Page 86 of Mase
I step forward. “Sweetheart, I just—”
“She tried to destroy us, Mason. Tried to destroy you.” Her tone softens, and when she rests her hand on the swell of her stomach, my body sags in defeat as I soften at her whim. “I once told you I wanted every part of you. Not just the ones you show others, now it’s your turn to have every part of me too.”
Holy shit, how the hell do I argue with that?
As if realizing her triumph, she smiles at me. My hand tangles in the back of her hair, and I haul her toward me. “You’re my little psychopath. You know that?”
I lean down as she presses up on the tips of her toes and brushes her lips against mine. Then she snatches the gun from my hand and skips off toward Tara. “Thank you,” she singsongs.
Owen lifts his eyebrows, and mouths,Really?
“Shut the fuck up,” I hiss. Maybe I should stop the mother of my babies from taking vengeance, but she needs to do this; she needs closure and revenge too. This is her way of protecting me. She needs to do this not just for her but for me too.
Tara stumbles to her feet as Summer approaches, but Summer moves quicker, delivering a nose-cracking punch that makes Tara fall on her ass with a heavy thud. “Did I say you could get up? No! Now stay the hell down and listen up, bitch.” Summer begins pacing, and I’m really starting to second-guess my decisions. “You hurt what belongs to me. You hurt him, manipulated him, and drugged him. You were going to steal his family from him, when you’ve done that time and time again. You touched what doesn’t belong to you. You sick bitch.”
My stomach rolls at the mention of Tara’s past actions. The way she’s used and abused my good nature while holding the promise of a family over me.
“He wanted—” Tara’s words are cut short by the sharp slap of Summer’s hand hitting her cheek.
“Shut up. It’s our turn now, our turn to tell you that evil will not destroy us. Evil will rot in hell; it will not see the light of day again. Do you understand me? We’re going to flourish, and you, and them”—she waves the gun in the direction of a gagged Andrew and Hugh—“you’re going to be pig food.”
Pig food? Owen mouths, with jest dancing in his eyes.
I shrug with a smirk, loving seeing this side of her. I knew she was strong and determined but this part of her, the mother bear, the protector, who is standing up for me, putting her life on the line for me, it’s all-consuming, and I couldn’t love her any more for it.
“Say goodbye, motherfucker.”
She lifts the gun and presses it against Tara’s head. The sound vibrates off the wall, and the weight of Tara’s body hitting the floor fills the room.
Snivels can be heard coming from Andrew as he pulls against the restraints he’s hanging from.
Summer delivers the gun back to my hand, then does something I do to her regularly, palming my face. “Make it hurt,” she whispers against my lips before placing a soft kiss on them. Then she practically bounces back up the stairs like she didn’t just blow my ex-wife’s brains out.
“You’re so fucking screwed.” Owen grins smugly.
He’s right, I am. But I couldn’t be happier.
FIFTY-FOUR
MASE
When the basementdoor opens again, I drop my head back and stare at the ceiling. I try not to inhale the stench that is down here making it difficult to breathe. The thoughts of Summer joining us again makes me want to wrap my hands around her slender throat and throttle her while I fuck her. Although, given her current predicament, that’s currently off the table.
The heavy sound of shoes hitting the stone stairs has me lifting my head to face the entrance.
Luca Varros stands in all his glory, and I swallow the ball of dread rising in my throat. The man screams danger, and the darkness inside him isn’t just of a sexual nature. Nope, the man’s soul is coated in the blood of his enemies.
The small baby attached to the front of his chest makes him appear a little more human, and yet I find myself attempting to mask the grimace of him bringing an infant into this hellhole.
The little guy attached to his father kicks his feet out while making soft cooing noises, and the sight is strangely adorable.He has a mop of thick dark hair and even darker eyes, with drool seeping from his gleeful lips. A cute little guy, even if his father looks like a complete sadist.
Oscar’s following behind him, his eyes flaring with panic. “Luca. I’m simply saying the child will end up traumatized. You can’t take a baby in there. The first few years of their life are fundamental in their development.”
Luca’s gaze slices toward Oscar. “Nonsense. It’s my son’s legacy, of course I can.” His face is deadpan, and he stares back at Oscar head-on as if taunting him.
“A legacy of blood and fear. How inapt,” he clips back.
“Unlike you O’Connells, I have a reputation to protect, and when my sons supersede me, they will not shrivel under simple torture techniques.” His lip curls, like he tasted something disgusting.
