The Price of Mason

by Linda Kage

  Reese had been stunned. “You hit him,” she gasped. “I can’t believe you just hit him.”

  “He tried to kill you,” I cried. “Hell, yes, I hit him.”

  “But...” She shook her head before exploding, “That was just so cool.”

  I grinned, glad I’d impressed her. But when I reached out to gather her into my arms, I caught sight of Jeremy over her shoulder, stirring on the floor. He lifted his shirt, and reached into the waistband of his pants to pull out—holy shit!

  The fucker had a gun.

  Terror gripped me. Reese was between me and a guy with a gun who wanted to kill her. I was so sure I wouldn’t move fast enough to save her; it was the most frightening moment of my life. Time went into slow motion as I grabbed her shoulders and shoved, probably dumping her right on the floor too. But her psycho stalker was pulling the weapon out and starting to take aim; I hadn’t exactly had the time to push her out of the way gently.

  Worried he would still go after her, I leapt, widening my arms and trying to make a shield out of my body so no bullet could reach her as I tackled him.

  I hit him hard before he could pull the trigger. My nose smacked into something, I think his temple, leaving me dazed. Before I could get my equilibrium back, I gripped his arm, reaching for the gun to get control of it.

  Around us, people screamed and scattered.

  I kicked Jeremy in the knee; he elbowed me in the jaw. The next thing I knew there was a deafening explosion next to my ear that probably permanently damaged my eardrums, leaving nothing but buzzing numbness in my head. I barely heard the second shot, but I swear, I felt the breeze of it caress my cheek because it came so close to getting me.

  Acting out of desperation and the need to survive, I swung out my elbow, catching him in the face, and I startled him enough that I could rip the pistol from his hands. It was a good thing the police showed up then, I wasn’t sure I had enough energy left to hold him off if he’d tried to get it back.

  And now, here I was, at the hospital two hours later, praying for good news. My jaw ached and would probably bruise, my ear still felt funny after the gun had gone off only inches from my face, and I had a bitch of a headache. Not to mention how sick to my stomach I was from the guilt.

  Jeremy had come to town and found Reese. It had to be because I’d refused to sleep with Patricia. The bitch had called him after all, and now…

  Shit, now someone could die. Because of me.

  The two rounds Jeremy had released at the college had actually ended up going through the ceiling of the building. No one there had been harmed. But he’d hit his mark earlier, at Reese’s apartment, where he’d run into Eva before he’d gone to the college looking for Reese.

  And now Eva was in surgery. She’d been conscious enough to call for help, but we had no idea how she was now.

  Reese was a mess. When the officers had told her how they’d known to go to the college to find Jeremy—because Eva had told them—she’d burst into tears and then babbled out how Eva was pregnant.

  I swallowed, trying to beat down the panic. Now, not only did I have Reese’s cousin to worry about, but her baby too. If anything happened to either of them, Reese would never forgive me. I didn’t know how to tell her the truth, but there was no way I could keep this to myself much longer. She needed to know this was all because of me.

  When she’d gotten on her phone to contact both her parents and then Eva’s to tell them what had happened, I’d taken a quick walk down the hall, trying to figure out how I was going to confess what I’d done—or rather who I hadn’t done.

  Shit, Reese was going to flip out when she learned today was my fault.

  Thinking I’d been gone too long and should get back, I stopped by the cafeteria and bought her favorite drink, then hurried that way.

  When I returned, she was off the phone and sitting on a bench with her eyes closed and back pressed to the wall, looking small and alone.

  “I got you a white chocolate mocha espresso,” I said softly, sitting beside her.

  Without opening her eyes, she shook her head, and her face crumbled into her despair. “I don’t think I could drink anything right now. But thank you.”

  She held her hand my way, so I took her fingers and squeezed supportively. “Come here,” I said, tugging her into my lap so she could burrow her face into my chest.

  As the dampness of her tears soaked through my shirt, I kissed her hair. “Eva’s going to be okay. I know it.”

  “I still can’t believe he shot her,” she choked out. “He shot my cousin.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut, my gut churning even more. “I know,” I rasped. “But she’s related to you; she’s tough. She’ll pull through.”

  Reese held me tighter.

  “Did you finally get a hold of her parents?” I asked, hoping to keep her distracted from her worries.

  “Yes. They’re on their way now. They had just gotten off the plane in Phoenix when I reached them.”

  “And what about Alec?” I said, wondering if she would even consider telling him about Eva. “If she’s really carrying his baby, don’t you think he’d want to know about this?”

  Reese sniffed, lifting her face to scowl. “It is his baby, and, no. He broke up with her after finding out about it. I’m not calling that dick unless E asks me to.”

  “Okay, okay.” I grinned slightly over her passionately defensive reaction. “I’m sorry. I just—”

  “It’s fine.” She sank against me. “I just hope they’re both okay.”

  “They will be. The cop said she was shot in the shoulder. That’s nowhere near the fetus.”

  “But—”

  “Shh.” I stroked a hand down her spine.

  She fell quiet, petting my arm in return.

  The squeak of rubber heels on the floor had both Reese and me lifting our faces.

  “Shit,” I muttered just as Reese breathed, “Oh, thank God.”

  “Wait.” Reese swiveled her face toward me, frowning in confusion over my obvious distress. “What’s wrong?”

  I opened my mouth, not sure how to answer, so I just shook my head as Gidget-the-dog’s owner, wearing blue scrubs, paused in the entrance of the waiting room and looked around as she said, “Mercer family?”

  “Here,” Reese called eagerly, forgetting about me as she hopped off my lap and hurried to the doctor, taking my hand and dragging me along with her.

  The doctor turned our way, only to see me first and go sheet-white as she jerked to an immediate stop. “M-Mason?”

  My fingers contracted around Reese’s, who whirled to me and slugged me full on the arm. “You have got to be kidding me,” she growled, scowling. “A doctor? A frigging medical doctor?”

  Shit. “I…I’m sorry.”

  My old client turned to leave.

  But Reese snapped her attention to the fleeing woman, glaring fiercely. “Hey! Aren’t you going to tell us how Eva is?”

  “Uh.” The doctor visibly pulled herself together and cleared her throat. “Of course. Sorry. I’m Dr. Masterson. I was the one who operated on Miss Mercer, and I’m happy to report she’s stable. Her vitals are strong, and she’s awake and lucid.”

  “And the baby?” Reese asked.

  “Still has a heartbeat.”

  Reese leaned against me. I wrapped my arms around her, kissing her forehead.

  Dr. Masterson watched me oddly, as if the idea of me actually having a girlfriend was impossible. “You can see her in a couple minutes,” she said a moment later, shaking her head and returning to business. “Once they get her to a private room, I’ll have a nurse come take you to her.”

  “Thank you,” I answered, hoping she received that as a dismissal.

  She did, nodding and backing away. “At least now I know why my call was never returned.” Then she glanced curiously Reese’s way. “Nice nose ring.”

  Reese’s answer was to turn and scowl at me. “Why do all your ex-clients remark on my nose ring?”
/>   I touched the tip of her nose. “Because it reminds them how young they no longer are.”

  She blinked, seemingly baffled by my answer. “Younger people do not have a monopoly on nose rings, you know. I’ve seen plenty of them on women—and men—of all ages.”

  “Ah, but it looks hot on you,” I argued before tipping my head in Dr. Masterson’s wake. “It makes them look grasping and old.”

  She nodded right before hitting me in the arm again. “And I thought you said all your clients were bored, rich housewives. Successful doctors, college professors, and landladies don’t exactly fit into that category.”

  With a blush, I muttered, “I said most of them were, not all.”

  “Humph.” She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away slightly, only to reach back behind her a moment later and take my hand. I squeezed her fingers and ran my thumb over her knuckles until a nurse arrived to lead us to Eva’s room.

  Mercer was her usual, annoying self, which told me she was going to be just fine. But it was still hard to look at her and not think about the fact that she was lying in that bed, looking pale and wounded, because of me.

  Then she went and damn-near gave Reese her support of her relationship with me, which only made me feel crappier. When her parents rushed into the room, I faded out through the doorway before her mom noticed me.

  Reese seemed to think that was her cue to leave too, because she followed me out and hooked her arm through mine as she glanced back worriedly toward the door. “They better not take the baby news as bad as I fear they’re going to.”

  I nodded, hoping they reacted decently too. Eva was by no means my favorite person, but right now, she could do with a little kindness.

  And it was so weird to think something remotely decent about her. But she was hurt because of me, so I couldn’t help it.

  As Reese and I exited the hospital, she looked up at me and purposely bumped her shoulder against mine.

  I met her gaze, and she lifted a hand, silently asking me what was up.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, wrapping an arm around her waist.

  She tipped her cheek toward my shoulder and laid her hand against my chest. “About what?”

  “I had no idea Dr. Masterson was the one taking care of Eva.”

  “Mason,” she cut in, looking up at me with worry. “I need to confess something.”

  Not expecting that, I furrowed my brow. “Okay.”

  Spotting a nearby bench, she took my hand and led me to it so we could both sit. Then she petted my fingers nervously.

  This seemed serious. I started to worry. Was she going to break up with me?

  Finally, she blew out a deep breath and gripped both my hands. “When you tackled Jeremy today,” she started, “and that gun went off, my heart stopped. I swear, it literally stopped in my chest. I thought… I thought he’d shot you, and I was ready to die right along with you.” She wiped at her face with a shaking hand. “Then it went off again, and I was certain you were dead.”

  I tightened my hold on her.

  “You cannot believe how relieved I was to see you roll off of him and take control of his weapon. I couldn’t believe you were actually alive, that I was so lucky. Even after I found out about Eva and I paced the halls of the hospital, wondering if she was going to make it or not, I still felt…lucky. I was just so glad it wasn’t you.”

  Wow. I released a breath I’d been holding, overwhelmed with love and the power her words had on me. I was her person. That was huge. Humbling. Amazing.

  “Do you understand what I’m saying?” she asked. “It doesn’t matter how many women paid you for sex, I won’t leave you because of them. I don’t think I could ever leave you for any reason.”

  God. I smashed my mouth to hers, wanting to taste her truth because it was so delicious.

  But she pulled away to wrinkle her nose at me. “But running into your old—and I mean, like, five years younger than God, old—clients is beginning to get annoying. We might have to move away from Waterford, where no one knows how much you used to charge.”

  Amused by such an absurd announcement, I played along. “Where exactly did you have in mind?”

  “Well.” She bit her lip and started to look nervous. And serious. Wait, was she actually serious? About moving? “I’ve been missing Ellamore. A lot,” she answered, meeting my gaze with a probing blue stare. “They have a great medical program at their university, and I’m sure their engineering and psychology departments rock too. Besides, it didn’t matter how far away I ran; Jeremy still found me. So I’m done running. I want to go home.”

  Holy wow. She really was asking me to leave Waterford forever. My first response was, hell yes. I would love to get as far away from this pit of hell as feasibly possible.

  “But Illinois?” I said. “What about Sarah and my mom?” I didn’t think I could ever move that far from my sister.

  Reese chewed on her lip before she snapped her fingers. “I got it. We could bring them with us. My mom manages a hotel. She’s always looking for good, dependable employees. She could get Dawn a job, no problem.”

  Damn, if she could actually accomplish that, this might actually work. Trying not to start hoping too much, I shook my head. “You have a solution for everything, don’t you?”

  She merely sent me an expectant stare. “So what do you say? If we can get your mom on board, do you want to look into enrolling at Ellamore in the spring?”

  I kissed her hard. “Yes,” I said, moving my mouth down her neck and delighting in her familiar sweet pea scent. “Yes. If it makes you happy and keeps us together, my answer will always be yes.”

  This was exactly the kind of saving I’d always wanted but never thought was possible. Of course, I was all for it.

  * * *

  A week passed.

  Eva began to heal, and Reese said she would probably be released from the hospital any day now, even though they had no idea where to take her once she left. Her parents had basically disowned her as soon as they found out about the baby.

  I guess they demanded she get rid of it, but Eva adamantly insisted she wanted to keep it, which had surprised the hell out of me.

  When Reese had told me that bit of information, I had shaken my head, unable to picture the pampered, selfish socialite I’d always seen in Eva as becoming the motherly type. “You mean, she actually wants the baby?”

  “Yep, I guess.” Then Reese narrowed her eyes and pointed at me sternly before I could say anything else. “And yes, I know; stop looking at me like that. But I’ve heard of stranger things happening. Maybe she’ll be a kick-ass mom. Who knows? I mean, just her determination to keep it gives me hope that she’ll be okay. Maybe being shot, disowned, and knocked up is forcing her to change. Maybe for the better.”

  Maybe. Hopefully. Because hearing the list of Eva’s woes made my gut tighten with dread. A third of those woes were my fault. I hated knowing that my decision to not sleep with Patricia had ended with Eva getting hurt. Almost as much as I hated being too afraid to tell Reese how I’d been involved in her cousin’s hospital stay.

  “I asked her to move into my garage apartment with me,” Reese was saying, totally oblivious to my swirling remorse. “But since the place is owned by her parents, she wants nothing to do with that idea, and actually…” She winced and glanced at me. “I don’t really like the idea of staying there myself after what happened. I mean, how could they just wipe their hands of her, just like that? It feels wrong living in a piece of their property.”

  I glanced at her knowingly. “Trust me. I get it.” I had sent Patricia our notice, letting her know we’d be leaving before the end of the year and would want our deposit back, though I wasn’t holding my breath on ever seeing that money again. But it couldn’t hurt to try.

  I hadn’t even discussed the idea of moving out with Mom yet, but that just showed how determined I was to get away from our landlady. Even if Mom refused to come with me—an idea which sent panic through my ext
remities—I was leaving this town. Since Reese had entered my life, all my priorities and fears and dreams had changed.

  Two months couldn’t come fast enough. Reese and I were escaping this place.

  Reese squeezed my hand. “We just need to hang on a little longer, baby. And then we’ll both be free. Your mom and sister, too. I just know it.”

  I loved her hope. But when I kissed her hair, in the back of my mind I wondered how I could ever really feel free from anything with all this guilt hanging over my head.

  Except, I couldn’t see how Reese would forgive me for what I hadn’t done, either. I knew I needed to tell her it was my fault but I was still trying to figure out how.

  The next day, I was still playing my hypothetical confession over and over through my head, debating the best way to tell her and maybe not lose her in the process, when my phone rang.

  I was currently home alone while Mom and Sarah were gone to a doctor’s appointment. It was strange, being here by myself. I used to be gone a lot, working at the Country Club or taking on a client, and then more recently, I’d been at college most of my time. But since being suspended from the Country Club, I’d been home a lot more. I even watched Sarah for Reese quite a bit since Reese spent most of her time at the hospital with Eva.

  The entire house felt eerily quiet. I grabbed my phone, glad for the distraction from my thoughts, hoping it was Reese.

  But the number was unfamiliar. I considered ignoring it, thinking it was probably just another persistent client, except I worried it might be Reese or Mom needing to call from a different phone.

  “Hello?” I answered warily.

  There was a pause, then a relieved sigh before a man’s voice said, “Mason.”

  He sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place how before he added, “This is Stuart Scharper. My wife, Farah, and I heard about all the excitement you had at the community college last week with the crazed gunman, and we just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “Hey, Mason,” the senator’s wife piped in quietly. “That was really heroic of you, the way you tackled him and saved lives.”