Masina #3
“Knowing Kade and them, I know they gearing up to make a move. I just don’t know what that move is. I guess in their eyes, the less I know, the better.”
“Yeah.” He took a slow sip of his bourbon before setting the glass back down. “I spoke to them already, and I know for a fact they ain’t about to sit on their hands. I can only go so far because of my position, but I may have a way to help them out...and end this once and for all.”
I sat there turning his words over in my mind.
Having a judge in your corner certainly couldn’t hurt.
Lord know's Marius had benefited from far worse over the years given everything we’d uncovered about the connections between him, Elias, and the justice system.
If anybody understood how to navigate that world without drawing unnecessary attention, it was Emory.
Maybe, just maybe, we could finally flip the tide to turn in our favor.
“Did you hear me?”
“No.” I blinked, realizing I’d drifted off into my own thoughts. “I’m sorry. What was that?”
“I was saying enough about that. We came here to forget about our problems, remember?” I smiled and lifted my glass.
“You’re right. To long-lost friendships.”
“And whatever the future may hold.”
He gently clinked his glass against mine without breaking eye contact.
The appetizers arrived afterward, giving us something else to focus on.
We talked about college, laughed over old professors we couldn’t stand, reminisced about campus parties we’d attended but never actually enjoyed, and found ourselves flirting between stories without either one of us trying too hard.
It felt effortless. Natural. Every compliment made my cheeks warm, every joke seemed funnier than it probably was, and somewhere along the way I realized I hadn’t smiled this much in a very long time.
“I hope I’m not being too forward, but then I feel like not being forward enough is exactly what allowed you to slip away all those years ago.” He reached across the table and took my hand into his.
“Masina...I’d love it if you would spend the night with me. I promise to be the perfect gentleman. I don’t want anything from you except your company. I just want to hold you and enjoy the presence of a real woman.”
“Emory...I don’t know if—” He slowly shook his head before I could finish.
“The only word I want to hear right now is yes, Masina.” I looked down at our hands before looking back into his eyes.
Lord knew this man was dangerous. Not because he was manipulative.
Not because he was reckless. Because he was kind.
Kindness had a way of breaking through defenses that force never could.
I knew if Kade realized I wasn’t coming home his ass would probably send out a search party before midnight, but it had been so long since I’d felt the warmth of a man’s touch without fear, obligation, or pain attached to it.
Every warning in my spirit told me to say no.
Every complication surrounding our families reminded me this was a terrible idea.
Still...
“Yes.” The word escaped before I could second-guess it. His smile answered before he ever spoke.
“I promise you won’t regret it.”
“I hope not.”
Paying the check, we gathered our belongings before leaving the restaurant together.
His hand rested lightly against the small of my back as he guided me toward the elevators, and neither one of us felt the need to fill the silence between us.
It wasn’t uncomfortable. It was peaceful.
The kind of quiet two people shared when words suddenly became unnecessary.
The elevator doors slid open and we stepped toward them, but before we could get on, my phone vibrated inside my purse. Pulling it out I glanced down at the screen, my stomach dropped.
You and Emory?
Another message appeared before I could even process the first.
Wow.
Can’t even say that I’m surprised Masina. You always did have a taste for the wrong kind of comfort. Maybe it’s time he joins his daughter... and you join your precious Aretha where you belong.
My fingers tightened around the phone as the final message appeared.
Remember, love...I told you if it wasn’t me, there’d never be another.
My breathing came in sharp, uneven bursts as I stood frozen just outside the elevator doors, unable to move.
“Masina?” Emory frowned.
“What’s wrong?” I couldn’t answer.
Smile.
Something inside me told me not to. Against every instinct screaming to keep my eyes on the phone, I slowly looked up. Through the glass overlooking the hotel entrance, my eyes locked onto a figure standing across the street.
He wore that same evil smirk I’d come to know all too well. Resting across his shoulder was a large launcher. He lifted one hand and waved. Then, with horrifying calm, he aimed the weapon, settled his eye behind the sight, and squeezed the trigger.
“Emory get down!”
I lunged toward him just as the projectile streaked toward the building. The explosion hit with enough force to shake the entire hotel. After that everything went black.