Page 80 of Mase
Reed appears with a bundle of clothes in his hands, and it’s not lost on me how I’m so discombobulated I wasn’t even aware he’d collected them. I drop my towel, and I spring up from my chair, trying my best to ignore the way my body sways with the movement and begin dressing.
“Oh, fuck.” Travis’s eyes widen, and I throw him a death glare.
“Let’s go.” Owen nods toward me, then withdraws his gun from his back and checks the clip before tucking it into the waistband of his jeans.
“We gonna need that?” I motion toward the gun, and we head toward the door.
“I expect so,” Owen grumbles.
The sun hits me in the face, causing my head to throb as we step outside and head toward his SUV. “You got another?”
Owen stops in his tracks, and when I turn my head over my shoulder, a sinister grin encompasses his face. “Obviously.”
“Good, because I want in with whatever is about to go down.”
I jump into the car, and the moment Owen is settled behind the wheel, I narrow my eyes.
“Now, tell me what the fuck is going on.”
FORTY-NINE
MASE
Owen explainedthat Hugh does indeed know something. In fact, the old bastard knows everything. So much so, he currently has my girl holed up at an abandoned apartment building on the other side of town.
Travis tipped the guys off this morning when he came to the mansion to alert me to the fact that Summer had him take her to the bank this morning to withdraw a huge lump sum before having him drop her off in town. Turns out, Travis knew about the blackmail all along.
Owen collected Travis from the mansion and drove him over to Reed’s rental, where they were waiting for news of her location before they planned to wake me, or so he told me. I wouldn’t be surprised if the fucker hadn’t planned on collecting Summer himself and having her back in bed with me before I even woke.
“Was gonna make sure she was back with you before you woke. Then just have whoever was involved delivered to Luca’s basement for you to deal with,” Owen states,confirming my suspicions, and I sneer back at him. My muscles are coiled rigid and my fists clenched with adrenaline. I want these fuckers dead, Tara included. I want to start my new life with no threats made against us and our little family, and there’s only one way to ensure it.
We turn into a sketchy parking lot next to the derelict apartments, and I scan the area all the way up to the third floor. “You sure he’s up there?”
Owen assesses the building opposite, and I realize he has someone watching the apartment. “Absolutely,” he confirms, then leans into the back seat and pulls a duffel bag onto his lap and unzips it. “Take your pick.”
An arsenal of weapons has my eyes lighting up like the Fourth of July. “Fucking, yes.” I grin back at my friend.
“Use the silencers.”
I nod and screw the silencer on my Glock. “What’s the plan?”
“He’s not working alone.” He glowers at me, and I swallow past the knot forming in my throat. My girl is in serious danger. “Appears he has a son living in there.” He hoists his thumb over his shoulder toward the building. I know he has a kid, but I never thought any more of it. Now I’m kicking myself. All the warning signs have been there, and I’ve not pushed further to delve into any of them. “Bunch of thugs who need dealing with,” Owen states. By dealing with, he means taking out, and I’m only too happy to oblige, desperate to burn off some of my raging anger and frustration. Not to mention, my growing concern for Summer and our babies. Rolling my neck to ease the tension, I quickly tuck that thought aside, knowing I need to keep my head in the game. “We have backup.” Owen is quick to tack on as if preempting my spiraling thoughts.
My throat is dry, and a strange sound leaves me when I’m unable to construct the right words.
He gives my shoulders a tight squeeze. “We’ve got this, man; we’ll get them out of there unharmed.” The confidence in his tone has me nodding robotically.
I just hope he’s right.
SUMMER
Carrying a sports bag full of cash up six flights of stairs while pregnant is not a good idea. By the time I reach the door to the apartment, I’m exhausted, breathless, and, quite frankly, riddled with panic.
There’re some very scary people living in this building. Each and every person I’ve encountered has eyed me like fresh meat, and I’m conscious of the fact I need to be able to get out of here before Mase wakes and starts asking questions I’m unprepared to answer.
I swipe my sticky palm down my jeans and rap on the door a couple of times, trying my best to ignore the guy who appeared to be following me up the stairs at a steady pace.
The moment Hugh swings the door open, I want to hug him just from seeing familiarity, but I know deep in my bones he’s not a good guy, nor does he have my best interests at heart.
