Perv(76)

“That’s absurd,” the punched guy shouted. “We were hired to pick up this woman. She’s unstable.”

“Hired by whom?” Rider asked. “Money?”

The guy paled.

“That’s what I thought. Given enough money, you’ll pick up anyone for any reason using any means necessary, won’t you?” Rider asked.

Mason stepped toward the bed, intent on reaching for Jenna. “Not today, asshole. The only person going anywhere today is you two. To jail.” He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Jenna to his side.

Two more cops entered the room. Mason hardly glanced at them as Rider gave them the short version and slapped another set of cuffs on the guy Mason had punched. Mason heard words like assault, resisting arrest, kidnapping, illegal entry…

He didn’t take his eyes off Jenna’s again as the five other people finally exited the room and then the apartment.

Mason lifted Jenna’s chin to meet her gaze. “So sorry, baby.”

Tears ran down her face, and she choked on her words. “I just…can’t…believe they would…do something…like this.” She sobbed.

“I know.” He pulled her close again.

“Can they do that? Have me committed?” she mumbled against his shirt.

“No, baby. They can’t. I’ll make sure of it.”

“If Rider hadn’t been here…”

“Nothing different would have happened. I wouldn’t have let anyone take you away. He sped things up a little and kept it tidier, but the outcome is the same. I just didn’t have to go to jail myself for killing two men.” He smiled as he tipped her face up to his again. “They’re gone.”

“I don’t think I’m interested in my family’s inheritance.”

“Glad to hear it. I wouldn’t want a dime of that money under any circumstances.”

•●•

Two days later…

Two days later, Mason parked his car in the garage and entered through the kitchen. It only took seconds to get through to the living room, where he found Jenna in the corner of the couch, her knees pressed against her chest, tears streaming down her face.

“Baby…” He crossed to her side, sat, and pulled her into his arms. “I guess it didn’t go well?”

Jenna wiped her face with the back of her hand and sucked in a breath. “It went as expected. Thank you for giving me some time.”

He hadn’t like it, but he’d left and given her half an hour to call her parents and speak to them alone. She’d been staying at his place since Monday morning. Neither of them had worked. They’d spent the last two days talking to lawyers and the police.

When it finally seemed as though they had all the ammunition they needed, it had been time for Jenna to call her family.

“Talk to me.” He lifted her chin and kissed her forehead.

“I did exactly as we rehearsed. I told them to leave me alone and stop contacting me for any reason. If they don’t comply, I will call the police and press charges for hiring two thugs to assault me in my home.” She smiled up at him. “The beauty is that even though they’re guilty and they know it, it doesn’t matter. The idea of having cops show up at their house would be so embarrassing to them, they would never run that risk.”

“Essentially you called their bluff.” He was so proud of her.

She nodded. “I don’t think they ever believed I had the balls to stand up to them. I mean really stand up to them. Put my foot down and end this crazy standoff once and for all. I don’t want their fucking money. It’s no longer just a matter of risking my inheritance by defying them. I’ve reached a point where I don’t even want a dime of that money for any reason. I’d rather starve. And I feel fantastic now.” Tears still fell down her face.

Mason chuckled. “Yeah, you sure look like it.” He narrowed his gaze at her and wiped the moisture from under her eyes with his thumbs. “I love you so much. You know that, right? And I’m so proud of you.”

She nodded again. “Family. I’ve been blessed with two now—Mariel and David, and now you. That’s better than any blood relatives by far. I have everything I need.”





Epilogue


Mason heaved the last box into the house and dropped it inside the door. “Lord, woman, how did you have that much stuff packed into that tiny apartment?”

Jenna stood helplessly in the living room and watched as five huge men plopped on the furniture simultaneously, each popping open a beer.

The front door stood open, the light from outside suddenly blocked by a sixth man in a police uniform. “Am I late?” Rider asked with a chuckle. He came through the door and shut it behind him.