“Dad always wanted a piece of that company,” Audrey murmured.
“Are you saying our parents made Audrey into some kind of business deal?”David asked, sounding pissed as hell.
“I don’t know, but I know it’s possible.”Mason shook his head.“I didn’t really look any further because it didn’t seem to involve Cash at all, and it didn’t give him a reason to be harassing Audrey.He doesn’t have any kind of history of bothering his exes that I could find, so I stopped looking any deeper.I have no idea what the conditions of the deal might be.”
“But it gives him a reason to come and propose.”Audrey huffed.“Do you think he and his parents could be behind the guy harassing me?”
“Possibly.I think Ashley had him pegged when she said he doesn’t seem like the type to get his hands dirty,” David said, frowning.
Mason tightened his arms around Audrey’s waist.Under the circumstances, having her on his lap wasn’t nearly as fun as it could be, but he was still happy to have her there.
After the way today had gone, he didn’t want to let her out of his sight.
It made more sense that Cash was the reason someone was harassing her and the bakery than Devlin did, but he still didn’t like the timing.What were the odds of two incidents in one day from two separate sources?On the other hand, sometimes when it rained, it poured.
Mason didn’t want to make any assumptions and have them blow up in his face because he thought something was too coincidental to be true.Fact was often stranger than fiction, after all.
“I guess I have to call my parents.”The sheer amount of reluctance in Audrey’s tone made it clear that she did not want to.“I need to find out more about this deal.”
“Do you want to do that now?”David asked, reaching out to put his hand on her shoulder.“I can be right here while you make the call.”
“Me, too,” Mason said firmly, pressing his fingers into her hips to remind her of his presence.“I’m not going anywhere.”
The look David gave him said that he didn’t know how he felt about Mason’s statement, and they weren’t done talking about what Mason was doing with Audrey.Apparently, he didn’t want to have that conversation with Audrey in the room, though.That was fine.Mason wasn’t afraid of David.
He hoped this wouldn’t end their friendship, but if David was going to let Mason being with his sister change things between them, that was on him, not Mason.Although if Mason hurt Audrey, he would understand why that would change.Not that David had anything to worry about from him on that score.
He gave David a flat stare in return, doing his best to communicate some of those feelings to his friend.
Something in David’s expression changed, though Mason couldn’t exactly read what.David looked at Audrey again, who was still sitting tensely on Mason’s lap.
“You can’t put it off forever, Audrey,” David said gently.“I know you.You can’t bury your head in the sand over this, not when Cash might be trying to scare you out of Pittsburgh.And if it’s not him, then we need to know that so we can figure out who it is.”
“I know.”Audrey rubbed her hands over her face.“I’m sorry I’m such a coward.”
“You’re not,” David and Mason said at the same time.They were starting to sound like a freaking Greek chorus when it came to her.David’s glance at Mason was more measuring this time, as if he was trying to decide how he felt about the fact they were so much on the same page.
“Um, you guys literally served overseas and put your lives in danger.”She shook her head, hugging herself, and Mason tightened his grip on her.“I’m chickening out over making a phone call.It’s not like I’m in physical danger or anything.I’m just a wuss.”
“I would much rather face another enlistment than piss off my mom,” Mason admitted.“Trust me.Making the call to let her know that my engagement with Yasmine hadn’t worked out was way worse than any mission we went on.”
“I don’t want to tell our parents anything they’ll disapprove of so much that I stopped talking to them entirely,” David offered.Audrey didn’t look convinced.“Unfortunately, we do need to know.”
“Okay.”Audrey nodded, squaring her shoulders.“I’m calling them.Right now.”
“Good girl,” Mason murmured, making her flush.
David gave him a look of death.
ChapterThirty-Seven
Audrey
No matter what David and Mason said, Audrey still felt like a coward.It was just a phone call.It was just her parents.They might not even know anything.But the thought of asking made her stomach turn over.Her hands felt clammy.Rubbing them on her pants, she tried to push the discomfort down.
Still, at least David and Mason were there to support her.Plus, doing so kept David from going for Mason’s throat.She hadn’t missed all the dark looks her brother had been shooting Mason’s way.And while she appreciated his protectiveness on some levels, on another, she wanted to tell him that it was none of his business what she and Mason did.
Except that maybe it kind of was, since David and Mason worked together, and Mason was one of David’s closest friends.Maybe even his best friend.So, while his was not the most important opinion, it wasn’t like he was unaffected by her choices.Especially while the team was already struggling after David’s injury and was now trying to figure out if Zeus was trustworthy.
