Page 69 of Word to the Wise

He’s not alone.

He’s never alone.

Carter’s bodyguards will make sure no one saves me.

“It’s time to come home, Reed.” Carter forces my chin up. “I’ve given you your space, but enough is enough.”

Space?

That’s what he thinks this is?

I try to push against his chest again, but he doesn’t budge. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

I’m finding my fight—my will. I shove at his chest, even if he refuses to move. And the harder I hit, the quicker his expression shifts, as I’ve seen it do so many times—I’ve memorized it.

He cocks his head to the side, and pure darkness coats his expression. “That’s not your call to make, baby.”

“I think it is.” Mason’s voice comes from the other side of Carter, and in one swoop, Carter’s body is pulled off me.

Mason positions himself between us with his arms crossed over his chest.

Carter stumbles from how easily Mason tossed him to the side. But when he finds his balance, he doesn’t thrust himself forward. He stands tall, brushing the wrinkles from his dress shirt, and looking almost amused.

“Mason Zane,” Carter says, smiling. “Your father has a lot to say about you.”

“Funny.” Mason’s posture stiffens, but he doesn’t budge from where he’s blocking me. “I’ve got nothing to say about him.”

Carter grits his teeth, looking from Mason to me. They’re exact opposites—Carter in his usual dress slacks and shirt, while Mason’s wearing jeans and a blue hoodie.

But while Carter is used to his money making him the most powerful man in the room, the energy radiating off Mason is all I feel. He towers over Carter and the tension is so thick it’s on the verge of snapping.

“You’ve had your fun, Reed.” Carter glares at me. “But we both know who you belong to.”

Mason tries to step forward, but I grab his arm, stopping him. As much as I appreciate Mason wanting to defend me, Carter plays dirty. It’s why he has guards on both ends of the alley, and one of them is now holding up a phone to record us. He wants Mason to make a move so he can sendhim to jail.

He doesn’t fight his own battles. He plants the seeds and lets others take care of the mess for him.

He’s weak.

A coward.

How am I just now seeing it?

“He isn’t worth it,” I say to Mason, stepping to his side.

Mason glances down at me, and his blue eyes burn with the fiercest heat. His hands are in fists, and his entire body is tense. It’s taking everything for him not to pound Carter’s face into the cement, but he pauses. He stops and listens.

He hears me.

Stepping back, he takes my hand, letting out a breath as I wrap my arms around one of his.

“Cute.” Carter’s gaze drops to where I’m holding onto Mason. “But you’ll be back. And I’d reconsider what you’re doing because the longer this goes on, the less patience I’m going to have for it.”

Carter turns back down the alley, where his guards are closing in. And the moment he’s gone, Mason pulls me into the shop, and I collapse against him.

Any strength I showed outside falls away with the tear slipping down my cheek. The floodgates open, and I break into pieces.

“It’s going to be okay, Reed.” He brushes the back of my hair while I cry against his chest. “It’s going to be okay.”