“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you, but I seem to never be able to get you to pick up the phone.” He tilted his head as he looked at me with a gleam in his eyes.
I felt like I was falling down a rabbit hole with no way out. I’d been putting off his calls, so I knew he’d eventually confront me. He’d told me he would. There was no way out once you were in, even if I was there against my will. There was no changing it. I had so many negatives stacked against me.
“What do you say we get a drink?” Donicko suggested.
I stepped away from him and dusted off my jacket where he’d put his hand, as if to wipe his remnants away.
“I have somewhere I need to be.”
“Ah, yes. Emmalynn Blake, is it? You seem fond of that one.”
The rage I’d bottled up burst at the seams. “You stay the fuck away from her!” I seethed as I pointed my finger into his chest. I wanted so badly to knock him out, but I knew I couldn’t. Too many people were watching, and I had no idea who he had with him. Anything could happen, and I had a feeling John wouldn’t do a thing to stop it if it did.
Donicko laughed and kept his eyes on me, not bothered that others were staring.
I loathed him. If I could get away with murder, he’d already be six-feet under or better yet, at the bottom of the Atlantic.
“You should get a hold of yourself, boy. We don’t want things to get out of hand, do we?”
I took a deep breath and looked from John to Donicko. I knew what he wanted. “You’re wasting your time. It’s not going to fucking happen,” I said as I turned to leave.
I felt a hand wrap around my bicep and stopped.
“Think about your life, Mason. Why you do things the way you do?” I turned to see Donicko with a smug expression on his face. He knew exactly how fucked-up I was after everything had happened. “I own you and you know it. You know it here.” He poked me on the chest with his index finger. “And here,” he continued as he tapped my temple. “It’ll never go away…and neither will I.” He dropped his hand and placed it into his pants pocket. “Don’t make me do things, Mason. You know how this will work. If you don’t want it to happen like it did last time…” He stepped toward me and leaned close to my ear. “Answer your fucking phone when I call.”
He pulled away and I gritted my teeth. Flashes of Sophia and the last time I’d seen her appeared in my mind. He was the reason I never let anyone get close.
Patting me on the shoulder, he grinned at me. “I’m glad you see the big picture, Mason. Just remember, I’m always watching. Nothing goes unnoticed.”
They both walked away from me, leaving me to stare blankly. The motherfucker was blackmailing me…again. And he fucking knew about Emma. He’d been watching me?
I turned and walked out of the gallery, trying to calm my erratic breathing. I had a sense of foreboding and anxiety inching in my veins. My dark past was at the surface and there was no way for me to hide from it. I just couldn’t drag Emma down the same dark path Sophia had to take.
Chapter 26
Emmalynn
I was still on a high as Carlos opened the door for me. I smiled and thanked him as I slid into the leather seat. I’d never get used to the kind of lifestyle Mason lived. I opened my own door. I liked the smelly subway. The variety of people I passed by every day. They all had a story, and it was interesting to watch. But I could definitely get used to the high life.
As I sat there waiting for Mason, I thought about the words he’d spoken just a few moments before. There were things in his life he didn’t want to talk about, things that made him into the man I knew. His words just made me more curious about him. I knew he was a private man. He was, after all, the son of a very well-known attorney.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes for a moment to get myself together. He said we could get to know one another, and I wanted to know exactly what that meant. I wanted to be prepared for whatever was to come. Did he want to be exclusive, or did he just want to be fuck-buddies again? Did he want to be in a relationship and date? He said he wanted me, but that could mean so many different things.
I was zapped out of my thoughts as the car started to move. I looked to the left and right but didn’t see Mason anywhere.
I leaned forward in my seat and tapped Carlos on the shoulder. “Carlos, what’s going on?”
“Miss, Mr. Cline asked me to drive around for a few moments. He should be out shortly.”
I sat back, resting my hands in my lap as I stared out the window, wondering what was holding him up.
We’d been driving around downtown New York for twenty minutes and I had no idea what was going on. Carlos hadn’t said another word since I’d asked him, and I was starting to get annoyed.
I should just tell him to pull over so I can get out and take a taxi home. Or I could just request he take me home, but I don’t think he’d do it unless his boss ordered him to.