Текст книги "Exposed"

Автор книги: Ivy Stone

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Lindsey

The bright shade of red on my lips doesn’t allow me to feel any beauty. I’ve danced with the devil to save myself and now it’s become the blood from my deception.

Oliver sits across from me. Chocolate cake and tea sits between us because Lord knows this moment calls for bad food and your best friend. The bell on the door chimes and my head shoots up, eyes darting in that direction. Dread consumes me. For every time the door opens, I worry Mason will step through and this will all be over. We will be over, my career over. My life, over. But it’s not him. It never is. We’ve sat here in this café for nearly two hours, neither of us speaking much. We’re just listening to the sounds of the coffee machine in use and watching the snow fall outside of the window beside us.

We were done. A part of our lives is now to be put away on a shelf to collect dust and be nothing more than a distant memory, a book never to be opened again, a story to be kept hidden.

We robbed the devil himself, Giuseppe Marino. We took our cut and our freedom. Ali’s freedom. Rossi deleted the bank security footage so we’d never be caught and he left with a new-found wealth. Adriana was on her way to turn herself in. Everything had gone according to plan but my stomach will still stay tied up in knots. I rarely trust anyone, let alone Enzo Rossi, so I followed him a few times before the job. I saw him with her. I saw the way they looked at one another. They tried to hide, be discreet, visit places no one would ever look to find them, but they failed. I now know Rossi’s weakness. He is in love with Adriana Marino.

Thanks to his weakness, I gained the upper hand.

“If I eat anymore cake, I’m going leave looking like one. Take it away, babe.” Olly pushes the white ceramic plate with a small portion of chocolate cake remaining on it over to my side of the table.

A weight lifts from my chest as I release a sigh, finding humor in Olly’s comment. “Leave the cake. I’ll have it.” I sit back in the chair of the small, quaint café. It’s a gorgeous little place with a vintage feel to it. It’s shabby chic, not Olly’s style at all, but most definitely mine.

“I feel awful. I’m so relieved it’s over but just the thought of bringing up Adriana and threatening him with her made me feel sick.”

“It was an empty threat, babe, and he doesn’t know that, so that’s all that matters.” He shrugs as though it’s no big deal and it really isn’t. But years ago, Adriana meant something to me. She meant something to Oliver. Voicing the threat aloud was enough to curdle my stomach with bile.

“Yeah, I know,” I answer quietly.

“Feels weird, doesn’t it?”

“What part?” I ask.

“The part where we’re not killers, con artists, thieves.”

My body relaxes and my lips curve up into an involuntary smile. “Yeah, sure as hell does.”

I pick up my warm tea from the table and raise it in the air. “Cheers, Olly. We had a good run. My life,” I pause, my throat thickening with emotion, “…it wouldn’t be the same without you, and I wouldn’t be where I am without you.”

A shit-eating grin appears on his face and it’s the happiest I’ve seen him look in a long time. “Aw, Lindsey, is this your way of trying to say you love me, too?”

I scoff.

He laughs.

Life from this day forward will be different. I no longer feel the need to hold back so much from Mason. Worry still floods in, my heart still races with uncertainty at the thought of a real relationship with the man, because I can’t tell him everything. I never can. But now I’m free from burdens that could hurt him and Charlotte, all with the exception of the Marinos. But this isn’t a secret I’ve kept from Mason. He’ll keep me close and I’ll let him. We’ll fight the battle together when they retaliate.

Finally, I can concentrate on my legit work, my passion, without the worry of where I need to be each night, who I need to charm, what information I need to memorize. Who I need to kill.

A warm hand covers mine and I look over at Oliver. Together, in the same place we started this, over chocolate cake and tea, Olly and I end an era. My shoulders relax and the sins of my past fade into the background. They’re there but no longer at the forefront of my mind. Instead, something else is. New feelings ignite inside of me. Hope. Excitement. My lips curl up into a small smile. Mason.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Lindsey

I never understood it, until I felt it. Now I know I’ll defend this feeling until the day I die.

A quick month passes after the bank job for Rossi. One smooth month compiled of casual lunch and dinner dates with Mason and sometimes Charlotte. A month of visits to Ali at the clinic and usual office antics with Olly, all without an ounce of drama. The normalcy is becoming unnerving. Uncertainty etches its way into my brain as I clasp the dog tags around my neck. The air up here breathes new life into me. In four weeks, I’ve become lost with no direction to guide me to where I’m supposed to be. For the first two weeks, waves of nausea knocked me around until I found my footing and came to the conclusion being lost allows me time to find myself again.

I’ve become a girlfriend to Mason, a friend to Charlotte, and work doesn’t feel quite as stressful. I’ve had many more chances to check in on Alison, who is doing well in rehab. She fought her innocence on the relapse until she ran out of breath but there was no need. Her results came back a day after we’d had her examined at the hospital and they tested positive for Rohypnol. She’d been drugged, likely by someone who intended for his or her evening to turn out very differently. I have thanked Mason profusely for being there that night. If he hadn’t, things could have ended ugly. My heart plummets in my chest remembering Roamyn’s face drop when we found out Ali had been drugged. Agony rippled over muscles when he punched the wall beside him, muttering under his breath about something I couldn’t quite hear. He immediately went to the clinic, but Ali refused to see him.

Snuggling into the outdoor sofa, I pull the hood on my jumper up for extra warmth. The air is always fresher on the rooftop. Silence envelopes me, sparing me time for myself this Saturday morning to just breathe. There is nowhere I need to be, and that feels good. I’m waiting for the moment everything turns upside down.  Marino and some of his men may be held up in Riker’s, but they are still antagonizing the streets and had yet to retaliate. But hope resonates from somewhere deep and just maybe, it can outweigh the doubt that looms.

“Thought I’d find you up here.” I grab my chest and whip my head around, a voice from the deep scaring the ever-living shit out of me.

“Well, good morning, Detective. Next time, warn a girl if you’re gonna creep around making no noise. I wasn’t expecting you. Where’s Charlotte if you’re here?” If it’s one thing I’d learned about Mason, it’s that he never lets Charlotte out of his sight unless she is either with Cora or her best friend’s also very over-protective parents. The inner child in me is envious of Charlotte. She has a father who makes up for both parents and that was more than I had ever really had. Mason points behind him and Charlotte pops around the corner of the open door.

“I’m here,” she announces, her whole face lighting up with happiness.

“Oh, hey, sweetie.” I wave and go to stand, but as I gain my balance, I’m thrown off and nearly fall back into the sofa. Small delicate arms tighten around my middle and Charlotte tucks her head under my chest. Had this been a few weeks ago her close contact might have come as a shock, but now she greets me with a hug every time we see each other.

“Are you busy today, Lindsey, because if you’re not, we’re going out for brunch and then we’re gonna go to the park. You should definitely come with us.”

Mason interrupts. “What Charlotte is trying to ask you is, if you have no plans today, we would love it if you would join us because it isn’t as fun without you.”

I swoon, my heart loving the attention. “Aww, sure. Let me just get ready and we’ll go.”

“Yay! Okay, let’s go.” Charlotte cheers, running toward the door to the stairs.

“Someone’s excited about brunch,” I say, grabbing Mason’s attention as I nod toward Charlotte.

“Not brunch that’s got her worked up.” He shakes his head, shoving his hands in his pockets as we make our way back to the loft. My body floods with love for his little girl. It’s strange how easy and fast I’ve fallen for her charm, and her precious smile. She’s so easy to be around, much like her father. Finally, it feels like all the pieces of the puzzle have been found. Now it just had to be put together to become complete. It wasn’t simply because I have found a man who I’m growing to adore more each day and a little girl I love as if she were my own. It’s because the feelings I so desperately tried to suppress for years are now strengthening, turning me into a better woman, one I’m proud of, one I’m blossoming inside with happiness to be.

Mason touches the top of my messy bed hair, knotted on top of my head. “Loving the hair, sweetheart,” he says with a huge grin on his face.

“Oh, shut up.” I backhand his chest playfully and he laughs as we jump into the elevator.

He’d seen my hair twirled into a complete and utter mess and he didn’t run the other way. God, he is definitely a keeper.

***

The cool evening air after an amazing day with Charlotte and Mason has me wrapping my coat tighter around my waist. Yet the further I walk, the more the eerie feeling of being watched washes over me. The hairs on the back of my neck rise as I take the first step of my building. I turn quickly, but nothing seems out of place. People are walking by, talking into their cell phones, lovers hold hands, but no one is paying attention to me. I shake off the fear, and hastily pull out my keys and open the door. Shifting inside, I lock it immediately and rest my head against the back of the door. I close my eyes and Giuseppe Marino’s face appears. I flick them open to erase the image, and make a quick dart for the loft. Had I seen him out there? No, I hadn’t, I couldn’t have. He’s in prison. The wind sweeps under the door and I become ice cold. My scalp prickles and I glance down the hall, both sides, nothing. Nothing but quietness fills the building. I comb my fingers through my hair and clear my throat, taking a moment to get a hold of myself. I saw no one. I heard nothing. It’s all in my imagination. Calmly, I head up to the loft, but not without making a call to Mason. Figment of my imagination or not, I’m not taking any risks now I’ve got a damn good reason to stay alive.

Mason

My cell vibrates in my pocket and when I pull it out, I see Lindsey’s name lighting up the screen so I swipe to answer.

“Miss me already?” I tease, considering she only just left us twenty minutes ago after spending the entire day with us.

“Hey,” she answers and my back goes stiff at the sharp tone of her voice.

“Talk to me, Linds.”

“I think I was followed home. I didn’t see anyone suspicious but I had that feeling, Mase. I know someone was watching me.” Every muscle in my body becomes rigid. My hands tighten around my phone, threatening to unintentionally crush it.

“I’ll be right there. Hold tight. Lock your place up. Don’t answer for anyone, unless you know it’s me.”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon.” She clicks off and so do I.

“Hey, I just overheard you on the phone. Is everything okay?” Cassidy asks from the door of my office, concern all over her face.

I grab my gun and badge off my desk and shrug on my jacket, heading out of the room not stopping to chitchat. My mind’s now heading down a one-way street to Lindsey.

“Boss, hey. Stop. What’s wrong?”

I look over to Charlotte who’s sitting at her Uncle Roam’s desk, messing his shit up and drawing on some paper. I keep my voice low. I don’t want to catch her attention. “Lindsey thinks she was followed after she left here. She’s home and locked up, but I’m wary because I had the same feeling all day, like we were being watched.” I shake my head, trying to make sense of everything. I kept my eyes peeled. I never saw anything or anyone out of place, but fuck if it didn’t feel like someone was keeping tabs on our every move. I thought it was just me, but now Lindsey’s said the same thing, my concern just shot through the fucking roof.

“Look I’m gonna go get Lindsey. Can Charlotte stay here with you until I get back? We’ll swing back past here on the way home and pick her up. I just can’t risk taking her to Lindsey’s.”

“Yeah, of course, you don’t even have to ask but what about Alison? Who’s with her? Should we be checking in with the uniforms on duty at the clinic?” Cassidy asks as she grabs her phone, already moving her fingers on the screen a hundred miles a minute.

“Yeah, do it now. Find Elias and ask him to head over and check it out. I wanna know everyone who’s been in and out of that place in the last twenty-four hours. He so much as finds one thing out of place, have him lock it down.”

Cassidy nods. “On it, boss.”

“Baby girl,” I say, leaning on Roamyn’s desk. “I need to collect Lindsey from her place so I’m going to have you stay here with Cassidy until I get back, okay? I won’t be long, promise.”

I try to sound calm, steadying my breathing and my voice.

Charlotte’s eyes light up at the mention of my woman. Because, without hesitation, that’s exactly what she is, has always been. “Really? Is she going to stay for a sleepover?”

“Yeah, she is. All right, I’ll be back as soon as I can, baby girl.” I cup her head between my hands and lean forward to kiss her on the forehead.

Charlotte happily chats away with Cassidy after waving goodbye to me, and within ten minutes, I’ve got the squad car parked outside Lindsey’s building and I’m standing on her doorstep.

Lindsey

“I’m tired.” Charlotte mumbles at the same time as yawning and rubbing her eyes. Mason took me back to his place for the night and while he and I have been on edge, trying not to say too much in front of Charlotte, she’s been absorbed with the show she’s watching on the television.

“I’m going to go to bed, Dad.” Charlotte stands up but stops in her tracks, turning back to Mason and me, where we are sitting in the two chairs by the fireplace.

“Lindsey, will you tuck me in, please?”

I look between Charlotte and her father, her question catching me by surprise. Love smothers every inch of me and my lips curve up into a smile.

“Sure, honey. Why don’t you say goodnight to your dad first?”

She clicks off the TV with the remote before setting it back down on the couch and trotting over to Mason, who sits opposite me. “Night, Dad.”

Mason tugs her toward him, squeezing her tight with his head in the crook of her neck. He pulls back and drops his head to look her straight in the eyes. “How much do I love you?”

She replies without a sound of doubt in her voice. “There is no end to your love, Daddy.”

Happiness dances in my heart. These two are invading my world with a feeling I never want to let go of.

Wrapping an arm around Charlotte’s shoulder, we walk to her bedroom. She grabs my waist and leans into me. The movement lights a feeling inside of me that I haven’t felt before and I wonder if she enjoys my company as much as I love hers.

“Okay, bedtime,” I say, turning on the light. I pull back the covers and Charlotte jumps in, whipping them up around her neck.

“Goodnight, Char,” I whisper, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead, using the nickname I’d given her today at the park. Arms come around me and wet lips hit my cheek in a quick kiss.

“Goodnight. Love you.”

She rolls over closing her eyes to go to sleep after telling me she loves me as casually as she announced she was tired. I’m glued to my position, unmoving as her words take hold of my heart.

My throat closes up and I have to cough to push through the lump. I stand and walk to the door. Stopping to turn the light off, I look over at Charlotte’s sleeping form one more time and let the foreign words fall from my lips. “I love you, too.”

And I do. There is not one part of her anyone could not adore. I will cherish her, learn from her, and show her compassion. I’d give all the things I ever wanted from my own mother and shower her in love. I could never replace her mom and I never wanted to. But it appeared I need not worry anyway, for now I had my own special place in this little girl’s beautiful soul.

I head back out to the living room and I feel him before I see him. His hands are on my hips and I turn in his embrace. Face to face, he’s so hard to resist. Charlotte’s barely been asleep two minutes and I already want to kiss him and never come up for air. Pushing us backwards in his arms, he guides us past the living room and into the kitchen. My ass finds itself sitting on the counter.

Mason heads over to a cupboard. Two wine glasses clink together as he pulls them out one handed. Opening the fridge door, he searches for something and I assume he’s looking for the wine bottle I saw on the bottom shelf.

I open my mouth to tell him where it is when the sound of my ringtone blasts from beside me.

I quickly pick it up and answer, hoping the noise hasn’t woken Charlotte. I should have checked the caller ID first.

“Hello?”

A chill runs the length of my spine and my whole body stiffens. I suck in a breath while my heart pumps rapidly in my chest. I grip the phone tightly to my ear while listening to the man speaking on the other end of the line. I recognize his voice, and when he mentions his name, I remember. It’s a mass of jumbled words in my head, District Attorney’s office. Jeremy Stiles. Attica Correctional Facility. Need to talk. No, I don’t want to talk. I quickly hang up and stare at my cell in my hands as my chest heaves in pain from the breath I was holding. The phone shakes, my hands unsteady. I stare at it, ignoring the world. I can hear nothing, see no one. My mind warps as I rack my brain to come up with one good reason why they’d make contact after nearly a decade of radio silence after Jeremy’s sentencing.

“So I’m thinking with how often you’re staying here, I’m going to need to do some more shopping. We’re running out of food.”

Mason’s light voice pulls me back to reality and I cough, hiding all emotions along with it. We had enough shit going on without the concern of a phone call about a ghost. I can’t let that asshole have any effect on me now.

I smile and jump off the counter to wrap my arms around Mason, hugging him from behind. I inhale the scent I’ve come to long for at the end of each day.

“Well, we’ll go shopping tomorrow then.” I smile, hoping I’ve successfully masked my emotions enough to put off any questioning from him.

“Can’t, sweetheart. Not after today. I didn’t want to mention this before in case Charlotte read too much into it, but I felt it too. All day it felt like we were being watched. So I’m going to have to go into the precinct in the morning. Gonna call Roam in a minute and fill him in. Cassidy and Elias know what’s happening so we’re gonna go over any footage of the park we can get a hold of, find what other footage is around and get the fucker who was following us. I just don’t know what to do with Charlotte though. Cora’s out of town this weekend so she can’t babysit.”

My mouth speaks for me before my mind has a chance to overanalyze every possible reason this idea could be monumentally bad. “I’ll have Charlotte, just leave her with me. She’ll be fine here. You said yourself earlier, uniforms will stay outside your place all tonight and tomorrow while I’m here, so why doesn’t she just stay with me until you get home?”

I widen my eyes at him, hopeful for his trust. Allowing Charlotte to stay with me, alone, just the two of us is a huge internal hurdle of fear mixed with trust for Mason to jump over.

He stares at me for a few seconds too long without saying a word and my nerves light on fire, spreading quickly throughout me.

I relent, the confliction laced through his features chips at my heart. He still doesn’t trust me. Can I blame him? No, I certainly couldn’t.

“You don’t have to. It was just an idea.” I shake it off and lower my eyes so Mason can’t see the hurt burning brightly. The last thing I want is him to make his decision built on his guilt.

He squeezes my thigh with the hand resting on it. With the other, he brushes my hair back over my shoulder. “Want your eyes, Lindsey.”

I blink away any emotion, like I’ve done so many times before and lift my head high with confidence. When I knew he trusted me completely, maybe then I’d let it all show.

“You keep my baby girl close tomorrow, okay?” he asks, but it’s more of a statement.

“Mason, I—”

“No, Lindsey, just listen, okay? I saw your face drop when I didn’t say yes straight away. You hide that shit well, normally, but you weren’t quick enough then. I was never doubting your capabilities of taking care of my daughter. I’ve seen the way you are with her. The way she is with you makes my days lighter and generally fucking cheerier. You don’t know this, but I see it. You’re giving her something she’s been missing out on now for too long. And watching my baby girl walk down the hall arm in arm with my woman, warms my heart like you wouldn’t believe.”

I sit up straighter, and clasp my hands together behind Mason’s neck. “Is my big badass detective getting soft on me?” I tease.

He grabs my ass and pulls me against him, the hardness inside his pants a surprise against my core. “Far from soft, sweetheart.” He winks and his face turns upwards, radiating a heat through my body. I spot Mason’s gun and badge over his shoulder, sitting at the back of the counter and seeing them sparks an idea.

I pull back from Mase and his hazy eyes meet mine. “Do you have your cuffs?”

He angles his head to the side slightly, his eyes questioning me without the need for words. “Yeah I’ve always got them on me. Why?”

I lower my voice and trail a finger over his Henley-covered chest, down to the waistband of his tan pants. “Get them. They’re about to come in handy.”

Mase’s lips part and he leans in, but I bypass his lips, slide down his body, off the counter and without so much of a look behind me, I swing my hips all the way to his bedroom, because I know he’s watching. I don’t need to see it to believe it. I can feel his eyes on me, the heat of his stare burns into my back.

I lift the hem of my navy chiffon blouse over my head. I drop it to the cream plush carpet of Mason’s bedroom. Another step closer to the bed, I whip the tie holding my bun in place out and shake my hair free. It falls down my back, past my bra, and it whispers against my waist. I reach behind me, flicking my bra clasp free. The cups fall, the straps dangle down my arms. I toss it aside and reach for the button on my black skinny jeans. Shimmying them down, I step out of them and push them out of the way. My fingers meet the lace of my panties, but before I can remove them, they’re yanked down by two large hands and I’m spun around and lifted into strong arms. My legs wrap around Mase’s now naked waist. He obviously undressed just as I did. An oomph crosses my lips as we fall onto the bed.

“And what exactly are you planning to do with these?” Mase teases, a finger holding up the silver cuffs he just pulled from the top of his pants.

I smirk and raise a brow at him. “Lay down on the bed, Detective Cole.” Without a word, I grab the dangling cuffs and place them behind me on the comforter. “Lay down on the bed, on your back, head on the pillow.”

He opens his mouth, but no words come out. He closes it and swallows. His Adam’s apple bobs. His hands travel to his pants and in one swift movement, they fall to the floor along with his briefs. His cock springs free, eager and fiery and I lick my lips, ready to devour him. Shifting aside, I make room for him to lie down. His head hits the pillow and his long body reaches right to the end of his bed. Fuck, he’s tall. He pulls his head forward to make room for his hands as he shoves them behind it.

“Uh uh.” I shake my head, and picking up the cuffs, I shift over Mason’s body so I can reach his wrists. I can’t cuff him to the wooden headboard, but I don’t need to. The act of cuffing him is clearly enough to get him raging hard and just how I want him. As I straddle his stomach, his cock pokes my ass, the touch of the head on me enough to make me move my hands faster. My nipples pebble, my pussy grows wetter. I want nothing more than to shove back on him and bury him deep inside me, but first I have other plans. I tighten both cuffs over his wrists and shift my way back down his body. Inch by inch, I kiss and devour. Savoring the smoothness of his skin and hardness of his muscles beneath my lips. He wriggles under my tongue and a groan rips from him. His abs harden and he attempts to sit up, but I push my hand up, palm against his chest and shove him back down.

“You’re killing me here, sweetheart,” he croaks, his knuckles turning white as he clenches his fists.

“I’m just getting started, sweetheart,” I reply, using the endearment he’s delighted me with from the first day we met. He grunts and the deep sound seduces my resistance. More of that and foreplay will become a lost cause.

I kiss further south until I reach his cock. I clasp my hands firmly around his shaft, squeeze and slide slowly, up and down. His breathing hitches, his cock throbs. I lean in and blow a light breath over the head, earning myself another moan from him. Holding him tightly in my hand, I lick the underside of his rigid cock. Encircling my lips around him, I swirl my tongue over the top then devour. I suck him dry until he’s pumping his hips up thrusting into my mouth. My cheeks hollow in and begin to ache but I keep going, his pleasure my only goal. Two hands grab my head and a slight sting jolts through me from my hair being pulled.  I lift my gaze and my eyes catch his as he watches me, brows furrowed, mouth parted and his breathing heavy, eyes so ferocious I know he’s holding in his desire to ram himself down my throat. His cock swells in my mouth, and with a pop, my lips are yanked free. I reach over to the nightstand, rip a condom out and slide it on.

“Better sink down on my cock Lindsey because I’m two seconds away from coming.” He grounds out breathlessly, his gravelly voice turning me on more.

I slam down home, Mason filling every inch of me with so much more than just his beautiful cock.

He fills my life with a richness no amount of money ever could. He fills my home with warmth just from his and Charlotte’s presence. He is comfort, familiarity. He is home.

The coolness of metal cuffs graze the back of my neck as Mase pulls me forward, trapping my cheek against his chest. “Hold on,” he whispers in my ear, keeping me still. I’m shot upwards, Mason pistoning his hips into me. He’s losing all constraint. Pleasure temporarily blinds me as my release takes control, my shaking legs no longer capable of steadying themselves. Mason’s relentless thrusting slows until he’s motionless and nothing other than our labored breathing sounds through the room.

“Good God, you know how to use that thing. Even cuffed you still manage to keep up your bossy attitude.”

His shoulders bounce as he chuckles silently. He’s overpowering in the best way. Not that I’d tell him that.

I reach for Mason’s cuffed wrists around the back of my neck and slip out from under them. I grab the keys and undo them before shifting onto the other side of the bed, wrapping myself up in the bazillion thread count sheets. I shut my eyes, hoping when I reopen them this lightness coursing through me will remain, this moment lasting long enough for me to wash away the uneasiness about the phone call I received earlier. I’ll deal with it. I’ll just do it later when I’m not watching my back for the devil.