Page 20

Mason

I t’s been five days since we went to visit Bess. Five days since I dragged the Iron Serpents into a war. Five days since we found out Victor Kane is likely behind the kidnapping attempt. Five days since we finally gave in to our desires and accepted that we can’t resist Emma, no matter how much we should.

Bess has been busy trying to find out if there’s a way for us to speak to Kane and see if there’s a resolution that can be reached as per Emma’s suggestion. She’s been unsuccessful so far but assures us she’s getting closer.

J-Bird was understandably pissed to discover that I’d knocked out the leader of the Hell Riders, dragging us into a war with them, something Breaker had been waiting for an excuse to do. When he found out why I did it he was even more pissed. Not only had we put Emma in danger, but we’d not sought his approval before sending her in there. He did, of course, understand why I beat Breaker up. Though even that didn’t placate him since he argued that I ought to have killed him for trying to rape her. Honestly, I regret not doing it, but something told me that if Emma saw me kill him it would break her. Or if I’m being truly honest, I was worried it would change her feelings for me.

If that wasn’t bad enough, J-Bird turned apoplectic when we told him we suspect that Victor Kane is the person targeting his sister and nephew. For all his indignation about me starting a war, he was ready to throw us into an even bigger one by trying to take on Kane. He’s all for killing the man. Fortunately, we managed to convince him to hold off, at least until we’ve tried Emma and Bess’ way. In a way, the war with the Hell Riders is a blessing in disguise since J-Bird is too busy with that to go on a suicide mission after Kane.

Since that night, we’ve had sex with Emma every day, sometimes more than once, while Max is at school. Every time feels more incredible than the last and we can’t get enough of her. When we’re not doing our best to pleasure Emma in new and exciting ways, we’re hungry to learn everything we can about her. Slowly, she’s coming out of her shell and revealing more about herself. We treasure each new fact like a rare pearl.

I didn’t think a woman like Emma could be real. She’s the stuff of fantasy. Not only is she stunningly beautiful, but she’s also smart, funny, determined, fiercely loyal, and a great mother. If you’d asked me before meeting Emma if I wanted to have a family and kids someday, I’d have laughed in your face at the suggestion. But now I can picture it. I generally have very little tolerance for kids, but I find myself amused by Max and fiercely protective of him. He’s a great kid, he reminds me a lot of his mother but also of J-Bird in some ways. I’m surprised to find myself wanting to be a role model to him, and that being around him and Emma is making me a better man.

Thankfully since mine and Jax’s argument, there’s been no ill will between us and no jealousy at all. I’m genuinely happy to see my friends with Emma. Like me, it appears they’re finding her to be a good influence on them and that they’re smitten. Even Ty is coming out of his shell more around her. Emma herself seems to be flourishing, despite the circumstances. From what little she’s told us about her ex-husband, it sounds as though he did everything he could to dominate and control her, to make her feel less than.

If that bastard wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him for hurting her, for not realizing what an incredible wife he had.

“You look deep in thought, penny for them?” Emma says cheerily as she enters the room, pulling me from my contemplation.

Ty and Jax have gone to help J-Bird with an attempted negotiation with the Hell Riders. Understandably they felt it was best if I stayed behind, my presence would no doubt have a negative effect on coming to an amicable solution. Max is at school, which means I’ve got Emma all to myself.

“Are you worrying about how the meeting is going to go today?” Emma asks sympathetically, cocking her head to the side.

I shrug. “Not really. The guys can handle themselves.”

“Have you heard from Bess?” Emma asks hopefully, sitting down on the couch beside me and tucking her bare feet up under herself, curling up like a cat.

“Not today, no.”

“I just wish there was a way for this nightmare to be over,” she says biting her nails anxiously. “I feel so mad at Adam for leaving Max and me in this situation. What kind of man puts his family at risk like that?”

“A weak, selfish one,” I reply, jaw clenched.

I didn’t think you could hate a dead man, but I sure as shit hate Emma’s ex-husband.

“Perhaps that’s why I like you, Ty, and Jax. You’re the opposite of weak and selfish,” she says with a smile.

“I wasn’t always strong. I was a scrawny little kid. The bigger kids used to pick on me for it. Bess used to have to protect me,” I reply, thinking back to how she’d square up to even the biggest boys.

“Really?” Emma says with surprise, “What changed?”

“Puberty hit,” I reply with a chuckle, “And I started lifting weights. Bess taught me not to take any shit. In our world the weak don’t survive, it’s kill or be killed.”

Emma looks at me sadly. “I’m sorry that was your childhood.”

“It was a long time ago, I came out of it alright. I survived,” I say with a shrug.

“How did you end up in care, if you don’t mind me asking?” she says gently.

Usually, I don’t like to share my past with people, but with Emma, I feel comfortable. I know she won’t think less of me or pity me because of it.

“My mom killed herself when I was around Max’s age. I was the one who found her. Turns out my dad was having an affair. She’d always been fragile and suffered with her mental health, but hearing that the man she loved so fiercely was fucking his nineteen-year-old student broke her.”

“Oh, Mason, I’m so sorry,” Emma says, placing a comforting hand on my knee.

“It was less than six months after her death that my dad moved his mistress in and shipped me out. Supposedly there wasn’t room for me in the new family they wanted to build together,” I say bitterly, still stung by the rejection to this day. “No one wants to adopt a troubled six-year-old who has nightmares and wets the bed because of what he saw. They want babies or cute toddlers who they can easily mold into their own. So I was stuck bouncing around foster homes until I turned eighteen, each one more shitty than the last as I became labeled a problem child.”

“What your father did to you was terrible. People like that don’t deserve to have kids. Max is the most important thing in my life, I wouldn’t give him up for anything or anyone,” she says fiercely.

“I know, it’s the thing I respect and admire most about you.”

“Thank you. I know I’ve no right to ask… but if something were to happen to me, could I ask something of you?” she says, her sapphire eyes searching mine.

“Anything,” I reply earnestly.

“Will you help Jacob take care of Max? He’s a great uncle and he practically raised me when we were kids, but it’s tough and he’d need all the help he can get.”

“Of course I will. But nothing’s going to happen to you. Not on my watch. So there’s no need to worry about it,” I assure her.

“Thank you,” she replies with a small smile. “And thanks for telling me about your childhood.”

I nod, not feeling the need to respond.

“Do you think Jax and Ty will be mad again if we have fun without them?” she asks mischievously, immediately taking my mind off the past and pulling me back to the present.

“If they are, I’m sure a blowjob will quickly put an end to it and cheer them up,” I reply with a grin.

“From me or you?” she cheekily teases.

I laugh. “They sure as shit won’t want one from me.”

I pull her close, kissing her, reveling in the softness of her lips and the warmth of her body. J-Bird will kill us if he ever finds out about us and Emma, but for now, I don’t care.

Our make-out session is interrupted by the ringing of Emma’s phone.

“Ignore it,” I say between kisses, pulling her top up over her head.

But as soon as the phone stops ringing it starts again. Whoever is calling is determined to get ahold of Emma.

“Hold that thought,” Emma says planting a kiss on my lips before turning to answer the phone.

“It’s Max’s school,” she says worriedly looking at me before answering. “Hello, Emma speaking.”

She listens for a moment, her expression growing more concerned as whoever is on the other end of the phone relays their information to her.

“But Max is okay, yes?” she says frantically before sagging a little with relief at the presumably positive reply.

“Alright, I’ll get there as soon as I can. Please don’t let him out of your sight and don’t let anyone else collect him other than me, not even Jessica. Do not let him leave,” she orders.

The person on the other line responds and Emma thanks them before hanging up the phone.

She pulls her shirt back on while relaying the conversation to me. “Some people showed up at the school just now and tried to take Max.”

“What? Who?”

“They claim to be from Child Protective Services but after the scare the other week the school is understandably on high alert when it comes to Max. Normally, they would let the CPS people speak to a child without informing the parent in case the parent influences the child’s response, luckily the teacher who overheard them talking to the receptionist knew about our situation and called me. They’re going to try to delay them to keep them there while they determine if the IDs they showed are real or not—if they’re fake, they’ll call the cops. If they’re real, they’ll be forced to let them take Max.”

“Shit,” I hiss, heading for the door, “Come on, I’ll drive,” I say, annoyed that we can’t take my bike which would be faster but there’s no way we’re taking Max home on it.

“What if they really are from CPS? Do you think Kane might have called it in so they’d take Max out of school, and it would make him easier for them to kidnap him from their custody?” she asks, her eyes wide with fear.

“It’s possible,” I reply, not wanting to lie to her, my mouth pressed in a thin line.

“Drive fast,” Emma says as we buckle in as if I need telling.

“Call the others, let them know what’s happening,” I say as we pull off.

Emma does as she’s told, and I drive as fast as I can without getting pulled over. I just hope we get there in time. If they get Max out of school, whether they’re real CPS officers or not, getting him back will be ten times harder.