“My sister has a good and kind heart,” he says. “She's naïve and wants to believe the best in people. What she fails to understand is that some people are rotten down to their core. You know – people like you.”
I give him a slow grin. “You still haven't quite gotten over the fact that I kept you from getting your ass beat at St. Aggie's, huh? Pride and ego still wounded about that?” I say. “It's been twenty years, man. Don't you think it's time to move past that shit? I'd sing that 'Let it Go' song, but I don't know all the words, and I doubt you only want to hear the chorus.”
He slams his fist down on the table, his eyes blazing with righteous anger. “This has nothing to do with that, as much as you want to think it does,” he says. “Nothing at all. This has everything to do with you being a piece of shit, and me not wanting my sister involved with trash like you.”
I laugh and shake my head, enjoying the fact that I'm getting under his skin. I think that if I try hard enough, I may be able to incite a stroke, or an aneurysm in the guy. It's always good to set obtainable goals.
“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” I say simply.
Mason takes a long breath and regains his composure, though I can see it's a Herculean effort on his part. When he looks at me, he seems slightly more under control – though, his very aura radiates hostility and hatred.
“Last chance,” he says. “Stop seeing Darby or I'm going to turn the hounds loose on poor Pops. I'm going to use everything at my disposal, and make whatever years he has left on this planet excruciatingly miserable for him.”
“You know, Pops is an old man. Doesn't get out much anymore,” I say. “I actually just came from his place. Mentioned that you might be paying me a visit and what you'd probably have in mind.”
“Is that so?”
I nod. “That's so,” I say. “The funny thing about an old man with nothing but time on his hands is that he would actually enjoy wasting your time. He'd love for you to try and charge him with anything because he'll make your life a nightmare. And at the end of the day, you'’ll have nothing but your dick in your hand to show for your efforts.
Pops hasn't killed anybody and I'm confident that justice – actual justice, not your bullshit brand of psycho, pseudo-justice – will prevail. And when it does, I'm guessing that your bosses aren't going to look too favorably about your half-assed, personal crusade. Why, it might even negatively impact your chances of running for office at some point soon.”
Mason leans back in his seat and looks at me, his expression one of complete disgust. He runs a hand through his own hair, still trying to calm himself down.
“What about you?” he asks.
“What about me?”
“Think you're so squeaky clean?”
“Actually, yeah. I do,” I say.
“What would you say if I told you that my office has been investigating you for months?”
“First, I'd say that's complete bullshit,” I say. “Secondly, I'd say you need a new fuckin' hobby, because that's got to be boring as hell. Not to mention a massive waste of taxpayer dollars. I run a clean shop here.”
“Nobody runs a perfectly clean shop,” he snaps.
“I do,” I say simply. “You're welcome to look until your heart's content. You're not going to find anything, because there's nothing to be found.”
“So, you say.”
“No, I know,” I reply.
“I guess we'll see about that.”
I nod. “Bring it on,” I reply. “You'll have my full cooperation. Mostly because I can't wait to see you fall flat on your face. What do you think that will do to your political ambitions? I'd say it'll blow them right up. Especially after I file a civil suit against the Department of Justice – and you – for harassment and anything else I can come up with.”
“Good luck with a civil suit,” he says. “I know most of the judges on the federal bench, and –”
“You should probably also know that I've got a lot of friends on Capitol Hill,” I say. “Turns out, everybody – Democrat and Republican alike – love money. And I make them lots of money, Mason. Which means I doubt they'll look to fondly on some loose-cannon U.S. Attorney wasting time and money on nothing more than a witch hunt. A bullshit personal vendetta that's targeting their favorite cash cow.”
He lets out a long breath and glares at me. “You can have any woman you want,” he says. “Why are you so insistent on Darby?”
“Because Darby is unlike any other woman I've ever known,” I answer honestly.
“And when you get tired of her?” he asks. “When you get bored? You just going to up and leave and shatter her heart again? You have no idea what she went through the last time –”
“You seem to forget,” I say loudly, cutting him off, “last time was because of you. I would have never left if not for you.”
“You made a choice. You sacrificed her for the old man,” he says. “And you need to do it again.”
“I don't need to do shit, you insufferable prick,” I hiss. “I fucked up once because of you. I refuse to make that same mistake again.”
“Walk away, Carter,” he warns.
I chuckle. “This world is not your gameboard, and I'm not one of your pieces that you can move around at will,” I say. “You want to come at me? Then have the spine to come at me, you fucking weasel. Don't use other people to play your game. Come at me straight. That is, unless you're still too much of a coward to do that. That wouldn't exactly surprise me though, given your history and all.”
He slams his briefcase shut and stands up abruptly. “You've been warned, Bishop,” he says. “I'm coming after Pops with everything I've got, and you’re next. You're going to be sorry you crossed me.”
“You've been warned as well, Mason,” I reply, my voice cold. “I'm someone you really don't want to fuck with. You'd do well just to walk out that door and never bother me again.”
“Oh? Or what? They gonna find me face down in the river with a couple of bullets in the back of my head?” he asks. “I mean, that is what you – people – do, isn't it?”
I chuckle, but my eyes hold no humor in them. “Oh no,” I say. “Killing you would be way too easy. You fuck with me, I am going to revel in tearing your whole fucking life down, brick by brick, setting it all on fire, and then pissing on the ashes. Back the fuck off. Right now.”
He gives me a cocky little smirk, and
without another word, he leaves, storming out of the office. All the employees watch him as he passes – a couple of them even making the sign of the cross as he goes. That's the reputation Mason White carries. And it's that reputation I'm going to enjoy burning to the ground.
“Well, that went well,” Rupert says as he steps into the conference room.
I shrug. “Could've been worse.”
“I especially liked the bit about burning his life down and pissing on the ashes,” he says. “Nothing like a little over the top melodrama.”
“I thought the situation called for it.”
“Good call,” he says. “Maybe they'll use that line when they make this a made-for-TV movie.”
I laugh. “He's going to be a problem.”
“No doubt about that,” he replies. “One question before we go to war with this assclown – is Darby worth it?”
“She's more than worth it,” I say without hesitation.
“Then let's gear up and go to war.”
Chapter Sixteen
Darby
“I can't believe you didn't tell me,” Jade squeals. “You're keeping secrets from your bestie, now? What's up with that?”
“I didn't mean to,” I say. “Everything just happened so fast, and –”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she says. “It's in the besties handbook. You are required by law to report any new boyfriends or fuck-buddies within forty-eight hours.”
“I must have missed that byline,” I reply.
“It's in the fine print,” she says. “Always read the fine print
.”
We're sitting in The Moonshiner having a few drinks. Things with Carter have been so intense and moving so fast lately that it's nice to take a step back and breathe. I haven’t really had time to stop and think about anything at all. It’s literally been a blur. A sexy, exhilarating, naked blur. Granted, I'd be lying if I said I haven’t been enjoying myself.
But then, Mason had to stick his nose into it and screw things up entirely. Or, at least, screw up what's going on in my head. I've already been holding back a little bit, just because of the history I share with Carter. Mason though, compounded the fears, concerns, and doubts in my head with his little stunt.
Part of me wants to reject everything he said. I know he’s more concerned with his career ambitions than he is about me. I have a feeling he'd say or do anything to protect his own interests.
But, on the other hand, I can't keep that little worm of doubt from wriggling around inside of me. No matter how hard I try to get it out, I just can't. It persists.
“Tell me something,” Jade says. “I’m curious.”
“What's that?”
“Back in the day – were you and Carter hooking up?”
I can't meet her eyes and feel the sudden heat burning in my cheeks. To this day, I haven't told Jade about my relationship with Carter. A fact I feel bad about – especially now that it's biting me in the ass.
“I knew it,” she laughs. “I knew it! You bitch! You knew I was into him!”
I shrug. “It wasn't supposed to happen like that.”
“Please,” she says. “I knew the minute you drove off with him that you were gonna be banging him within an hour. Not that I can blame you. He's gorgeous, Darby. And now he’s loaded. Even better.”
“So, you're not mad?”
Jade cocks her head and looks at me. “No, I'm not mad,” she says. “I had a crush on him, yeah, but he seemed to prefer you. I'm happy for you. Actually, I'm just happy you're finally getting laid. You needed it bad, babe.”
“Gee, thanks.”
She laughs as I take a sip of my drink, letting out a long breath. Relieved. I didn't realize just how heavy that secret was until Jade took it off my shoulders. Call me silly, but I firmly believe in loyalty. And banging a guy I knew my friend was into doesn’t exactly fit my standards.
“So? How is he, you know, in bed?” she asks. “Inquiring minds want to know. I think you owe me at least that much.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Oh God,” I say. “I'm not going to answer that.”
“Sure, you are,” she says, putting on a dramatic, anguished face. “It's the least you can do after stealing my man.”
I throw a napkin at her. “Shut up.”
“Come on, Darbs,” she says. “Give me a little thrill. You know all I get is boring married sex.”
“Your husband is gorgeous, Jade,” I say.
“He is. And he's great in bed, don't get me wrong,” she replies. “But, after so many years together, I can’t help but be curious. Which is why I need to live vicariously through you right now. So, spill. How is Mr. Bishop in bed?”
My cheeks are burning with a shade of red not found in nature. I have all of these conflicting emotions, swirling around just below the surface, and I'm having a hard time making sense of anything.
“He's amazing,” I finally say. “Honestly, the sex is mind-blowing.”
“That's my girl,” she beams. “I have to admit – I'm a little jealous. What I wouldn't give for a crack at that.”
“You're terrible,” I say. “And married with children.”
“One free pass?”
“Don't think your hubby would approve. Sorry.”
She smiles and takes a sip of her drink. Jade likes to talk like a scoundrel, but I know for a fact that she's so deeply in love with her husband, she'd never cheat on him. Never in a million years.
Back in the day, she was a bit of a wild child. I never thought she'd ever be content to settle down and stay with one man for the rest of her life. But, she surprised me by falling madly in love, and getting married. She’s as happy as I've ever seen her, and it does my heart good to see it.
“Is it getting serious between you two?” she asks.
I shrug. “I don't know,” I say. “Maybe?”
“Maybe?” she asks. “You don't sound so sure.”
“Well, it's not like we have the best track record,” I say.
“What do you mean?”
I drain the last of my drink and signal the waitress for another. I'm going to need a little more to get me through this. A few minutes later, she comes over and slides a fresh round in front of us, I wait until she leaves before I tell Jade the whole story. Every last bit of it. I catch her up on everything that happened ten years ago, and everything going on today – including everything Mason laid on me recently.
She listens to every word, alternating between aghast and amused. And when I'm finished, she takes a long swallow of her drink, and begins to laugh.
“What's so funny?” I ask.
“I'm going to have to go online and find that video,” she says. “That would be amazing to see. My little Darby, standing up to the big, bad man. How adorable.”
“Wasn't really that funny at the time.”
“Probably not,” she says. “But, I just want to see the look on his face. I bet Carter isn’t used to people giving him a verbal smackdown like that.”
“Probably not,” I admit. “Granted, he thought it was pretty funny too.”
She eyes me evenly over her drink and I can tell by the look on her face that she has something to say. Not that Jade doesn't always have something to say, but the look she has on her face tells me she's about to impart some of her patented three-drink wisdom.
“Tell me something,” she says. “Do you actually think Carter is capable of murdering somebody?”
I don't reply, instead looking down at my drink, as if searching for answers in the bottom of the glass. The truth is, I don't have an answer for that question. My heart screams no. The man I know is gentle and kind. Compassionate and caring. My brain then interjects with flashbacks of him punching that kid back at St. Aggie’s. Yeah, there’s a long way to go from assault to murder, but I know he has the capability for violence. And that kind of scares me.
“Obviously, I don't know Carter all that well,” Jade says. “I imagine he can be arrogant and condescending. I imagine he can be one of those take charge, alpha male types. Am I right?”
Though he's never been that way with me, I have seen hints of that personality manifest within him, so I nod.
“Asshole, maybe,” she says. “Killer, definitely not. I never got that vibe off him.”
“Yeah, well, you knew him for all of what, half an hour?”
She nods. “Yeah, and I never got that vibe,” she responds. “But more than that, you were with him for longer and you never did either.”
“Maybe I blinded myself to it because I was falling for him.”
“Listen to me, Darby,” she says. “Despite what your brother says, you are not naïve. You are not some idiot with a schoolgirl crush. You have an instinctive feel for people. Always have. You have an uncanny ability to see whether they're good or bad. When we were growing up and partying with older guys, how many times did you stop me from leaving with somebody because you got a bad feeling about them?”
“Not that you listened to me every time,” I say, a rueful smile on my lips.
“No, I didn't. And I found myself in bad situations more than once because I didn't listen to you,” she says. “Because you were right, more often than not. So, don't let fucking Mason convince you that you're acting like some stupid teenage girl. You're not.”
I pick at the cocktail napkin on the table in front of me, processing everything she's saying, not sure what to make of it all.
“You've let Mason live in your head, rent free, for years, Darbs. For as long as I've known you,” she says. “For years and years, honey, you've let him make
you think you're something you're not – a silly, stupid, naïve girl. You're one of the most intelligent, intuitive, and strongest people I know.”
“He says his office has been investigating Carter for a long time though,” I say. “Says he has him linked to a number of crimes already.”
“And Mason has never lied to you to manipulate you into doing something he wants, has he?” she asks, arching an eyebrow at me. “Look, I don't know if Carter is guilty of anything or not. Chances are, he hasn’t been a perfect angel all his life. None of us has, Darbs. But, is he guilty of what Mason is suggesting? I don't know that I'd trust Mason's word alone. If I were you, I'd listen to my gut a lot more than a man with an obvious agenda. If I were in your shoes, I'd do some digging, and find some facts on my own. Only then can you put an end to all those questions and doubts in your head.”
“I'm just so afraid of letting myself get too attached again, and then having it turn out that Carter really is the monster Mason is making him out to be,” I say. “I don't know if I would survive another heartbreak like that. I mean, I know Carter has a past. He obviously has secrets.”
“Don't we all?” she asks. “Listen, Mason is all about Mason. You know that as well as I do. He's using you as a stepping stone to achieve his own goals. He always has. He doesn't really give a damn about anything other than how something impacts him and his ability to control the people around him. Why do you think he and I hated each other so much growing up? I saw right through that shit and called him on it. And you know more than anything, Mason doesn't like being called on his bullshit.”
That much was true. Jade and Mason hated each other with a passion when we were kids. And that feeling didn't diminish as we got older. If anything, they both seemed even more entrenched in their positions on each other than before. It's so bad that Mason always pretends to not know her, or remember that she's my friend. Because he's mature and totally not petty or anything.
Even still, despite her loathing of my brother, that doesn't make what she's saying any less valid.
“You know the quickest way to clear this all up?” she asks. “Talk to Carter. Ask him about it point blank. Listen to your intuition. If something seems off or you get any sort of weird intuition when he speaks, you'll have your answer.”
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