Page 74 of Hidden Resolution

“Tell me you recognize those rooms.”

She nodded. “I believe I do. I remember taking people on a tour of the place. It’s abandoned now. I think this house is part of a subdivision in Stapleton. The city condemned it a few years back.”

Zack jerked her to her feet and gripped her shoulders.

“Where is it?” he demanded.

“Get your fucking hands off her!”Mason’s low growl echoed from the doorway.

Shonda felt a thrill at his possessiveness, followed by self-disgust. Someone should smack her and say, “Snap out of it, you idiot!”

“Jesus, Mason. I’m not hurting her.”

“But you are,” Mason said, menace still lacing his silky tone.

Zack studied her, and whatever he saw convinced him Mason wasn’t overreacting. Finger by finger, he loosened his grip.

“Jesus! I’m sorry. I…” He reached out and eased aside the neckline of her shirt, revealing her bruised shoulder. “What the fuck? Who did this?”

She winced and avoided looking in Mason’s direction. If Zack found out they’d kept the explosion and mugging from him, he’d lose his mind.

Too late.

He lost it anyway.

Livid, he swung in his brother’s direction. “You did this?”

“No, give me some fucking credit. She was mugged last week. Earlier, I forgot and grabbed her arm a little too hard.”

Oddly, she thought Mason had missed her wince, down in the lobby.

“I’m sorry, Shonda.” Full of contrition, Zack added, “I didn’t know, and I definitely shouldn’t have touched you without permission.”

“Yeah, so how about you step away from her so she can fix her shirt, Mr. Grabby,” Mason groused.

Infuriated by his sense of ownership, her temper erupted.

“Why should it matter to you?” Shonda snapped.

Fuck him and his high-handedness. She could damn well fight her own battles.

As she spun to leave, Zack caught her hand.

“Shonda, where’s the location of that house?”

His desperation checked her flight. For him and Erica, she’d make nice a little longer.

“I’ll need to check my old files for the exact address,” she said. “Can you follow me back to my apartment?”

“No!” Mason bellowed, stepping between them and cutting off Zack’s ready retort. “No one is going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on.”

“Dammit, I don’t have fucking time for your jealousy, Mason. Get a clue already,” Zack shoved him hard, sending him back into the wall.

For a moment, Shonda feared she was about to witness the clash of titans. Two virile, pissed-off men toe-to-toe, ready to battle. But Mason surprised her by backing down first.

“I wasn’t jealous. I’m not a complete idiot.” He shot her an undecipherable glance. “I recognized that the two of you are planning something. Did you find where Christie’s holding Jacob and Erica?”

“We think so.”