Wow, maybe he really does care about me, after all.
After Mason had walked out on us, I’d convinced myself that he didn’t care about anyone but himself. But now hearing the anguish in his voice, I was beginning to change my mind.
“I’m just glad you came along when you did,” I said softly.
“I am too. Had I been a minute longer, he’d have probably gotten you through that door. Then who knows what would’ve happened.”
A cold chill went down my spine and the hum of the motor and the buzz of passing cars filled the silence for the next several moments.
“Were you friends with that guy or something?” I asked, finally breaking the silence. “He knew your hacker name and everything.”
Mason grunted. “Unfortunately.”
“Who was he?”
“Aubrey Locke — a douchebag hacker that never could pull his own weight. We were just in high school when he got me into Anonymous. I don’t know how he got in to be honest, he’s more of a brute. I’m sure he thought he could elevate his status by bringing me in. Not sure what he was doing at the library right then, though, probably a stroke of luck, but then again, maybe not. The worst part about all of this is now they know you’re with me.”
A feeling of dread settled on my chest. Suddenly, I remembered why we’d come to the library in the first place “Did you get the video on my site?” I asked. To me that was more important than anything else at the moment or this would’ve all been for nothing.
Mason nodded. “The only thing that went right today. After I got it set up, I forwarded the link to the video to all the major news and media outlets. By the time we get back to the cabin, the mayor should have been exposed for the scumbag he is.”
Despite the dark pall that hung over us, I was filled with sudden giddiness. Shortly, my name would be known in all of the news circles and then . . .
Jesus Christ, get a hold of yourself!
I was irritated by my need to be validated by my peers and my hunger for recognition. There was much more going on here than just my career. Mason was a wanted man, and now I was possibly just as wanted by the hackers that were after him.
“Mason,” I said as he pulled off the freeway, “we’re going to need to start planning how we’re going to clear your name and make these Anonymous people leave us alone—”
A vibration in the pocket of my skirt interrupted me. I frowned. It was my cell. I thought I’d turned it off, but now was a good time to do it. It would be only a matter of time before it would be vibrating off the hook.
I slipped a hand in my pocket and pulled it out. Mason reached over to stop me before I could press the power button.
“Who is it?”
Funny, I hadn’t even bothered to look at the screen. When I did, my mouth went dry and I looked over at Mason with trepidation.
“It’s your father,” I replied.
Chapter 11
Carly
“Answer it,” Mason ordered as he pulled onto the winding road that would take us to my cabin.
I stared at him with surprise as the phone thrummed in my hands. “Are you sure? I thought you didn’t want me talking to anyone?”
“I don’t, but I think he suspects something. We need to find out what he knows.” He nodded at my cell. “Answer it.”
“And act normal.”
I stared at him for a moment then I took a deep breath, my mouth as dry as a desert as I pressed the answer button.
“Hello?” I tried to sound as innocent and as cheery as possible.
“Hey pumpkin!” Brian greeted cheerfully, using his favorite old nickname for me. How’s my favorite girl doing?” There was static in the transmission and I had to turn up the volume to hear him over the motor. He didn’t sound angry or pissed, so that was good at least. Maybe this was just his routine welfare check up.
“I’m fine,” I replied, relaxing a little and keeping my voice even. “How are you?”
Brian chuckled. “Good, good. How’s your mother?”
“You know what? That reminds me. I haven’t talked to her in a while. I so need to call her. But the last time we talked, she was doing just fine, complaining and carrying on . . . you know how she does sometimes.”
“I sure do,” Brian laughed dryly. “Good, God, I do.”
I flashed an easy smile at Mason, letting him know the call was going well.
“Everything alright with your new gig at that newspaper you said you were working for?”
I cringed. Not wanting any sympathy, I lied to Brian about what I was doing employment-wise. He’d paid for my college tuition and I didn’t want any more handouts.
“It’s going real smooth,” I lied. “Really good. In fact, I’m getting a promotion next month.”
Shit, I’m such a terrible liar.
“Really?” he asked, sounding surprised. “Well I’m very happy for you!”
I grimaced. “Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without the support of such kick ass parents.”
Mason stuck his finger in his mouth and made a gagging sound. I slapped him on the arm.
“I always knew you would succeed, Carly,” Brian was saying. “You always worked your ass off, getting good grades, raising the bar with each achievement . . . and at least you didn’t waste my hard-earned money like someone else we know,” he muttered.
An awkward silence settled over the phone. I didn’t know if he was trying to bait me into talking about Mason or not. I did know for a fact he was bitter over Mason, so it wasn’t hard to believe he was just being genuine.
Surprisingly, I found myself coming to Mason’s defense. “Well, uh, you know, maybe he was going through something and couldn’t handle all the pressure—”
“Oh please!” Brian snarled. “The boy was spoiled, that was his problem! I gave him everything he wanted growing up when I should have been harder! Had I done my job, maybe he wouldn’t have gotten into those damn drugs.”
“Mason’s not on drugs.” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Fuck.
Mason noticed my slip and looked over at me. He started making a cutting motion at his throat, signaling me to end the call.
Suspicion laced Brian’s voice. “How would you know that?
I motioned sharply at him to quit his antics. I couldn’t just hang up on him and invite more suspicion. Besides, he’d probably just call right back.
“Uh, because it doesn’t seem like him. He never was the type. He was all about keeping his body in perfect condition.”
“Not what I heard.” Brian crackled. “Your brother’s a damn crackhead!”
I twisted my lips. There was no use in arguing and casting further suspicion on myself. He was probably talking in anger anyway, still bitter after all this time. “If you say so.”
There was a slight pause. “Have you seen him?”
I tried to play stupid. “Huh?”
“Have you seen Mason?”
“No, why would I?” I tried to sound as convincing as possible. “I haven’t heard from him since that day he walked out.”
There was a very long pause this time and I began to sweat beneath my palms.
When Brian spoke next, his voice was calmer. “Some detectives came by here looking for him. You know he’s in trouble, right?”
I let out an exaggerated gasp of surprise, my eyes going wide. “You’re shitting me!”
Suddenly, Mason started laughing and I looked at him with alarm, slapping him on the arm. Thankfully, it was a silent laugh, the type that you have to hold in but your whole body shakes from it. Mason’s shoulders rocked as his face turned red. He literally looked like he was gasping for breath, his hands barely holding onto the wheel.
He was so distracted that he drifted slightly into the other lane just as a red pickup came speeding around the corner. At the last possible moment, he swerved back into our lane, narrowly avoiding a collision.
“Jesus Christ!” I yelled, my heart pounding within m
y chest.
The pickup blazed past us, honking at us, the driver flipping Mason the bird.
“Watch where you’re going asshole!” He yelled out of his window.
“What was that?” Brian asked, sounding concerned.
I gave Mason my most venomous glare. “Uh, nothing. I just accidentally knocked my latte into my lap and ruined my skirt.”
“Oh, you scared me for a second. Are you on a highway?”
I paused, glancing at Mason who was just now getting over his giggles. I didn’t want to lie. Brian could probably tell I was in the car anyway, you usually can. “Heading to a friend’s place, actually.”
“All right. Where are you staying at these days? I’d love to come visit.”
Mason, who now seemed almost recovered from his fit, shook his head violently. Apparently, he heard what his father asked.
“You know what? Let me call you back later. I’ve got to stop by a gas station and change my clothes. I don’t want to show up at my friends smelling like a mocha latte. Love ya!”
Brian began to protest. “Carly wait. I really need to speak with you. It’s important—”
I tapped the hang-up button and then powered my phone off, giving Mason my most venomous scowl. “Keep your eyes on the road! You almost ran us smack into that truck.”
Mason was still chuckling. “I’m sorry, Carly. You’re just such a terrible liar and I couldn’t help it.”
Mason’s expression suddenly became serious. “He knows you’re with me.”
I stared. “You think so?”
Mason pulled us off the main road and onto a back road that would take us straight to the cabin. “Trust me — he either knows you’re with me, or suspects that you’re with me. Either way, it’s not good, because if he knows, everyone knows. It’s only natural that I try to make contact with the person I care about the most.” A strange look came over his face after those words left his mouth, as if he was surprised that he said it.
I cleared my throat uncomfortably. “Still, what does it matter even if he does? He has no clue where we are.”
“And do you really think you can trust this landlord of yours?” Mason asked skeptically.
I nodded. “I do. He’s been a huge help to me.”
“We’ll see about that after they plaster your name on the news along with mine.”
“All we have to do now is lay low and wait. It’s only a matter of time before the video spreads like wildfire.”
“If Anonymous or Dad doesn’t have me killed first,” Mason muttered darkly.
I turned on him with a disbelieving stare. “What the hell are you talking about? Brian may still be angry at you, but why would you think he’d want you dead?”
Mason snorted. “I don’t think. I know.”
We came up on the dirt road that served as a driveway to the cabin and the neat little structure came into view. I don’t think I’d ever been so happy to see it, but I suppose almost being killed will do that to you.
I continued to stare at Mason. I was starting to think being in the shadows so long caused him to be a paranoid schizophrenic.
I shook my head. “You’re crazy.”
“You don’t know him like I do.”
“I think I lived under his roof for long enough that I know that he wouldn’t do something like that.”
Mason set his jaw, stubborn to the bone. “You might be right, but I don’t doubt that he’d love to see me rot in a jail cell.”
Mason drove my Ford up the driveway and rolled to a stop in front of the cabin, shutting the engine off.
I was glad to get out and stretch and go inside. After the harrowing events of the day, I was ready to relax and watch the fruits of our labor unfold.
Mason opened his door, jumped out, and slammed it, walking off to the cabin and leaving me to wonder what the hell he was angry about. Everything didn’t go as planned, but we accomplished what we set out to do.
Chapter 12
Mason
“Why isn’t it on the news yet?” Carly demanded, pacing back in forth in front of me in her small living room. “Shouldn’t it be on by now?”
I hardly heard her, my eyes fixed her body. She was even hotter than normal when she got antsy. When she started pacing, my eyes were glued to her hips, watching her every move.
She moved with a fluid, sensual grace that took my breath away. The bad thing was that I don’t even think she noticed what a turn on her strut was.
“Mason,” Carly hissed, stopping to plant her hands on her hips.
I tore my eyes from her body and guiltily looked away. “What?”
She scowled. “Are you listening to me?”
I brought my gaze on her face, studying her beauty. Her petulant scowl, her sensual, yet pouty lips. She was almost too beautiful for words.
It was hard to imagine that I came so close to losing her today. When I thought about that fucker’s hands on her body, my blood boiled with rage. He deserved every damn punch I gave him.
When I joined Anonymous, I’d joined it because the principles that they purported to believe in; to expose the rampant and growing corruption in Government and Corporate America. Not everything was on the up-and-up in how they got information, but blackmailing Politicians wasn’t on the list of by-laws.
Lately, they’d become blinded by their power, hacking into government and corporate systems gathering dirt. But instead of exposing it, they’d gotten greedy. I’d ignored it for as long as I could, but now I was caught in the middle.
I’d been thinking about getting out, but I had nowhere and no one to turn to. My old life was a distant memory, and I’d burned bridges disappearing the way that I did. After this whole shit storm was over, I’d have no choice, and I would need something, or someone, to dedicate my life to. And I knew just the girl.
The one I always loved.
The sudden realization unsettled me deeply.
“Helloooo?” Carly demanded, snapping me out of my reverie, waving her hands in front of my eyes. “Earth to Mason?”
I shook my head to clear away my muddled thoughts and emotions and grinned at her, not letting her on to my inner turmoil. I loved it so much when she was irritated. She was at her sexiest then.
“Relax, Carly,” I said, rubbing at my shoulder. It felt sore from where the bastard had gotten in a lucky punch. “Give it some time. I sent it to every major news outlet. They’re probably still gawking at the footage, trying to verify it.”
She glanced over at her laptop. “What if we just log in to make sure —”
“Absolutely not,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s too risky now — just sit tight and be patient.”
Carly bit her lower lip and looked worried. “All right,” she said resignedly. “Fine. I’m just a little anxious.”
You think?
She walked over to the couch and sat down right next to me, crossing her legs. I tried not to, but my eyes drifted down. Her legs looked so smooth, so creamy. I wanted to reach down and touch them, caress them, and run my hands up her skirt . . .
Blood rushed between my legs, and suddenly the room felt stifling hot. I adjusted the collar of my hoodie, feeling like I was going to burn up and sweat began beading at my temples.
Carly seemed to notice my agitation, placing a concerned hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?” Her soft voice was like honey in my ear.
That did it, even her slightest touch. I jumped up from the couch. “I’ve got to take a shower,” I said hoarsely. I didn’t bother hiding my wood, there was no point. Besides, I wasn’t ashamed. I was proud that I was gifted and wasn’t afraid to flaunt it. Might as well make her feel uneasy right along with me.
“Why now?” she asked, seemingly unaware of the problem she’d just caused. “We’re supposed to be waiting for the news to break the story.”
I stabbed a finger against my hoodie. “I’ve got blood all over me, and it’s probably soaked through to my shirt. I don’t want to sit around with that fucker�
�s blood on me or wind up getting something smeared on your furniture.”
Carly waved away my concern. “Please, this shit? I could go get nicer stuff off the side of the road somewhere.” Her eyes drifted down to my blood-splattered sweater and they widened as if noticing the droplets for the first time, down to my crotch and then quickly back up to my face, her cheeks turning a rosy red. “Jesus. I can’t believe we drove all that way and I didn’t even notice your clothes are a mess.” Her words came out really fast, as if she was trying to hide the fact that she’d just looked at my crotch.
I grinned at her, amused by her embarrassment. “You were in a state of fear, that’s why.”
Carly’s cheeks were crimson and she looked like she was trying to will herself from looking back down again. “You’re probably right. Look, leave your shirt and sweater outside the bathroom. I’ll take them and try to scrub the blood out as best I can.”
When she saw the question in my eyes, she added sheeply, “No washer or dryer here yet. I just hand-wash a time or two until I need to go to a laundromat. ”
“Gotcha.” My eyes drifted back down to those smooth legs of hers and I noted the way her skirt was riding up her thigh. I could only imagine the treat that waited underneath . . .
“The towels are in the cabinet to your right once you step inside of the bathroom,” she said. Her eyes seemed to lose the battle and they darted to my bulge, which was stretched painfully against my jeans, and then averted quickly again.
I knew I could have her right then and there. She was right in front of me, wide-eyed and ripe for the taking. There was nothing stopping me from finally indulging in what I’d wanted to have for so long.
I could see the desire in her eyes. She’d succumb to my will as easily as all the rest. I could take her and give her a fucking she’d never forget.
And I almost did it. I almost reached out and pulled her into my arms.
“Mason?” Carly was staring at me strangely. I looked down. My hand was half outstretched.
My conscience was telling me it wasn’t the time — that patience is a virtue. The other part of me, the side that would almost always prevail, told me to take her and fuck that sweet innocence out of her. But not this time. Not yet.
Razor: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance Page 9
