23. ~Mason~

23

~Mason~

I swam beneath the surface of the warm water, seeing Colt in the distance.

He was sprawled out on one of the sun loungers sipping at his daiquiri and soaking up the sun in his tiny swim trunks.

It was the calm before the storm for us.

Before everything came to a head.

Before the strike took place and we were awash in violence and bloodletting.

And unlike my usual protocol where calm and relaxation was concerned, I was making sure I enjoyed the brief downtime and soaked up every second of it.

While Colt was with me on that, Levi had gone the other way with keeping himself really busy. He'd compiled all the data into his tracking program to discern patterns of movement and dealings for Malcolm Lynch, and now it was only a matter of time before it churned out what we needed—the location of that son of a bitch. So, in the meantime, Levi was at Knightsridge Engineering with Roman learning the ropes. Or at least on track to doing so.

Bree was due to come out here any moment with us. She was just finishing up a call with her dad. She'd told us all about her first contact with him in years wherein she'd promised him she wouldn't be a stranger anymore. And she was keeping that vow.

I picked up speed and power and then, when I was close enough, I surged up, dousing Colt all over.

He jumped up, now drenched, and put his glass down.

"Oh, darlin', you're in for it now," he warned.

In the next second, he was leaping at me.

I laughed and caught him, then ducked him under the water.

That laughter got a whole lot wilder when he resurfaced and his perfectly-styled mohawk was all flat and soaked.

He splashed me, getting it all in my eyes.

As I was wiping it away, he shoved my head into the pool, dunking me right back.

And then we were pretty much wrestling in the pool, getting lost in the moment, the lightheartedness and the fun ridiculousness of it.

"Wait," I choked as I resurfaced again after accidentally swallowing a ton of water. "Need a second to catch my breath."

He swam into me and guided me back against the edge of the pool.

He linked his hands around my neck, then leaned in and licked up the droplets of water all over my cheek and throat, down to my pecs.

I groaned and threw my head back at the glorious dual sensations of his hot, wet tongue and his stud teasing my skin.

"Catching your breath now, darlin'?" he teased.

"The exact opposite," I rasped. "No complaints here, though."

"Is that so? Even though this pool is in a common, public area of the house? Even though the staff could see us and one actually just walked by the patio doors and looked out here?"

I smiled out at him. "Even then, gorgeous."

"Wow, I'm loving this," he said, stopping his teasing in his other kind of excitement and regarding me in awe. "You're getting so uninhibited, so much more comfortable in yourself."

"I know. Amazing, huh?"

"It really is, brother."

Movement in my peripheral vision caught my eye and I turned my head to see Brianna strolling out with her favored Strawberry Chocolate Martini in hand, clad in her pink string bikini with a sarong slung low on her sexy little hips.

Colt followed my line of sight. "Lose the sarong and get in here with us, Bree!" he called over.

She came to us and sat down on the edge, dipping her legs into the water. She was really gleeful as she took us in. "I have amazing news!"

We both waded over to her.

Colt tickled her feet in the water and made her giggle. "What's that, cutie?"

I stroked her thigh, trying to make it soothing rather than erotic, so she could focus on this news she had to tell us that had her so excited.

She was clearly feeling better. The last couple of days ever since her and Lev had returned from that quick takedown of that slimy fuckboy, Tommy, she'd been down and withdrawn.

Lev had told us exactly what had happened and it was no wonder.

Despite the need to what had happened and the down and dirty world she'd grown up in, Brianna Walker had a gentle heart, a kind soul. It sometimes slammed up against what needed to be done and the dark that loomed over her and us all, and there was conflict in that, and upset for her. But she'd obviously begun to process it now. Soon she'd hopefully be talking about it with us and we could help her the rest of the way through it.

When Roman had first given Colt and I the news that Lev and her had headed down to do that without us, I hadn't exactly been pleased. But then he'd explained why they'd made that call.

I'd seen beneath the surface with it too.

Lev hadn't wanted Colt to be there to witness a murder like that.

He didn't do well with that sort of thing. He was the gentlest and most innocent of us all—in that respect, at least.

When this strike happened, I'd be running interference to ensure he was shielded from the worst of it. I didn't really want him going at all, but he'd insisted, wanting to support Lev and Bree with it just like I did. I couldn't deny him that.

But at least he hadn't been there on that strip club mission. And I'd needed to stay behind to ensure he hadn't freaked out and tried to haul ass down there to help.

Fortunately, it had all worked out well and exactly to plan all around.

"After talking to my dad, I took a video call from Sandy, a member of Vixen." She looked at me. "The master thief on the Peter Hall mission."

I tensed. "And?"

" And she got the tape. She destroyed it right in front of me, as per my request and I saw for myself via the video call that it was the only copy. It's been confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt."

Colt grinned from ear-to-ear. "It's really happened? Hall's leverage over Mason has gone? For real?"

"It has," Bree confirmed, beaming.

"Jesus," I breathed, sinking back against the edge of the pool.

I couldn't… process it.

Colt jumped at me and threw his arms around me. "You're free! Free!"

I held him to me and looked out at Brianna. "Thank you. Thank you so much. This has… it's changed everything for me."

"You don't need to thank me, Mason. I want you happy alongside the rest of us."

"I was trapped and now I'm not. Because of you."

Colt released me and I waded to Brianna, between her legs.

Stroking her thighs, I gazed up at her in utter reverence. "Coming into our lives, it's changed everything in so many unexpected and unbelievable ways. You're amazing and we love you. I love you."

"Aww, shit, Mason. That was awesome."

Bree's whole face lit up. "I love you, too. You. Colt. Levi. All of you."

Colt and I wrapped ourselves around her.

Unfortunately, the moment was cut far too short when her phone rang.

She grumbled and retrieved it from beside her. "It's Levi," she told us. She put it on speakerphone and answered, "Hey, lovely. We're all here listening. How is your day going at Knightsridge?"

"Wildflower. Boys ," Lev's voice sounded between us. " The day's been great. But I'm not calling about that. We've got a problem. It's your shit of a father, Mason. Lena couldn't hold him off any longer and he now knows you're here. She just told my dad that he's on his way to sort you out. Brianna, any update on the Vixen mission yet?"

"A fucking ace update," Colt answered, unable to contain his excitement. "They got the tape. It's destroyed."

"Yeah?"

"It's gone," Bree confirmed.

"Perfect fucking timing. Yeah, Mason?"

I was having trouble absorbing everything, all these monumental things in quick succession. "Yeah," was all I could manage.

My father was coming here? Now?

I was free? Out from under his thumb?

It didn't fully compute.

It hit me then.

Because it wasn't true.

At least, not all the way.

Roman's words from the other night played on my mind, coming right to the forefront.

"This is your chance."

"Chance?"

"To stand your ground. To show him you're a grown man. No longer a boy he can push around."

Never had truer wise words been spoken.

Of course that was what needed to happen to make this fully real.

It was time for my father to meet the true me.

I could always tell the moment the old bastard was near.

The air became thicker, filled with a whole lot of toxicity.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

My pulse picked up.

Adrenaline spiked, my body automatically readying for a fight.

And most of all, a sense of shame took me over prior to even laying eyes on him, prior to him even being in my space.

No matter what, no matter how well I was doing, what I was achieving, he stole that sense of accomplishment and feeling good about myself away with just a few damaging words, and sometimes, even just a single derisive look.

The power he had over me was staggering.

It was disturbing.

Hell, it was absolutely disgusting.

"It's gonna be okay," Colt said, rubbing my arm, as we watched the Rolls-Royce pull in.

"After this, it'll all be smooth sailing," Bree assured me, before planting a kiss on my cheek.

Colt grinned, then kissed the other.

As he pulled away, he laid his hand on my shoulder, "Now, go and tell him how it's gonna be from now on."

I nodded and steadied myself.

And then I stepped out of the mansion.

The Rolls came to a stop and then my father climbed out.

Surprisingly, my mom followed.

She usually stayed out of our discussions and gave my father all the power there.

Hell, she'd given him her power in every way a long time ago.

I took her in first. Caramel-brown hair just like mine was cascading about her face in ringlets, done up to the nines. She was dressed in her usual flashy and fashion-forward way in a sleek asymmetrical black and silver dress and a pair of Vivier pumps, it all fitting with her whole socialite thing.

It was a direct and shocking contrast to my father's appearance.

He was wearing one of his ugly brown designer suits, which he considered classic, but was really a lack of imagination. And that, there, was half the trouble between us. He couldn't handle my creativity. To him, it was a threat, something that lacked control and incited rebellion.

Fuck me, he'd come so close to making me a carbon copy of him in the control department—let alone the whole lawyer- in-the-making thing that I'd always hated—and I'd put that on Lev and Colt, even Brianna at first, because I'd been so afraid of the consequences if I didn't do him justice and channel him in everything that I did like he wanted.

Like he'd ordered and then enforced through collusion.

And the leverage that he no longer had.

Unbeknownst to him.

At least, for the moment.

That was about to change.

Everything was about to change.

My father shoved a hand through his perfectly slicked back gray hair, a sign that he was right on the verge of flipping out, because he didn't tend to touch his hair at all once it was set perfectly with all that gel. His espresso eyes that I'd inherited flickered with malice.

I could feel Colt and Brianna just a few feet behind me at the threshold of the mansion entrance doors.

It was enough to give me the initial bolstering that I needed as I sucked in a breath and walked out to meet my parents halfway.

I'd only just made it to them when my father bit at me, "What on earth are you playing at, boy?"

"I'm going to need some context."

His eyes flashed. "Excuse me?"

I stood my ground and rebutted, "You heard me."

"Mason!" my mom chastised, backing him up as usual like the weak-willed thing she was.

I ignored it and pushed my father, "Get to your point."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, you little shit. Why haven't you been in school for days on end? And why did I finally find out from Lena Sharp that you'd left with her son? Are you vacationing together like a… like a couple?" Disgust marred his features. "I thought you'd made it clear to him that you were just friends, that you didn't and would never share his proclivities?"

Unbelievable.

They would never accept me.

No, there was absolutely nothing to worry about saving here.

It was time to burn it all down.

"Colt and I actually spent time fucking on a regular basis. Now it's all four of us who fuck around together. We have a girlfriend in the mix too that the three of us share beautifully."

"Oh my goodness," my mom choked, literally clutching her pearls right in front of me, her disapproval and nausea not hidden in the least.

My father took a step forward, his eyes narrowed. "This won't stand, boy."

"That's just it, I'm not your boy."

"You will fall in line, Mason. Or else, I'll—"

"Leak that surveillance tape of me murdering somebody?"

"Murdering? What are you talking about?" my mom asked.

My father held up his hand to her. "Quiet. It's nothing for you to worry about."

She shrank back. "Sorry, Pete."

Urgh. Pathetic.

"And, yes, Mason, that is the consequence of defying me and veering off the life plan I've laid out for you."

"Your life plan, not mine."

"That doesn't matter. You will follow it, return to college right now, and get back on track. You won't return to living with Colton Sharp either seeing as though the unfortunate connection between you clearly can't be quelled without me taking action. You'll return to the frat house without him. Levi Knight is off the table too. Him and his father are the last sort of influences that you need. And as for this girlfriend of yours, whoever she is, that's done with too."

"She's a biker princess. Or, she was. Of the Steel Dawn MC. Heard of them?"

"Certainly not," my mom said. "We don't consort with the likes of those sorts of people."

"Which you well know," my father seethed.

"You mean honest people? Raw and real?" I gestured between them. "A far cry from the two of you who are so concerned with appearances and some dictated grandiose scheme you have laid out for me that doesn't for a moment take into my preferences or even my free fucking will that you'd hurt your own son over and over, using him like a pawn rather than your flesh and blood."

They didn't even hear me.

Not at all.

Especially not my father who waved his hand dismissively.

"Enough of this foolishness. You will return to college immediately."

"That won't be happening. I have other commitments."

"There are no other commitments , boy. You will return and get back on track, or I will take everything from you."

"By releasing that tape, yes?"

"Yes," he hissed.

I signaled behind me at Bree and Colt.

My father's eyes widened as he noticed for the first time that we weren't alone.

That I wasn't alone.

They made their way over, Bree looking the epitome of her Barbiecore self in her pink houndstooth jacket and matching skirt, along with a pair of thigh-high gray boots, and Colt bringing his bold style forth in a pair of black leather pants and his zebra-print shirt only buttoned at the middle. His mohawk was out in full force too, while Bree's hair was cascading about her face in beautiful silky waves.

I'd already seen my father turn his nose up at my get-up of a pair of ripped blue jeans and a distressed gray muscle tee. My hair was also wild as fuck as I'd only run my fingers through it since we'd dried and gotten dressed from our pool fun earlier.

"What is this?" my father demanded.

"This?" I said, wrapping my arm around Bree on my left and holding Colt's hand on my right. "This is a real family. My new family."

He glared heatedly at Colt, then frowned at Bree curiously.

Colt stared daggers right back at him, giving as good as he got.

Bree turned her nose up at him.

That was about right.

"Enough of this nonsense."

"We're done here," I told him.

"Done? What are you talking about?"

"I won't be returning to Stonewell U. I won't be walking away from Colt, Brianna, or Levi. I'll be returning to the career I wanted, my artistic career that you tried and failed to beat down. Once my business is concluded here, it will be put into effect."

"The hell, it will. You better—"

"Better what? Fall in line. Nah. Like I said, we're done here."

"I will release—"

"You have nothing to release."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, my bad. Haven't you checked your safe lately? The tape is gone."

He looked utterly stunned for several moments, while my mom murmured questions as to what we were even referring to. As usual, she had no idea what was going on with her own son—or her husband. She much preferred living inside her socialite bubble.

"You little shit. If you think that's all I can do to—"

"You should worry about what we can do," Bree cut in.

She was pulling out her phone then and scrolling in the next moment. She looked at my mom. "It's unfortunate you're here for this, but on the other hand, you should know who your husband really is. You might want to review that prenup once we're done here."

And then Bree held her phone up between us for us all to see.

A video had started playing, most definitely NSFW, especially not safe for his work.

It depicted my father fucking his assistant, the one who'd suddenly up and quit, bouncing her completely stripped naked on his cock while he was fully suited accept for his pants being open, as he spewed some dirty talk that even Colt would find disturbing. I actually looked over at him and he was cringing.

"What is it with all the Daddy talk lately, by the way?" Bree mused aloud, sarcasm dripping.

As my parents started arguing, my mom apparently completely unaware that he was actually a cheating bastard, Bree looked out at me and Colt. "It's an extreme turnoff, FYI."

"Shit, yeah," Colt said.

"Absolutely right there with you there, dark angel, don't worry."

"Lev can't stand it either," Colt assured her. The corner of his mouth turned up. "He'd never speak that way to his Wildflower."

She chuckled, then went to put her phone away, but my father grasped it, stopping her.

Before any of us could react, Roman's Lexus raced into the courtyard.

Levi emerged first with Roman just behind him.

I took the opportunity of the distraction to slam my hand into my father's chest, knocking him back from Bree.

"Your little biker princess is going to hand over that video," my father seethed, stumbling back a step. He spun to see Levi and Roman rushing over. "And here's the notorious gangster and the son he allows to run wild."

"Pete, what an expected, yet incredibly unpleasant surprise," Roman spoke, stopping between him and my mom, while Lev came to us.

"All right?" he asked us, studying the three of us.

Before any of us could answer, my father lunged at Bree, wanting her phone.

Levi went to react with those lightning-fast reflexes of his, but I guess with all this build-up and the adrenaline coursing through my system, it gave me an extra edge, and my fist was flying at my father.

It slammed into his face with cement block force, knocking him straight to his knees.

The satisfaction of it, striking the bastard, and bringing him to his knees… it was another level.

He went to curse me out, but I loomed over him, growling, "Get the fuck out of here. As of this moment, we have no relationship. I'm no longer your son." I gestured between him and my mom. "Get out of my sight. And don't fucking contact me again."

"You're cut off!" he yelled, getting back to his feet, while rubbing his face.

Bree, Colt, and Lev gathered close to me then, and Bree told him, "It won't even touch him. He won't be destitute and he won't even feel it at all. He has us."

A few more mutterings came from my father and some hesitation because he clearly couldn't wrap his head around losing out here.

So Roman took matters into his own hands—literally—and dragged my father back to the Rolls, my mom following with her head bowed in a whole lot of shame.

My father was shoved into the driver's seat and some heated words were spoken by Roman that we couldn't make out, before they finally drove away.

When they were out of sight, a long breath of relief left me.

It was done.

The shackles were cast off.

I was free.