“No you won’t,” I whispered firmly. “But it doesn’t have to be this way. No one needs to get hurt. If you let me go now, I won’t tell anyone.”
Aubrey laughed in my ear. “That doesn’t even work in the movies. You have no idea of the power Anonymous wields. We have dirt on almost everybody. I’d be out on bail tomorrow morning.”
The fucker sounded so sure of himself that I almost believed it. I wanted so badly to yell out just to spite the asshole, but I now believed Aubrey was dead serious. He would stab me if I tried to scream for help.
Damn it. I should have listened to Mason. Although he found me, so I doubt it would’ve mattered if I spoke to him or not.
“Now shut the fuck up and keep moving,” Aubrey growled when he saw that I didn’t have a response. “I want to be gone before Razor finishes.”
We continued to trudge our way to the exit and I began shaking violently as I realized the reality of ending up dead in a ditch was becoming very real when a deep voice growled, “Let her go.”
Slowly, Aubrey turned us around and relief flowed through my breasts at the sight of Mason standing there, holding a small hardback book in his hand as if he had a weapon, his chiseled visage an angry mask.
Aubrey grinned. “Razor. It’s good to see you again, my friend.”
“Hey fuck face,” Mason said, obviously not in the mood for pleasantries. “Let her go. Now.”
“Sure thing,” Aubrey replied smoothly, “once you hand over that flash drive.”
By this time, a few students were glancing over our way. Of course, they were looking now that Mason had shown up to rescue me and not before. They didn’t look particularly alarmed, as if it were a regular occurrence.
Mason glanced at Aubrey’s hand that held the knife against my side. “Let her go and I’ll give you the thumb drive.”
“Try anything and its going right in her gut.”
I sighed with relief. I wasn’t going to die, after all.
Aubrey’s gripped relaxed and I prepared to spring away, but then he retightened it, making me wince with pain. “You think I’m stupid?” he hissed at Mason. “We know all about your little plans to distribute the video. If you’re willing to give up the flash drive, it’s because you no longer need it and have completed your goal.” Aubrey shook his head. “Tsk, tsk, Razor. You should’ve known better than to try to cross Anonymous. Now there will be consequences.” Aubrey’s cold gaze settled on me and my heart started pounding faster. It sounded like he’d just given me a death sentence.
“Don’t do this, man,” Mason cautioned, inching slightly forward. “You’ll never get away with it.”
Any day now, I thought, waiting for a group of students to get up from their study tables and come inquire as to what was going on.
Mason was obviously stalling, but I don’t know what he was going to be able to do.
“Shut up! Don’t take another step. What you’re going to do is walk out of that door and not look back—”
Mason’s voice cracked like a whip. “Duck Carly!”
I was scared shitless, but I didn’t have to be told twice. I dropped sharply to my knees, surprising Aubrey and pulling him off balance. At the same time, Mason flung the hardback he was holding directly at Aubrey’s mug with lightning speed.
A loud crack sounded above my head and Aubrey let go of my wrist, letting out a pained cry.
“Fuck! You just broke my nose!”
Not wasting any time, Aubrey was still holding the sharp knife, and I scrambled away to safety on my hands and knees as a couple girls let out panicked cries.
I jumped to my feet and turned, just in time to see Mason rushing the stunned Aubrey. Mason collided with him with a grunt, and they went careening against a bookcase, knocking it over with a resounding crash, sending books flying everywhere.
Screams filled the room, yet I noticed several guys watching the commotion as if it was Monday Night RAW. The bastards.
Mason began laying into Aubrey, landing rapid punches to his bloodied face until the blonde dropped the knife he was holding. Aubrey tried to fight back, landing a few punches on Mason, but he was no match for the furious barrage.
At that moment, one of the librarians came running out from behind the desk with a walkie-talkie in her hand.
“Young man, stop!” she commanded the enraged Mason, gesturing at him frantically. “Get off of him!”
Mason ignored her, continuing to land blows on the guy who now had stopped fighting back, looking dazed, bloody, and confused.
“We need security!” she yelled into her transceiver, her face white with fear. “He’s going to kill this poor guy!”
“Mason stop!” I cried. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
Mason ignored me, intent on strangling the life out of the bastard.
“God damn it, Mason, listen to me!”
“We gotta go,” I repeated. “Before the cops get here.”
Slowly, Mason’s mask of anger faded away and he released Aubrey, who slumped across the pile of books, moaning and groaning.