Because she hadn’t known Audrey had said no to Cash.She’d managed to get ahead of him—or maybe he was talking to his parents right now, trying to figure out their next move.If her mother hadn’t talked to Cash about Audrey turning down his proposal, there was no way for her to know about the brick, unless…
Her brain tried to turn away from the possibility, but both Mason's and her brother’s reactions meant they’d had the same thought.Mason slid his hands up to rub her shoulders, trying to loosen the tension now filling them, while David cursed under his breath and started pacing around the cramped space of the office.
The silence on the other end of the phone stretched on.
“Mother?”
“Excuse me, I hear your father calling for me,” her mother replied briskly.“I have to go.”
She hung up.Audrey’s mother actually hung up without answering the question.On the other hand, what was she supposed to say when Audrey had just realized that it wasn’t Cash who had been involved with the incident, but her own mother?Did her father know, too?
Of course, he did.Despite the fact her father was a serial cheater and her mother often seemed to loathe him, on matters of business, they were always a united front.If her mother knew, so did her father and vice versa.Although there was a small part of her, the childish part, that hoped she’d be proven wrong and that one of her parents hadn’t betrayed her so horrifically.
Audrey sniffed as the tears welled up, no longer able to be denied.Mason’s arms tightened around her.
“Fuck.”David kicked the wall.He turned, looking at her like he wanted to hug her, but she was on Mason’s lap and in his arms.“Fuck.Those assholes.I’m going to find proof, Audrey.I’m going to find proof, and they’re going to pay for your window to get fixed, then they’re going to leave you the fuck alone to do whatever you want with your life.”
With that, he stalked out the door.
Well, she’d hoped the guys would be too distracted to argue after her call.Now, she was regretting that wish.
Burying her head on Mason’s shoulder, she turned her face into his soft shirt and cried.
Mason
David and Audrey’s mother was a real piece of work.Mason was seething on Audrey’s behalf, but he did his best to focus on staying calm and soothing her.David could handle the raging vengeance; he had more reason to than Mason.Mason just wanted to protect Audrey.
Right now, they could split the tasks.Although if Audrey had started crying before David left the room, he doubted the other man would have gone anywhere.
“Just let it out,” he murmured, wishing he could tell her that it would be okay, that everything would be alright.But how could he?Her parents had betrayed her on a level that was unfathomable to him.Even though Mason knew there were parents in the world who cared more about themselves and their needs than their own children, it always astounded him when he actually met them.
He was going to have to call his mother later and thank her.As pushy as she could be, she would never hire someone to harass him in hopes that it would galvanize him into doing what she wanted.
Sometimes, the bar for parenting was so damn low…
“We’ve got you,” he said, rubbing his hand over her back as he felt her settle again.“We’re here for you.”Even if her parents weren’t.She still had her brother and grandmother.The team.
“I can’t believe they would do this,” she said, sitting up and dashing the tears from her cheeks with her fingers.“No, scratch that.I wish I couldn’t believe they would do this.”
“Is this kind of thing why David went no-contact with them?”
“No.”She laughed.A sharp, brittle sound.“They’ve gotten worse since he did.He knew to get out early.They were always a little controlling, but even so… I didn’t expect this of them, yet I’m surprised by not being shocked, if that makes sense.”
“It does.”Mason kept running his hand up and down her back.She looked pale.Sad.And exhausted.“We should get you home.”
“I need to…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of something she needed to do and came up blank.If there was something the team was good at, it was organizing in a hurry.
“You need to go home and rest,” Mason said firmly, putting a little Dom into his voice.Her shoulders hunched inward, and she peeked at him with a worried expression.“Is there a reason you don’t want to go home?”
“No… I guess not.”
There clearly was, but not one she was willing to come out and state.Mason tilted his head.
“I could go home with you.Or you could come home with me.”
The relief that immediately suffused her features said he’d hit his target.She didn’t want to be alone, which wasn’t surprising.Having seen the lengths to which her parents would go to get her to do as they wished, he didn’t blame her.
“Either one sounds good.”
