Her heart pumped hard in her chest at the panic in his voice.
“No, better yet, just meet me over at Charlie’s pawn shop.”
The message clicked off, and she was about to listen to the next when the phone rang. She swiped on the picture of Mason.
“I just got your—”
“Thank God!” he said on the other end of the phone. “I thought…” The words drifted off on the other end as he composed himself.
“I just went to the store,” she said quietly.
The cart caught on some broken glass on the ground. She frowned as she stared down at the darkened pavement. She didn’t remember glass by the car before.
Victoria glanced up. The light on the pole near her car was broken.
“Blitz is in town,” Mason said.
She froze. She hadn’t been seeing things. It had been him at the bar. She glanced back to the store. The light might not have been a coincidence.
Victoria let go of the cart and turned to run but slammed full force into a solid chest.
“Woah there.” The rough chuckle that followed sent a shiver down her spine.
“He’s here,” she managed to shout into the phone before falling backwards on the pavement.
Victoria held out a hand to brace her fall. She could feel the glass cutting into her palm as she did and cried out from the pain.
The phone clattered away from her. A hauntingly familiar man stepped out of the shadows.
She tried to stand, to do something, anything, but her leg couldn’t seem to find the strength. She watched in horror as Blitz man picked up the phone.
“Ando?” he said casually.
She could hear Mason shouting on the other end.
“Oh, it’s the boyfriend,” Blitz said and gave her a toothy grin. “Well, listen, boyfriend. You tell Ando that he better be ready to make the parts drop tonight at eleven at pier twenty-three, or I’m afraid I’ll have to do very bad things to his daughter.”
His gaze cut to her, and her stomach heaved at the look he was giving her. Blitz was serious about the threat, and she was fairly certain rape would be the mildest thing on his list.
She glanced around, hoping someone, anyone was around to help her, but the parking lot was empty of other people.
He tossed the phone to the ground, and his boot crushed it to nothing. Her chances of escaping faded away.
* * *
Mason shook as he pulled the phone away from his ear.
“He’s got her,” he said. His stomach rolled as he thought about what that psycho might do to Tori.
“Fuck,” Ando shouted and stood somewhat unsteadily.
Charlie held out a hand to steady his friend.
“He’s not going to hurt her if he wants the parts,” Charlie said. “Especially if these parts mean the difference between keeping his crew and getting overthrown.”
Mason took in deep breaths. He knew that it was likely true, but thinking of her alone with a man like that made his skin crawl.
Ando leaned his palms on the glass display case and stared at the guns below.
“We need a plan,” he said solemnly. “One that ends with her safe and that fucker dead.”
The two older men turned to Mason and raised a brow. He and his cousins tried to avoid bloodshed if they could, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t above taking someone out if need be.
Mason held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll do whatever I have to in order to make sure she ends up safe. Blitz made his bed. I don’t give a shit if I force him to lie in it.”
Charlie nodded firmly.
“Good,” he said. “I’m going to make some calls. I think it might be best if we keep the Allens out of this. Jessica is in no position to be dealing with this. The baby is due any day, and the last thing she needs to worry about is what’s happening with her sister.”
Mason nodded. No one wanted her to go into labor early, and it was hard to tell one of the Allens without them all finding out.
Charlie walked into the back room to make his calls in private, leaving Mason alone with Ando.
“I’m dying,” Ando said quietly. “Doc says I’m lucky if I get a few more months.”
Mason opened his mouth to say something, but somehow sorry didn’t seem like the right response.
Ando turned his gray eyes his way and gave a sad smile.
“I wasted so many years,” he said. “Didn’t really know how to be a father, and now all I seem to do is put my girls in danger.”
It was all true from what Mason understood. The old man had been a criminal and then got popped by the police. Nearly ten years in prison had about ruined his relationship with his children. It was only recently they were able to reconnect, only to have his life ending with cancer.
“You love her?” Ando said.
The question hung in the air between them.
Love. It wasn’t something Mason had even thought about since Sarah left him, and if he were being honest, he wasn’t even sure he knew what it meant with her. She had always been selfish, and maybe what he thought was love was just her accepting his love.
Things weren’t like that with Tori. She cared for him. Took care of him even when he refused to take care of himself. Even more than that, she loved his children. He saw it every time they were together and even more so when they were apart.
She was as much a part of their lives as he was.
“Yes,” he said quietly.
Ando nodded and held his eyes for a moment.
“Don’t waste your time like I did,” he said. “Things can happen outside of your control. Don’t look back on your life and wish you’d done things differently.”
Mason gave a small nod. Regret was something he’d already become accustomed to, but he vowed to have no regrets after today.
Charlie strolled into the room with a giant grin on his face.
“Good news, I got my hands on a couple of sniper rifles.”
Chapter Thirteen
Victoria glared across the warehouse. This time it wasn’t at Blitz, but at the other man she’d encountered at the bar, the nasty one who tried to have his way with her. At this point, she wasn’t even surprised he was one of Blitz’s lackeys.
The man grinned and gave her a little wink, only pissing her off more. At least his swollen and discolored nose gave her a little satisfaction. Mason had beaten him down with no effort. The asshole would have to live with that.
She was so tired of being chased by bad men. The next man who laid his hands on her was going to be in for a big surprise. She was so over all of this.
They weren’t just putting her in danger but now Mason as well. And if she had to guess, likely Charlie and her father as well. These men had no trouble messing with her family and for what? A few motorcycle parts?
Victoria gave a little laugh as she watched Blitz pace back and forth along the length of the warehouse door.
He stopped to scowl at her. “Wanna tell me what’s so funny, bitch?”
Victoria snorted. “You all are a pretty shitty gang if you have to come all the way here for bike parts. What’s the matter, they fresh out of motorcycles in Arizona?”
His face contorted in rage, Blitz stopped in front of her and pointed a finger at her face.
“You shut your fucking mouth,” he said. “Or I’ll shut it.”
It seemed like her little poke had gotten to him. Things weren’t so sweet for Blitz, and he was having to reach well outside of his normal network to get what he needed. That was never a good sign for a gang. The realization gave her another small bit of satisfaction.
A loud honk came from outside the large bay doors.
She watched anxiously as the other man hit the button to open the door, revealing Mason standing in front of a truck with a trailer attached. Tension and relief warred in her. She didn’t know what she’d do if Mason were hurt.
Mason stood on the other side of the door, his arms held up so they could see he wasn’t carrying. Charlie
stood just outside the car.
“Where’s the old man?” Blitz shouted. “Where’s Ando?”
Charlie shook his head. “He’s not up for this shit.”
Blitz gave a harsh laugh. “Old man couldn’t even make it here to save his daughter.”
Victoria ignored them. Her attention was fixed on Mason who kept looking in her direction.
“Let her go,” Mason said firmly. “Otherwise you don’t get shit from us.”
Blitz strolled over to her and lifted her easily to her feet. Her leg burned from the fall earlier, and her hands were still cut up, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle.
“Did you bring the parts?” Blitz asked.
Mason nodded to the trailer behind the truck. “Send her over first. Then we’ll give you the keys to the truck.”
Blitz pressed her hard against his body and nestled his face into her neck. The man from the bar gave a laugh.
Victoria watched as Mason locked his gaze on the man and recognition dawned in his eyes. His face contorted in hatred.
“Maybe I got you bitches right where I want you,” Blitz laughed.
Mason nodded to the rafters. “And maybe we got you right where we want you.”
She frowned as a red dot appeared on Blitz’s chest as he looked toward the dark ceiling.
Victoria turned to him and gave a small smile. “Who’s the bitch now?”
Mason raised a brow. Tori had a bit more of her sister in her than he could have ever guessed. With Ando covering Blitz with a rifle though, her sass was well justified.
Blitz seethed. He tightened his hold around Tori.
Tori twisted hard away from him, and the chance they had been waiting for happened as she fell to the ground.
Charlie launched himself at Blitz’s slimy partner as Mason dragged Victoria out of the fight. Sparks leapt from the ground as a bullet struck right in front of Blitz.
“Get your fucking parts, and get the fuck out of my town,” Ando shouted down.
Blitz laughed and leapt behind a large metal barrel. “Maybe I’ll just wait till you’re gone to take this town over.”
Mason pulled out the gun he’d hidden in his boot and squeezed off a shot at the bastard. There was no way he was going to let him take over his town.
A loud thud sounded from the other side of the car.
He turned and saw the other man towering over Charlie. Not even bothering to line up the shot, Mason pulled the trigger. The bullet zipped past the man, grazing his arm.
The man jumped back. Charlie was safe.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” the man shouted back to Blitz. “Too much fucking heat.”
Mason snapped his attention back toward Blitz’s hiding spot but was surprised to see that the biker had slipped over to their side of the warehouse. He pointed his gun directly at Tori.
“Drop it, or the bitch gets it,” he shouted.
A shot echoed across the room. Blitz jerked, blood exploding from his shoulder.
Mason pushed Tori out of harm’s way. He swiveled and charged the large man with everything he had. Blitz’s gun clattered to the ground and slid away.
Even in his injured state, Blitz was still not a man to mess with. He smashed the right side of Mason’s jaw with his fist. Mason returned the favor by slamming his fist into Blitz’s stomach.
His fist was still sore from punching the other man at the bar, but he didn’t care. Blitz doubled over with a grimace. Mason slammed his elbow down on the man’s injured shoulder.
A flash of metal in the corner of his eye made him pause.
“Back the fuck up,” the other man said, his hand shaking. “Keys. Now.” His gun was pointed directly at the back of Mason’s head.
Mason reached into his pocket and handed over the keys.
“Man, get in the fucking truck,” the man said to Blitz.
They watched as Blitz stood and hobbled out of the building, leaving a trail of blood from his still bleeding shoulder. The man kept his gun pointed at Mason.
“Just don’t fucking move,” he said, his hand still trembling.
The man scurried to the truck and Blitz climbed in.
Tori made her way over to Mason, and he held her as the men drove out of sight.
Even someone as tough as Blitz couldn’t shake off getting shot through the shoulder. Mason didn’t know if their fight was over, but he did know that for the moment, they had won.
Chapter Fourteen
Victoria sat quietly on the couch at Mason’s house as the Allen brothers all shouted around her.
Ando and Charlie had fled from Mason’s house early, likely to avoid the verbal firefight that would happen when Reed and his brothers came over.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Reed shouted.
They were pissed. Beyond pissed even.
“I did what I needed to protect Tori,” Mason shouted back.
“We could have helped protect her.”
“I didn’t have time to wait.” Mason stomped up to Reed and glared at him. “If Blitz, or Wolf, or whatever the fuck he wants to be called was holding Olivia, we both know what you would have done.”
Reed scrubbed a hand over his face and glanced over at Cage, Kace and Ryder.
“Cowboy shit gets people killed,” Cage said. “Yeah, we’ve all been dumbasses, but that didn’t mean you had to be an extra-special dumbass.”
The recriminations and justifications blurred together as Victoria stopped paying attention. The important thing was that everyone she cared about was safe.
Not being included in the showdown was something the Allens weren’t used to, but she understood why Mason made the decision he did. If her sister had known about what was going on, there was no telling how it might have affected her. She didn’t need that kind of stress so close to the end of her pregnancy.
In the end Victoria just sat quietly until the argument died down. She was surprised that grown men could spend so long yelling at each other.
“Don’t pull this short of shit again,” Reed grumbled before heading toward the door. “Or I’ll kill you before Blitz has a chance.”
He shot her a sympathetic look and opened the door. “We’ll get that bastard, Victoria.”
She shot him a smile. “I know.”
He stepped outside. The other Allen brothers filed out after Reed.
She was sure this wasn’t the last Mason would hear about all this, but for now, they were going to let them get some rest.
Mason walked the last person out and locked the door behind them.
He walked to where she sat on the couch and dropped down next to her.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
She nodded but didn’t speak.
Mason pulled her hand off her lap and laced his fingers between her own. Victoria looked down at his newly bloodied knuckles. Somehow, everything came crashing down on her all at once. Big tears streamed down her face as the hand in front of her blurred.
He pulled his hand from hers only to wrap her in a warm embrace.
“I got you, baby,” he whispered.
Victoria sobbed ever louder now.
“I’m sorry. I was so scared.”
Mason soothed her hair against her head. “It’s okay, baby. He was a scary man.”
She shook her head. “I wasn’t scared for me. I was scared for you.” She turned to look him in the face. “What would I have done if he took you from me?”
Mason pulled her hard against him and pressed a brutal kissed to her mouth, now salty from her tears. After a moment he pulled away to stare at her.
“I love you,” he said simply. “So many things could have happened tonight, and it nearly killed me thinking that you would never know how much I love you. I spent too long running from what I felt. I wasted a lot of time. No more.”
Her eyes widened with shock.
“I know this seems fast, but I know what I want and what I want is you.”
Victoria opened her mou
th to respond but stopped when Mason’s cell chirped loudly.
She glanced down at his pants where the sound had come from.
“You should get it,” she said.
Mason seemed to hesitate but then nodded.
She watched as he pulled his phone out and hit talk.
“Mason,” he rumbled.
He frowned for a moment before his brows nearly hit the roof.
“Really?” he said excitedly. “When?”
She stared at him and wondered what could have happened to get that sort of response.
“I’ll be there,” he said and hung up the phone.
Victoria waited as Mason turned to her, smiling from ear to ear.
“Sarah got a part on a show and can’t keep the kids,” Mason said. “They come home tomorrow.”
She yelped a little when Mason pressed his mouth back to hers.
His quick, excited kiss quickly started to escalate into something deeper.
Victoria pulled back and stared at him for a moment.
“I love you,” she said quietly. “I love you all. For the first time, I feel like I’m a part of something, and I love that my something includes you.”
Mason grinned from ear to ear.
“Your father was right,” he said. “No more wasted time.”
She frowned slightly when he stood.
“What are you—”
Victoria gave a yelp as Mason lifted her from the couch like a princess. She wound her hands around his neck.
“We have one more kid-free night, and I don’t plan on wasting it talking.” He gave her a wink, and Victoria could feel the blush creeping in but didn’t protest when he brought her to the bed and laid her down.
She could join the family she already loved.
A Note from Madison
Thank you for reading Mason. If you enjoyed this book, please consider reviewing it. We authors live and die by reviews.
You can join my mailing list at http://eepurl.com/OX9r5
ALSO BY MADISON STEVENS
Allen Securities (Romantic Suspense)
Mason: #6 (Allen Securities) Page 6