“No, he would’ve taken me into Witness Protection with him. There must be some mistake.”
“Maybe he thought you’d be safer with a new family. Where you wouldn’t be connected with him if he were found.”
“So, he left me? The money!” I cry, realizing what all this means. “He sent me the money. It wasn’t an inheritance. God, Mason, I’m living on dirty Mob money!”
“You don’t know that, baby. I’m sure he wanted to know you’d always be taken care of.” Mason embraces me, but I can’t stop shaking. My father can’t be alive. And the Mob? Christ, it’s like something out of a bad movie.
I don’t know what to do with this information. I don’t even remember him, really. Just a vague picture of a dark headed man with my eyes. “What am I supposed to do?”
“You don’t have to do anything. I just wanted you to know. I don’t want you to fight me on security. You being targeted probably has nothing to do with your father, but we need to be sure. You can’t be alone until we figure out who’s behind this. And I will, Everly. I’ll take care of it.”
“I just…I don’t want to think about this right now.”
“Okay. Just rest. We’ll talk about it when you’re ready.”
After three days, I feel much better. The dizziness and headache are gone. My ribs will take longer to heal, but the pain is manageable. “Go to work, Mason. I swear I won’t leave the house.” It’s the third time I’ve tried to convince him. I feel bad he’s missing work because of me.
“Tell you what, I’m supposed to teach a children’s class at four, followed by a private sparring lesson at five-thirty. Comewith me and watch.”
“You don’t want to be seen with me like this, with big ugly bruises. I’ll embarrass you.” My black eye has turned an unattractive greenish yellow.
His fingers pinch my chin and he stares me in the eye. “You’re begging for me to spank that sweet little ass of yours, Evie. I’d never be embarrassed by you. You’re coming with me.”
My hands seem to have a mind of their own, sliding to squeeze his firm ass. “Hmm, I think there’s a deal to be made here.”
Lust darkens his eyes as he grinds his hips into mine. Finally! He’s been totally hands off since I got out of the hospital. “A deal, huh?”
“Don’t worry, it’s a win-win. I hang out at your gym today.” A low groan rumbles his chest as I rub my fingers over his crotch. “And you give me a workout tonight.”
He dips his head, his breath warming my ear and murmurs, “You aching for it, Evie? Aching for my cock inside you?”
“Since the second you pulled it out of me.”
He closes his eyes. “Fuck. You can’t say things like that when I can’t fuck your brains out.”
“You started it,” I tease, trying to slow my breathing.
“Get ready to go, baby. I promise to make you scream tonight.”
* * * *
Reed’s gym is much bigger and nicer than I expected. I pictured a stinky sweaty room with a boxing ring and a few punching bags. “This place is great,” I exclaim, squeezing Mason’s hand as he leads me inside. It’s a large open floor half covered by mats. A floor to ceiling mirror runs the length of one wall, making the room appear even larger. A few rows of chairs are tucked into one corner, waiting for the parents of his students.
I’m led past the mats where two men in sparring gear are fighting. “Point! Try me again, brother. You’re still leaving yourself open with that back leg roundhouse.” I laugh as I recognize the two guys when they remove their helmets, jogging toward us.
“Hey, how are you feeling, honey?” Alex asks me, studying my bruised face.
“It looks worse than it feels. I’m good.”
“He’s going to be in his own hell when we find him,” Parker assures me. Their concern touches me. They barely know me. “We can cover your schedule, bro. You don’t have to be here.”
“Evie wanted to watch me whip some ass today,” Mason says, showing me to a leather couch in the corner. He turns to his brothers. “Keep an eye on her while I’m teaching.”
“Yeah,” I scoff. “I may wander off and stick a penny in an electrical socket.”
“You do like to put things in your mouth,” Mason teases with a smirk, and I smack him. “Just stay close to one of them, okay? So I don’t have to worry.”
“I’ll be good and stay in the yard, I promise.” I drop a quick kiss on his lips as his students start trickling through the door. “Go do your thing.”
