Page 5 of Mason

"Hey, boys," Jenny calls out, voice laced with a confidence I envy.

Mason's gaze snags mine, and holds it. Those dark eyes don't just look, they dissect, leaving me bare. He doesn't move, and doesn’t need to. His presence reaches across the space, an invisible force that beckons and intimidates.

"Who do we have here?" Dagger's question slices through the air, his tone rich with intrigue.

I swallow but find my voice. "Carlie. And this is Jenny."

"Welcome to Perdition," Mason says, his voice gravel and smoke.

"Thanks," I stammer, feeling that pull again—a current that tugs me toward the unknown, toward the man with eyes like midnight storms.

"Take a seat." It's not a request. Mason's words are a command wrapped in velvet, compelling and irresistible.

We edge into the seats opposite them, our entrance a siren song to the rest of the bar. Whispers bloom like wildfire, but I'm lost in the moment. Here at their table, the world narrows down to just us—two girls diving headfirst into a realm where angels fear to tread, where the roar of engines drowns out doubt.

"Adventure starts now," Jenny whispers, her excitement a tangible thing.

FOUR

CARLIE

"Hey,"he says, voice low enough to rumble over the noise. "This isn't a place for someone like you."

"Someone like me?" My voice quivers just a touch, but there's steel there too.

"Delicate." The word is almost an insult in the way it falls from his lips. "Perdition chews up girls like you."

His warning should send me running, but instead, I'm rooted to the spot, caught in his intense gaze. There's danger in the lines of his face, in the ink that snakes up his arms. But there's a question there too, like he's wondering why I haven't bolted yet.

"Maybe I'm not as delicate as I look," I counter, surprised at my nerve.

His laugh is dark chocolate—rich and sinful. "That so?"

"Maybe," I challenge, lifting my chin.

Before another word can pass between us, the door to Perdition slams open with a force that rattles the windows. Every head in the bar turns as a man I’ve never seen before walks in like he owns the place followed by a group of men flanking him like a pack of hungry wolves. Perdition goes silent.

MASON

"Shit,” I curse standing to my full height.What the fuck is he doing here?Cassidy Walker, President of The Vipers MC, is here and his boys are walking in behind him. My body coils, ready to launch and show him the way back out.

"Get behind me," I tell Carlie, not even looking down as I step in front of her. Every muscle screams tension, ready to throw down.

"Blackstone!" He shouts, scanning the bar for me.

Everyone stops talking, the music gets turned off. They all wait to see what’s about to go down. My brothers move, quickly and unnoticed, getting into position. “Who the hell are you and what the fuck are you doing in my bar?” I shout.

Walker snorts derisively. “You know who I am, old man. I’m here out of respect. Giving you a heads up, a warning if you will." He shrugs.

“Oh yeah?”

Walker smirks. “Starting now, Iron Reapers are no longer the law in Jackson.” The air crackles, electric with the promise of violence. “We are.”

A chair scrapes back, glass shatters, and the first punch is thrown. The Iron Reapers are about to live up to their name.

"Stay close," I growl, my arm shooting out to snag Carlie's wrist. She's a bright spot in a sea of leather and shadows, way too vulnerable for the shitstorm that's brewing. My fingers tighten around her, feeling the pulse quickening beneath her skin.

"Wha—" she starts, but I cut her off.

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