Page 58 of Bang

Heat flooded my face. "Oh."

And now I felt stupid.Dang it.I should've realized that. But as usual, Mason was making it hard for me to think. His anger was supremely unsettling, even more so because he was doing a surprisingly good job of containing it.

And yet, I could still see the signs – the set of his jaw, the look in his eyes, and his unnatural stillness that for some reason, seemed more dangerous than a full-blown tantrum.

I felt myself swallow. He might look reasonably calm on the outside, but inside? A storm was definitely brewing.

Our gazes locked for a long, tense moment until he looked back to Willow and said, "So tell me. Did she ever lay a hand on you?"

Willow frowned in obvious confusion. "I don't know."

Mason practically growled, "What?"

Across from me, Willow was looking not only confused, but nervous.

I could totally relate.I spoke up. "What he means is, did anyone ever hit you? Or slap you? Or pinch you or anything?"

Willow's confusion cleared. "Oh." She gave a decisive shake of her head. "No."

In a soothing voice, I said, "Never? Not even once? Are you sure, Sweet Pea?"

Willow nodded. "If anyone didthat, I would've told on them for sure."

From beside the table, Mason gave a curt nod. "Good girl." And then, he turned his dark gaze on me. "You and me – we need to talk."

Chapter 21

Cami

After he closed the patio door behind us, he didn't waste any time. "So, tell me. What happened."

Night had already fallen, and the air was too cold to be comfortable. But I didn't feel like I could complain, considering that I was the one who'd suggested talking out here in the first place.

Already, I was regretting it. Even though I was wearing a sweater, the cold breeze made me want to kick myself for not also grabbing a jacket on the way out.

On the upside, my story wouldn’t take long to tell.

Sticking with the basics, I replied, "After school, Veronica showed up in the parking lot and tried to talk to Willow. I didn't want to upset her – meaning Willow, not Veronica – so I let them talk for a minute or two, and then I said we had to leave. The whole thing lasted barely ten minutes."

Tonight, Mason was wearing a tailored business suit with a burgundy necktie. His suit was definitely thinner than my sweater, buthedidn't look cold, not unless I counted the look in his eye when he said, "Oh, yeah? When?"

I felt my brow wrinkle in confusion. "What do you mean when?" I paused to think. "Do you mean, when did it happen?"

"Thatwasthe question."

"But youknowwhen it happened. I just told you, it was right after school."

"And what time was that?"

As if he didn't know."Around three o'clock."

"Right. Four hours ago."

"Oh." Finally, I got the message. "Uh, yeah. More or less."

"And you never thought to call?"

"You mean you?" I said. "Sure, I thought about it. But since it was handled, I didn't see the point of bothering you at work."