by Apryl Baker
“I will.”
“Promise me you won’t sleep outside?”
“I promise, moye dragotsennyy.”
He listened until he heard her hang up.
He was screwed.
Chapter Ten
Four days.
It had been four days since Ray left the house, pissed off and silent. And in all that time, not even one text. She’d left him countless voicemails and texts, but he refused to respond. At first, Jo had been hurt, but now she was starting to get pissed off herself. She understood his embarrassment, but he had no right to take his anger at Mason out on her.
The knock at the door interrupted her silent rant. It had to be Mason. He’d promised to come over and help her set up her studio. Homework had been keeping her so busy, she still hadn’t managed to put up the soundproofing tiles on the walls or get the rest of her stuff unboxed.
She hadn’t even managed to record anything new. Thankfully, she’d had enough pre-recorded before the move to get her through, but those were winding down, and she needed to do some new recordings. Several games had come out she’d meant to do some Let’s Plays for, but school had pretty much taken up all her time.
“Hey, Josephine.” Mason grinned at her when she opened the door, his expression looking easier and more relaxed than it had in weeks.
“What’s up with you?”
“My papa is on his way home tomorrow.” He brushed past her and went straight to the kitchen, looking for coffee. She’d put a pot on when he called to say he was on his way over.
“That’s great, Mason!” She closed the door and followed him into the kitchen. Before she realized what he was doing, he’d grabbed her around the waist and swung her up and around, holding her tight. She laughed at the spontaneity of it. “I’m so happy for you.”
“You have to come meet him, Mama, and Babushka.”
“Babushka?”
“My grandmother.” He set her back down and went looking for coffee mugs. “She’s a trip. Insists on finding ways to incorporate the word ‘booty’ into all her conversations. Drives Mama mad.”
“She does not!” She could just imagine this tiny elderly lady saying booty. It was such a Mason move.
“I promised to take her trolling for some hot guys at bingo night down at the community center.” Mason winked and handed her a steaming cup of coffee with just the right amount of milk and sugar. He always brought her coffee in the mornings and knew exactly how she liked it.
“So, you’re gonna be like her wingman or something?” Jo arched a brow, trying to picture Mason whispering to his grandmother about some old guy in a wheelchair with oxygen strapped to him. She grinned thinking about it. He was a nut.
“Hells yeah! Got to watch out for my babushka. She needs to at least find someone who has their teeth, be it their own or dentures. Can you imagine kissing someone who’s all gums? Gross.” He mock-shuddered.
“Come on, Casanova. Time for the free labor to begin.” Jo chuckled as she led him toward her makeshift studio that doubled as the spare bedroom. She’d managed to drag the boxes with the soundproofing tiles up from the basement last night. It had taken a bit to find them buried in all the boxes they still hadn’t unpacked.
Mason came in right behind her, standing so close she could feel the heat wafting off his body. It seeped into her, and she shivered. Not from cold, but from something she shoved so far down, she could almost pretend she didn’t feel it.
“We need to get the tiles up on the walls before we start moving the furniture in. The couch stays. It has a foldout bed in it, so if we have guests over, they’ll at least have a place to sleep.” She took several steps away from him under the guise of going through boxes.
“This is pretty out of date.” She looked over to see Mason checking out her recording equipment. “Especially this microphone. This thing has to be five years old.”
“I can’t afford anything else at the moment.”
“Why the hell not? You have millions of subscribers, Josephine.”
“Which doesn’t translate to millions of dollars,” she replied, not able to hold back the sarcasm. “I’m not part of the top tier of ad revenue on YouTube.”
“That still doesn’t make sense.” Mason sat down on her desk and did his best to keep his eyes off her ass. She had on shorts that barely covered her, with a green tank top that drew his eyes straight to her cleavage. And, man, did she have cleavage. He itched to cup them. They’d fill his hands and then some.
“What doesn’t make sense about it?”
He blinked, tearing his eyes away from her ass before she caught him staring. “I don’t even have a million subscribers, and I make decent money. You should be making triple what I do.”
“I don’t.”
“We need to figure out why. Do you have your YouTube channel linked to Twitch and Patreon? And why don’t you have any merch? I get a ton of revenue from my t-shirts, hats, and other stuff.”
She just blinked at him, her blue eyes wide and suddenly overwhelmed. “Um, I don’t have a Twitch or Patreon account.”
The fuck?
He blinked, sure he’d misunderstood her. She was huge on YouTube. She had to have at least a Patreon account. People who enjoyed her work could donate or tip her on Patreon to support her so she could continue to create great content. And Twitch? It was a must for a gamer, especially a Let’s Player. You streamed live and had paid followers. Twitch took half, but it was a steady monthly income.
“You don’t?”
She shook her head, her blonde pigtails whipping around her head. It distracted him momentarily, but he refocused quickly.
“Is that why you haven’t bought yourself a car?”
“I can’t afford one.” She looked down, her face flushing with embarrassment.
“And why aren’t you using Ray’s while he’s not here?”
She looked away, and his fist clenched. “It’s not my car.”
“So? Ray’s not using it.”
“He doesn’t want to put extra miles on it.”
A sound he didn’t recognize escaped him, forcing Josephine to meet his gaze. She flinched, and he couldn’t even hazard a guess as to what his expression must hold. The fucker wouldn’t let her use his car while he was away?
“Mason…”
He put up his hand. “Not a word, Josephine.” If she defended the fucker right now, he couldn’t guarantee what came out of his mouth wouldn’t land him a verbal beatdown by Jo. He walked out of the room and back downstairs.
Pulling out his phone, he called Viktor, who answered on the second ring. “Brat.”
“My favorite brother.”
“What do you want?”
“I can’t call you just to shoot the shit?”
“Not when you start off with ‘my favorite brother.’” Viktor said something to someone. “Cut the shit. What do you want?”
“Fine, don’t let me be nice to my brother.” He sat on the couch, his anger vibrating in every cell in his body.
“What’s got you angry, brat?” Viktor asked. “I can hear it in your voice.”
“Jo’s fucked-up boyfriend.” Mason’s foot tapped absently on the floor. “Fucker won’t even let her use his car while he’s gone all week. Doesn’t want to put miles on it.”
“The fuck?”
“That’s what I said. The more I learn about ass-wipe, the more I wonder what the fuck she sees in someone who treats her like that. I’m beginning to understand Keith’s hatred of him.”
“I gave all his information to Dylan. If there’s anything to find, he’ll find it. We can worry about him once we have the file. Now tell me why you called.”
“I need a favor.”
“Ah-ha! I knew it.”
“Fucker…” Mason’s lips tilted in a grin. Viktor was his favorite brother besides Dimitri. Viktor always managed to cheer him up and lessen his anger. It was a gift with his brother. He could do that with all of them, even more than Dimitri could. Maybe
that was why he’d subconsciously called him instead of Kade. He needed to calm down so he could be around Jo without tearing into her.
“What do you need, brat?” The sound of a screaming baby pierced his ear. “Sara…no, I am on the phone…you want me to what…change diapers…”
Mason burst out laughing at the horror in his brother’s voice. He himself had never changed a diaper and had no intention of ever doing so. It was gross. Thankfully, Jo had changed the twins both times last Friday night. The smell alone had caused his stomach to revolt.
“I think I can get you out of that threat.”
“Thank God,” Viktor breathed out over the phone.
“I need some equipment. One of the microphones I ordered a couple weeks back, a web cam, and some of the video equipment.”
“You setting up a sting?”
“Fuck, no.” Mason grimaced at the thought. He’d let Kade talk him into going along on one of his cases where they’d had to trail a man’s wife to get the goods on her. Most boring two days of his life. He’d been forced to sit in the car for hours listening to Kade lecture him on his lack of interest in a career that made sense while they listened to some kind of new age music that hurt his ears. He loved his brother, but he never wanted to go through that again.
“Your shit break?”
“No. It’s for Josephine. Her shit is about five years out of date, and she’s broke. Girl has no idea how to maximize her ad revenue. She’ll never be able to set up what she needs to with the equipment she has now. I was hoping you’d be feeling generous, since bringing all that over here will get you out of diaper duty.”
“You like her, don’t you?”
“Well, yeah. She’s the first girl I’ve ever had as a friend. It’s weird, but a good weird.”
Viktor was a little too quiet for a heartbeat. “Mason, I think it’s great you’re watching out for her.”
“But?” Mason heard the but coming.
“But I don’t want you to get hurt here, little brother. She has a boyfriend. One she loves enough to pack up and move across the country and live with.”
“I know that.” It ate away at him constantly.
“Just be careful, here, okay?”
“You know me, Vik. I’m not a relationship kind of guy.”
“Neither were Nik or Dimitri. Look where they are now.”
“Their bad, not mine.”
“Send me a list of what you need, and I’ll bring it over. I need her address as well.”
He asked his brother for one more thing on the spur of the moment before he hung up with Vik and ordered dinner and snacks from Papa John’s. He could hear Jo moving around upstairs, and he felt bad about leaving her to start the work by herself, but he’d needed to cool down. His temper seemed to be on a hair trigger these days, but dammit. Shit like Ray was pulling wasn’t right. She needed a car. Mason had class, and he worked for Viktor part-time. He wasn’t always available, and she might need transportation during those times.
That was why he called Viktor. He was going to get her set up so she could start earning the money she deserved.
The doorbell rang. “Josephine, get your ass in gear. Pizza’s here!”
It wasn’t the pizza guy at the door when he answered it, though. It was a woman in her mid-forties or so. Her blonde hair was perfectly styled, and her smile seemed a little strained.
“Can I help you, ma’am?”
“Who are you?” She was very blunt, and her brown eyes twitched.
“I’m Mason, Jo’s friend. Who are you?”
“Ray’s mother.”
The mother who liked to spy on him through her window. “You here to see Jo?”
“I just wanted to come check on her while Ray’s away.”
“Mrs. Daniels?” Jo came to stand behind him. “Is everything okay?”
“Is it?” Ray’s mother’s eyes glittered with suspicion.
Jo gasped, but before she could say anything, Mason did. “Of course, it is. I’m here as her FIBB to help set up her studio.”
“Her what?”
“Fill-in big brother,” Mason explained. “Since her brother is three thousand miles away, I promised him I’d keep an eye out for his little sister while he can’t.”
“Is there something you need?” Jo asked, her voice very small and quiet. He didn’t like it one little bit. She’d told him Ray’s mother didn’t like her, and from the way the woman stared at Jo, she was absolutely right.
“No, I just wanted to check on you.”
“Goodbye, then.” Mason shut the door in her face.
“Mason!” Jo’s outraged gasp only made him grin at her.
“What?” He shrugged innocently. “I didn’t like the way she was staring at you.”
“She’s probably going to call Ray and tell him I’m over here cheating or something.”
“He should know better than that.”
“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t know what he’s thinking since he hasn’t returned any of my messages.”
Mason had the sudden urge to drive to wherever fuck-face was and beat the living shit out of him. What the hell did she see in Ray?
“He’s an idiot.” Mason walked over and cupped her face in his hands, trying to ignore the way his dick jumped. “Don’t let his stupidity ruin your mood. He can believe what he wants. You and I know the truth. If he doesn’t trust you, that says more about him than it does you.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead before taking a step back.
“Thank you, Mason.” Jo blinked back tears. He always knew exactly what to say to her.
“You’re welcome. Now, we need to get your studio up and running. I have a surprise for you too.”
“What is it?” Today was turning into a piss poor one. She didn’t even know if Ray was coming home tomorrow or not, and now his mother was probably telling tales.
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, now, would it?”
“You’re one of those people.” She narrowed her eyes.
“Which people?”
“The ones who like to torture a person by not telling them what the surprise is.”
His head tilted, and he gave her a devilish smile. “Then what would be the point of a surprise?”
“The word should be stricken from the English language, in my opinion.”
The doorbell rang, and he went to answer it, this time bringing back several boxes along with a bag she was pretty sure held some kind of soda. “Come on, sugar. Let’s eat. I know for a fact you didn’t even touch your lunch, since I was there.”
She stuck her tongue out at him once his back was turned. He had no plans to tell her about his surprise. Her annoyance only amused him. She went and got plates and glasses out of the cabinet while he set all his goodies out on the table. When she returned, her eyes widened. He’d ordered three boxes of pizza, wings, and cheese bread.
“Are we feeding an army? Didn’t invite your frat brothers over or anything?”
He laughed, his eyes twinkling. “Nope. Trust me, what you don’t eat, I will.”
“Do you have some kind of eating death wish?”
“Nah, I just eat a lot.”
She glanced from him to the food set out on the table. “Where does it all go?”
He patted his stomach. “Right here.”
“How are you not five hundred pounds?”
“I work out. Daily. All my brothers do. We eat like pigs, so we work to keep these hot bodies.”
“You think you’re hot, do you?”
“I sure do.” He gave her a smile she could only classify as the most charming thing she’d ever seen. “Just ask the girls around campus.”
Those poor girls. Did they even stand a chance against a smile like that?
She passed him a plate and cup. “What kind of pizza did you get?”
“I got two supremes and one pepperoni, Italian sausage, and mushroom. That’s all yours. I kept the mushrooms off mine.”
He didn’t even bother with
a plate, just pulled one of the boxes over to him and lifted out a piece. She took one of the slices from the box and placed it on her plate before filling both cups with Coke, careful not to accidentally knock the cups over as she was prone to do.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.” She passed him a cup.
“How did you meet Ray?”
She pursed her lips. Was he trying to dig out information he could use against her? Her brother was famous for doing that.
“I’m just curious, Josephine. I’m not your brother.”
“How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”
“Your eyes are expressive, sugar. It was right there for me to read. I promise, I’m only curious.”
She took another bite of her pizza and studied him. He looked sincere enough. He hadn’t lied to her yet that she knew about. Why not? If he got to know Ray better through her, Mason might actually start liking him instead of trying to find imaginative ways of murdering her boyfriend. Mason had become very important to her, and she wanted them all to be friends.
“I met him in high school. I was a sophomore, and he was a senior. I had gone to sit on the bleachers for lunch. I remember being pissed at my best friend for something, I don’t even remember what. I wanted a little time to myself.” She smiled, remembering that day. “Ray plopped down beside me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I had my headphones in and my head down playing a game on my phone.”
“So, you were a gamer even back then?”
Jo laughed. “I was a gamer from the time I could pick up a controller. My sisters never much cared for it, but Keith and I lived on a game console to the point my parents used to lock up whatever console we were playing just so we’d go outside and get some sunshine. Once Keith got into football, my parents stopped worrying about him.”
“But not you?” Mason shoved another slice of pizza into his mouth, eating half in one bite. How the hell did he do that? It was kinda gross, yet oddly fascinating.
“No. I liked games more than I did people at one point. It wasn’t until my mom got me to try out for cheerleading that I started focusing on other things outside of games. The blonde hair fit the part more than my cheerleading skills back in junior high. I didn’t care. Keith and I were always close, and I missed him when he got consumed in football. Being a cheerleader gave me back my brother.”