Chapter 4
Genevieve
I s this asshole for real? He just kicked in my fucking door and if Mia wasn’t already locked in her crate then he would probably not be alive right now. She is standing in her cage, hackles raised and growling, never taking her eyes off him.
His eyes widen at the sight of her bared teeth. “What in the fuck is that?” His gaze meets mine again.
“Uhh, that would be a dog. Or did Mummy dearest never teach you what those are?” I roll my eyes and the left corner of my lips curl up into a smirk.
“I know its a fucking dog.” His eyes scan my face. “Why did you fail to mention you had one?”
“We haven’t spoken in years.” I turn to walk into the bathroom, but he quickly steps around me, blocking the entrance. I’d last seen him ten years ago.
“Where do you think you’re going?” His hand pushes out in front of me.
“I am going to get changed.” I push his arm out of the way and step around him. “I have classes to get ready for.”
“Oh. No, no.” He shakes his head, his hand reaching out to hold the door. “You are not going anywhere, not until we find out what these threats really are.”
“I’ve been going to the same college for the last five years and I’ve never had any issues, so why would it be any different now?” I narrow my eyes at him. “And we don’t even know how far these threats go back. Are they weeks or months? Who the hell knows with my father. So right now, I am going to get changed for my class.”
I slam the door of my bathroom shut and lock it. I can hear him grumble what sounds like ‘motherfucker’ and smile to myself. I don’t know what else to do. This is not the life for me and I just want to be left alone.
My father deals with some shady people, both selling them weapons and taking their money for protection. But when those people stop paying my father to protect them, he stops the protection at the ultimate cost.
I have no intention of being followed around by some brute, no matter how hot he is, and, until I come up with the ins and outs of my plan, I need him to back away. I have to do my best to show that I can take care of myself. At least until the time comes. My life would be a lot easier without my father trying to get himself involved. He thinks he is protecting me from the place he dragged me out of, but he doesn’t realise that Blackmere had been keeping me safe from him. He just found me before their new boss could take the seat.
There is only one way I can get my father off my back.
To stop him breathing altogether.
I know I have to be the one to do it. Mother had always told me how evil he is, that he would do anything to anyone just to stay on top.
My father had grown up on the other side of the country, raised only by his father, who died when he was young. He had then been sent to Murwood, where he grew up.
I was never told why Mum had been promised to my dad, she always said it was a story for another time.
Before we left, his anger was becoming more out of hand. My mother had more bruises appearing over her body and my father slowly turned his anger on me. That was when Mum decided it was best to leave.
It is his voice coming from the other side of the bathroom door that makes me jump. I thought he would have left by now. “So what are you studying at college?” I hear him call out from the bedroom.
I rush to throw on a pair of jeans and a tank top. I have to think of how I am going to answer the question. How do I tell someone who is a part of one of the biggest crime organisations that I am studying Criminology? “Uhhh…” Shit, what do I say?
I study Criminology to understand the workings behind crime organisations. I see firsthand what it is like, but the law aspect of the subject is a major interest too. My father would frown upon my subject choice, but, as far as it concerns me, he cannot control what I do, as much as he tries to.
“Have you finished changing yet? I’m getting bored out here, and your dog is eyeing me like I am its next meal.”
“Her next meal,” I retort.
“What?” His voice is closer to the bathroom again. I open the door and laugh as he stumbles towards me. “The dog, you are her next meal.”
I wink at him as I walk out the door.
He sighs. Maybe this is going to be fun after all. He is easy to rile up.
He had been the only thing on my mind when we left. I sure as hell annoyed my mother when she had been packing our things. ‘When will we see Mason?’ or ‘When is Mason going to come visit?’ She would never really give me an answer and either change the subject or tell me to go away.
As I grew older, I started to push against her authority. I began sneaking out at night, sneaking the alcohol from her liquor cabinet and anything else teenagers would do to annoy their parents. The thing that hurt her the most was when I would threaten to run away, to come back here to this very mansion and live with my father.
But I never could. I loved her way too much to break her completely.
The tension those days was so thick you could cut the air with a knife.
“How did you even get a dog in here without anyone else knowing?” His question draws my eyes back to his.
I know Mia is a good girl; she barely makes a noise. My mind goes back to when Mum first brought Mia home for me. It was two years before she died.
Mason clears his throat, and I just stare at him, unblinking. “Well? How did you get an eighty-pound dog into the house?”
“Frederick.” I gaze over at Mia, whose brown eyes are looking at me. I smile sadly at her. He is the one who takes care of her when I am out and because my father doesn’t like me leaving my room when I am home, Frederick takes her out most of the time. I don’t like leaving her cooped up in the crate.
“Checks out.” He moves around my room, picking up a pen from my desk, twirling it around in his fingers, running his hand along the edge of the desk. “What’s this?” He bends over and picks up a book that’s sitting at the edge.
“It’s a book?” I look at him, clearly confused.
He chuckles, turning the book over. “Oh, this is more than just a book.”
He flips through the pages, eventually landing on one page. His eyes widen slightly as he starts reading the page out loud. “ His hand slides up her right leg and along her inner thigh, indicating for her to part her legs for him—” Before he can read anymore, I launch myself across the room to snatch the book from his hands.
“You do realise this is private reading, right?” I put the book under my comforter. “I need to get to my class, so if you insist on tagging along, then you better hurry up.”
I hold my hand out to Mia in her crate, letting her lick my palm to say goodbye before I leave towards my secret passageway. Frederick is due to take her for a walk shortly.
“Will you slow the fuck down!” Mason calls out from behind me. “You are not getting out of my sight no matter how hard you try.”
I am one hundred percent going to try though. I quicken my pace, navigating through the twists and turns.
I know the path. He doesn’t.
I push through the door into my personal garage. I could have taken the Ducati, but I am not letting him control my bike for one, and he would not look like a good backpack. Behind me, I hear his labouring breath. “Fuck,” he exhales.
“Get in the car,” I direct him. “I have never been late for a class and I am not going to start now.”
Climbing into my Stingray, I start the engine. I rev it once before patting the passenger seat. He rolls his eyes and climbs in, pulling his seatbelt into place. Before he can get a word out, the garage door is open and I hit the throttle, speeding down the drive on the way to the college. His hands grip the door handle.
Murwood College is basically around the corner from the mansion. I think that is the only reason that my father still lets me go. He has no idea what I’m studying but I’m pretty sure he will find out because Mason will no doubt give him updates. It’s only a matter of time before everyone knows that the most notorious criminal in the whole of the Murwood area’s daughter is studying how to put the very people she lives with behind bars.
I love what I study, and if I succeed in my plans,it will also come in handy.
Murwood College is run by my father’s organisation now: he purchased the building last year, after he found out I am studying here. Just another way for him to control my life. He told the office administration that I am not allowed to leave the premises unless I have someone with me, and, before Mason, it had always been my father one step behind me. I guarantee that the school had received a call prior to my arrival today.
The main building is one of the oldest in Murwood, red brick with large timber double doors. The right side of the building has been shut down because the foundation is beginning to crumble; there’s a slight lean to it and cracks that snake up the exterior walls. People have graffitied both inside and out. There are lighter patches on the walls where staff have used bleach to clean the paint off. The windows are old, yellow, stained glass, a watery-looking pattern. It reminds me of a church. There is a lot of motion around, other students making their way to class and others leaving classes. Professors smile at students as they pass.
“So you never did say what it is you’re studying here,” Mason says, causing me to jump slightly.
“Well, I guess you’re just going to have to find out.” I unbuckle my seatbelt. “Because with the way you have been acting, you’re not giving the ‘I’m going to sit here and wait in the car’ kind of vibe.”
He chuckles. The motherfucker chuckles. My annoyance with this whole ‘babysitter’ thing is amusing to him.
Although seeing him being demoted to my babysitter is just way too perfect.
I just roll my eyes at him, climb out of the car and start walking towards the old building. “Oh, come on!” he calls out from behind me. “I can’t help that I like the fire and sarcasm you have in you.”
I can feel his eyes on my back. Just to add a little flavour, I start swinging my hips. He can’t resist watching me, considering how much he’d been eye-fucking me earlier.
I push through the doors into the hallway and hear Mason let out a long whistle behind me. “Impressive,” he whispers.
It isn’t much, but the old 1900’s style building, or what is left of it, is still something to behold. The columns that line the hallway are made from the same timber as the doors. A marble-tiled floor leads down to each room.
My class is in room thirteen. I glance down at my watch. Eleven twenty nine, I am right on time.
I walk into the classroom and take my seat towards the back of the room. Mason sits at the desk next to me, watching as I pull my notebook and textbooks out of my bag.
“Ok, students, please open up your Criminology textbooks to page fifty-eight.” The professor turns around to write on the whiteboard. “We are going to look at criminal procedures today.”
“Really?” Mason leans over, whispering. “This is your subject of choice?” He sounds a little surprised, but the light chuckle shows it is more amusement than anything.
“Yes, now shut up,” I angrily whisper back. “I am trying to pay attention.”
He lets out a deep, loud sigh. Loud enough to get the professor’s attention. “Am I boring you, Sir?” The professor taps his foot on the ground, glaring daggers at Mason.
“Nope.” He shakes his head, waving his hand at the whiteboard. “You can continue.”
I glare at him before turning my attention back to the lecture. I just have to tune him out for the next hour and a half.
* * *
The rest of the class is relatively painless with only a few interruptions from Mason. He is constantly leaning back in his chair, and I am almost certain he fell asleep for a brief moment. I got some piercing stares from my professor, who is clearly not impressed that Mason is there with me. All I can do is mouth ‘I’m sorry’ and hope that it is enough. It seems to satiate him because he turns back to the whiteboard and continues making notes.
The professor asks me to stay back after class so that he can speak with me one on one, but Mason pushes himself into that one, shaking his head. “No can do, prof.” The professor just grumbles under his breath. I swear, if looks could kill, he would have killed Mason ten times over by now.
Gathering my books and stuffing them in my bag, I walk out the door, trying to get to the parking lot as quickly as possible. Mason catches up to me with ease, but in a quick motion, mostly due to my not paying attention, a random guy bumps into my shoulder, knocking me down.
Before I can even get up off the ground, Mason has him pinned against the wall, pure rage crossing his features.
Not caring that everything I have on me now is scattered across the floor, I get up as quickly as I can. Everyone is staring at Mason. If he can get any angrier, I’m sure there will be steam blowing out of his ears. I know there are threats, but this poor guy pinned against the wall is not one of those threats. I have never seen him before.
His eyes are wide, scared out of his mind. I take a deep breath in and exhale my frustration. “Mason!” I yell. His head turns to face me without releasing any pressure off the other guy. “Let him go!”
“No can do,” is all he responds.
“For fuck’s sake Mason Hawthorne!” I move in closer to him, wrapping my hand around his other arm, yanking him back towards me. “Let him go, now!”
Mason blinks at me. “But–”
“No, no buts,” I cut him off. “People bumping into others at a college campus is normal, and if you can’t tell already,” I wave my hand around the people running around us “people run late to their classes and don’t focus on anyone in front of them. Shit happens and I’m pretty sure you have scared the shit out of this guy with your macho act.”
I glance over to the guy who bumped into me, still standing frozen against the wall. “Get out of here before he changes his mind.” I don’t have to say anything more before he hurriedly collects his things and runs down the hallway to his classroom.
I kneel down to pick up all my stuff that’s still on the floor. Thankfully, the other guy’s bag stayed intact and everything inside it stayed where it should. Mason, acting like the caveman he is, just stands there watching me.
His focus is on scanning the hall, making sure that no one is going to get me. I can tell him to calm down and that I am fine, but that won’t do any good. Once he is in protector mode there is nothing I can do to shake him off or lose him for that matter. I will be having more words with my father when I arrive back home though. The guard dog hovering is still something that I need to get used to; not even Mia is this clingy.
I need proof that he is not the monster I saw walking out last night and that I can put my trust in him but he is going about it in all the wrong ways. If I had friends in college he would have scared them off with his brooding bad boy act, or turned them on with the brooding bad boy act. Women are strange like that. As much as I hate this macho man act he is pulling, I am a little turned on.
I guess I am one of those weird women.
Once I gather my things off the floor, I push through the doors of the building and make a beeline towards my car. I need to get back home as soon as I can.