Page 115 of Ten Hammers

I hold up a hand to stop him. “The thing is, Mason, you can’t possibly know who I was or wasn’t going to choose because even I still don’t know that! And if you didn’t want to do this… you shouldn’t be doing this! You should have ended things with me, both of you, before you agreed to do the spin-off. I can’t believe you can’t see that!”

I feel like I’m being torn in two. Part of me just wants Mason to hold me and make it better. Part of me wants to tell him that first and foremost, he is my friend, and we’ll get through this.

But another part of me feels like, even after all we’ve been through, I suddenly don’t know him at all.

Mason… my sweet Mason… he couldn’t possibly betray me this way.

And yet, he did.

I’m suddenly exhausted.

I hold out my hand. “I think I’ll take you up on the offer to take your car, after all. I just want to go home.”

Chapter 40

Cruz

I’m alone in the living room when the front door opens and closes.

“You lovebirds are back early. Was the date terrible?” I call.

Joking, obviously. I want every date Winnie has to be amazing, whether it’s with me or not. Though… I’m not too humble a guy to admit that Axe, Deez and I set the bar pretty damn high for Mason.

Poor schmuck.

When I hear footsteps, I pull my hand out of my pants, but not fast enough.

“Are you really choking the chicken on Mom’s couch, you perv?”

It’s Mason. I look behind him, but it’s only Mason. No Winnie to be found.

“Where’s Win?” I ask.

And, yes, I was choking the chicken on Mom’s couch. Is it my fault a commercial for WildVenture Outfitters came on and there was a shot of a tent? Camping will never not turn me on for the rest of my life.

“She’s…” he begins, but trails off, looking so damn squirrely and guilt-ridden I almost ask where he buried the body.

“If she went home with another dude, that’s a bad sign, bro,” I quip.

Obviously I’m kidding. But based on his sigh, I’m guessing he’s not amused.

“I need to talk to Max. Know where he is?”

“I am not, as they say, my brother’s keeper. But I’m pretty sure he went out with Leo. They said something about tacos or taxis? I wasn’t really paying attention. You can talk to me, though. I almost always know where I am.”

He narrows his eyes at me, slightly. Then with another giant sigh, he plunks onto the sofa.

“I fucked up bad, man. Max and I both did.”

My heart skitters in my chest. I’m a grown-ass man. My heart shouldn’t be skittering, but I know their fuck-up has something to do with Win, so skitter my damn heart does.

I click off the TV and put down the remote. Leaning forward, my elbows on my knees, I ask, “What did you do?”

As he tells me, my heart stops skittering and plummets.

“Where is Winnie?” I demand when he’s done.

“She drove my car back. I took a rideshare. She left before I did, by like fifteen minutes so she should’ve been back by now.”

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