Chapter Twenty-Six
Mason
“How close can we get without drawing attention?” I frown at the map on my desk. “He’s paranoid for a man running for senate.”
“His family comes from old money,” Katia replies. “He’s used to having to take extreme precautions.”
It’s why getting an audience with him has been nearly impossible.
We’ve had every mayor in our back pocket since we started this business.
Mayor Mullins shouldn’t have been this hard to convince, but after he announced he was running for senate, he became very unpredictable.
I hate having to deal with men who become single-minded in their pursuits.
I’d love to send Carlisle just to see how he’ll react, but I also know I can’t afford any missteps after the debacle at the docks. There are too many eyes on us, too many unknown variables, and I can’t shake the feeling that I haven’t seen the last of Lance and Michael.
Those two morons are planning something.
There’s been radio silence since last night.
I clear my throat. “We need to send the mayor a clearer message. Let him know he can’t fuck with us.”
Katia smiles slowly. “I can take care of that.”
I nod. “Good. It requires a more delicate touch. I’m counting on you to—”
The door to the office bursts open, and Carlisle rushes in, bleeding above his right eye. “Boss, you’re going to want to take this.”
I step away from the table. “You know how I feel about interruptions.”
Carlisle stops in front of me and holds out a phone. “I know.”
I snatch it out of his hand and give Carlisle a withering look. “What?”
“Is that how you usually answer the phone?”
I switch the phone to my other ear. “When I haven’t had the pleasure of a fucking meeting, it is. Who the hell are you?”
Why does Carlisle look like he’s taken a few hits on the way here?
It’s not like him to be caught off-guard.
“Do you see your little watchdog? That’s just an example of what we’ll do if you don’t listen.”
I laugh. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but I don’t respond to threats. Whatever the hell this is, you’re in way over your head.”
“I don’t think so.” The voice is distorted, but I can hear the amusement. “Unlike you, we know what we’re doing. Now shut up and listen.”
I motion to Katia, and she inches closer. “You have five seconds to tell me who you are, or there will be hell to pay.”
“We’ve got leverage to keep you in line, so I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Leverage? What is this, a shakedown?”
“Something like that. I can see we’ve got your attention. Are you ready to listen, or will I have to mess up her pretty face?”
I blink. “Her?”
“Your little plaything,” the voice continues. “It would be such a shame. Maybe we’ll find another way to punish her. I bet she likes it rough.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
The voice says something else, but I don’t hear him. I yank open the nearest drawer and pull out a notepad. Then I rip a piece of paper off, jot down something, and hand it to Katia. She scans the paper and gives me a quick look. A moment later, she charges out of the office.
I gesture to Carlisle, who leaves the room and returns a few moments later with my head of security.
“Cat got your tongue, Mr. Payne?”
I frown. “Listen, you piece of shit. I don’t know who you think you are, but you’ve obviously never done this. I don’t take orders from anyone.”
“You’ll want to hear us out.”
Katia reappears with a furrow between her brows and gestures to me. I pull the phone from my ear and cover it. “What?”
“London is nowhere to be found.”
A chill races up my spine. “What do you mean? She’s not allowed to leave the premises. There’s only so many places she can be.”
Katia shrugs. “I’m waiting on security footage.”
Before I can reply, there’s a knock on the office door. The four of us review the footage in silence, and when I spot London with her hoodie pulled over her head, my stomach lurches.
How in the hell did they get to her?
Why did she leave without letting anyone know?
Most importantly, how in the fuck did she manage to slip past the guards?
You never told them to keep an eye on her. With Mathew lurking around, you didn’t want word getting back to him, remember?
Shit.
“Have you figured it out? I’m guessing by now you know we have her.”
“What makes you think I care? I can have my share of women.”
The voice chuckles, and the hair on the back of my neck rises. “That’s not what we heard. We’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while, so we know this one is special.”
I clutch the phone tighter. “Doubtful, but you’ve gone to all this effort, so you might as well continue.”
Don’t react. Don’t give them what they want. One wrong word, and London will never come back.
I can’t have the last thing I said to her weighing on me when she was just trying to help.
I have half a mind to refuse to engage, but I don’t know how volatile they are. I might not be ready to admit my feelings for London, but that doesn’t mean I will stand by while she gets hurt.
As far as everyone else is concerned, this is a matter of pride.
No one twists Mason Payne’s arm and gets away with it.
I’m sorry, London. Fuck, I’m sorry. I’ll kill every last one of them for this. I won’t let this stand. Just…hang in there.
“I’m glad to see you’re willing to play along. It’s simple. We want a cut of the profit from the club.”
“And what makes you think she’s worth that much? That’s a big gamble.”
“We like our odds. Of course, we can always shop around and see who’d be willing to take on Mason Payne’s favorite whore.”
Fuck me.
I can’t let London be passed around like a toy. Who knows if she’d survive that?
The thought makes me go cold all over. I know how far some of my enemies will go to get back at me.
Once news spreads of London’s capture, it’ll be a feeding frenzy even I won’t be able to stop.
Jesus.
How the hell did I let this happen?
“You’re going to get us a location to be able to run our business as well,” the voice continues. I can almost hear the triumph in it, and it makes my blood boil. “We know you’ve got your eye on a few.”
“I need proof of life.”
I’m going to even consider playing by their rules, I need to know I’m not being played.
“That’s fair.” There’s a scuffle and something being dragged. Then, I hear a muffled voice and the unmistakable sound of London’s whimper.
How did she let them get to her?
Is she working with them to get away from me?
London isn’t stupid enough to strike a deal with your enemies, no matter how badly she wants out of her contract.
“Check your phone.”
When it pings, I pull it away from my ear and wait for the image to load. London’s droopy eyes and scowl stare up at me from the screen. I swallow and place the phone back against my ear.
“We can arrange for another picture.”
I gesture to my head of security and clear my throat. “That won’t be necessary. You have no idea who the fuck you’re dealing with.”
I have a sneaking suspicion that Michael or Lance is behind this. Maybe both of them.
I should’ve taken care of those bastards when I had the chance.
“If you try anything funny, we’ll take it out on her. I’ll give you some time to think about it. We’ll be in touch.”
Then, the line goes dead.
I throw the phone across the room hard enough to break it.
Then I meet Katia’s stunned gaze, and I don’t know who’s more surprised by my outburst, me or her.
“You better have some intel on them, or I’m not going to know who the fuck to blame for all of this.”
Katia offers me a tight nod and leaves the room.
As soon as she does, I press two fingers to my temples and rub in slow, circular motions as I realize two things at once.
The first is that they have me right where they want me.
And the second is that I went ahead and broke one of my cardinal rules.
I wasn’t just infatuated with London.
I fucking cared, and I had no idea what to do about any of it.
***
London
My head lolls forward, startling me awake.
There’s a bright light in my field of vision, and it takes a few tries for it to clear.
Slowly, I blink and lift my hand. I run it over my face, pausing when I feel a small bruise over my left eye.
I squeeze my eyes shut and think past the pounding in my ears.
A few moments later, my eyes fly open, and a gasp falls from my lips.
I remember being dragged into a room with a single light bulb, and a cacophony of voices. I have a vague recollection of someone yanking back my head and pulling off a blindfold.
Did I look into a phone, or was that a dream?
Why would they make you look into a phone? That doesn’t make any sense. They had Noah and your dad, remember?
I’m on my feet and across the room before the room finishes shifting into place.
My eyes skim over the bars on the windows, the adjoining bathroom, and the batch of clothes on a king-sized bed.
Somebody has been expecting me.
Out of one cage and into another.
Where are Noah and my dad?
“What the fuck?” I let my hands fall to my sides and press my ear to the door.
Silence.
“Okay, don’t panic,” I mutter. “This is a mistake. I’m nobody. I’m…”
Mason’s latest conquest.
Shit.
Why hadn’t I thought of that before I raced out to play hero and save my dad?
Because you know Mason would’ve taken some convincing, and time was of the essence?
Except if there’s one thing I know about Mason, other than the fact he’s a stubborn and infuriating ass, it’s that he doesn’t like being made a fool off. On principle alone, he might’ve helped me save my father and Noah.
Or at least that’s what I tell myself.
But after our last conversation, I’m not so sure.
It’s one thing for him to step in where you’re involved, you’re an investment, after all, and I doubt he wants that going sideways. Your dad and Noah, on the other hand…
I give a slight shake of my head and try to push the thought away.
Whatever is unfolding between Mason and me, he wouldn’t have gone out on a limb for my dad.
Not after he warned me about the world he lives in.