Fallen Crest Home(45)

Thanks for following me home.

He buzzed back a moment later. No problem. Mason was going to come, but I told him I’d do it.

I found Nate and Matteo taking shots in the kitchen when I went inside. They waved, lifting their glasses in the air.

“It’s Sam!! Samantha is hoooooome!” Matteo bellowed.

“Hey guys.” I waved back. “Mason?”

Nate pointed to the hallway. “Bedroom. He’s changing. He was going to join us until you got here.”

“Yeah, well, here I am.”

Matteo cupped his hands around his mouth, calling out in an announcer-style voice, “And she is off, folks. Like a racehorse running the race of her life. Veering down the hallway, past the other rooms, closing in on the bedroom, she is nearing home. She’s nearly across the threshold. That victor’s crown is just waiting for her—”

“If you don’t stop likening me to a racehorse, I’ll come back there and turn you from a stud to a gelding, Matteo,” I yelled to him.

I heard a smattering of laughter before he called back, “Noted, and I love you, Sam.”

I could hear Nate still laughing. A second later Matteo said something more, and Nate’s laugh got louder, but instead of going back, I went into the bedroom.

I had someone else’s ass to kick.

Mason was coming out of the bathroom, wearing sweats that hung low on his hips. He had a shirt in hand and was about to pull it over his head. I grabbed it and tossed it to the floor.

“What’s up?”

I shut the door, crossing my arms over my chest. “What were you doing in Roussou today?”

“How did you know that?” He scowled. “Mark?”

“Did Mark know?”

“No, but Matteo could’ve told him.”

Okay. I didn’t have to ream my stepbrother out. “I heard it from Kate.”

“Kate?” His scowl lessened to a frown. He began rubbing at his forehead.

“Yeah. Your ex-booty call found me when I was taking the garbage out.”

His shoulders tightened. “Did Caldron send her?”

“No.”

“So how’d she know?”

“She said one of the guys who saw you in Channing’s bar was her boyfriend.”

“What else did she say?”

“That there’s someone close to Channing you and he can’t trust. Whoever that is talks to Caldron.”

“Kate said all this?” He pointed at me. “To you?”

“I know.” I crossed the room and lay on the bed, where he joined me. “Imagine my shock. She still cares about you.”

“I want to know who’s been talking to Caldron.” He leaned forward, his back muscles bunching as he rested his elbows on his knees.

I fought the urge to run my hand over them. If I did, this interrogation would soon change tones, and I didn’t want that to happen. Not yet. I sat up and moved over so I was half-facing him, one leg pulled up to rest on the bed, my other foot still on the ground.

“What were you doing in Roussou?”

“I wanted to find out where Caldron lives and works.”

“And?”

He was still thinking, wondering who the traitor was in Channing’s crew.

I sighed, giving in and tracing a finger up his back. “It could be anyone. You don’t know all of Channing’s friends.”

“True.” He relaxed slightly, reaching up and catching my hand. He laced our fingers together, using his hold to tug me closer. I shifted so my leg went around him. He pulled my other leg over his knee, and I only had to lean forward half an inch to rest on him, hugging him from the side. His hand moved to my knee, and he began tracing up and down the inside of my thigh. “He works for my dad. I’m going to see if he’ll promote him.”

“What?” I started to pull away.

He caught my hand, keeping me in place. He shot me a sideways look. “The requirements will be that he has to protect you, not hurt you. One move against us, and he’s out of a job.”

“You think that’ll work?”

Mason shrugged. “If it doesn’t, we’ll figure something else out. I know where he lives, and it’s no gated community.”

“You’d do something to his home?”

Mason moved so he could see me squarely and touched the side of my face. His thumb rubbed over my cheek. “Do you not realize the lengths I’ll go for you?” he asked softly.

A pocket of air caught and held in my throat.

He leaned forward, his forehead resting on mine. “I scare even myself, Sam. There’s nothing I won’t do for you.”

And his lips lowered to mine.





It was Saturday, and I wasn’t working. Petey had told me he wanted his regular staff on. They were complaining about not getting their usual amount of tips. He’d had a weird look on his face, his features all twisted up, but when I didn’t argue, the weirdness left him.