Page 83 of Mason

“I’m Conner. Mason sent me to find you. I’m not going to hurt you, I swear.”

Her eyes went to the still form beside of him. Had he killed Peter?

He said something she couldn’t hear and jumped in the river after her. It took him all of five seconds to reach her and grasp her around the middle. He literally picked her up and strode back out of the river.

“Be easy,sestra, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Peter…”

“Who?”

It wasn’t until she pointed toward Peter that she realized she was shaking with cold.

“That’s not Sean?”

“Brother.” Her teeth were chattering so hard, she could barely speak. She shook her head, trying to clear it. “Cold.”

“I know,sestra. Let’s get you home.”

She wasn’t sure how long he carried her or when she blacked out, but at that point, she didn’t care. She was too cold.

“He has her.”

Mason’s head bowed as relief washed through him. Conner had her. He said a prayer of thanks and promised to honor his pledge of church every Sunday.

“Call her family. Let them know Conner’s on his way.”

“He’s not coming here. She’s in bad shape. He’s taking her to the closest hospital.” Viktor said something into the phone and muttered a curse. “She fell in the river.”

“She what?” Hypothermia had to be Conner’s concern if he wasn’t bringing her here.

“He said she needs medical attention now, and he’s meeting the ambulance on the road. Police are coming to pick up…it’s not Sean?”

Mason waited impatiently as Viktor listened then hung up.

“It was Sean’s brother, Peter. Jo did some damage to him.”

“Good girl.”

“It cost her, though. She’s hurt, Mason.”

“Then you better damn well get me to her.”

“Mason, you can’t leave this hospital.”

“Viktor, either you take me, or I’m signing myself out and calling a fucking cab. Either way, I’m getting to my girl tonight.”

“Mason, honey…” Sara started, but he cut her off.

“If that was Viktor, you’d move mountains to get to him.”

“Mason, you can barely move. You’re in no condition…”

“We’ll take him to her.” Lily spoke up and both Nikoli and Viktor started arguing, but she held up her hand. “She’s been missing for almost eleven days. He’s been going out of his mind, and he couldn’t be the one to go get her. He needs to see her, Nikoli.”

“Lily Bells…”

“Don’t Lily Bells me. We’re taking him to her, and that’s that.”