* * * * *
Mason nodded to Rowan, who grinned and ran into the building
and joined the brawl. Laurie clung to Mason and cried so hard that her whole
body shook and he had to hold her up.
“They said you were dead,” she sobbed. “I didn’t want to
believe them but I saw them stab you.”
Mason rubbed her back, trying to soothe her, but his own
emotions were threatening to overflow.
“I’m okay, Angel,” he assured her. “It’ll take more than a
couple beefy bastards to do me in.”
He pulled back and took her by the shoulders to inspect her
in the dim light coming from the open door. He caressed her cheek, which was
bright red. His chest clenched at the realization that one of those bastards
must have slapped her. He took note of the scrapes on her hands and arms, feeling
a painful stab every time he saw an injury.
“I killed Olivia,” she blurted in a shaky voice.
Mason’s gaze shot to her face. He had seen Olivia’s body but
he had assumed Ron had been responsible for her death.
“I hit her with a bottle…hard…she said they’d killed you. I…Mason,
I
wanted
to kill her.”
Panic mixed with guilt flashed in her eyes and Mason pulled
her into his arms again.
“You did what you had to do. She tried to kill you. Whether
she was going to pull the trigger or not, she and your uncle were responsible.
You had a right to defend yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong.” It would
take her some time to accept that fact, and it hurt to think of her beating
herself up over having to kill the bitch, but he was sure she would be okay.
Undoubtedly, her act of killing Olivia had bought them just
enough time to get to her. They’d barely made it in time. The reality of how
close he’d come to losing her sank in and he held her so tight he was afraid he
would hurt her. A sound escaped him and he wasn’t sure if he was laughing or
crying.
By the time they calmed down enough to let go of each other,
the men inside the building were subdued. Mason walked Laurie inside, where her
abductors were kneeling before his brothers. Ron’s and Olivia’s lifeless bodies
lay between the two groups on the concrete floor, and Laurie kept her face
tucked against his chest, no doubt wanting to avoid the gruesome sight.
“So, boys, what are we going to do about this mess?” Dewayne
asked as Garrick finished wiping down his gun and then tossed it on Ron’s
chest.
“Damn it to hell, I liked that piece,” he grumbled.
Dewayne chuckled and patted Garrick on the back as he walked
away. Rafe shook his head sympathetically as he finished cleaning the blood
from his knife then slipped it back in his boot.
“I told you, man. Knives. They’re harder to trace.”
Garrick shook his head and gave Rafe a playful shove.
The captive men looked from one to the other and the one who
seemed to be in charge of them spoke to the other men first.
“Rich fucker paid us up front. What’s it matter?”
There were murmurs of agreement from the others. He looked
back at Dewayne then at the rest of the group. He seemed to sense they weren’t
the kind of men to toy around with and that if he knew what was best for him,
he had better tell the right story and forget all the men and the girl who
stood in front of him.
He sighed and appeared to think about it for a moment. “We’ll
bury the bodies out back, light a match. None of us were ever here. We walk
away, you walk away.”
Dewayne looked at Mason for approval. He was quiet for a
moment as he considered it. He’d like nothing more than to kill every one of
the sons of bitches on the spot but Laurie had seen enough death, and he didn’t
want to cause her any more trauma than she’d already suffered. Coming to a
quick decision, he gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head.
“That’ll work,” he said.
“Better get to work,” Dewayne ordered. “I don’t know if y’all
can tell by looking at us but we ain’t the kind of guys who are partial to
digging the graves.”
The men set to work digging a deep hole behind the building
then carried the bodies out and made quick work of burying them. They were far
enough away from the warehouse that firefighters wouldn’t find the graves when
they came to put out the blaze, but they still dragged large pieces of concrete
and debris to pile on top.
After the dirty work was done, the two groups of men stood
facing each other, Laurie was tucked safely against Mason’s side and her
shaking had finally subsided. There was a palpable tension in the air and Mason
knew the men were wondering if they were really going to walk away with their
lives. They had poured gas all around the building and were waiting to ignite
it.
“We’re done here,” Mason told them. “If I ever see one of
you motherfuckers again, all bets are off. I’ll take my chances and kill you on
the spot.”
“That goes for all of us,” Rafe piped in.
The rest of the guys added murmurs of agreement.
“We’re good with that,” the main spokesman for the group
said. “It was nothing personal for us, just a job. If we had known…” His words
trailed off.
Everyone on the scene was aware that he and his partners
took the wrong job and messed with the wrong people.
“Light it up,” Mason ordered, turning with Laurie and
walking away from the building. Rafe pushed his motorcycle away from the
warehouse but they left the truck where it was. Caleb and Garrick had stolen it
from outside a bar, specifically to crash it. Rowan had driven Mason’s car and
parked it up the street and they piled into it as the flames from the warehouse
began to light up the night sky behind them.
Inspecting Mason’s knife wound, Laurie couldn’t help but
wince. He patted her hand in an effort to let her know it was okay. His
brother, Rowan, had removed the knife and they both insisted Mason would be
fine.
Now they all sat in the living room, trying to unwind from
the traumatic ordeal. A call from Kevin let them know that the fire was out and
the building was destroyed. However, considering that it was so dilapidated
that it would have probably fallen down in the next stiff wind, the whole thing
was being chalked up to vandals, and there wouldn’t be any further
investigation. Upon hearing that news, they all began to truly relax. It was
over.
Laurie had explained how she took the little bit of
information she’d picked up about Rowan and had asked Philip to help her try to
track down Mason’s brother. When Philip had told her he’d had no luck, she’d
put the idea on the back burner. So much time had passed since the brothers had
seen each other; she’d feared locating Rowan was a hopeless cause. Luckily, she’d
been wrong.
At that moment, everyone’s attention had settled on Rowan.
Everyone was still in awe over his and Mason’s resemblance. There was no
mistaking that they were brothers. Rowan was a little broader through the
shoulders and a little older, but the similarity was uncanny.
Rowan explained that he had been in the military for fifteen
years before he retired and floated around restlessly for a few years. He was
working as a mechanic in Phoenix when he received the email from Laurie. Since
he wasn’t attached to the area, it was not a big deal to pack up and leave to
track her down. He told how he’d followed her and Dewayne home just in time to
see all hell break loose. Shaking his head, Rowan admitted he was still a
little in shock over seeing his baby brother all grown up. He had pretty much
accepted the fact that he would never see Mason again.
He’d tried to find Mason when he’d gotten word that Nanan had
died but by then he was lost within the foster care system. By the time Rowan had
thought they’d found his little brother, he’d gotten a letter informing him
that Mason had run away. That was the last he’d heard.
He’d stayed in Baton Rouge for a year after he left the
military, looking for Mason with no luck, but he’d never stopped searching.
Since Mason lived a lifestyle in which he didn’t leave a paper trail, it was
impossible to find him.
Still, part of Rowan’s paycheck each week went to a private
investigator who assured him that if Mason were alive, the investigator would
find him. Rowan laughed and joked about tracking the guy down and demanding his
money back, considering it took Laurie—with Philip’s help—less than a week to
reunite the brothers. Rowan reached out and squeezed Mason’s hand.
“I can’t believe I found you, little brother, and it’s all
because of your woman.” He nodded toward Laurie, shooting her an affectionate
smile that was almost as handsome as Mason’s was. “You’re a lucky man, Mace.”
With his free hand, Mason pulled her onto his lap and rubbed
her back. “You don’t have to tell me that.” He grinned.
The brothers continued to talk and Laurie allowed her mind
to wander as she gazed at everyone sitting around the room. Dewayne and Rafe
were on the couch, laughing as they debated with Garrick and Caleb over who
took out Ron and saved Mason from getting shot. Laurie smiled as she watched
them argue. Garrick and Caleb Hawthorne were good guys, just as Mona had said.
They showed a huge amount of loyalty to Mason by showing up on a moment’s
notice and willingly putting their lives in jeopardy to save her. She knew she’d
never be able to thank them enough.
No surprise, they were every bit as good looking as the rest
of the group, and they carried just as heavy of a resemblance to each other as
Rowan and Mason did. Caleb was the fairer of the two and the obvious ladies’
man, outgoing and flirty. Mason had warned him several times just on the ride
home to stop flirting with his woman. Garrick, on the other hand, seemed more
serious and brooding. He was friendly and sweet but she had a feeling the
smiles and laughter she was witnessing were not common for him.
Mona, who was sitting between Rafe and Dewayne, caught Laurie’s
eye and smiled. Mona looked tired and relieved. When she’d hugged Laurie
earlier, Laurie thought Mona was never going to let go. It was apparent that
she’d been terrified for everyone involved and was just grateful they all made
it out okay. She was still angry with Dewayne for tossing her in the closet but
allowed him to put his arm around her, although grudgingly so.
Laurie smiled around the room, loving everyone there and
counting herself lucky to have such great people in her life. She realized she
really was a part of their odd tribe and her smile widened. They were her
family. She glanced back at Mason, her soul mate, and decided that old
fortuneteller Ms. Agata really knew her shit.
Laurie was beginning to feel tired but decided not to let
Mason know yet. He would want to take her upstairs and hold her but she wanted
him to spend more time with his brother.
She’d told him how she’d killed Olivia and Laurie knew the
guilt of that action would weigh on her. Whether in self-defense or not, she
had taken a life and it hurt. Just the thought of it made her insides twist
painfully. Gazing at Mason, warmth spread through her that gave her strength. Whatever
she faced, he would help her through it.
She still had to figure out what to do about the trust fund.
There was no doubt in her mind she did not want it, but she wanted it to do
somebody some good.
She looked around the room at the people who had saved her
and thought of the hardships they’d endured as children. A spark of an idea
settled in her mind and she considered that maybe the money could be put to
good use, after all. Laurie let the thought float away for the moment…she had
time to decide.
Garrick and Caleb left a while later. Mason thanked them for
their help again and promised to be there if they ever needed anything. The
guys insisted it was nothing and to Laurie’s surprise, they each stopped to hug
Mason goodbye. She couldn’t recall having ever seen him hug anyone except her.
When they finished with him, they both embraced her and welcomed her to the
family. Rafe got in line while he had the chance to hug everyone and took his
leave as well. Mona was next. She was still mad and refused to sleep in the
basement with Dewayne. He pouted for a moment but cajoled her into giving him a
kiss before she left. When she was gone, he yawned and stated that he needed to
pay some attention to his bong and headed to the basement.
Mason offered Rowan the spare room on the ground floor and
promised they’d talk the next morning. Laurie had a feeling he was going to
stick around. Rowan patted Mason on the back and then headed for the guestroom.
Finally, Laurie took Mason’s hand and led him up the stairs.
They undressed and climbed into bed, and when they came together it was slow
and tender. Every stroke and caress was an assertion of their love. Afterward,
they lay tangled up together, so close they could feel each other’s hearts
beating.
“Thank you for saving me,” Mason whispered as he caressed
her bare back.
Laurie pulled back to look at him and chuckled. “I didn’t
save you, silly. You saved me, remember?”
He met her eyes and offered a tender smile. “No, Angel, you
saved me the first time we met. I thought I was going to be a badass and rescue
you from Joe, but my world changed as soon as I looked in your eyes. I have
everything I could ever want because of you. Hell, you even gave my brother
back to me. If it weren’t for you, I would have lived and died a bad man, and I
would have never considered that I could have something better. Never forget,
baby, you saved me and I’ll always be grateful to you. I’m going to spend the
rest of my life making you happy. I want to deserve you. I’ll do whatever it
takes.”
Laurie leaned forward and gently kissed his bruised chin.
“You deserve everything you want in life, babe,” she told
him. “You may have been a bad guy but you’ve always been a good man. I could
tell the moment I met you. You already make me happy, and as long as you keep
on loving me, I always will be. I love you, Mason, and I’m proud to be your
woman.”
He smiled and pulled her closer, caressing her body and
inhaling the scent of her. They drifted to sleep, knowing they had challenges
ahead of them but content with the knowledge they were going to face them
together.