by Tijan
We were both going to hell.
CHAPTER TEN
Still enveloped in Mason's arm, I felt him look over his shoulder. "It's fine. I'll take care of her."
"You sure? She freaked." Adam's voice sounded far away.
I sucked in my breath as his hand ran down my face and arm. I didn't want the moment to end. I wanted to make it last as long as it could because when the real world came back, I knew there would be consequences, serious consequences, and I couldn't think about them now. The damage was done. I was already in his arms. My mom said not to see him and I had already broken that rule once.
"Yeah, she's fine." Mason's voice had a rough edge to it.
"Who's she scared of?"
I held my breath again as Heather joined the conversation.
Mason stiffened beneath me. He hated explaining himself. I lifted my head this time and looked at her. Slowly, but too fast for my liking, I moved so I could slide back to my feet. Mason kept his arms around me. He anchored me against his chest.
I met Heather's gaze and saw the concern in them. Something flickered in my gut. "My mom."
"Sam—"
I ignored him. "She's made threats if—"
Mason's arms swung me back up. He started walking back to the house immediately.
"Hey! Wait!"
He threw over his shoulder, "It's none of your damn business, Jax. Leave her alone."
"It is my business! She's my friend."
"Since when?"
I looked over his shoulder and shook my head. I didn't want her to tell him about my job. That was for me to do. As she saw the plea on my face, the words died in her throat. Mason kept going. When he went a few more steps, I saw the other guy grab Heather's arm. He pulled her back to their group, but then Mason carried me past Adam and as he fell into step behind us, he blocked her from me.
When we went into the mansion, the music tripled in volume. I felt the bass through the floors, through Mason as he swept up the stairs and towards our room. Our room. An excited shudder left me as I thought about the sanctuary of that room. It'd just be me and him…and Adam as he followed us inside.
Mason turned back, still holding me. "Dude."
"I just want to know that she's alright. I picked her up outside some bar tonight."
"You what?" He whipped his head to me and lowered me to the ground. "You were at a bar?"
Adam added, "Alone."
"You were alone at a bar tonight?"
I opened my mouth, ready to explain everything when the door was thrown open. Logan strolled in with a charming smile on his face and his arms spread wide. He snapped his fingers on both hands and bowed to us. "I've got it all fixed, Sam. You don't have to do anything your mother says."
I closed my mouth.
Mason groaned.
Adam spoke up, "Huh?"
Logan twisted around, frowning. "Dude, what the hell are you doing here?"
Adam had drawn to his fullest height, but his frown turned into a glower. His eyes took on a mean glint as he clipped his head towards me in a nod. "I'm the one who brought her here. I'm the one who lied to her mother for you. So I'm thinking I have some goddamn right to hear what the hell is going on."
Logan's brows furrowed together as his lips puckered. "You what?" He twisted around to me. "He what?"
I sighed, moving away from Mason's shelter, and crossed my arms over my chest. My stomach was in knots, but maybe Adam had a point? I had a feeling I would need more of him before this month was over. "Maybe he should hear all of this?"
"No—" Logan started.
Mason finished, "NO!"
I drew in a deep breath. Both of them already looked infuriated, but then the door opened again. Nate strolled in with a case of beer. He started to shut the door, but a hand shot through and slapped it back. Two heads popped in, grinning with red cheeks and glazed eyes. They had the same hair, brown and wavy like Logan's, and each of them had similar dimples in both cheeks. Wait—they were mirror images of each other.
Mason groaned, "Not now, you guys."
One of them ignored him and strode inside. His hand was stretched out as he marched towards me. His mouth was set in place with determination and he stopped before me. "Will Leighton." He slapped a hand on his brother's shoulder, who had followed close behind. Both had wide smiles on their faces. "This here's my brother James."
"James?"
He giggled as Will's smile became blinding. "It's a family name. Don't hold it against him."
"The ladies call me Jamison. Works better on their panties. Gets 'em a lot wetter, don't know why. Only the cousins call me James still." The other brother stuck his hand out as well.
I looked at both of their hands, held steady and waiting.
"Well?" the first prompted. "Mason's being grouchy and I know he's two seconds away from punching me, but I'd rather shake your hand first. We've heard a lot about you—"
Jamison giggled again. "Not anything good. Our moms are sisters."
Will nudged him in the chest with his shoulder. He moved him back a step. "Don't mind, James. He takes up for our mom. Not me. I've got Logan's back. And he's got yours so if you need anything from me or idiot here, you don't hesitate a second."
"Okay." Mason started to step forward, but Jamison shot a hand out to stop him.
"No, no, cousin dear. We're going. We know this is family meeting time, though you know Logan will spill it all to us later."
Will barked out a laugh, following his brother to the door. "Yeah, over a case of Guinness and soggy trousers by the pool."
Logan frowned. "That was one time. You assholes pushed me in. I couldn't take both of you."
Jamison threw an arm around his brother's shoulders. They turned so they were facing us and backed out of the room. "You were sniveling like a brokenhearted girl. And we have to take advantage every time Mase isn't with you."
Will shot his fist in the air. "And we'd do it again!"
"Out!" Mason strode to them, pushing them through the doorway before he slammed it shut.
There was a moment of silence before they knocked on the door and shouted, "Sniveling like a girl, Logan." The other howled in laughter. "Soggy trousers! Can't forget the soggy trousers."
Mason pounded on the door. "Leave!" Then he waited until the giggling faded.
Adam shook his head, perplexed. "Who the hell were those guys?"
"Idiots," Mason and Logan said at the same time.
Nate tossed a beer to both of them and popped open his own as he studied Adam with narrowed eyes. "They're cousins. What are you doing here?"
Adam drew in a deep breath. His shoulders lifted, his chest rose, and the tendons in his neck stretched. He was ready to explode, but I stepped forward. I held my hand out to stop any more interrogation. "He helped me out, okay? That's why he's here."
"Sam." Mason stepped closer to me. "Remember what he did to you."
Reality sunk in.
Adam snarled, "You're such a jerk. I'm trying to be her friend. I'm trying to—"
Mason had him against the wall in the next second. He growled at him, "I already told you what I'd do to you if you wouldn't stay away from her. Now you're trying this angle? Friendship?"
He struggled against his hold, but it didn't matter. With a cold mask over him, Mason looked lethal. He clipped out, "You turned her friends against her. I don't know what you've done to get her to forgive you, but it's not going to work. I won't let you screw her over again."
Nate and Logan wore similar expressions and as Adam looked around the room, the fight left him. He swallowed before his shoulders slumped down in defeat. Then he turned to me, but the damage was done.
I remembered. He had lied and pushed a friend away. He wanted to punish me because I wouldn't date him, and now after one afternoon where he apologized, I was ready to take him back into my world of friendship? I was nuts.
But he lied to my mom for me. He had the power to take back his words and my night would be blown. I s
wallowed painfully. He had the power to send Mason to jail. He couldn't do that. I couldn't let him do that. When I looked up and caught Mason's gaze, I knew he saw the fear on my face. I couldn't mask it. My hands started to tremble. I couldn't lose him.
Mason made the decision for all of us. "You're going to leave, Quinn. You're not going to say a word about any of this to anyone. If you want to try the friendship angle, fine. Help out. Be a pal to her. But if I get wind that you're working a different angle, I will follow through. Now, this is family only. We appreciate that you brought her here, but you're not welcome any further."
Logan grunted in agreement.
Adam gazed around the room with a soft plea. "Look, I care about her too. I won't do anything to hurt her."
Nate decided to speak up, "Yeah, well, you've hurt her enough. We all know it."
Shocked, I whipped my gaze to him. He had a serious look in his eye, threatening even as he stared Adam down. Then Adam stuffed his hands in his front pockets. His demeanor was submissive, but his next words lashed out in a snarl. "Family only? You got a screwed up family."
I sucked in my breath. Closing my eyes, I wanted to bang my head against a wall. Why had he gone there?
Logan flared up, but Mason grabbed Adam's arm and yanked it behind him. As he fell to the ground with a panicked scream, Mason twisted his arm and started to clench his fist around one of Adam's. His screams grew and he began to tremble on the ground.
"I told you what I would do," Mason warned, looking calm and cold.
Adam's screams cut off and a sob started deep from his throat. He began weeping instead as he pounded the floor with his free hand. He cried out, "I'll sue you. I'll sue all of you—"
Nate stepped forward. He was the closest to me and drew me behind him. Then he spoke in a quiet voice, "You already took her friend from her."
His sobs grew and an inhumane shriek came next. I could hear him struggling underneath Mason's hold.
Logan pulled me into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and blanketed my head into his chest. He held his other hand over my ear.
Nate continued and I could still hear him. The softness of his voice sent chills down my back. "You keep saying that you want to be her friend, but you're hurting her. You're not hurting us. We don't care if you like us or if you sue us, but she does. Be the man you keep thinking you are." He stopped as he let his words settle for a second. "Taking her friend from her, that's what a coward does. It makes you look pitiful."
I didn't know how they knew about Becky, but I wasn't surprised they did. And Nate was right. I never would have done that to him.
There was silence for awhile. Everyone was eerily still. The room was already thick with tension, but now a different danger filled it. I closed my eyes. They could hurt him. If they really wanted to, they could do it. I didn't want them to hurt him. Adam could hurt Mason back. And then I heard Adam choke out, "Sam. Please. I'm sorry. I am. I—"
Relief flooded me.
"That's enough," Mason remarked, so calm while the anger simmered within him. It gave him a brutal edge that would've terrified me if I didn't know him from the inside out. I closed my eyes as I heard him saying something in a softer tone to Adam. I couldn't make out the words, but a sudden need to be in his arms surged over me. I needed his shelter.
"Leave."
My head jerked up. Logan's eyes glimmered in fury as his hand had dropped from my ear. It was curled into a fist now. His jaw was clenched tight. "Leave, man. Forget whatever the hell my brother's saying to you. Leave her alone. I mean it. If you don't, I'll pound your ass and send you to the hospital."
"Logan." Mason stepped away from Adam, but he kept a hand to one of his shoulders to hold him in place.
"What?" Logan jerked his gaze to his brother's. "You're going to let him go with that? Are you kidding me? He hurt Samantha, we all know it. Whatever the hell he said to that girl did the deed. We all know she stopped being friends with her. She doesn't have any friends anymore and it's because of this piece of crap. We pissed him off so he hurt Sam instead. You're damn straight that I want to beat the shit out of him. Let me at him. If he tries to sue us, he's gonna have to sue all of us. Four against one. If he's smart, he'll take the beating and keep his mouth shut."
Mason was torn. His one hand jerked in reaction and I knew he wanted to do what Logan was threatening, but then he caught my gaze. We both remembered the other bomb my mom could drop on us and Adam held a part of his life in his hands. If my mom knew I was here, she'd go to the police. She would file for statutory rape and Mason would be found guilty. Everyone knew he had sex, everyone knew that he had sex with me. If Mason was found guilty, who knew how long the damages could last for him, for us.
I jerked away from Logan. Adam had apologized. Why couldn't he have let it alone?
Then Logan continued to add to my nightmare.
He turned to me, his eyes pleading. "I talked to some people, Sam. Nothing will happen to you. So what if you get arrested as a runaway? Nothing happens the first time and the second time," he rolled his eyes. "You might get house arrest. That'd be drawn out in court, longer than a month. You can do whatever you want and your mom can't do a thing to you. You don't need to be indebted to this trash."
But the statutory rape charges would hold.
I drew in a shuddering breath. I hadn't talked to a lawyer, but I had a good feeling those charges could hold for a long time, longer than the month before I was an adult.
"Runaway?" Adam asked.
Mason turned to him. "Shut up."
Then Nate moved forward. A look of disgust twisted his features as he grabbed Adam and dragged him to the door. When he opened it, he clipped out, "You say a goddamn thing, and you'll regret it. By the time we're done with you, you'd be getting off easy with a pounding. Trust me. We've done worse to people for less."
Adam opened his mouth, but Nate shoved him out and slammed the door in his face. When he surveyed the room again, he slumped against the door. His head leaned back and he heaved a deep sigh.
I looked at Mason and found his eyes on mine. A look of vulnerability flashed over him. I shot forward and pulled him against me. His head dropped to my shoulder. Swallowing a knot, this was my fault. If he went to jail, it would be because of me. I couldn't let that happen. No matter what, no matter what I had to do, I was going to make this right. My eyes closed and despair swept over me. I'd have to go to my mom. I'd have to do what she wanted, anything, but she couldn't hurt Mason that way. No way.
"Why do I get the feeling something else is going on?" Logan pulled me back to the room. He raked a hand over his face and shook his head. "What the hell is going on?"
Nate and I both looked at Mason. It was his decision. He was the leader and it was his life, but when his head fell down my gut flared. He was going to lie. I knew it and I held my breath as I heard him mutter, "Nothing's going on, but it'll go on her record, Logan."
"What? Come on—"
Mason's head snapped back up and his eyes were inflamed. "Leave. It. I mean it. She could get arrested and that'll be on her record, for life, Logan. Drop it."
"But—"
"I mean it!" His voice raised an octave.
Then Logan threw his arms up. A litany of curses spewed from his mouth as he shook his head. "This is bullshit. We don't have to play by their rules. So what if it'll go on her record. She can fight it. She's not running away. This is such a load of crap—"
Then Nate spoke up, "It's not your call, Logan."
"What?" He swung around. A snarl was fixed on his features and his chest heaved up and down.
Nate faced him squarely. His gaze never faltered, he never blinked. "It's not your call. This has nothing to do with you."
"I got shipped off because of it. This is my brother. She's my—"
"It's their relationship. It's her life, it's her mother. They eliminated you from the equation because you support them, but right now you might be hurting them more than helping."
"Stop!" A whisper escaped my lips. I couldn't hear any more of it. I couldn't bear it. I clapped my hands over my ears and turned away from everyone. "Stop, please."
I could only hear myself breathing. I was panting, not breathing. I couldn't get enough oxygen and everything suddenly hurt in my body. All my limbs, everything hurt and I collapsed onto the chair by the desk. I had no idea what was going on behind me. I couldn't hear it. I couldn't sense it, but it didn't matter.
I had torn them apart.
My mother had torn them apart, like she tore my own family apart.
I clasped my eyes closed and bent over. With my head buried in my lap, I hugged my arms around my legs and started to rock back and forth. I kept going. The movement kept me from breaking down.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
At some point, two strong arms slid underneath me and lifted me from the chair. I curled into Mason's shoulder. I didn't need to look; I would know those arms anywhere. He carried me to the bed and set me down gently. As he pulled away, I reached for his shoulder in protest. I didn't want him to go. I couldn't be without him anymore.
"Ssh." He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. "I'm just going to lock the door."
It wasn't long before he was back. The light was switched off and I heard him undressing before he lifted me back up and slid both of us under the sheets. Then I rolled over to him, my eyes were wide, and there was a gaping hole in my chest. Only he could fill it. It was cheesy, but it was true. As his eyes caught mine, he held still for a moment. His chest rose in the air and I pressed my palm over it. His heart picked up its pace at the touch as I kept my hand there, and Mason closed his eyes. Then he caught my hand with his, bent his head to kiss my palm, and gently placed his other at my hip. He moved me over some more before turning to tug me into his arms. Our legs intertwined together and I rested my head on his chest.
This was it, this was home.
Analise might try to take this away from me, but I knew that somehow we would stop her.