6. MASON

6

MASON

I hated town. Always had, always would.

Silver Ridge looked like Christmas had thrown up all over it, with merry lights strung across the streets, wreaths on every damn lamppost, and garlands wrapped around every storefront like the whole place was in a contest to out-Christmas the next.

It was too much—too bright, too cheerful, and way too fucking crowded for my liking. And today, thanks to Rae’s meddling, I was stuck here, pretending I gave a shit about Secret Santa and finding a gift for Cami.

Cami .

Just thinking about her made my stomach clench. She was a distraction I didn’t need—beautiful, sweet, and way too friendly. She was like Christmas personified, bringing cheer and brightness and all the sickening goodness right with her.

Except, she wasn’t sickening.

She was everything that was good in this world.

And she was fucking hot to boot.

She was exactly the kind of woman I had to stay away from if I knew what was good for me.

Women were dangerous—they could mess with a man’s head, make him forget who he was and what he was trying to do, and if I wasn’t careful, everything I’d worked so hard to build could be at stake.

She’s just a woman.

Yeah, well, Rae had put my name in that stupid drawing, and now I was on the hook, wandering aimlessly like some idiot who didn’t have a clue what he was doing.

Which, let’s be honest, I didn’t.

I had no idea what kind of gift she’d like, and the last thing I wanted was to be in this holiday circus trying to figure it out.

I shoved my hands deeper into the pockets of my fur coat. I’d sewed it myself with hide and gut that I’d hunted, and it kept out the cold. I grumbled under my breath as I made my way down the main street.

The air was cold, biting against my skin where the coat didn’t push up right against my neck, but it was better than the stifling warmth inside the stores, each one blasting Christmas music loud enough to make your ears bleed.

I’d passed four of them already, too pussy to go inside.

Yeah, I could handle guns like a pro, I could take out any number of assailants at once with hand-to-hand combat. I could set booby traps that were the stuff of nightmares, and I hunted my own food, eating it raw sometimes if it was just too damn wet to make a fire.

But I was bested by fucking Christmas cheer.

I hated Christmas as a general rule. It wasn’t just a waste of time; it was a distraction, a facade when underneath, everything looked and felt different. Betrayal crept up wearing the mask of a sheep when underneath the wolf had long, menacing teeth. Holidays like Christmas just helped to hide all of that away.

As I passed one of the decorated windows, something caught my eye—someone slipping between the buildings, just out of sight. He’d had a dark coat on, and his face registered only for a second. Years of training allowed me to memorize details in a flash.

I turned, trying to get a better look, but whoever it was had already disappeared.

Damn it. I knew every face in this town, and that one didn’t belong here.

It was a man, mid-thirties maybe, with a dark coat and hair and a look in his eyes that set my instincts on high alert.

What the fuck was he doing here? And why was he being so shady?

I moved down the street, still walking casually with my hands in my pocket, but I was wide awake now, scanning the crowds. My Glock was at my back, just in case something went wrong, and I wanted him to show his face again.

Just so that we could talk. Or, you know, not talk.

But he was gone.

When I walked a little further, another stranger lingered near the café. His gaze darted around like he didn’t belong, and he had the same shady air as the first guy.

What the hell was going on? I didn’t like strangers in my town—especially ones who thought they could slip in without being noticed. Were there more? Or was it just Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dipshit?

My eyes darted all over the place as I walked, my muscles bunched tight, ready to spring into action if I needed to fight. I was big and strong and I made sure I stayed that way—I trained hard, and even though I hadn’t been in active duty in a decade, I still kept up a rigorous training regime.

You never knew what was coming and fucked if I was going to be caught off guard.

It wasn’t paranoia.

It was survival.

I’d learned the hard way that you couldn’t trust anyone, not after what happened with my team. My so-called brothers had turned on me, and it had nearly gotten me killed. Not to mention all the innocent lives that had been lost.

The guilt I had to carry after all that, and the resentment that I’d been the one to be stabbed in the back… I’d spent my life in the shadows, knowing every move, every face, every threat. I’d been a member of an elite team.

This wasn’t a case of old habits dying hard. This was a case of keeping those habits sharp.

The unfamiliar faces in town weren’t right. I had a sinking feeling in my gut that something was off. Those two men weren’t here to buy fucking fairy lights. They were here to look for shit, and I wasn’t going to have any of it.

When I saw one of them again, it was a stroke of luck. But Silver Ridge was like a maze that brought everyone back to the main street, no matter where they veered off. Only those who knew the town didn’t end up back here.

I kept my distance, trailing behind at a safe length, my senses on high alert as I followed the suspect. It brought me back to the old days—the missions, the adrenaline, the constant sense of danger that gnawed at me.

My past was a minefield of betrayals, each one leaving a scar that made me the cynical bastard I was today. And that’s why seeing these newcomers, all slippery and secretive, had my nerves on edge.

The asshole turned around the corner, and by the time I got there, he was gone.

Where had he disappeared to? How had he moved so fast?

I wasn’t just seeing shit. He’d been right here, walking, acting like he was looking for shit, and now he was just… gone.

I walked up the street, looking into alleyways, hoping to find him.

But it was like he’d vanished into thin air.

That just pissed me off. I didn’t like it when people came to my town to look for shit. It pissed me off even more when they came to my town and they got away from me.

I turned the corner and almost ran straight into Rae and Cami.

“Mason!” Rae cried out when I nearly bumped Hunter’s stroller. The little tyke grinned up at me as if I hadn’t nearly railroaded him.

“Rae,” I said, trying to shake off the adrenaline and get my head straight.

Rae wasn’t a threat.

And neither was Cami.

Great.

Cami.

Just what I needed—more complications.

“Are you okay?” Rae asked with a frown. “You look—”

Ready to wring a neck or two?

“I’m fine,” I said and tried to shake off the kill mode I was in.

“What are you doing out in town?” Rae greeted me with a big smile, although her eyes were still hesitant, before she checked on Hunter, who was bundled up like a miniature snowman.

“Just, you know… stuff.” I pushed my hands back into my pockets.

“Sounds really important,” Rae said, her lips pinched in a smile.

Cami stood beside her, looking like she’d just stepped out of a holiday movie—hair loose and wavy, cheeks flushed from the cold, and eyes that sparkled with a mix of mischief and warmth.

Goddamnit, she was beautiful.

“Hey, Mason,” Cami said, her voice light and cheerful like she wasn’t the reason I was out here grumbling like a bear in the first place. “Doing some Christmas shopping?”

I scratched the back of my neck, suddenly feeling like an awkward teenager.

“Something like that,” I mumbled. I wasn’t going to tell her I was hunting for shady characters instead. I tried not to look directly at her because every time I did, it was like someone punched me in the gut. Hard.

“I’m sure you’ve seen what Cami’s done around town,” Rae chimed in, ever the proud friend. “She’s really brought the Christmas spirit alive, don’t you think? You should check out the displays.”

“It’s not my thing,” I said.

“Oh, come on, don’t be a bear,” Rae said. “It’s not that hard to just swing by the town square, see what she did, and then be done with it, you know.”

“You make it sound too scenic,” Cami said with a giggle that sounded like wind chimes on a summer’s morning. She smiled at me and talked more, but I could barely focus on what she was saying.

My mind was too busy going haywire just from standing this close to her. She smelled like vanilla and something sweet, like a damn cookie, and it was driving me insane. I wanted to taste her. Just a little lick, a nibble…

She asked me something but fucked if I knew what it was—I was too busy trying to keep my brain from short-circuiting.

“Mason?” Cami asked again, and it snapped me back. She was looking at me with that curious, bright gaze, and I felt like an idiot, fumbling over my words. Her lips were parted slightly, and I knew exactly what I would do with a mouth like that.

“Uh, yeah. It looks good,” I said, barely coherent.

Jesus Christ, get it together.

I was Mason Thompson, not some lovesick civilian who couldn’t form a sentence around a pretty girl. But every time she looked at me, that electricity returned and threatened to fry my brain.

Not that I could sound any dumber than I already did.

Rae chuckled, amused by my inability to speak. “We’re heading over to the café to grab some hot cocoa. Want to join?”

There was no way I could sit across from Cami and not make a complete and total fool of myself. Or… jump her bones. I had to get out of this situation and away from her . She was my kryptonite.

And yes, that did imply I was Superman, thank you very much.

Before I could even think of an excuse, Cami glanced at her watch and shook her head. “Actually, I need to get going. I’ve got to finish up some decorations at the library. I promised Emily.”

“Pity,” Rae said, but she hugged her friend. “But that’s totally cool. You go do your magic, and we’ll catch up later.”

Cami nodded before she looked at me.

“Take care, Mason,” she said with a small wave.

Thank God.

I nodded, trying to look unfazed, but the second she turned to leave, I felt the weight lift off my chest and I let out a heavy breath.

“So, that was a disaster, eh?” Rae asked, but her eyes twinkled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I glanced in the direction Cami had walked, watching her turn a corner and finally disappear.

Rae chuckled, knowing it was a lie. Rae knew me well enough by now, thanks to Tanner.

Cami was messing with my head, and I didn’t like it. Not one bit. Watching her walk away was like watching something beautiful slip through my fingers. I wanted to reach out, but I knew better. She was trouble I couldn’t afford.

“I’m headed back home then if no one wants hot cocoa. I can’t even fall back on pregnancy cravings.” She pulled a face.

“Let me walk you,” I offered.

“Don’t you have shopping to do?”

I shrugged. “I think I’ve braved enough shops today. I’ll try again tomorrow. I still have time.”

Rae nodded, and we headed back to her place, the familiar warmth of her home wrapping around me the second we walked in. Tanner had built this place for her with the help of the townspeople when he’d realized he wanted a family with her. Their home was the kind of place that was built out of love. The walls and floors were a formality.

The house was a cozy mess of kid toys, warm blankets, and the faint smell of cinnamon from whatever Rae had been baking. It was a home in every sense of the word, full of love and noise—nothing like my cold, quiet cabin up in the mountains.

“Oh, before I forget,” Rae said, turning to me while she put down her bag. “I nominated you for something else.”

“What!?” I cried out.

Rae didn’t look at me, busying herself with something. Maybe she was scared of my reaction.

Fucking good. Because this nominating business was really starting to piss me off.

“We’re doing a parade just before Christmas with a Santa’s chair and kids can take photos. I thought you’d make a good Santa, you know, with your burly size and your beard and all.” She finally looked at me with big, innocent eyes.

“I’m not playing Santa,” I snapped.

Rae smiled at me. “Come on, you love kids. I’ve seen how you are with Hunter.”

I glanced at the kid still in his stroller, happy to be there despite being home. Rae left him there while she sorted out a few things, and Hunter chewed on a rubber teething ring.

“I like Hunter because he’s your kid,” I said gruffly.

And the fact I didn’t have to do much, I could just look at him and someone else would do all the hard work. But playing Santa? Entertaining them?

“Look, it’s just for one day,” Rae said.

“What are you doing to me?” I complained, but I knew I wasn’t going to say no to Rae.

She smiled at me, knowing full well I would agree in the end.

“If you really don’t want to, I’ll talk someone else into it. Maybe Hank. But you’re really perfect for the job, Mason. And people actually like having you around, you know.”

I wasn’t so sure about that, but I didn’t argue. Arguing with Rae was pointless, anyway.

I sighed, exasperated, and shrugged out of my coat, not wanting to argue anymore.

“Tanner around?” I asked instead and tossed my coat over a chair. I needed to talk to him about the strangers in town, see if he’d noticed anything off.

Tanner was on high alert all the time, just like I was. When you were trained to be that way, it wasn’t the kind of habit you got rid of. We could live for years in a safe town where no one knew about our past, but when the first sign of danger showed up, the reflexes kicked in again as if no time had passed at all.

If anyone understood, it would be him.

Rae shook her head. “He’s out running errands, but he’ll be back soon.” She lifted Hunter out of the stroller and put him in his playpen. She walked to the kitchen and prepared something for him to eat. She glanced up at me while she worked. “What’s up?”

I leaned against the counter, crossing my arms. It had taken a while since I’d learned that I could trust Rae—trust didn’t come easily to me these days.

“I saw a few faces around town I didn’t recognize. Sketchy characters, looking like they were just making trouble. Didn’t like the look of ’em. I just wanted to find out if Tanner had noticed anything. Has he said anything to you about it?”

“Nothing,” she said, cutting a sandwich into the tiniest little triangles. “And you know he would have seen if something was out of place.”

I nodded. She wasn’t wrong, but something still didn’t feel right.

“They’re probably tourists,” Rae added before she started making herself and Tanner something to eat. “Are you having lunch with us?”

I shook my head automatically. I would see them from time to time but I wasn’t here to join in on the family fun, like the crazy uncle Mason. I respected Tanner, and I was happy he’d found his woman, but that was where I drew the line.

“What are they doing here?” I asked. “It wasn’t like this last year.”

“Cami’s been working hard to get people interested in coming here for the holidays. She’s been posting about all the events online, and it’s really drawing a crowd.”

I frowned. That was news to me. “Posting online? What, like social media?”

Rae nodded. “She’s doing a pretty great job at it, too. Here, look.” She pulled out her phone and showed me one of Cami’s recent posts. It was a picture of the decorated town square, all decked out in lights, looking like a postcard.

Cami’s caption was all about community, Christmas cheer, and how Silver Ridge was the perfect holiday getaway.

“Why the hell would she do that?” I asked, horrified. My mind raced. Broadcasting your life, your location, everything—it was like hanging a target on your back. I didn’t get it. Didn’t get why anyone would want that kind of attention. “Doesn’t she know that’s a bad idea?”

Rae laughed but there was a hint of exasperation in her eyes. “Mason, not everyone lives in a bunker, okay? It’s good for business. She’s helping put Silver Ridge on the map, and we can really use that kind of attention.”

She flipped to another photo—a selfie Cami had taken in front of Millie’s Diner, the neon sign wrapped in twinkling lights.

I scowled, uneasy. This wasn’t just about tourists. It was about safety, about knowing who was in your town and why.

Cami’s online presence was drawing people in, but not all of them looked like they were here for a Christmas vacation. The wrong crowd could march up right alongside the right crowd and no one would be the wiser. I didn’t trust it, and that Cami was at the center of it all made my gut twist.

I glanced at the picture again, and all I could see was Cami’s smile, bright and inviting. She was trouble, all right—danger wrapped in a pretty package with a bow on top.

If I thought she was dangerous at first, well, she just kicked herself into a whole new league, and whatever she was doing was bringing trouble to town.