26. Mason

Mason

26

As I hold the casino door open for Reed, the familiar sound of ringing slot machines is already grating on my nerves. But as Reed walks past me in black leather pants that hug her ass like an oil spill, I'm at least distracted by the sight of her.

I grab her hand, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. Reed doesn't wear any fancy perfume, so she always smells like soap. A scent so pure—so her—I can't help breathing her in before glancing down at her.

"Those pants should be illegal."

"These old things?" She glances up, smiling.

Her heels add four inches to her height, but she's still nowhere near my level. It's adorable.

The hint of nerves from earlier melts when she's at my side, so I pull her closer to me.

Tonight, she paired a deep-red blouse with her black leather pants, and one look at her and we barely made it out of the house. Everything about this girl makes me want to lay her out and worship her to remind her that the right guy wouldn't take her for granted.

I'm addicted to everything about this girl, and she's got me hanging, wondering when she'll cut me off, not knowing if I'll be able to handle it. I'd like to lie to myself and pretend she's not in my bloodstream, flooding my veins with her very presence. But it's just not possible.

We make our way through my father's casino, and I'm almost immediately reminded why the VIP invites we got from Ghost are pointless. We don't need them. I could feel eyes on me the moment we walked in. My dad has people watching every inch of the casino floor twenty-four seven. They no doubt saw me pull up outside. As confirmed by the two men in suits, making their way in our direction.

Reed doesn't seem to notice. She's like everyone else here, in that she's distracted by the fact that casinos are made to present themselves as a good time. A place to win big and have fun. When really, the house is always in control, and they've always got an eye out to make sure that happens.

We're almost at the party when the two men in suits stop directly in our path.

Reed tenses, so I wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

"Your father wants to see you."

I was hoping to catch him in a public setting, but I should have known better. That's not how Rick Zane operates. He prefers to uphold appearances, and God forbid anyone think things have soured with his son. It's bad enough that we haven't been photographed together in over a year.

Tabloids love speculation.

If I can get in and out of Vegas without any of the local news sites paying attention, that will be the best-case scenario. Especially considering Reed insisted on coming tonight, and I'm not letting her leave my side.

Our getting caught on camera together might escalate things with Carter, and I don't want to do that to her.

"Lead the way." I wave my hand out mockingly.

They ignore it and guide us to an elevator that requires an access card. My father has his own floor at each of his hotels, and this one is no different. It's where he goes to meet with business partners or to fuck women who aren't my mother.

If I learned anything from my dad, it's that money doesn't make someone a decent human being.

I still remember him hiring a prostitute for my eighteenth birthday party. My mom grumbled, said happy birthday, and left. While Dad insisted I take him up on his present to get a taste of what it meant to be a real man.

My friends all had a blast with the girl, and so did my dad. But fuck if I was going to use someone like that.

I might have enjoyed Vegas for the nightlife and the constant distractions, but I've never paid to get laid.

Security ushers us into the elevator first, like we're going to try to run. If I wanted to avoid my father, I wouldn't have stepped foot in the casino in the first place. I'm not na?ve. He has eyes on every corner of his establishments.

The elevator doors close, and the sound of slot machines fades as we rise to the hotel above us. Reed seals herself to my side. One hand rests on my stomach, and for a second, I let myself think that she's mine.

That she's with me for more than just rebound sex.

I let myself think I'm good enough to deserve her, looking at me like she does when she glances up and hands me her trust. There's no way she's comfortable here, but she knows I won't let anything happen to her either.

When the elevator stops, the doors peel open, and security steps out, waiting for us.

They don't need to lead the way. The door to my father's room is at the end of the hall because that's where it always is.

The corner suite.

One of the nicest rooms in the building, apart from the ones he uses to wring billionaires and celebrities of their money.

When we reach his room, the guard standing at the door opens it for us, letting Reed and me in, while the guards stay outside.

The suite is three times the size of my apartment in LA, and windows overlook the entire Strip.

"Mason." My father stands up when we walk in.

His gray hair is more prominent than the last time I saw him, but his smile still bleeds with the same fiscally oversaturated confidence. He's wearing one of his nicer suits, and his beard is perfectly trimmed.

My mom stands but stays quiet. She's the perfect trophy wife, and it pisses me off every time I see them together.

Dad walks toward us, and I'm itching with how he skims Reed from head to toe.

"This must be the infamous Reed Jackson, Carter's girl." He holds his hand out to her.

"Not anymore." She grinds her teeth, shaking his hand but just as quickly pulling away.

My dad's stare cuts in my direction. "I can see what all the fuss is about. Good work on that, son."

I'd like to tell him she's not a prize that I've won, but it wouldn't matter. My father doesn't see women as partners. They're tools to be used how he sees fit. My mother fills the role of making him appear to be a strong husband and good father figure, while his employees and mistresses fill his other needs.

"Good to see you, Mason." He nods.

"Is it? I'm surprised you got that sentence out without bursting into flames."

"Mason," Mom scolds, finally stepping forward.

She's the peacekeeper of the family. Or, at least, she tries to be. There isn't much that can be done about my father—much less me, now that I've stopped caring if I appease him or not.

Mom narrows her gaze, and I'm surprised she has any fight left after what happened to Sienna. If anything was going to break my mother, it would have been that. But I guess she has managed to survive my father all these years. So here she stands.

"Hi, Mom." I step forward and give her a hug.

It's not her fault she's been trained to do my father's bidding. I never held it against her, even if I never understood it. And even if she is essentially an extension of him, I've missed her.

"Hi, honey." Mom wraps me in her frail arms.

She's thinner than the last time I saw her, and it doesn't look like she's been eating as much as she needs to. It's something Mom has struggled with for as far back as I can remember. A yo-yo that bounces from painfully thin to average over and over again.

I can feel her spine through the fabric of her dress, and it's another reason I hate my father. He's the one who plants these seeds in her head, and he's letting her waste away.

"Drink?" Dad walks to the in-room bar and starts filling his glass with scotch before I answer.

"We won't be staying long."

He nods. "How is the article coming, Reed? Carter told me you're painting a pretty picture for the Board of Supervisors. There have been some snags—or so I'm told—with the city accepting our proposal."

"Because you're shutting down a historic hotel to take over the land." Reed narrows her gaze at my father, her fire shining through.

"If it was truly historic, they'd have the documentation saying so, preventing us from bidding on the property. That's not the case, though, is it?" He gleams, taking a sip of his scotch.

"If either of you cared, you wouldn't demolish it. You'd preserve the original architecture."

Dad takes another sip of his drink, smiling with amusement as Reed tries to convince him.

"Well, that answers my question."

"What question?" Reed asks.

"My son convinced you to switch your tune on the article. You're no longer going to help us."

"This has nothing to do with me." I grip Reed's hand. "Reed is her own person, and she writes what she wants."

"Not too long ago, she was writing what Carter wanted, so I apologize if I'm confused."

I try to step forward, but Reed plants her hand on my arm, pausing me in place. She's my gravity when my father so easily spins the room out of my control.

"This is no longer about Carter." Reed glares at my dad, and the respect I have for this girl grows tenfold. "This is about the story—the building. I'm writing the article as I see fit."

She doesn't back down as she might have a couple of months ago when she was with someone who made her feel like she needed to. Instead, she stands up to one of the most powerful men in this city, and she's never been more beautiful as she makes no apologies for it.

"My mistake." My dad grins, clearly not put off by her fire.

Mom's eyes are wide as she watches the two of them battle it out, only stepping in when a quiet moment settles in the room.

"You brought quite a girl with you, Mason." Mom's voice is cheery but forced, and she looks nervous. "Reed, you said her name was."

"Yes," Reed answers for me. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Zane."

"You as well." Her gaze darts between us. "And you and my son are…"

"Friends," I say quickly before Reed feels the need to back herself into a corner by putting a label on us.

"Ah, yes." Mom glances at where my hand is on Reed's lower back. "Friends…"

It doesn't really matter if we aren't fooling anyone. I'm not ashamed of the fact that I want this girl to be everything to me. But I'm not going to force her to lie and say she wants the same, just for my parents' sake.

"Let's cut to the chase. I've got a party to get to." Dad steps forward, swishing his scotch in his glass. "If you aren't here to gather glowing quotes for your article, why are you in my town?"

His town.

I chuckle at the arrogance, and I hope Steel is able to make good on his threats.

Shaking my head, I decide to get straight to the point because neither of us wants me to be here. "You need to kill the deal with Carter."

He's the one smiling now. "And what makes you think I'd do that?"

"He's bankrupt—for one. The only thing keeping him afloat is this deal. He's borrowing on debts to cover his investment. And he's not good for the cash. Which means he has no liquidity if something goes wrong."

Dad smirks. "I respect you trying to appeal to my business savvy, son. Pretending you give a shit about how I run my company. But you're not telling me anything I don't know."

"Then why the fuck are you doing this?"

His eyes gleam with his amusement, and I realize what I should have from the start. Carter isn't pulling one over on my father. Richard Zane is too smart for that.

"I have the cash—more than enough. I don't need Carter for his investment." Dad walks over to the window, looking out at the Strip. "But I'm still finding my legs in San Francisco. I don't have the same connections there that I've built here."

"You mean grandfather's connections."

He shrugs, not looking at me. "Carter is a face. He knows the right people. He's only an investor because I gave him the capital. Small price to pay to expand my operations. And he'll come out of this with sufficient funds to pay me back and settle his obligations."

At that, he glances at Reed.

"Carter's a determined man." Dad walks over to us, not taking his eyes off her. "A bit impulsive and reckless for my taste, but he gets what he wants. That's why I chose him."

"Why are you telling me that?" Reed clutches me tighter the closer my father gets to us.

"I'm not telling you." Dad's gaze moves to me. "I'm telling Mason."

He swishes his drink, the ice clinking loudly in the silence of the room.

"Come back to Vegas and take the spot you were supposed to. We could build the empire we talked about when you were younger. You can even bring your girl with you." He glances down at Reed. "Or… stay in LA. Refuse my help, and I'll build that empire with another man who wants her. You really think you can win that battle?"

"I'm not property," Reed grits out.

"No. Unfortunately." Dad grimaces. "But Carter is a determined man. And once this deal is done, a more powerful one at that. He knows what he wants, and he's willing to do what it takes to get it."

My blood pressure peaks at the thought of Carter coming after Reed.

"Kill the deal, or I'll go to the cops with what really happened to Gabe," I threaten. "We both know what you did to bury the truth."

"You're not that stupid." Dad huffs. "You'd go to jail."

"So would you."

"Mason." Reed squeezes my hand, and I feel her eyes on me. "There are other ways."

"Listen to the girl." Dad grins, taking a step back, and the tension in the room is so thick I can barely breathe. "I've got to get going. But let me know if you change your mind. I was looking forward to expanding into California, but if you come back, I'll reconsider. I'd even help you get the girl."

He smiles like he actually thinks he's doing me a favor. Really, he's asking us to trade one evil for another.

I glance down at Reed, and she looks like someone stepped on her heart.

"That's not going to happen." I shake my head. "Enjoy your party."

He nods, and we turn to leave.

"Mason." Mom stops me, pulling me in for a final hug. "I love you."

"Love you too, Mom. I'm here if you ever need me."

She won't. She's been accepting my father's faults for too long.

We make our way out of the suite, and my father is probably already moving on to his next meeting, and it's for the better. At least this ride in the elevator doesn't require security.

Reed is silent as we make our way through the casino floor again, not saying a word until we reach the door to the outside.

"I guess that was pointless." She sighs.

"Not exactly."

"Mason." She stops, spinning me to face her. "You can't seriously think that self-sacrifice is an option. I get your dad is the asshole of all assholes, but I'm not losing you because of him."

"I hear you." I brush her cheek, not missing that she said she didn't want to lose me.

We came to Vegas to see if I could call my father's bluff, and maybe a few months ago, it would have worked. I didn't care about my own well-being, and I would have willingly gone down if it meant taking my father with me.

The plan was to threaten him, and for him to be scared and to listen. But I didn't account for Reed.

Dad saw how she looked at me, and immediately sensed she is my weakness. My threat fell flat when he knows I won't take him down if it hurts her.

I fucked up by bringing her with me, and I should regret it. But she's in my arms and at my side. So I find it difficult.

"We'll figure something else out, okay? At least he showed his hand."

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't care about Carter. He's just a means to an end. If things don't work out, my dad will move on to protect his investments. He's not our biggest problem."

"Carter is." She sighs.

"Yeah." And from what my dad said, Carter won't go down without a fight. "Sorry this didn't work."

"I'm not." She shakes her head. "If I knew the whole plan hinged on you throwing yourself under the bus to get him to kill the deal, I'd have stopped you from coming here in the first place. Why would you do that?"

"Because I want you free of him, Reed. And you're so close."

She reaches up, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "I'm already free of him in all the ways that matter thanks to you."

Leaning down, I brush the softest kiss against her lips.

"You're too good to me," she whispers.

"Nah, Sticks." I brush her cheek with the back of my knuckles. "I'm the bare minimum of what you deserve."

She smiles, the lights of Vegas brightening her cheeks.

Reaching down, I tip her chin up to face me when she still looks nervous. "What's on your mind?"

"Your dad's going to tell Carter about this visit. He'll know I was here, and he's not going to be happy."

Reed is a strong girl, but all it takes is one name for her to start shrinking in on herself. I hate it.

I kiss her forehead, then pull her close. "Let him know. He's not getting to you."

Not again.

"I promise."