Page 3 of Unmask
“You are.” His eyes flicked to mine as he held my chin between his thumb and finger. “Not from Rusty. Not from me. From whatever the fuck is inside you that you don’t want to face.”
I stiffened. “That’s not?—”
“You’re scared.”
I shook my head.
“You think he’s going to protect you?” Kreed glanced at Rusty, lips curling as his hand fell from my face. “He’s not. Someone still wants you dead. You better hope he’s up for the challenge. You had four of us protecting you before. Five if you add in Nash. That was real, little raven.”
“That’s enough,” Rusty boomed. “You need to leave before I kick your ass out.”
Kreed’s smirk was a thing of cruelty, but his gaze stayed locked on me, daring me to say something…anything that wasn’t a lie.
But I couldn’t.
The truth was…I didn’t know if I was making the right choice. So, I did the only thing I could.
I turned before he could see the war raging inside me, before he could catch the single, stupid tear threatening to fall.
Each step deeper into the warehouse was heavier than the last, but I kept going. Rusty’s hand rested on my lower back, and I swore I heard Kreed inhale like I just knocked the wind out of him.
Still, I refused to look back. If I did, I might break, and I couldn’t afford to lose my shit again.
“You’re going to regret this!” Maddox yelled at me, and I stumbled.
I reached out to steady myself on the wall. Something skidded across the floor, landing at my feet. My phone. The one Rusty’s guys had taken from me.
“When you come crawling back for his help, I’ll be the first to remind you of this moment,” Maddox promised.
I glanced over my shoulder to see Maddox’s broad back heading into the night. Kreed and Nash were already gone. Only Mason lingered behind.
I didn’t think it would be easy, but I also hadn’t anticipated it being as hard as it was to watch Kreed walk out of the warehouse, leaving me alone. Had I expected him to fight harder for me? Was I disappointed?
The only thing I was sure of was what a fucking mess I was.
Mason shook his head at me, a well of sadness and remorse pooling in his light-green eyes, not a wink of his usual boyish humor. “I don’t want to leave you like this. It feels…wrong.”
“That’s because everything about what happened is wrong,” I murmured.
Mason shoved his hands into his pockets. “I thought we were friends.”
How could he make me feel like shit when I hadn’t done anything wrong? “So did I. I guess we were both wrong. There’s too much shit between us for a friendship to be possible.”
His gaze shifted to the four beefy guys standing in the warehouse corners, waiting and watching, before finding mine again. “Our parents’ shit isn’t our shit.”
There might be some truth to his statement. I wasn’t my father. Perhaps they weren’t their father either, but they’d still been compliant. “It doesn’t feel like that.”
“Maybe you’re right, but staying won’t bring them back. This isn’t the answer, and you know it, kitten.”
Not my little kitten but just kitten. I never thought I would want to hear their possessive nicknames ever again. Maybe I didn’t.
I hated the expression on Mason’s features and that we had an audience for what should be a private conversation. A vulnerable Mason wasn’t something I was used to. “Kreed doesn’t let people in. Ever. But he letyouin.You. Think about that while you’re alone tonight. Whose bed will you sneak into? His?” Mason’s eyes shifted to Rusty’s as he snorted in disgust. Giving me one last suffering glance, Mason walked out.
Go after him!
Go after them!
I couldn’t figure out where the voice stemmed from. My wounded heart? Or my head?
