I smiled slyly at her as I pushed my chair back and planted a gentle kiss on Kerrie’s forehead, avoiding her cuts, “Sleep, I’ll bring the twins in tomorrow.”

She nodded and smiled tiredly before I walked from the room. The difficulty at keeping my rage sustained was growing worse by the second as my blood heated at the sight of her. There was nobody more gentle and caring than Kerrie and this . . . this bullshit needing dealing with, fast.

And mercilessly.

Chapter 2

Ava

“YOU ARE KIDDING me?” I laughed as I swiped a pizza slice from the box and stared at Courtney.

“Uh-uh.” Her lips twisted gleefully as her eyes twinkled with the fun. “He grinned at Lay, practically ate her up as she danced, then Lucas turned, glared at him and lifted his wedding ring in warning.”

My jaw dropped and I stared at her, “Yeah but . . . Bulk! Room 103 Bulk, in the Panther! Damn, I miss all the excitement.”

“They were all in there, but it was Bulk that was eyeing Layla.”

Mason growled beside me and I rolled my eyes and stared at him, “I’m sure Lucas looked after her, Mason. In fact Little Willow doesn’t need any protection; she’s a near match for me.”

Scoffs resounded in the room as I leant for my drink. “Come on then, what’s the score?” Mason asked and we all looked at Greg.

He sighed and frowned as his face covered with a slight anguish, “It’s sorta’ hard to explain but I’ll start from the beginning.”

“Well, yeah that would help.” Mason scoffed sarcastically and I glared at him. He raised an eyebrow at me, goading me to argue but I rolled my eyes and backed down. We didn’t need to argue when this was something that needed sorting sooner rather than later.

“William has been called for jury duty.” Greg started and I groaned, knowing where this was going before he’d got there. He turned to me and nodded, “Yep, the Denarii case that’s been in all the press.”

“Fuck!” Mason spat as he leaned back in his chair to digest the information.

Ric Denarii was the top man in a drug cartel that was operating in the east of London. He’d been caught in the middle of a deal after an undercover police squad had been watching the gang for around a year and had finally got lucky. The evidence was beyond a doubt incriminating and he was indisputably going down for a long time.

Mason had been introduced, not nicely, to the gang before and I watched his face as his teeth clenched with the name. “Go on.”

“Well William’s been approached by Denarii’s
lawyer,
who offered William a deal.” Greg flinched as he looked away and I physically saw Mason harden.

“The deal?”

“Well, basically they told him they would let him live if he threw the verdict.”

Mason nodded and sighed almost peacefully but I knew him better, the calm that enveloped him was anything but calm and I turned to Greg to divert from Mason’s anger. “So what’s this got to do with Kerrie?”

Greg rose from the sofa and went to grab the bottle of whisky from the side, holding it up to everybody in a silent offering. I shook my head and waited as he poured him and Mason a measure. “William asked Kerrie for help.”

Mason’s tongue clicked loudly as he fought hard to restrain his fury. “This is too big for Kerrie,” he barked at Greg but he shrugged.

“Maybe, but anyway Kerrie sent out the guys to return the warning. She was jumped at home, Mason, whilst the fucking babies were asleep upstairs. The bastards need to realise they don’t do that to this family!”

Greg was fuming and I noticed the familiar glint of anger glaze his eyes, much the same way as Mason’s did when he was overcome by the wrath that lived in all Mason’s team.

I lifted from the chair and climbed into Mason’s lap. He needed my presence to soothe him and he gave me a soft smile before nuzzling into my neck, his demeanour calming immediately as his body sighed with the contact and he relaxed slightly.

“Has William been moved?” Mason asked without removing his nose from my skin. His deep inhalations were making me aware of just how angry he was and of his inner battle to control it.

Greg nodded and shot him a glance, “Yeah, and a crew has been secured on Tristan and the twins, two currently with Kerrie as you will have seen. It’s gonna be hard Mase, I’m not sure how we get round this with Ric being in custody.”

The sinister grin that lifted Mason’s lips caused a shiver to ripple through my body and he turned to me. “You had many dealings with Yvette, Ric’s wife?”

I pursed my lips and wobbled my head, “A little. She reminds me of Rebecca, rather full of herself and a bit of a whore. Ric’s head over with her though, can’t see why.”

“Yeah, I know he’s a bit under the thumb where she’s concerned. Fancy a bit of playtime, baby, I don’t like hitting women.”

I gave him a wide smile and nodded eagerly, “Can I pretend she’s Rebecca?”

His head whipped back against the chair as he laughed loudly, “You can play any way you like, my little warrior.”

“And Ric?” Greg asked as he lifted Courtney and planted her on his lap, his own need for her solace made me smile. I was so happy they had fought through their rough period and now seemed stronger than ever.

“Don’t worry about Ric, after we dangle Yvette in front of him I have a feeling he won’t be a problem. But if he is,” his lips twisted wryly and I felt my core clench at the sight of my glorious bastard’s criminal authority, the maliciousness that shrouded him lighting my arousal and by the look on Courtney’s face, hers too. “Then I have contacts that will deal with it,” he finished with a smirk.

Chapter 3

Mason

AVA LAUGHED ON my knee and I glanced at her. “You have contacts everywhere Mason, I’m sure Ric will have taken this into account.”

“I’m positive he will have, he will have currently upped his protection inside. I am counting on his knowledge that I don’t hit women.”

She frowned at me and I kissed the tip of her nose and lifted her off my knee so I could refill my glass, “The thing with Ric is he doesn’t take all scenarios into consideration, he never has. Plus he’s a selfish bastard and I know he won’t have even thought about his wife other than knowing I won’t drag her into it.”

“And . . .” she pressed with a slight mocking and I narrowed my eyes on her. Was she baiting me? Her sarcastic tone rebounded off the central part of my brain and pulled at my gut in slight anger.

“And, he doesn’t know you, does he?”

She scoffed and made her way to the stereo to select a different playlist on the iPod. “Mason, whilst I agree in a way and I would love a go at Yvette, wouldn’t it just be easier to call your contact on the inside and just finish the bastard?”

I lifted an eyebrow at her reservation and lack of trust. She lifted her own eyebrow back at me and quickly lowered it when a faint growl rumbled through my chest. “Don’t doubt me, Ava; you should know that by now.”

She rolled her lips, as though trying to hold back her laughter but I caught her swift glance at Courtney and it suddenly made sense why she was goading me. I let it roll for now.

“I can’t take him out straight away, Ava it would cause too much backlash. He needs to be persuaded to pull back from William first, call off the dogs so to speak. The other jury members aren’t my concern.”

“Whatever” she mumbled as she nonchalantly changed the music and started to wiggle her hips to the beat as if I wasn’t worthy of her attention.

I knew she was doing it on purpose but fuck, it annoyed the hell out of me, “Do you have a problem, Ava?”

“Nope.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yep,” she answered too sharply and too indifferently as she turned and gave me a sweet smile nevertheless, I caught the twinkle of mischief in her eyes as she nourished my dark side with her insolent behaviour. She wanted me wound up enough to bring out my dominant side; the element of me Ava and Courtney loved to play with when we were all together. This should have brought a sly smile but it irritated the fuck out of me, her audacity at baiting me needed to be addressed.

“I think you do, baby. In fact I think you’re playing with fire but are you sure you have the steel to not get burnt?”

One side of her lips lifted as her eyelids dropped when my tone shuddered through her system and lit the part of her that craved chastisement, chaos and punishment. My eyes lowered to the rapid deep rise of her beautiful breasts as her arousal fired through her veins and her dark eyes found the mirrored version in my gaze.

She cocked her head and damn if the movement didn’t see me sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, the self-assurance relayed on her face made my teeth vibrate.

How dare she! How fucking dare she!

My wife needed to be taught a lesson, a tutorial in how to conduct herself and I returned her smug smile, arrogance rolling through my blood stream when I saw the spark of anxiousness in her bright green eyes.

Now she was aware of exactly who she was dealing with as she took a step backwards and when her arse hit the wall I lifted a self-satisfied brow at her.

But still she played the game as she narrowed her eyes on me and shrugged casually. I could feel the eyes of our friends flicking between me and my wife as I stood regarding her and she stood provoking me into something she would find she wouldn’t be able to control.

“Are you sure you have the fire to incinerate the burn,
baby.
” She whispered sharply across the room to me as her lips pursed smugly.

I barked out a humourless laugh and tried to temper down the rage that just fired through me. My chest heaved as much as hers as I shot her a look of warning but she rolled her eyes, “Such a simmered reaction Mason; see no fire, no guts to fuel the fire with. Where’s the boil, baby? Where’s that inferno? I don’t think you have the
steel
to burn me with.”

Okay, enough.

I watched her body tighten and her face flush as she watched the heat take over my body, the passion light my eyes and the displeasure pull my jaw in tight.

Her hands shot backwards and she palmed the wall to support her when I took the two strides needed to reach her and damn, if I wasn’t ready to make her pay for her audacity.

Chapter 4

Ava

COURTNEY’S CHEST HEAVED as she sank her teeth into her lower lip when Mason took two wide but slow strides towards me.

“Are you trying to rile me with your insolence, baby? Cos’ let me tell you, it’s fucking working.”

My breathing accelerated when he slid his palm over my cheek and followed through to my hair until he grabbed my ponytail and yanked my head back harshly. “Courtney, come here.” He ordered and I could practically feel Courtney’s excitement slice through the thick air in the room as my thighs started to tremble.

She approached immediately, Mason’s authority stimulating her as well as me.

His dark aroused eyes pierced my desire and sent it into turmoil as I swallowed heavily and gasped in a breath. He leaned into me, “Are you playing naughty so I fuck you hard, baby? You want me like this? Ready to give you exactly what you want . . . ruthlessly?”

I couldn’t speak as my lungs struggled with the powerful rapid input. He yanked my head back further, exposing my neck to him and I whimpered as his tongue slowly traced the groove of my throat, his teeth then grazing harshly across my chin.

“Get on your knees in front of her” he instructed Courtney as he slipped behind me.

She wasted no time in accepting his order. Her teeth chewed frantically on her bottom lip as Greg came to stand behind her, his deep grey eyes fixed on the action of Mason’s hand now massaging my breast punishingly.

“Oh God” I breathed as his teeth sank into my neck slowly and faintly, the tease lighting me up in desperation but the delicateness had me begging for more, my core near weeping with need at his gruelling tormenting.

“Undo her skirt.” Greg ordered Courtney, now joining in and kneeling behind her as he watched Mason un-pop each of the buttons on my shirt and reveal my light blue bra, my hard nipples peeking through the delicate lace and hardening further as I felt Courtney release the zip on my skirt and push it down my hips, the material pooling around my ankles.

“Wait.” Mason barked as she went to move it away, “tie her ankles.”

Courtney lifted her eyes to me, aware that I was apprehensive at being restrained but I nodded; my lust too intense to refuse.