“But—”
“Listen to me, goddamn it.” Mason’s fingers sink into my waist, and his expression is one of cold fury. “You are not going anywhere near them. The second they get their hands on you, any contract you think exists won’t do a fucking thing. Do you even know what they’d do to you to get back at me?”
A chill races down my spine. “I can figure out a way to make it work. I’m sure we can come to an agreement.”
Mason releases me and growls. “You will not put your life in danger to end a war that you didn’t start.”
“I have to help.” I work to keep the frustration from my voice. “I can’t stay locked up in here while everyone I love is in danger. I have to do something.”
Anything is better than being cooped up here every day with nothing but the voices in my head reminding me of all the ways I’m failing.
“You want to know how you can help? Keep yourself alive and out of harm’s way. Knowing you’re safe helps me focus on what I need to do.”
My stomach sinks further, and I ignore the lump rising in my throat. “That’s it?”
“I had my lawyers draft up a deed for your childhood home. It’s in your name.”
“What?”
“I can’t stop the diner from going under, but if your dad sells, I made a deal with an old friend of mine to buy the place. Your dad is a proud man, so I know he won’t accept anything else.”
A low pounding starts in my ears, and my head begins to swim.
“But you—”
“I’ve also set aside some money for your family and you,” Mason adds. “My lawyers know what to do.”
“Why are you talking like that?”
Mason reaches for his phone again.
“You are not allowed to die,” I inform him as I snatch the phone from his hand. “Not after everything we’ve been through. You will find another way.”
Mason gives me the barest hint of a smile. “I can’t control every outcome.”
“Find a way, because anything else is unacceptable,” I snap. “I’m all in, Mason, and I meant what I said. I don’t want yourmoney or any safety nets you have planned for me because I don’t need them.”
“It’s just in case you do,” Mason says.
Tears burn my eyes, and I shove them back.
“I will not need fake passports or whatever else,” I repeat, stronger now. “You are going to come back, and we are going to get through this.”
Mason cups my face in his hands and runs a thumb over my jaw. “You shouldn’t have been dragged into any of this. If I were a better man, I would’ve let you go the minute I realized how much danger I put you in.”
“I chose this, remember?”
Mason’s thumb hovers over my lips. “It should’ve been about sex. I should’ve made sure it was only about that.”
I stare at Mason for a few more moments while my mind races.
I don’t like the way he’s looking at me, like he’s on borrowed time, and I’m the only thing keeping him from floating away.
Still, I stand there, trying to figure out the right thing to say.
How do I get him to stay?
I want him to turn a blind eye to the Noah problem, as much for my sake as his, but I know he won’t.
