Chapter Twenty
London
“It’s insane out there.” I let the curtain swish back into place, but I can still hear their voices, clamoring to be heard over each other.
Mason is leaning against the kitchen counter with a furrow between his brows. It’s been twenty minutes since he’s looked up or said anything.
I have no idea what’s happening, but the fact that we’re standing in the living room, instead of sequestered in his room, doesn’t make me feel better.
It means his father is no longer the biggest threat.
Jack Payne might be dangerous and unpredictable, but Mason knows how to handle him.
The media frenzy outside is another matter.
Mason frowns. “I’m sorry about all this.”
I frown. “Why are you apologizing? None of this is your fault.”
This kind of scrutiny must be bad for business, but Mason has barely mentioned it, and I don’t want to push.
I’m not sure I want the answers.
“I’m not apologizing for them.” Mason’s expression hardens as he looks at the front door. “They’ll be gone soon enough.”
My frown deepens.
“I’m apologizing because I’m going to do something you’re not going to like.”
I take a step in his direction and pause. “Okay.”
“You’re not going to have that kind of reaction when you find out what I have to do,” Mason says.
“Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.”
Mason laughs humorlessly and turns away from me. “I have no idea how bad it is, or how deep it runs, but if what I’ve uncovered is right, we’re all screwed.”
“How bad is it?”
Mason turns to look at me. “What do you know about Noah’s brother?”
I tilt my head and blink. “Ryder? Not much. They had a huge falling out when their mother died a few years ago, and they haven’t spoken much since. Why?”
Mason stares at me for a few seconds longer. “Did you know he was a journalist?”
“Noah mentioned something about that, but what’s that… no. I know what you’re thinking, and no.”
Mason takes my hands in his. “I’m sorry.”
I wrench my hand away. “No, Noah wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t go to his brother.”
The man I loved, the one I spent years building and envisioning a life with, wouldn’t hurt me like that.
He couldn’t.
“I can’t take the chance that you might be wrong.”
My heart misses a beat. “Is that what you were talking about just now? The fact that you have to question Noah?”
Mason nods.
“I know what your questioning looks like.” My voice is barely above a whisper. “Mason, please. It’s not the kind of thing Noah would do. I know he’s angry and hurt, but….”
I still refuse to believe he’s involved in any of this.
He doesn’t want anything to do with me, and he’s trying to leave all of this behind.
Having his estranged brother dig into Mason isn’t something he’d pursue without good reason.
Like the fact that you broke his heart and left him for another man? Or the fact that you humiliated him? Come on, London. Open your eyes. Hasn’t the past few months taught you anything?
Mason searches my face, and the gleam in his eyes turns to pity. “You’re not even one hundred percent sure. Getting hurt makes people do crazy things, even if they are out of character.”
I take another step away from Mason. “No. Not Noah.”
“There’s more.”
My heart misses a beat as my hands clench into fists. “What are you talking about?”
“I have evidence linking Noah to my enemies. He’s been seen meeting with them, and he was nearby the crash site the day of your accident.”
There’s a low whistling sound in my ears as I struggle to make sense of his words.
But they still don’t make sense.
Why would Noah want to come after me?
Are you kidding? After what you’ve put him through? You can’t be that surprised.
Except I still can’t wrap my head around it.
“I..no. There has to be another explanation. I’m sure if you to talk to him, he’ll clear all of this up.”
Mason’s expression hardens. “Well then, he should have nothing to worry about when I approach him.”
My stomach churns. “You’re going to go after him anyway? Why did you bother asking me if you don’t believe me?”
Mason’s eyes flash. “This has nothing to do with me not believing you and everything to do with the swarm of reporters outside. Noah is involved in something, and I wasn’t going to say anything until I was sure, but he’s out of time.”
“Mason, please—”
“I’ll try and make this as painless as possible,” Mason adds in a softer voice. “I’m telling you because you asked me to be honest.”
I lurch into action and stumble in his general direction. He catches me, and the pounding in my chest drowns out everything else. “What if we made them a good offer? What if we gave them something they wanted?”
Mason’s hands move to my waist. “What are you talking about?”
“The people who kidnapped me.” The words pour out of me in a rush. “I overheard Katia talking about it the other day. They wanted the diner, didn’t they? It’s in a prime location, and you wouldn’t give it to them.”
Mason’s expression turns blank. “You should know better than to eavesdrop.”
“The diner is struggling anyway. It won’t survive without a miracle, and the last time I spoke to my dad, I got the sense he’d be glad to lose it.”
Mason doesn’t say anything for a long time.
Finally, he releases me, and I feel cold all over.
“Are you sure that’s what he said, or is that just something you want to believe to make yourself feel better?”
I stiffen. “Feel better about what?”
“About the role you think you played in all of this.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “It’s not wrong for me to try and make this right.”
“None of this is your fault. If it wasn’t the diner, it would’ve been something else. They’ve been trying to find a way to take us down for a while.”
“I thought you were allies?”
“That means nothing in my world. It just means they wait longer to figure out where to plant the knife to make it bleed.”
I swallow. “So, offering them the diner won’t help?”
An hour ago, after catching my dad in a rare moment of vulnerability, I felt hopeful. Not only had he taken my call, but we’d fallen into familiar rhythms when I brought up the diner, and I heard the deep ache and resignation in his voice.
He didn’t need to say it.
He didn’t have to.
I know my father well enough to know when he is at his wits’ end.
Giving them the diner might prevent an all-out war, and in the long run, I believe my father would be better for it.
At least that’s what I tell myself.
Now, there’s a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach, and the vicious voices in the back of my head have only grown louder.
You knew better than to hope for a miracle, but you did anyway.
Mason exhales. “It’s too late.”
My stomach lurches. “What if I made them the offer? I could offer to work for them for an agreed-upon amount of time. Something to appease their egos or whatever—”
“No.”
“It’s at least worth trying.” Fear and frustration flood my senses. “You should at least consider the possibility that—”
Mason places his hands around my waist. “I’ll burn every last fucking one of them to the ground before I let you willingly go to them.”
“But—”
“Listen to me, goddamn it.” Mason’s fingers sink into my waist, and his expression is one of cold fury. “You are not going anywhere near them. The second they get their hands on you, any contract you think exists won’t do a fucking thing. Do you even know what they’d do to you to get back at me?”
A chill races down my spine. “I can figure out a way to make it work. I’m sure we can come to an agreement.”
Mason releases me and growls. “You will not put your life in danger to end a war that you didn’t start.”
“I have to help.” I work to keep the frustration from my voice. “I can’t stay locked up in here while everyone I love is in danger. I have to do something.”
Anything is better than being cooped up here every day with nothing but the voices in my head reminding me of all the ways I’m failing.
“You want to know how you can help? Keep yourself alive and out of harm’s way. Knowing you’re safe helps me focus on what I need to do.”
My stomach sinks further, and I ignore the lump rising in my throat. “That’s it?”
“I had my lawyers draft up a deed for your childhood home. It’s in your name.”
“What?”
“I can’t stop the diner from going under, but if your dad sells, I made a deal with an old friend of mine to buy the place. Your dad is a proud man, so I know he won’t accept anything else.”
A low pounding starts in my ears, and my head begins to swim.
“But you—”
“I’ve also set aside some money for your family and you,” Mason adds. “My lawyers know what to do.”
“Why are you talking like that?”
Mason reaches for his phone again.
“You are not allowed to die,” I inform him as I snatch the phone from his hand. “Not after everything we’ve been through. You will find another way.”
Mason gives me the barest hint of a smile. “I can’t control every outcome.”
“Find a way, because anything else is unacceptable,” I snap. “I’m all in, Mason, and I meant what I said. I don’t want your money or any safety nets you have planned for me because I don’t need them.”
“It’s just in case you do,” Mason says.
Tears burn my eyes, and I shove them back.
“I will not need fake passports or whatever else,” I repeat, stronger now. “You are going to come back, and we are going to get through this.”
Mason cups my face in his hands and runs a thumb over my jaw. “You shouldn’t have been dragged into any of this. If I were a better man, I would’ve let you go the minute I realized how much danger I put you in.”
“I chose this, remember?”
Mason’s thumb hovers over my lips. “It should’ve been about sex. I should’ve made sure it was only about that.”
I stare at Mason for a few more moments while my mind races.
I don’t like the way he’s looking at me, like he’s on borrowed time, and I’m the only thing keeping him from floating away.
Still, I stand there, trying to figure out the right thing to say.
How do I get him to stay?
I want him to turn a blind eye to the Noah problem, as much for my sake as his, but I know he won’t.