Page 19 of Mason

“Fuck that,” Mason said vehemently. “Those fuckers will get an earful from me if they try that shit. You don’t kick a brother when he’s down.”

Ben smiled, but it was a half-hearted effort. The day had worn on him. It was in his eyes. Mason wished he could do something, but it was best to let the police handle it.

“If the police come up with jack, you and me will figure it out. I got skills, but I’d rather not use them unless I have to.”

Ben nodded. “Yeah, I know you got skills. It’s why I was hoping you’d say that. This is serious, Mase. If it’s deemed this is my fault, I could lose my scholarship, get kicked out of school, maybe even have criminal charges filed.”

“Don’t borrow trouble, dude. We’ll get this sorted.”

“Thanks, Mase.”

Mason held up his fist, and Ben didn’t leave him hanging. “Now, I got to get cleaned up and get to my girl’s. After the day I’ve had, the only thing that’ll make it better is Jo.”

Ben left, and Mason dug through his clean clothes to find something to wear on screen. He wanted to grab food too, so when his phone rang, he let out a frustrated sigh. It was getting later and later. Shit, he was never going to get out of here.

“Hey, man,” Keith said when he put him on speaker and sat down at his laptop. He did need to check for an email from KSI to see if he had any assignments this week. Best to do it now while he was thinking about it.

“You get fired?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

Mason opened his laptop and waited for the password screen to come up. “Talk to the cops yet?”

“Yeah, they were there when I got back from work this morning. Anyway, you remember my Uncle Henry, the one who lives in Colorado?”

“Yeah. He took us skiing our first year in college.” Coolest old dude ever. Hit on more women than he and Keith combined. Could drink them under the table too, and that was saying something. Mason grew up with five older brothers. He’d learned early how to handle his liquor, but Uncle Henry could put all his brothers to shame.

“He wants to know if we want to come spend the summer at the cabin. He’s selling it after this summer.”

“What? No way. Why’s he selling?”

“He’s moving to Florida. Said he’s tired of freezing his ass off every year.”

A whole summer in the mountains of Colorado with Keith and…“Is Jo invited?”

Keith made a rude noise. “Dude, I do not want to see you making out with my sister, let alone hearing you at night.”

Mason winced. Keith had no idea about his and Jo’s lack of a sex life, but he wasn’t going to inform him of it either. “I’m not spending the summer without her.”

“Then you plan on coming to California for the summer?”

“If I have to.”

“You are so whipped.” Keith snickered. “Might as well put on a sign that says ‘property of Josephine Maxwell.’”

“You are not funny.” Mason ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit all the brothers shared.

“I’m hilarious, and you know it.”

Mason rolled his eyes. He was not in the mood for Keith’s shit today. “Tell you what, you get Jo on board with a summer in Colorado, I’m there. If not, you’ll have me parked in sunny California all summer.”

“You okay?” Keith asked, his tone turning serious. “You don’t sound like yourself.”

“It’s nothing. Just a lot going on with my papa.”

“How is he?”

“Not good. He’s trying to stop his treatments.”

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