Mason dismissed the obvious threat with a snicker. “With us about to go to war against the Strikers, it’s not in the best interests of the club for the Prez and the Sergeant-at-Arms to come to blows.” He folded his arms across his chest, glaring hard at Slade. “Don’t you agree, Prez?”
I watched on edge as the tension in the room shot through the frigging roof, two hulking, musclebound dangerous men facing off with one another, neither used to backing down once they’d made a stand.
And then, to my utter astonishment, Slade took a step back, muttering, “Sit the fuck down and listen.”
Mason reached out to me, his hand connecting with my upper arm, making my full attention snap to him. “Come on, sweetheart,” he urged. “It’s all right,” he added. It took me a moment to realize why until his gaze dipped to where I had my arm banded protectively over my bump. Damn. Talk about showing weakness in front of both of them.
I swallowed down my uneasiness and shook Mason’s hand off me. “I know. I’m good,” I snapped, needing to make a demonstration of my hard edge they were used to experiencing from me. The unemotional, levelheaded, having-everything-in-the-bag version of me. Nightshade.
I saw a glint in Mason’s eye, like he knew what I was doing.
But he said nothing as he pulled out a chair for me, then stood behind the one to the left, refusing to take a seat like Slade had pretty much ordered. He was standing on guard, letting Slade know that he wasn’t on board with the way things had been going down, letting him know that he wouldn’t let it continue on its current path.
He was stepping in.
And that was when I realized.
Cole and Mason had repaired their friendship.
It had taken a hell of a lot of major, life-changing things happening to see to it, but they’d gotten there, nonetheless. Mason was back to the guy I’d first met, the true brother to Cole who’d had his back through everything that came their way, who’d stop at nothing to protect him.
“Making her bait is way too fucking dangerous, majorly reckless, and it won’t fly with any of us, least of all Cole. There’s no way shit can go down like this,” Mason told Slade.
Slade slammed his fist down on the desk, his temper flaring dangerously, as he roared at Mason, “This bullshit’s why I kept you outta most of this, why I fucking well benched you! You’re way too cautious! You want no goddamn risk! That ain’t possible with a motherfucker like Nik Stone! Why’d you think I waited this fucking long to deal a deathblow to him? He murdered my woman! You think I’d just let that go? Fuck, no.” He gestured at me. “I been waiting on this, waiting on the likes of her.” His eyes flashed. “Leverage. A fucking way in. A weakness. Somehow she’s got under his skin and he ain’t been able to shake her. She’s his goddamn blind spot!”
“She’s pregnant. With Cole’s kid. The guy who’s like a son to you,” Mason shot back, not missing a beat.
“We don’t do this, use this opportunity we got here, and he’ll run right over us. We already poked the bear by bringing her onto our territory. He ain’t gonna let that lie.”
Mason jolted. “You made sure there wasn’t an alternative. That’s why you allowed her passage. To force this.”
“Damn fucking straight.”
“Jesus Christ,” Mason breathed. “You’re playing a real dangerous game.”
“Any risk in your books is too fucking dangerous. That way of thinking works well most of the time with your role with Titans, but not here, not with this.”
“So, you went to the one brother who’s all about risk and reacting without thinking much on it. The renegade of the Steel Titans. Cole.”
Slade nodded unapologetically. “Thing is, her being knocked up with his kid’s… softened him. Had him losing his edge with this. He ain’t gonna go through with it. I’ve already seen the cracks in him. Any day now he’s gonna derail the mission. To protect her.”
“But it won’t protect me, or any of us in the long run,” I said, sadly.
Slade’s gaze shot to me. I wasn’t sure if he was startled more by the fact that I’d finally spoken up, or by what I’d actually said. He nodded and gave me what seemed almost like a smile. “Right on, darlin’.”
The room fell silent. A heavy, disturbing, almost suffocating silence.
Slade slumped back against his leather chair, the weight of everything clearly finally hitting him after airing it all out in his minutes-long outburst.
Mason scrubbed his hand over his bristly jaw, looking deep in thought, likely searching for a solution that didn’t exist.
Or, so both Slade and I had thought, until Mason rose to his feet, slammed his hands down on Slade’s desk and growled fiercely, “This is how it’s gonna play.”
19
~Natasha~
THUMP. GRUNT. THUD. GROWL.
The aggressive sounds reverberated down the corridor, drawing me to them like a moth to a flame, because I knew who they belonged to. I’d recognize those rumbling growls and grunts anywhere. Usually, I heard them in different circumstances. Circumstances that I’d been dying to recreate for the last few hours.
Unfortunately, my work had kept me away. I’d been glued to my phone and laptop since the early hours of the morning. Then, when I’d finally taken a break, Cole had headed off somewhere other than his room too. He had the day off from his club duties today so I’d wondered where he’d run off to.
Now I knew.
Working out his frustrations and stresses in the best way he knew how.
I reached the gym and peered inside through the open door.
Holy hell!
Instant turn-on.
My core clenched, my skin heating at the delectable view.
Cole was shirtless, his ripped torso on full display. Jeez, those damn abs were something else. I traced them with my gaze, following that sexy ‘V’
