Chapter Eight
Asher
We were the last ones to arrive to dinner, my duffle and her suitcase in hand as I opened the door for her. Gavin was in an argument with Rufus in the corner while Mason was seated, halfway through his wine already.
I set our things next to the door and guided Evelyn to the table, putting her between Mason and me. No fucking way was I letting Gavin get near her, not with how the argument was currently going.
“You’re not going to stay through the festivities?” Mason asked, eyeing her suitcase before looking at me.
“No,” I answered. “I’m ready to be home.”
“And you, Evelyn?”
She squirmed in her seat, uncomfortable with the question—though that could also be because she was sore. “I’m ready to see something new.”
Mason nodded, studying his wine. There seemed to be a lot on the bull’s mind, but I wasn’t sure I was the one to ask. He downed the rest of his glass, put it on the table, then angled in his chair to level us both a look.
“Lander is already waiting in the afterparty room,” he said, obviously getting to the point. “He arrived just as you left the race. Practically made a scene, demanding to be let into your room to ‘congratulate’ you on your win, but Rufus directed him to the afterparty.”
Evelyn’s face paled, her body going rigid.
“He can’t get in here,” Mason continued. “No amount of money will break this tradition, but I don’t know how long that will last.”
“How…how did you know about Killian and me?”
His eyes softened as he looked at her, and he shifted, some of the aggression falling away. “The Landers aren’t quiet about their affairs,” he answered gently, “and we’ve been waiting a long time to get you free of them.”
From the look on her face, she had no idea anyone had been paying attention to her, to their other women, either. “Why? I don’t know you.”
“No, you don’t.” He glanced at Gavin, still arguing and not paying any attention to us, and leaned in closer. “I’m not native to Crete, but I’m not the only one with the right kind of loyalty. And most of us are sick of watching the Landers control everything from the inside.”
I really couldn’t wait to leave this town. Every part of it was fucked up in some sense.
“But we don’t want to harm any of their victims,” he continued, “so we’ve been slowly working to get everyone else free of their grasp before the family falls.”
Some of the color had returned to Evelyn’s cheeks. “Has this been a plan all along?”
“I don’t know about that,” Mason answered. “I returned to the Promnestride this year for personal reasons, not professional, but when we found out you were the runner, we knew this was our chance.”
She looked at me, curious. “You…lost on purpose?”
He snorted at that, a flash of annoyance in his eyes. “Absolutely not. Fucking bull bested me in the same way he was once bested, and I can’t believe I fell for it.”
Mason was telling me the truth, but there was something else in his eyes. Something that made me think that maybe the extra boost over the ledge wasn’t my imagination.
“But that’s bullshit!” Gavin burst out, hoof stomping and echoing through the room while Rufus looked more and more annoyed as he carried on.
Mason rolled his eyes and reached under the table, pulling out the prize basket. “Here.” He handed it to Evelyn, then picked up her placemat and uncovered an envelope. “That’s your prize money.”
She took it, flipped open the envelope, and sure enough, there was her check inside.
“There’s usually much more ceremony that goes with this, but with hotshot over there and money bags in the other room, I don’t know if you’ll want to hang out for this.”
I owed Mason. Seriously owed him.
Standing, I nodded and approached the argument, ignoring Gavin as I stuck my hand out toward Rufus.
“Thank you so much for having us this year,” I said, startling the fight to silence and shaking Rufus’s hand when he took mine. “We’re unfortunately on a time crunch, so we’re going to have to miss the fun.”
Rufus’s eyes bounced from me to Evelyn to the basket in her hands. He was obviously catching something was going on, but when he looked back at me, his shoulders squared up. “It was nice to have you back, Mr. Cunnington. I hope you and Miss Tucker enjoy your win, and safe travels.”
Gavin had an outburst at that, but I didn’t care. I nodded, looped around the table to help Evelyn out of her chair, and bent over to murmur to Mason. “We’ll be in Milos for a bit, then we’ll be heading to Kavala. If you’re ever in town, I’d love to take you to dinner.”
He toasted me with his newly refilled wine glass. “Maybe one day.”
Within minutes, we were out of the building, Evelyn’s check tucked into her pocket, her basket under her arm, and her suitcase in mine. I steered us to the rental car I’d had delivered while we were packing and tucked her safely inside. As soon as we were in, I turned the car on and left.
It was the last time I’d see this city, but this time, my happiness was in the seat next to me instead of in the rearview mirror.