“Dash…”
“Mason, I can manage walking into a nightclub and asking a few questions without a babysitter. I’ve been doing this job long enough to know what I’m capable of.”
Mason sighed, rising from the chair. It groaned after being relieved of his immense size. “So be it. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do.”
“Famous last words,” Mason muttered on his way to the door. He paused before walking out and eyed Dash. “Last I heard, they’re only open on the weekends, so you might have to wait a few before going. If you change your mind about me tagging along, let me know.”
“I won’t.”
Mason gazed at him, clearly wanting to argue more.
“Tough break about Gordon,” Mason said instead. “He seemed like a decent investigator. Should we let him go now or give it a day or two so he doesn’t connect it to what he just said?”
“Why’re we letting him go?” Dash asked, confused. “I thought you said he was doing great?”
“I’m not paying a bigot to work here,” Mason said.“Fuck him.”
“You don’t do the hiring or firing around here—or help with payroll for that matter.I dobecause you don’t want to deal with it,” Dash said.“Remember?”
“This one’s getting fired,” Mason snapped. “I’ll hireandtrain his replacement if I have to.”
Dash’s face grew red, realizingwhyMason was getting so wound up. “Don’t fire him on my account.”
Mason’s brow furrowed. “Any person who sees someone like you as less than humandoesn’tbelong here. The momentdeviantcame out of his mouth, he’d written his own walking papers.”
Iama deviant.
Mason walked a few steps closer. “Whatever you’re telling yourself right now, just stop.”
Dash rolled his eyes.
“You’re not doing anything wrong,” Mason said. “You’renot wrong.”
“According to the law, I am.”
“A law written by fallible men, some of which likely spent time at the Lucky Dragon themselves.”
“The law was written hundreds of years ago,” Dash said. “I doubt the Lucky Dragon was around back then.”
“It’s been there forever,” Mason replied.
Dash scoffed.
“It might’ve been called a different name or found at a different address—but as long as alphas have existed, there have been those who needed a Lucky Dragon.”
Dash held Mason’s gaze, struggling to control his emotions. “I hate it when you remind me why I put up with all your shit.”
Mason grinned softly before walking back to the door.
“Just promise me you’ll be careful if you go alone,” Mason said, his hand on the knob.
“I’ll ask questions and get the fuck out. I promise.”
Mason nodded, silent, but his eyes were full of emotion.
Once Mason closed the door behind him, Dash eyed the glittering, golden dragon in the corner of the napkin again. An alpha-attracted nightclub? How did Davis know, but he didn’t? He made a habit of avoiding anything alpha-attracted, simply out of fear of being caught. Why the fuck had he been so adamant he would be the one to go?
