MASON (Second Chance Novels Book 2) (2 page)

Two weeks later

"What's wrong, baby?" I ask, seeing the stress in Shelby's expression again.
 

"I don't know," she says plainly. "I see Cam still so affected by all this and I'm still in shock when I think about it. The whole situation was surreal. And I hate the thought of you in the middle of all those guns."

I force myself not to roll my eyes before I comfort her.

"I know," I try to understand. "Just remember all that is over. Garrett is dead and Ledger is taking good care of Cam. Look how much better she's doing already."

She nods at me and forces a smile. I know she appreciates me taking care of her. I tilt her chin up and kiss her softly and then with a deep reminder that everything is ok.

"Thanks," she says, then smiles at me with a hint of her usual brightness.

I adore her smile. "You're welcome," I smile in return.
 

"I'm glad it's over," she says with more acceptance this time. "I still hate the thought of you in so much danger."

I almost laugh out loud. She knows I was in the Army, but she only knows the story I made up, that I was a mechanic. As far as she knows, I never even left the country. She assumes combat wouldn't be natural for me in any form. If only she knew.
 

"Don't worry about me, Shel. I can take care of myself," I try to reassure her.

I laugh inwardly. Take care of myself? I can fucking push any limit and keep going. She'd never dream that I can execute a HALO jump with precision. The thought would never occur to her that my IQ rests high above the genius line, or that I can still strip a Glock in under four seconds. My deadly skill with a knife would shock the hell out of her. She doesn't know I've killed easily and without regret.
 

Her life has a fun, simple routine, and I'm sure she is ready to put all this behind her and to get back to her nine-to-fiver without worrying any longer. As much as I hate to admit it, I only want to kick a little more ass. Instead, I breathe deeply and appreciate the simplicity of my life at Second Chance and with Shelby.
 

I take her hand and walk her to her bedroom. I'm happy to be with her and I want her to know that. I wrap her in my arms and kiss her sweetly. She's exactly the life I've been looking for, and if not for last month's full-body thrill, I'd be
completely
content to hold her in my arms. As more time passes, I'll return to my comfortable life here, far away from my old, ass-kicking self.

I lay Shelby down beside me and smile. I have a favorite way to forget, and Shelby's hot smile is all I need. I roll to her and kiss her deeply and I pull her body to mine with heat. I can feel her smile while she kisses me. Her leg crooks up over me and I grab her ass, but not too hard. I spend plenty of time on foreplay with this woman almost every time we're together. She gets off on the attention and her hot body is fun to play with.
 

I take my time stripping both of us down and she takes her time arching into my touch. By the time I take her, we move slowly together. Slow isn't my preference, but that's how Shelby likes it best. I'm happy to be what she needs. Every once in a while she gets worked up and I get that adrenaline and endorphin rush I used to live and breathe for. For now, I can focus on how hot and wet she is around my cock, and the soft noises she makes when I fuck her slow. By the time she comes, she's smiling peacefully. I love that I can put that look on her face, and I love getting off along with her. I have a good life here.

Shelby relaxes beside me and drifts to sleep even though we're in the middle of a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Office jobs are their own kind of stressful and she's had another rough week, including a full day on Saturday. Special Forces offered a high level of stress, I suppose, but my body lived in constant motion and my mind ran free through every scenario a mission required. The job didn't feel like stress; every minute felt like
living
. The only part I allowed myself to retain is my military haircut. The rest of that life I had to let go of.
 

My brain bounces to the dishonorable discharge that followed. Dishonorable, my ass. I served with distinction and have the medals to prove it. I lost myself for one moment and was stripped of my position.

As I push those thoughts away, I focus on my present reality. Sometimes that's a difficult fucking thing to do. In fact, that's been my only challenge since my dishonorable discharge from the Army two years ago. Before that, my whole life has been an adrenaline quest. I want it faster, harder, more exciting…with sex and everything else. Cam's rescue stands as a small, prime example of that pursuit: problem, response, planning, execution…all part of the world where I shine.

My brain frequently entertains revenge-for-Cam fantasies. I force them away, like I have everyday since her entire ordeal began, and I force myself back to my routine all the way to Friday. I'll see Shelby again and my world will be back to spinning on its correct axis. And by the time this evening comes around, I'm at the bar, being greeted by Shelby with a wide smile.

"Saw Ledger and Cam pull up," Jackson, my fellow bartender, nods. "I guess they're ready for a night out."
 

"Excellent," I say. I can't help but smile at the thought of the two of them getting away from Ledger's house for a few hours.

"Have a mojito ready," I tell Jacks with a happy grin.
 

And sure enough, the two of them walk in through the back entrance. Cam smiles as Shelby walks over and reaches for a hug. I'm so happy to see them finally have a reunion. Ledger, like the sap he's become since Cam happened, pulls them into a hug and kisses them both on the head.
 

"Your barstool awaits, m'lady," I say with a bow, hoping my goofball routine will keep things from getting too heavy.
 

Cam's smile warms again and I'm glad to see her relax. It's been a long time since all of us have been able to do that together.
 

With smiles all around, I propose a toast. "Grab your glasses and hold on to your asses," I grin as everyone lifts their drinks. "Cam, here's to you and your refusal to give in to the world's biggest asshole. Ledger, here's to you never giving up. Shelby, here's to the leverage we gained from your crazy, and frankly a little scary, computer skills. To me, for my general awesomeness, and to you Jackson, for being the unnamed extra in the movie that was Cam's rescue."

We all clink glasses and say cheers while Jackson grins and explains his crucial role of not getting in the way. My little speech sets the night off with more smiles, and within an hour I have everyone laughing easily, including Cam.
 

Cam and Ledge aren't staying long. I didn't figure they would, but I'm happy to see her out. Having darkness in your head can seriously fuck with your entire world. I was trained to compartmentalize and separate myself from typical PTSD shit, and
still
I have a hard time fighting the dark gravity of those memories. I can't even imagine how hard the mental strain would be on Cam.
 

"I love you all," Cam says as she starts with hugs all around. "Thank you doesn't—"

Shelby cuts her off with a "We love you, too, and you don't have to thank us. Thank yourself for holding up so strong."

Cam misted up and nodded, then hugged Shelby harder. The two of them have a hard time letting go. Ledger takes over the thank-you speech which I knew he would.
 

"Seriously. We couldn't have gotten through any of this without all of you," he says sincerely. "We'll have to call Dig tomorrow. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have had any police help at all."

"I'll call," I nod. "You guys have enough to worry about."

I haven't talked to Detective DiGiacamo since the rescue, but I've wondered how she dealt with the fall out at her precinct. Her worthless partner Randal Miller should be off her case now that Internal Affairs has him, but her immediate superior is equally worthless from what I understand. Dig's a hell of a cop and shouldn't have to put up with two idiots every day. I'm glad I have an excuse to call.
 

The rest of the night is equally relaxing, straight along to taking Shelby home for some very sweet time in my bed. She's getting drowsy wrapped in my arms after the slow rush. She's purring her satisfaction, and even though our physical connection is tame, I'm ok with it. And even though I've never been a big cuddle guy, I know it's important to the female half of the population, so I play along. I sound like a dick when I think like that, but the reality is what it is. At least I'm not so much of an ass that I refuse to give a woman what she needs. Still, an immediate sleep after getting off would be good with me.
 

But instead, I rub her back gently and I give her the occasional kiss on her head. Eventually she falls asleep beside me, but I'm stuck awake for hours with a dead arm under her head, which makes no difference. Those blood-deprived tingles are a minor irritation when every pain-in-the ass memory is dancing the tango with my waking consciousness.
Again
. Fuck that. I can't change my past, but some things in my present can certainly be dealt with.
 

I gently pull my arm out from under Shelby's head and go take a shower to clear my thoughts. I pull a pair of my old shorts from one of her drawers and walk to the messenger bag she used for our investigation last month into Cam's disappearance. I drag a few files out and start perusing them. What a bunch of cock-sucking douche bags. Not a single one of them deserves to be walking around in a position of power with a shiny fucking reputation. Not a damn one of them has any integrity at all, and not
one
fucking one of them cared that Cam was in danger.
 

They couldn't see past their own circle of false power. No, true power lies in honesty and work ethic. Without those, a person is nothing. These assholes are
nothing
, and yet they remain the judges, officers, CEOs they are, not to mention using their loyal lackeys who hold the robe-strings for any scrap of power they can get. These jackasses were drawn together in a city of millions, like some sort of dysfunctional magnet. The entire fucking system needs to be taken down, and I want to be the one who does it. I lean back in my chair and think through the implications of my thought process.
 

Unless I want to go all caped-vigilante on them, I need to seek justice properly, one at a time, within the constraints of a corrupt system. Fuck. This
won't
be easy and it
will
be time consuming. But what the hell else do I have to do? Working my way through this pile of degenerates may be the best way to calm my brain and steady my world.
 

I pick up several file folders until I come across Randal Miller, Dig's partner. The way that cock-swinger talks to her is nauseating. She's the prime example of what a cop should be. The way she conducted herself during Cam's investigation was professional and efficient. She knocked me over the first time we made eye contact. The intelligence in her gaze was astounding, and the more we worked with her, the more talented I realized she was. Working closely with her on Cam's rescue was a seamless partnership. I have no doubt she'll work with me on this, too. She hates the bastards as much as I do.
 

I start reading through Miller's file, looking for patterns in his behavior and who his closest confidants would be. Within two hours I have nearly all of Shelby's files open and spread across her table in a specific pattern. I jot notes on connections I pick up on and imagine this entire choppy sea of information tacked up on a wall with yarn tying all these assholes together. I'm not sure if my goals represent revenge, atonement, or fun, but I'm sporting a real smile for the first time since things got heavy with Garrett Masters. I feel like belting out an evil laugh at the thought of taking them down. In the morning, Dig's my first phone call, for two reasons now. Fuck yes! I am ready to kick some ass with a woman who probably likes ass-kicking as much as I do. Maybe more.

By the time I'm jotting down a few final notes, Shelby comes out of the bedroom in my t-shirt and nothing else. Sexy fucking legs on that one.
 

"Morning," she says sleepily as she walks over. "What are you doing with all that?"

"Thinking," I say with a shrug as I stand to kiss her. Because I can't help myself, I reach both hands down and grip her squeezable ass under my shirt.

"Thinking about what?" she asks as she rests her cheek on my chest.
 

"Thinking about taking you back to bed," I say with my ornery grin for her. She looks up at me with a soft smile, so I even waggle my eyebrows.

"Sorry baby, I was thinking about coffee," she chuckles as she walks toward her kitchen.
Well, shit.

I call Dig after working out and the rush of my day is exhilarating, even if only the
potential
of a new project. Now that I had a taste of the adrenaline I used to rely on, I'm jonesin' for more. I don't think I could avoid this train of thought anymore if I tried, because a life with purpose fills me more than I realized. The phone rings forever as I tap into the focused zone I love so much.