Page 37 of Christmas With The Broken Mountain Man
"It will be," Mason promises. "One way or another, this ends soon."
There's something in his tone that makes me pull back to look at his face. "What does that mean?"
Before he can answer, Jax appears at our side. "Sorry to interrupt, but there's a situation." His voice is low, meant only for us.
Mason's posture shifts instantly, shoulders tensing. "What kind of situation?"
"Black Escalade just pulled into the parking lot." Jax's expression is grim. "Tom's handling it, but he thought you should know."
Cold terror washes over me, my legs suddenly weak. "It's him. He found me."
"Hey, look at me." Mason cups my face in his hands, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Nothing is going to happen to you. We have a plan, remember?"
"What plan?" I clutch his wrists. "You never told me about a plan."
His hesitation tells me everything. "You have a plan," I realize. "You and Tom. That's what you've been discussing all week."
"Destiny—"
"What kind of plan?" When he doesn't immediately answer, anger flares through my fear. "Tell me, Mason."
"Tom's going to confront him," he admits reluctantly. "Official capacity, away from the party. Warn him about harassment laws, restraining orders, make it clear the entire town is watching."
"That won't stop him." My voice rises with panic. "You don't know Greg like I do. He'll just find another way, use his connections?—"
"There's more to the plan." Mason's voice is steady, controlled. "But I need you to trust me right now. Can you do that?"
Part of me wants to demand details, to know exactly what they're planning. But the larger part—the part that has grown to trust this man with my safety, my body, my heart—recognizes the calm certainty in his eyes.
"I trust you," I whisper, though fear still courses through me.
"Good." He kisses my forehead. "Now, we're going to finish this dance. Then Jax and Riley are going to take you out the back entrance and straight to our cabin."
"Without you?" Alarm spikes through me. "Where will you be?"
"With Tom. I need to see this through, Destiny."
"No." I grip his jacket. "You can't confront him. He's dangerous."
"So am I, when people I care about are threatened." His eyes hold a steely determination I've never seen before. "I'll be right behind you, I promise. But I need to make sure he gets themessage—that you're not alone anymore, that you're protected, that coming after you means going through me."
"Please don't." Tears burn behind my eyes. "If anything happened to you because of me?—"
"Nothing's going to happen." His thumb strokes my cheek. "Tom's the law in this town. We're just going to talk."
"Men like Greg don't just talk."
"Men like Greg are cowards who prey on women they think are isolated and vulnerable." Mason's voice hardens. "You're neither of those things now. You have me, you have this entire town behind you."
I want to argue further, but Jax returns with Riley at his side. "Time to go. Tom says he's entering the building."
Everything happens quickly after that. Mason presses a fierce, brief kiss to my lips, whispering "I love you" against my mouth before Riley takes my arm, guiding me toward a side exit. The unexpected declaration stuns me, leaving me speechless as they usher me out into the cold night.
"Mason—" I turn, trying to go back, but Jax blocks my path.
"He'll be fine," he assures me. "Tom knows what he's doing, and Mason can handle himself."
"You don't understand," I insist, panic rising. "Greg doesn't fight fair. He has people, connections?—"
