I watched Evergreen slip by and saw The Little Bear.
There were black Explorers everywhere and my heart hurt a little to see Mace standing, hands at his hips on the wood little to see Mace standing, hands at his hips on the wood walk outside the bar with Tex, Lee, Hank, Hector, Eddie and my entire band standing with him.
Lee saw us first and jerked his chin at the limousine. I watched Mace turn and I noted two things immediately. The first, he was the most handsome man I’d ever seen in my life. The second, he was furious.
“You’re also right,” I went on quietly.
“And how’s that?” Preston Mason’s voice was also quiet and as I was turned away from him I didn’t notice his eyes were also locked on Mace.
The limousine slid to a stop but before it did, Mace was already at my door.
“I’m not good enough for him,” I whispered.
The door opened and Mace leaned in, his hand wrapped around mine and he yanked me out. My hand held firmly in his, he kept me at his side as he leaned back into the limo.
He pointed at his father and he said in a tone that sent chil s up my spine, “We’re not done.”
“Kai –” Preston Mason started but he didn’t get any further.
Mace slammed the door and pul ed me toward an Explorer.
I yanked at my hand. “Mace.”
He kept going.
I yanked again. “Mace.”
He stopped us at the passenger side door and pul ed it open. “Get in.”
I looked up at him then I noticed movement and saw that the limousine was stil there, Preston Mason had alighted and was watching us.
I felt my heart skip then squeeze then stop.
It wasn’t a good thing for your heart to stop. It hurt your whole body.
“Get in the car, Stel a,” Mace ordered.
I looked at him again and his voice rumbled in my brain.
This shit goes both ways. This doesn’t end until I know you won’t walk away but also you won’t let me walk away.
Never again.
I could get him back.
I needed you to make a statement, Kitten. You didn’t.
If I made a statement, I knew, I just knew, I could get him back.
Then his father’s voice came to me.
He’s responsible for his sister’s murder.
I didn’t believe that for a second.
What I did believe was that, whatever happened with his sister, Mace believed it.
At that moment al I needed to do was make a statement.
And making a statement put my Mom and Dad on the line.
And I sure as hel didn’t have the money to help them out.
And I wasn’t about to make Mace take care of yet another of my problems.
Which would only be another in a long line of problems, of the past and undoubtedly wel into the future.
Yep, Kai Mason was too good for me.
Mace got closer to me. “Babe,” he said softly. “Get in the car.”
His voice washed over me like soothing elixir.
I knew I had my opening. His father gave it to me. Mace didn’t like it when I was in danger. He didn’t like it at al . He didn’t like it enough to get over being mad at me for being stupid.
I al owed myself to feel it for only a beat then I asked.
“Are you taking me to Eric?”
Mace’s eyes narrowed. “No, I’m not fuckin’ takin’ you to Turner.” I shook my head, he let go of my hand, his fingers wrapped around my upper arm and he leaned in. “We’l talk at your place, now get in the car.”
“Take me to Eric,” I said softly.
I felt his fingers tense spasmodical y on my arm but that was the only reaction he al owed me.
I could take no more.
“God damn it, Mace, take me to Eric!” I shouted.
He stared at me.
I held my breath, kept my outward calm as my insides were shivering and stared back.
The pain slashed in his eyes again.
This time, it also slashed through my heart.
He let go of my arm, turned and walked back to the doors of the bar.
“She wants to go to Turner,” he told Lee as he tossed Lee the keys in his hand. Lee caught them but in turn Hector lobbed some keys at Mace, Mace nabbed them and went straight to another Explorer. I watched as he swung in, started up the SUV and drove away.
“Get in the car, mamita. ” Hector’s heat al of a sudden was close, beating into my side and he was talking to me softly.
“You’l take me to Eric?” I whispered and with Mace gone I didn’t fucking care that Hector could see, plain as day, the tears in my eyes.
“I’l take you wherever you want to go,” he replied.
Without further hesitation, I got in the car.
*
I felt the bed depress. Then I felt the weight of my hair being lifted away from my neck.
“You al right, sweetheart?” Eric’s voice came at me in the dark.
No.
No, I was definitely not right.
I didn’t know what time it was but it had to be late, I’d been lying in that bed for hours. It was coming on summer and the days were longer but the light had faded and night was pitch black.
“Yeah,” I lied.
“You need to eat something,” Eric told me.
The very thought made me want to hurl.