Page 11 of Mason

“Mason. I want Mason.” I moaned and closed my eyes focusing on his name, on his scent, on his look, and on everything that was Mason. The repeating images were replaced with shaggy brown hair, big warm chocolate brown eyes, and a beard on a chiseled jaw. Safety. He was my safe place. He kept me safe. Mason. I opened my eyes and looked at Dr. Heather. “Please, next time you want to talk about what happened to me, can we please have Mason here? He’s safe and I need to be safe.”

Her gaze narrowed, eyebrow furrowed and her lips thinned for the merest of seconds but I saw it, before her face returned to her professional look. “If that’s what makes you comfortable. Alexa, to break through this and move on properly you’ll need to work on talking about what happened.”

A knock on the door had Dr. Heather getting off her chair and answering it. I didn’t hear the whispered words, but when she opened the door and two police officers stood there, I knew my time for keeping things to myself was up. I looked at the two officers and wondered if they were safe?

“Alexa. T—”

Mason’s father Albert pushed his way past the officers into the room. “I told you two you could enter the house and talk to her, but only if I was present. You know she’s a minor.”Albert growled. He looked pissed.

Bringing my legs up again I hugged them to my chest. I really didn’t want to remember anything from the time before I was with the Silvermans.

“Miss Jennings, I’m Officer Dodge and this is my partner Officer Blaken. We’re here to ask you some questions.”

I nodded at the officers. “Ask away.”

Officer Dodge stared at me for a moment and I swear for a second, he could see right through me, but then he looked at Dr. Heather and must have gotten the okay from her because he spoke. “Have you heard of The Devil’s Queens?”

My body started to rock and I frantically shook my head back and forth. “No. No. No. They took them. They’re gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.” I rocked faster as the night I met Mason flashed in my mind.

I was making it to the shelter tonight. I was eager for a shower and food. I tried to remember the last time I ate, two, or three days ago. I had water. Water was easy to find and so were empty water bottles. I could clean them. One thing I wasn’t willing to do was eat food out of the garbage. I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I kept to the back streets. The cops were out tonight and any street kid knew to avoid them like the plague, especially when most of the cops I’d seen hadn’t been doing anything that would say they were protecting and serving. A scream was my warning. It was sharp, shrill and cut off quickly. I knew I shouldn’t follow the sound. I had regretted not minding my own business many times before, but for some reason my gut told me I needed to check it out, so I creeped along, clinging close to the walls to find out what was going on.

Girls were being dragged and carried to a van. I knew one of them and she was conscious and fighting the big men in leather jackets.

“They took them. They took all of them. Stacy. She fought.I ran . . . I ran. One got me. I ran. I fought. I hid. I’m a good hider. I hid . . . I hid.” I could feel my whole body shaking, but I didn’t care. “I hid . . . I hid. I’m good at hiding. I hid.” I rocked faster, wishing I could stop, but my memories were on repeat.

“What the fuck is going on? How long has she been like this?” That voice. I knew that voice.

Mason.

That wasmyMason.

Warmth surrounded me as Mason’s arm wrapped around me. I stopped rocking and slowly let my legs drop and leaned into him. I took a deep breath, taking in his masculine scent and letting it calm me. “Mason. I’m sorry. Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.”

“Sshhh, bear, I’m here. I’m not leaving you.”

I clung to him, not willing to give him up. I wasn’t letting him out of my sight again if I could help it. “As long as you don’t leave me, I’m ready to talk. Just don’t go.”

He brushed a kiss on both my cheeks before melding his lips to my own. In that moment I knew I wasn’t alone anymore and that I was free. I could tell what had happened the night Mason found me. I could tell because he would keep me safe.

Holding Mason tightly, I stared at the officers. “I saw them. Men with jackets that had The Devil’s Queens on them along with their logo. They took the girls and put them in a van. I heard a scream. I followed. I should have run, but I had to follow. I saw Stacy fighting and I . . . I should have gotten help. I backed away, but, people suck. They litter. I . . . they heard and came after me. I ran and hid. One of them got me. I fought. I kicked. I punched. I bit. I did everything I could to get away and when I did I hid. I stayed hidden. I’m good at hiding. I hid in the safest spot and then Mason found me. That’s it. That’s all I remember.” I buried my head against his neck. I was too exhausted to continue.

Mason must have known I was done, too, because he hugged me tighter. “Okay, that’s enough. You can leave now. Dad, can you show the two officers out please?”

“Officers, this way.” Albert led the men out of the room.

I wasn’t going to delve anymore into my past this evening. I closed the doors in my mind again and locked them tight. All I wanted to do was hold Mason.

I DIDN’T REMEMBER THE REST of the afternoon or night. I ran on auto pilot. All I knew was I didn’t want to be away from Mason. He was my anchor. My safe haven. I snuggled against him, not wanting to move. I loved waking up in the morning cuddled over him. Rubbing my cheek on his bare chest I sighed in utter contentment.

“I know you’re awake, bear. We need to talk.” He caressed up and down my back in a soothing motion.

“I don’t want to talk. I want to cuddle. I love being like this with you.”

“Mmm, Alexa. You’re not making this easy.” His whole body vibrated with his groan.

I eased off a little and raised myself up on my elbow to look at him. “Fine. Talk.”

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