Page 31 of Hidden Obsession

Chapter Fourteen

Mason walkeddown the hospital corridor past the nurse’s station, his stride confident, the flowers in his hands a simple prop. Nobody questioned a person carrying flowers in a hospital, merely assuming he was visiting a relative, even at this time of night. The nature of the ward meant strict visiting times were not enforced. He walked past the room where Spears’ sister was being treated and slowed his movements.

The blinds were open, and he could see a much older, petite woman sitting beside the bed holding the hand of a woman who he guessed was her daughter. They had the same shaped face, hair color, and features. It must be Spears’ mother. From what he had read in the file Mercy had composed, the mother was not involved in her son’s way of life. She and her daughter lived here in Miami.

His eyes were drawn to the corner of the room where Spears himself was sitting in a comfy chair, with his eyes closed. He didn’t want to speak to the man in front of his family. Not because he wanted to protect him but because it felt wrong to drag a woman in her seventies and his sick sister into his disgusting business.

Spears may not have morals, but Mason prided himself on being a good person. That wasn’t to say he didn’t do shady things to get the job done sometimes, but he had a line he wouldn’t cross and innocents getting hurt was that line.

Placing the flowers on the chair to his left, he took a seat and decided to wait until Spears left his sister’s room. He had to move at some point, and Mason was comfortable in the knowledge Cleo was safe and busy with the girls. His lips tipped up into a smile as he thought of the violet haired beauty who had turned his world upside down.

Cleo was a beautiful soul, full of life and vibrancy. She loved like she did everything else—with complete, unabashed joy. Her friends had become her family, and she lavished all the love in her heart on them. He was a lucky son of a bitch to have her, and he knew it. His jaw hardened as he thought about the threat to her life. Nobody was going to hurt Cleo on his watch.

The scar on his side ached as he sat hunched on the hard plastic chair. Something about the attack tonight felt off. Had the man known about his injury and targeted it or was it dumb luck? It wouldn’t be hard for anyone to find out about it. When the news had leaked about Sydney and her uncle, it had been reported he was injured during the incident.

If whoever was stalking her had looked into him, he would look for a weakness to use against him. It was precisely what he would do in the same position but whoever the attacker was, he hadn’t banked on Mason’s desire to protect the woman who had burrowed into his heart and set up camp.

The door to room one-sixty opened, and Spears stepped out, stopping when he saw Mason stand.

The two men eyed each other, taking each other’s measure before Mason spoke. “Jeffrey Spears.”

The man tilted his head; he had long thick grey hair that instead of making him look old, made him look distinguished in a hippy way. His cool blue eyes were bright without any signs of the cannabis he was reputed to smoke. “Who wants to know?”

Mason clenched his jaw, trying to keep control of the anger that was surging through his blood as he stood in front of the man who had effectively stolen Cleo’s family from her. And tried to take her innocence and freedom too. “My name is Mason Bentley, and I’d like to ask you a few questions regarding Cleo Darwin.” The name moved past his lips, and he wanted to snatch it back as he saw the seedy smile that crossed the man’s features. Every muscle in his body tensed as he saw the light of interest in the man’s eyes.

“Now that’s a blast from the past. How is my little Cleo?”

Fury was vibrating through him now, and Mason fought for control. “Cleo is not your anything. She is nothing to you, only a memory.”

“See, she was, but now you’ve piqued my interest.”

“Listen up, asshole. I know who you are and what sort of sick set-up you have going on.” Mason glanced through the window to Spears’ sister lying in bed looking weak and frail.

“You came looking for me not the other way around.”

“Have you seen Cleo lately?”

Spears shook his head. “Not since I tried to catch up with her in Mesa. We could’ve had a good life, and her momma misses her, but she made it clear she wasn’t interested.”

He was lying. Mason could spot a lie easily, but this man was good, and it was subtle, but the tell was there in the way he kept glancing at his sister. He wasn’t comfortable with this conversation happening there.

“Do you know where she is now?”

“No. I don’t have time to keep track of all my subjects that have flown the nest.”

Mason curbed the curl of his lip at the use of the word subject. The man had a god complex, and he had lied again. He knew precisely where Cleo was, but did that make him the man who was stalking her? Mason wasn’t sure. Mercy had confirmed he’d been here when the man attacked tonight so was he getting his minions to do it?

That felt off to him; the attacker felt like he was making things personal which didn’t jive with getting someone else to do the dirty work.

“Good, keep it that way. If I find out you’ve even looked up her name on the internet, I will come for you and believe me when I say you do not want that.” Mason glanced at Spears’ sister and mother, meaning clear in his eyes.

Not waiting for the other man to respond, he walked away. He was in the car driving home when he realized he had just threatened innocents. He would never do it—or would he? Was he prepared to sacrifice an innocent woman to protect the woman he had fallen in love with? The answer was simple—yes, he would. He would drag them all down to hell to protect Cleo, and that terrified him, but it was a truth he couldn’t hide from. He loved her with an almost obsessive passion, and for the first time, he knew how King and Shane had felt when the women they loved were threatened.

Parking the car, he took the stairs two at a time, needing to expel some of the energy in his body. When he entered the kitchen, Cleo was clearing up. She looked up, the smile freezing on her lips as he stalked her.

“Where is everyone?”

He saw the question in her eyes, as she seemed to feel the tension emanating from him. She put the plates down and faced him. “They just left. I was just clearing away.”