The Price of Mason (Forbidden Men 10)

“Don’t open the door,” I begged him at the same time the girl clinging to me ordered, “Wick, do something!”

He glanced at us, blinking away the two polar opposite commands we’d given him. I shook my head, silently warning him not to oust me. Don’t even try it, buddy, my eyes threatened. You’ll THINK horse-faced troll once I’m done with you if you go anywhere near that door.

That’s when he shattered me with a single question.

“Did he hurt you?”

My lips parted in surprise. It was such a simple, short inquiry. There didn’t even seem to be much emotion behind it. But the way his gaze pierced into me with intensity, gauging my reaction, had me shuddering out a breath, dumbfounded by the fact that he even cared enough to ask.

“Physically, no.” I shook my head, hoping that would be that.

But Wick Webster wasn’t done rattling me to my core. “What about every other way?”

My chin wobbled and tears filled my eyes as my throat went dry with pain. Reality slammed into me, reminding me of everything that had just transpired in the past two minutes: the loss, the agony, the humiliation, the betrayal. I totally didn’t mean to and I certainly didn’t want to, but I began full-on crying.

In front of Wick Webster.

“Oh, God,” I croaked when a sob caught in my chest and caused my entire body to heave. Pressing my hands to my heart, I folded in around myself and began to disintegrate into nothing. I couldn’t deal any longer. Going down with the ship. Sinking.

Soft, supporting hands caught me, and the girl whose room I had invaded helped me lower myself until I was sitting on the edge of her bed.

“Motherfucker,” Wick snarled from across the room. Spinning away, he stormed toward the door.

“No,” I rasped, my voice breaking and barely making a sound as I tried to stand again.

I had to stop him.

But the girl grabbed me, pulling me back down. “No, it’s okay,” she murmured, petting my arm in reassurance. “Wick’s got this. It’ll be okay.”

I turned to look incredulously at her, and she smiled brightly. “I’m Izzy, by the way. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

What? Why did she say finally? I blinked, only to whirl my attention back to the door as Wick jerked it open enough to fill the entrance with the entire width of his body. Then he growled, “Stop pounding on this door before I break your fucking throwing arm, asshole.”

My eyebrows shot up, only for me to gasp and jerk backward when Topher’s voice tore into the room. “Get out of my way, Webster. I need to talk to my girlfriend.”

“I don’t think so, fuck face. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I ever let you into this room, and besides, your girlfriend’s not here.”

I kind of liked how he emphasized girlfriend, because Topher’s girlfriend really wasn’t in here. That dick didn’t have a girlfriend any longer.

Smooth wording, Webster, I wanted to cheer, because he’d almost just made up for the fact that he’d called me a troll once, except, yeah…no, he didn’t at all.

“Bullshit,” Topher argued.

Wick lurched an inch back as if my ex had just tried to plow through him but hadn’t gotten very far.

“I saw the door slam shut as soon as I stepped into the hall, and besides, she dropped her fucking sandal right outside this room.”

Izzy and I both looked down at my feet. I was indeed only wearing on

e flip-flop. Damn, I hadn’t even noticed.

“That’s mine,” Wick answered, snagging the sandal from Topher and tossing it blindly into the room over his shoulder so that it landed with a thud in the center of the floor.

“You son of a bitch,” Topher exploded. “I know she’s in there. Haven!” he called frantically over Wick’s shoulder, struggling to get in, but having no luck whatsoever. “I know what you saw. But it was all a big mistake. I can explain. Please, baby, just talk to me.”

I flinched at the word baby and turned my head aside. Izzy quickly hugged me and patted my back.

At the doorway, Wick boomed, “Enough!” as his back muscles tensed and elbows jutted toward us before he shoved forward, his voice going slightly muffled as he followed Topher into the hall. “I said she’s not in there, and even if she were, I still wouldn’t let you in. Now step away from my sister’s dorm before I rearrange your face. And if I ever see you back here again, you’ll wish I’d only fucked up that pretty mug. Go look somewhere else for your girlfriend. She’s not here.”