by Parker, Ali
If any of them had laid a finger on my girl, I was going to destroy them. It was bad enough they had taken her against her will, fucking kidnapped her. They would pay for this.
I thought of Laina and wondered where she was. Did they have her tied up? Was she frightened? Or was she giving them her usual lip and spitting in their faces as they tried to intimidate her?
I hated to think of her alone with Sid Paul. I knew that fucker had always had a thing for her, and I didn’t want to know what he might try with her if given the chance.
“Bastards,” I hissed as I turned onto Evelyn’s street.
I came to a skidding stop in the driveway of the house I hadn’t been to in six months.
I sat in the driver’s seat staring up at it for a paralyzing moment.
The last time I was here, Mark had put a bullet into Rick’s skull. He’d survived, obviously, but when that gun went off, I’d been sure I was going to turn around to find my brother’s corpse lying on the driveway behind me, blood leaking out of a bullet hole in his head.
I had seen all that, but he’d been unconscious, not dead. Rick was the very definition of lucky.
It was almost surreal to be back at this place again, a place I’d sworn I would never return to.
But Laina was more than worth it.
I got out of the car and stalked up the driveway. I drew up in front of the door and tried the handle. Unlocked.
Trap, I thought.
I let myself in and stood in a grand foyer with white marble floors and a crystal chandelier hanging above. I looked back and forth. Down a wide hall to my right was what appeared to be a sitting area with crisp white couches. To the left was a study in contrasting dark woods and forest green walls. I assumed the study was Mark’s.
“Laina?” I called, cupping my hands to my mouth. My voice echoed around the house, the only sound that came back to me.
She’d better fucking be here. If they had her somewhere else—somewhere dark and ominous and terrifying—I was going to rip out their throats.
“Laina!” I called again.
Nothing. Silence.
I peered up the floating staircase to the second level. A glass railing trimmed the loft up above and showed a hallway lined with closed doors. She could be behind any one of them.
“I’m coming,” I growled as I started bounding up to the second level.
Chapter 36
Laina
“Laina!”
The voice was familiar. Comforting. Safe.
But it sounded so far away like I was under water. Like they would never reach me in time.
In time for what?
It was dark wherever I was. No. My eyes were closed, and my head was pounding as if someone had clocked me with something heavy.
The voice came again. It was my name they were calling. I tried to open my mouth and make my voice work, but no sound came out. My tongue was thick and dry and oh so heavy. Where the hell was I? Why did I feel like this? So useless?
Another voice cut through the silence. “Hello, Laina. You’ve been out for quite a while. I was starting to think we gave you too much.”
I groaned and forced my eyes open.
I found myself staring at a gorgeous woman with dark hair and features. She was truly beautiful, but the smile she wore was all menace and no kindness. She was sitting in a chair in front of me with her legs crossed. Her arms were also crossed, and she was leaning on one knee with her chin in her palm. She cocked her head to the side. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
Her voice brought me back to reality. Evelyn.
“Where am I?” I asked. My voice was hoarse. It hurt to speak. I dimly remembered being curled over a toilet bowl at Charlie’s puking my guts out. I could still taste bile in the back of my throat.
“You’re at my house.”
“Your house?” I asked.
Evelyn nodded. “Yes. Are you feeling all right?”
“No.” I shook my head. I was not feeling all right. I felt terrible. I thought, for a brief moment, that I might be sick again, but the impulse passed and left me feeling cold and shaky. “What did you give me?”
“Give you?” Evelyn asked innocently. “Whatever do you mean?”
“At Charlie’s. You must have put something in my drink.”
Evelyn shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Where’s Mason?”
Evelyn’s smile stretched wider. “Couldn’t you hear him? He’s coming. Like we knew he would.”
“We?”
Evelyn nodded and leaned back against her chair. “You couldn’t possibly have thought we were going to sit idly by while Mason threatened to destroy everything we’ve built, could you?”
I shook my head, desperate for the dizziness to stop. “You haven’t built anything. You took it.”
“Same thing,” Evelyn said. “We saw something we wanted, so we made it ours. It’s not complicated. We’re simply forcing Mason to choose between the two things he wants most, you or winning his title back. Sid wasn’t so sure this little plan of mine would work. But me?” She leaned forward again. She was so close, I could smell her perfume. Roses. “I knew he would come for you. Mason has always been easy to read. He’ll choose the girl every damned time. He did it with me too.”
I went to reach for her, but my hands were tied behind my back. I was secured to a chair. I looked wildly around. We were in a bedroom, a place with pastel purple walls and sheer white curtains. It was beautiful, and maybe under other circumstances, I would be able to appreciate it, but all I could wrap my head around right now was that this bitch was using me to get to Mason.
And I didn’t like that one bit.
“Mason only chose you because he didn’t know how much of a snake you were. You lost the best thing that ever happened to you because you were greedy,” I spat. “Are you happier with Mark? Does he really make it all better?”
Evelyn lifted her chin.
I laughed at her. “I didn’t think so. Mark is a joke. You know that as well as I do. Sure, you have a fancy house and shiny things, but you know what you don’t have? You don’t have a man who would give anything to be with you and who would choose you over a stupid race.” I grinned wickedly. “But I do have one, and he’s coming for me right now. Isn’t he? Isn’t he!” I shouted at her.
Evelyn flinched.
“Mason!” I screamed for him.
Evelyn bolted out of her chair and struck me across the face. I let out a startled yelp and then glared at her as she straightened out her black long sleeve shirt. “Keep your mouth shut, you little slut,” she hissed.
“Slut?” I asked incredulously. “Don’t make me laugh, Evelyn. You’re the real whore here. You’re the one who sold out the man who loved you. Who let Mark Denning shoot his brother in the head. Who continues to parade around with these assholes. And for what? For this shit?” I asked, looking around at the room. “You’re a sad, lonely woman, Evelyn. And you won’t ever convince me otherwise.”
The sounds of a fight broke out on the other side of the bedroom door. Evelyn rushed to the nightstand. I shouted for Mason again.
Then the door splintered and blew inward. Evelyn shrieked. I watched, wide-eyed, as Mason stepped through the doorway. His boots landed heavily upon the door as he walked across it. His eyes flicked to me, and I gave him a nod that I hoped said, “I’m all right.”
Then he looked at Evelyn. She had her back to the nightstand with her hands gripping the edge of it. “Hello, Mason,” she said. A lot of her fierceness had disappeared. She talked a big game when it was me and her, but as soon as someone showed up who wasn’t tied, she was weak.
“What have you become, Evelyn?” Mason breathed.
She faltered. She tried to speak, but no words would come, so she ended up looking like a floundering fish as Mason stared her down. Her bottom lip trembled.
Mason sighed and moved toward me to untie me.
Evelyn screamed at him to
stop. He stilled. And then she pulled her hands out from behind her back and lifted something black.
A gun.
“No,” I said. “Stop this! This is madness!”
Mason lifted his hand to silence me. I started shaking. I couldn’t control it.
I watched, terrified, as Mason moved toward Evelyn. He kept advancing on her, even as her hands began to shake, and the gun trembled in her grip. The safety was off. All she had to do was pull the trigger.
“Stay where you are, Mason,” Evelyn demanded.
He didn’t listen. He kept moving closer. She slipped out from between him and the nightstand and backed away into the corner. She had nowhere else to go, and he was still closing the space between them.
“I said stay where you are!” she screamed.
“No,” Mason said. His voice was calm and low.
Evelyn gritted her teeth, and he boxed her in. Soon he was so close, the barrel of the gun was resting against his chest. I wanted to close my eyes, but I didn’t dare look away.
Mason leaned in close to Evelyn, and she stared into his eyes. “Shoot me,” he growled.
Evelyn whimpered.
“Come on, Evie. Do it. Prove how much of a tough girl you are. Right here. Right now. Shoot me.”
“Stop it!” I cried.
Evelyn wasn’t pulling the trigger. She stared into his eyes, and her bottom lip continued to tremble.
“Shoot me!” Mason roared.
And Evelyn screamed. She actually screamed.
I sat, dumbfounded, as Mason planted his hands on either side of her against the wall. She looked so small compared to him. When he spoke, his voice was a low, menacing growl, and I hoped I never had to hear him so angry again. It was terrifying. “You’re a coward, Evelyn. And that’s all you’ll ever be. You’re weak and desperate. You’ll latch on to whatever man rolls around and promises you whatever it is you’re looking for. Wealth. Power. A house. A fast car. You’re too easily bought because you’re so blinded by your own greed.” Mason shook his head. “I can’t believe I ever loved you.”
Evelyn shook her head. “How dare you—”
“How dare I?” Mason snarled, pressing his face up close to hers. She turned her head to the side as he closed in on her personal space. He was so close, I could no longer see the gun between them. “How dare you, Evelyn. How dare you run to a man who tried to kill my fucking brother! How dare you put Laina in danger! How dare you think you’re any better than me. Or them. You’re sick. Just like Sid and Mark. The three of you deserve each other.”
Mason slammed his hand into the drywall, which gave under the impact and crumbled. Evelyn shrank inward on herself and muttered out a word I did not expect to hear leave her lips, “I’m sorry.”
Mason threw his head back and laughed. “Fuck you, Evie.”
“Mason, I—”
“I don’t give a damn what you have to say. I’m leaving with Laina. And if I ever see your fucking face around her again, mark my words, I will ruin you. Are we clear?”
Evelyn searched his eyes. Then she nodded.
He let his hands fall from the drywall and came over to me. He ran his hands along my shoulders to comfort me, and his touch stilled the storm that was still raging in my chest. I blew out a steady breath as he used his keys to break the straps holding my wrists together.
Then he gathered me up in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and burrowed my face into his chest.
“Are you okay?” he asked. His voice was calm. Gentle. The fury had abated.
I nodded. “Yes.”
He walked over the broken door and stopped in the doorway. He turned back to Evelyn, who was still trembling in the corner. “Evie?”
She looked up at him. Her cheeks were wet.
“If I were you, I’d get the hell out of here before Mark comes back from the race. He’s not going to be happy. And I’m not going to protect you.”
She nodded.
Then we turned and left. I clung to him tighter as he stepped over the bodies of two unconscious men. I realized they were two of the same guys who had beaten up Benji last weekend.
We descended the stairs slowly, and when we got outside, I took in a deep breath of cool, fresh air. Mason put me in the passenger seat and buckled my seat belt before walking around the front of the Challenger and getting in. He started the engine and pulled out of the driveway.
We only drove a couple blocks away before he pulled over and turned to me. “Are you okay, Laina? Did they hurt you? Please tell me if they did. I need to know.” His eyes were drilling holes into me, and his brow was creased.
I shook my head. “They didn’t hurt me. I promise.”
He closed his eyes as he exhaled. “Thank God.”
I reached out and touched his jaw with my fingertips. “Thank you for coming for me.”
He took my hand and kissed my knuckles. He didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say.
I nodded out the windshield. “We should go. It’s late. And there are people counting on you tonight.”
“I should take you somewhere safe.”
I smiled. “I’m not missing this race, Mason. Believe me. I’m fine.”
He leaned across the seat and kissed me. “I’m glad you’re all right. I’m sorry I got you mixed up in all this.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“It is.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I chose you, Mason. I didn’t have to, but I did. And I wouldn’t change that. It’s all worth it.”
He kissed my knuckles again.
“You know what will make all of this infinitely better?” I asked.
“What?”
“If you kick Sid and Mark’s asses tonight.”
Chapter 37
Mason
The final race of The Streets was held at the same place as the first one, the docks.
When Laina and I arrived, the place was spilling over with people. They were set up all the way down the street to get as good of a spot as they possibly could before the race started in four minutes. We had made it in the nick of time.
Laina’s eyes were closed as we rolled through the crowd. I rested a hand on her knee, and she looked over at me. She was tired. I could see it in her eyes. “I’m okay,” she assured me.
I had called Benji after picking up Laina. He would have been a mess of nerves waiting to hear if his sister was well, and when he answered the phone, he sounded like a man waiting on a bad diagnosis from his doctor. After finding out Laina was okay, he breathed a sigh of relief and told me that he and Rick and Ginny were standing guard by my Boxster on the track. Harley had postponed the race an extra fifteen minutes to make sure we got there in time.
I crept forward with my car and parked it as close to the track as I could get. Then I got out and hurried to Laina’s door. I opened it for her, and she tried to get out on her own. She was still weak and a bit out of sorts, so I slid under her arm and helped her up. She thanked me with a weak voice and told me she could stand on her own. I let her.
She steadied herself and reached out to hold onto my elbow as we cut through the crowd, where people were already whispering about our arrival.
We went to the start of the race where my car and our companions would be. Laina kept a steady hand on my elbow when we broke free of the crowd and came to my car. I was surprised to find it surrounded by at least two dozen people, including Rick, Ginny, and Benji.
Benji saw us coming first and broke away from the crowd around my car to hurl himself at his sister. Laina let my arm go as her brother pulled her in for a hug. He buried his face in her shoulder. “I was so worried,” Benji said into her hair.
“It’s okay. I’m fine. They didn’t hurt me.”
He stepped back and held her face in his hands. “You’re sure? Those fuckers. You look tired. What the hell did they do to you?”
“They put something in my drink,” she said.
Benji growled, and his eyes darted t
o me. “Thank you for getting her out of there.”
I nodded.
He returned his attention to his sister. “I have water. Come on. You should drink.” He pulled Laina by the hand toward the car.
Rick broke free from the crowd who were all watching me with eager expressions. “What’s all this?” I asked him.
Rick gave me a cocky smile and slid his hands in his pockets. “Well, since you had this new approach of being open about challenging Sid and Mark, I thought I would follow your lead.”
“What do you mean?”
“I told them Sid and Mark had taken Laina and were holding her against her will to keep you from making it to the race on time.”
I smirked. “And it worked?”
“I’d say so,” Rick said, hooking his thumb over his shoulder at the Boxster. “Sid and Mark have been here for over an hour, and they haven’t been able to get within ten feet of your car because these good folks are hell-bent on keeping them away from it. They’re in your corner, Mason. Everyone is.”
I nodded as I looked around at everyone guarding my car. I couldn’t deny it was a good feeling.
Someone poked me hard in the back. I turned around and found myself staring down at Harley, who had her hands on her hips and was glaring up at me as if I’d just spit in her ice cream. “It’s about fucking time you got here, Mason.”
“Sorry, Harley. I had my hands full.”
“I know. And it’s been a battle to keep this race from starting. So are you just going to stand here with your dick in your hands, or are you going to get into your fucking car and win this race?”
“Chill,” I said, trying not to laugh at how distressed she was. I knew it would only push her over the edge and make matters way worse for myself. “I’m going, all right?”
“Where the hell is my flag girl?”
“Oh,” I said, looking around to see Laina with Benji near Rick’s Jeep. Her brother was unscrewing the cap from a water bottle. He held it out to her and she drank. “She’s not going to be able to start the race tonight.”