Chapter One #2
“I was thinking the same thing,” Olivia says. “Do you remember the concert you helped me sneak off to?”
“I remember being given a shit ton of grunt work for letting it happen on my watch.”
Their gazes meet and hold, and I will my feet to move so that I can look away. A heartbeat later, someone clears their throat, and their tones turn brusque and flat. When I turn to them again, there are a few inches of space between them, and Carlisle’s expression is giving nothing away.
By the time Carlisle leaves, I’ve convinced myself that I need to go straight to Mason before this gets out of hand.
One look at Olivia’s face is enough to stop me, especially when she laces her fingers through mine and drags me up the stairs behind her.
On the second-floor landing, she glances down both sides of the hallway.
Then she releases my fingers and motions to me.
I follow her in a daze, ignoring the pictures hung on either side of me.
At the end of the hallway, she stops outside a door and looks at me.
The door creaks open, revealing a canopied bed, a dresser in one corner, and a terrace overlooking the massive grounds.
Olivia goes in first, and I place one foot in front of the other until I’m standing in front of the French doors with the early-morning light on my face.
My eyes fall shut as I take several deep breaths.
You can do this, London. You’re doing the right thing. Mason will understand.
Olivia taps me on the shoulder, and I do a double-take when I see a red wig in one hand and tight jeans and a tube top in the other.
“We can’t risk them recognizing you,” Olivia says. “I know this isn’t something you’d wear. That’s the point.”
I reach for the wig and grimace. “I’m not sure I can pull this off.”
“That’s why you’ve got me,” Olivia says. “I used to do this a lot. Now, let’s test out the look.”
An hour later, she pushes me into a chair set in front of the full-length mirror. The red curls frame my face, and the top pushes my breasts together, making them seem bigger. When I shift, the jeans chafe my skin, and I ignore the sliver of unease in my chest.
Olivia beckons me to stand and gives me a once-over.
A short while later, I return to Mason’s wing in my usual clothes.
My palms are sweaty, and there’s a bad taste in my mouth.
Mason is sprawled on the bed, his shirt riding up when I walk into the room.
Bright particles of light dance on the hardwood floors, and I stare at them before kicking off my shoes.
The bed dips as I climb onto it and curl around him.
One eye opens and looks at me, and something in me unfurls.
When he looks at me like that, nothing else in the world matters but the two of us.
He has no idea what I’m willing to do for him.
My breath catches in my throat as I reach out to brush his hair out of his eyes. “You’re supposed to be resting.”
Mason opens his other eye and sits up. “There’s too much to do.”
I search his face. “Will there be another lockdown?”
Mason’s expression hardens. “Yes.”
“You can go to the club for a few hours later,” he adds. “For now, it’s business as usual. I don’t want them thinking they’ve driven us into hiding, the smug bastards. If you’re here to ask me about your parents, they’re fine, but I can’t let you go see them.”
I clear my throat and stare down at my hands. “I wasn’t going to.”
Mason uses his thumb and forefinger to tilt my chin back. “I will keep you safe, London. You have nothing to worry about.”
“And who will keep you safe?”
Mason tucks me into his side and kisses the side of my head. “That’s not something you need to worry about.”
“Of course, I worry about you.” I look at the smooth, angular lines of his face and the stubble on his cheeks. “I want to help.”
Mason opens his mouth to say something and is interrupted by a knock on the door.
Olivia pokes her head in and raises an eyebrow. “You two could at least be decent.”
“Go away,” Mason tells her. “We’re busy.”
Olivia pushes the door the rest of the way open and leans against it. “I wish I could, but I wanted to see if London wanted to go to the club with me.”
I avoid Mason’s gaze. “Uh, yeah, sure.”
“Carlisle will be accompanying you.”
Olivia laughs and holds up a hand. “Sure, the old grump can come along. Don’t worry; I’ll bring her back in one piece. Besides, we’ll keep our heads down, won’t we, London?”
My stomach twists into tight knots, but I nod along anyway.
“Maybe put London in one of your disguises. Don’t give me that look. I know you still have them.”
Olivia sighs. “You’re so paranoid, but fine.”
I still have no idea how I got roped into all of this, only that I feel like I have to see it through.
If only to ensure Olivia doesn’t get into trouble.
Mason gives me a peck on the lips before Olivia drags me out of the room. At the foot of the stairs, she loops her arm through mine and leans close. “You’re doing the right thing. He’ll thank you for this someday.”
We cross the lawn, and the hairs on the back of my neck rise when I spot a few of the men on patrol.
Their eyes sweep over us without stopping, and Olivia waves at them.
Carlisle is waiting by the back door, and when it clicks open, my heart misses a beat.
It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dark, but when they do, I realize Carlisle is leading us down an unfamiliar corridor with dim lights.
Music pulses through the speakers in the background.
Carlisle stops in front of a door and pushes it open.