"No reason to apologize. I happen to enjoy talking about sex."
But I didn't, and if I didn't keep my mouth shut, the conversation would never end. Fortunately for me, the drive to the prison was short, and it would appear Wes was done torturing me for the time being.
"Wait here while I get Mason."
I was more than happy to listen to him if it meant no more talking about sex, and I finally got the one thing I craved for so long.
After ten minutes, I got impatient and decided waiting outside the vehicle was better than roasting inside despite the AC on blast. Fresh air would do me some good.
I was leaning against the passenger side door when I caught a glimpse of Wes and Mason making their way across the parking lot. The first thing I noticed was the difference in the way Mason walked. He no longer resembled the scared little mouse who once dated my best friend. No, this man was a hardened version. More muscle. Leaner. He looked more like what I would expect the son of a don to look like.
"Ah." Mason smirked as he got closer. "Now it all makes sense." He stopped a foot away from me. "Hello, Anita. It's been a long time. How've you been?"
Without even thinking about where we were, I snapped my fist out and clipped his jaw.
Mason scrubbed his palm along the side of his face and shifted his jaw back and forth. Most likely checking to see if I dislocated it. I was sad to see that wasn't the case. Next time, I would need to hit him harder.
"That good." Mason chuckled. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the less than friendly welcome."
"How about we all get in the vehicle and take this party somewhere a little more discreet?" Wes eyed me like he was one move away from stopping me from knocking Mason out completely.
He wouldn't be wrong. I was itching to get my hands on Mason. One hit didn't even come close to the punishment I wanted to dish out.
I was slightly surprised when Mason slid into the backseat of Wes' vehicle without any prompting. I thought for sure he would put up some kind of fight. Unless he was waiting until our next stop. Anything was possible. Mason was a known flight risk.
"I take it you don't have plans to drop me at the closest bus station and let me go on my merry little way."
I hoped like hell that wasn't a question and certainly not a serious one at that. But I did feel the need to respond to him anyway. I turned around so he could see just how grave my answer was.
"Nope, but I have a nice accommodation set up for you at my place."
"I'm sure you do." Mason settled back into the seat. "I can't wait to see what you have planned."
It threw me off how casual he was acting toward the entire situation. It was almost like he no longer cared what happened to him. Live or die, it didn't appear to matter.
By the time we got back to the deserted gas station, my team was waiting for me.
"Oh look, the gang’s all here."
I whipped around and glared at Mason. "No, because thegangwas supposed to include Nova."
He had the decency to wince.
"What the hell is going on?" Sloane demanded as soon as I opened the door.
"Wes did us a favor. Now get Mason into the Jeep. I want to get back on the compound as soon as possible."
Sloane wanted to argue. I could see it in her eyes. She wasn't fully convinced Mason had anything to do with Nova's disappearance.
I looked over at Wes. "Thanks for the gift but don't call me again unless someone's dying. And even then, I'm not sure I care."
Wes didn't take offense. He didn't glare at me or call me out for being a bitch. He simply waved and left like nothing major had happened.
"I'm riding with you." Apparently Nyx drew the short straw and was forced to babysit me on the ride back. So be it. I wasn't going to do anything stupid while we were out in the open. I would wait to unleash my fury until Mason was strapped down in our torture room.
"Let's go."
There was no need to gag Mason. He sat in the backseat with his hands tied in front of him and a burlap sack over his head. Not once did he make a sound since I sat in the Jeep to leave. It was almost like he had resigned himself to his fate.
