She was so screwed no matter how she looked at it.
Shelby grabbed Mason’s shirt from the floor and put it on. If she shut her eyes and inhaled his masculine scent, she pretended it never happened.
She tiptoed out of the bedroom in search of where he went. This place wasn’t huge, so if he hadn’t slept with her, he’d be on the couch. She didn’t know what she expected to find or if she’d even do anything but watch him while he slept. God, she had it bad if she’d rather stay awake and be near him than go back to bed and sleep.
She froze when she heard muttering.
“I told you, I’d take care of it.”
Mason. He sounded pissed.
Shelby took another step closer, but something inside told her not to make any noise. He was in living room, but definitely not asleep. Was someone in there with him? Who was he talking to at this hour?
“No,” he said tersely. She hadn’t heard any other voice, so she figured he was on the phone.
“Bullshit. I’ve gone over those numbers my goddamn self, Baxter.”
Baxter? The B in F and B. There were several members of the Baxter family that worked for Fieldstein and Baxter. He could be talking to any one of them. He could be talking about anything. It could be nothing.
“I told you, I fucking took care of O’Brian.”
Oh shit, shit, shit! He meant Carl O’Brian. She just knew it. Both Baxter or O’Brian being mentioned in the same conversation didn’t leave any doubt. As far as the FBI knew, O’Brian could be dead, and some on her team liked Mason for the disappearance.
And he’d all but confirmed it. Her heart was breaking, and she knew right then that she wasn’t just falling in love. She’d already taken the leap. She’d fallen in love with a criminal. If she could break down and cry and scream, she would, but she’d have to save that for later. She had a job to do, and now more than ever, she had to damn well do it.
Her hands shook as she took another step closer while her mind reeled with her options. She could pretend she hadn’t known he was on the phone and just walk in, catch him off guard and see if he talked, or she could go back to the bedroom and wait for him to return to her.
“I hear you loud and clear, William.”
William Baxter. President of capital management, and Mason’s direct boss as of late. More confirmation the conversation was nothing short of damning.
Had Mason been promoted because he and William Baxter were in cahoots? That, she didn’t know, but she had to figure out a way to get this intel to Viola without Mason knowing, so her team could investigate their connection more. This could be the break they were looking for.
“Well, then let me explain it to you. I know you skimmed money from that fund before you closed it. If I wanted the feds breathing down our necks, I’d have reported you. If I found it, I know others can. You’re too fucking sloppy… Yes, I did just say that… Don’t you fucking threaten me. I said I’d take care of it, but this is last fucking time I’m coming to your rescue. After this, you’re on your own.” He slammed the phone down. “Fuck!”
She jumped at his outburst and made a split-second decision. If he was emotional, maybe he’d let something slip while he was reeling with anger.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked as she stepped into the room.
He whirled, his hands fisting, breath sawing in and out, his naked chest heaving with effort. “My boss isn’t qualified to be flipping burgers for a living. Wasting everybody’s goddamn time with frivolous meetings. The only reason he’s in his position is because he’s family. But all he’s doing is running the company into the ground.” He grumbled a few more expletives toward the ceiling.
She licked her lips and moved closer. He was talking. This was good. Isn’t it? Because the more he says, the more he is sealing his fate and breaking your heart. She took a deep breath, forcing her emotions away. She could not think about that right now.
“It’s not what you know. It’s who you know, right?”
He looked at her, his angry eyes turning sad, and her stomach dropped at the impossible look he gave her. “I don’t think I can do this right now.”
Shit. She was losing him. In more ways than one. What was she supposed to say? The FBI never guided her on this. Hell, neither had her dad. He was both a man and a mark, and she literally had no idea what she was supposed to do.
He shoved his hand through his hair and blew out an obviously frustrated breath. “I care about you, Shelby. I didn’t plan on that happening. I—shit.” He dropped to the couch and let his head fall into his hands. “I can’t get involved right now. Too much is at stake.” He looked at her then. Were her eyes watering? She was blinking rapidly, and he was suspiciously blurry. “God, please don’t cry,” he said, pained.
The knot in her throat was sudden, confirming what was already obvious to him. She tried swallowing it down as she stepped closer. “I don’t know how to wrap my head around—” She shook her head, trying to find words. She couldn’t tell him anything, not really. It didn’t matter that she was in love with him. They couldn’t be together under these circumstances. They’d been doomed from the start.
“You’re just infatuated with me because I’m your first Dom. It’s natural to bond—”
Oh, she didn’t want to hear any more of this placating B.S. She stormed closer, all other obstacles between them
