I nod.
“And what did you tell her?”
“I panicked; let her make demands.” I drop my head, my mind reeling as the memories of that night seep in. “I fixed it, though, took control, found shit from her past and she hasn’t been a threat since.”
Until now.
“You could go to prison, you stupid fuck!” he sneers, rubbing a hand over his face. “And I wouldn’t be able to represent you. The fuck were you thinking?”
“My concern wasn’t for me.”
“Don’t act like you were protecting me,” he scoffs. “This is one big power trip to you.”
“Bullshit! And fuck you! You know full well what would have happened if I came to you. You’re a fucking lawyer, Aldridge. The fewer people who knew, the better!”
“Calm down, Mason,” Elliot warns.
“I get it! I get why, but you should have told me. I’m so fucking pissed with you.”
We stand in silence, nobody saying a word for the longest time.
“This redhead.” Charlie pulls out his phone. “What does she know?”
* * *
Nina
I haveno idea how long I have been walking, but when I arrive at my apartment, the sun has set, leaving the streetlights as my only guide.
The apartment is exactly as I left it. It hasn’t been touched since the day after we got back from Paris.
Paris.
Looking down at my bangle, I turn it over and thumb the words with a bitter smile on my face. It seems like a lifetime ago now, and the reminder of the weekend we shared makes his betrayal hurt that much deeper.
If there is one thing I do know, it’s that the look in his eyes as he watched me leave was one of pure regret. If there is one thing I truly know about Mase–and maybe it makes me a naive fool–it’s that he would never intentionally hurt me. But it doesn’t make it hurt any less.
If my mother taught me anything, it was the fact shedidn’tcare; my hurt didn’t penetrate her like it should a mother. She could hurt me in one second then leave me the next—probably to go towork.
She never showed me a scrap of remorse.
So the look in Mason’s eyes, although I might not be used to it, I sure as hell know what it means. Because when he hurts, I hurt, and I saw that reflected in his eyes today. He cares, he hurts, and he shows remorse.
And I have no idea how to deal with that.
* * *
Mase
The beltof the treadmill flashes under my feet as it swirls around at a ferocious pace. My chest burns with every kilometre I hit, my body dripping with sweat as I push myself harder than I know I should. But I can’t stop. If I stop, I will go to her, and she’s not ready for that yet.
Nina left five days ago, and she isn’t answering her phone or her door. I’ve found Lucy and Megan useless. They won’t allow me anywhere near her right now. The radio silence was anticipated. I never expected her to stay. I wished she would, just once, but her pride would never allow her to.
I make it into the office early and throw myself into work for the day, knowing it’s the distraction I need. I don’t get a single interruption for three hours, and I know it’s George’s doing.
He seems to have picked up on my mood.
“Mason, I have Lance,” his voice chirps through the intercom.
