Page 68 of A Little More Hope

Chapter Twenty-One

Mason

My neck and shoulders were so tense they were hunched up around my ears. The journey to the city was akin to torture. Its only saving grace, oddly, was being cocooned inside Gabe’s huge Mercedes SUV. The massive vehicle made me feel secure and kept me so until I’d parked in the underground garage in my apartment building. One of the few luxuries we’d all agreed on when building the apartment block was having somewhere for people to safely park their car. After my assault, it was a decision I’d be eternally grateful for.

I shot off a quick message to Gabe to let him know I’d arrived safely. Honestly, the man worried far worse than my mom with his need for confirmation of my safe arrival.

Taking the elevator up to my floor, I managed to get to my front door without encountering anyone else and hurriedly let myself in before going through the ritual of engaging the deadbolts and locks.

“About time,” Ethan’s voice broke the silence of the room, nearly giving me a cardiac arrest. “You should have been here an hour ago.”

“Jesus!” My hand flew up to my chest in panic. “You scared me half to death. What the hell are you doing here?”

“That’s your welcome after being away all this time?” He spread his arms wide. “Now say hello properly, and hug me like you mean it.”

Pulling myself together, I did as he ordered and moved into his embrace, relishing the feel of hugging my friend again after so long. Taller than me by a few inches and way more muscular, his solid grip was the same as being hugged by a grizzly bear.

“Missed you,” he said, causing tears to blur my eyes.

“Missed you too,” I replied, squeezing him hard.

Ethan eased back a little so he could look at me, his brows furrowed, studying me with his dark chocolate eyes. “You doing okay?” he asked, his worry for me evident in the low timbre of his voice.

I gave a quick nod. “Yeah, I’m doing good.” I smiled. “Still recovering from the heart attack you just gave me. Other than that…” My smile widened further when he rolled his eyes dramatically.

“And they say I’m the drama queen.”

“Is this hug for anyone to join in, or do you two need to get a room?” Ty’s deep, gravelly voice carried from across the kitchen, shocking me again as I craned my head around to look over my shoulder. For such a big guy, he really could be stealthy when he wanted to be. He walked over to the two of us carrying three coffees in his big hands. Ethan released me and stepped aside, giving him room.

“Nah, I’m all about the sharing,” Ethan replied, causing Ty to let out a bark of laughter.

“You better not let Nate hear you saying that shit, or he’ll have your balls.”

Oh yeah, I’d almost forgotten Ethan had gone domestic and recently settled down. I looked at him closely, while he and Ty bantered back and forth, noticing some subtle but significant differences. The cynical edge, forever present around his eyes, had softened considerably since I’d last seen him, and the permanent tightness in the set of his jaw, like he was seconds away from cracking a molar, had vanished completely. He’d always exuded a confidence and assurance in himself I’d forever envy, but now all the hard angles and planes had been smoothed around the edges, and he appeared far more relaxed and content than I’d ever seen him. It was a good look on him.

Ty placed the coffees down on the low table, and before I could react, I got crushed in the arms of a six-and-a-half-foot mountain of muscle. If Ethan hugged like a man in grizzly bear form, Ty hugged like his huge-ass, bigger, built brother.

When he set me free and I could finally breathe again, I gestured to the couch, so the three of us headed over and took a seat.

My eyes darted back and forth between them for a few seconds. “Why are you both here?” I asked, intrigued.

“We guessed you might feel more comfortable having our meeting here instead of at the office,” Ethan answered. “That way there are no other people to deal with.”

My thanks for them swelled hugely at their kind consideration. I should never have shut these guys out. They were my closest friends. They’d have helped me too, rather than me forcing Gabe to take all the pressure. I should have shared the load. They wouldn’t have minded. I’d alienated them in the first place, and I should have known better.

In truth, I’d been terrified at the idea of making the short journey into the office, even while using the chauffeured car we had on call whenever we need it. That, and the thought of having members of staff, no matter how much I liked them, wanting to chat or welcome me back had sent ice cold fear slithering down my spine. But I knew, despite the struggle with my issues, I would have forced myself to the office one way or another. What I had to say was too important for me not to do it in person.

“Thank you.”

Ethan let out a chuckle. “Don’t be going all schmaltzy on us. We’re your friends, and that’s what we do.”

“Damn right,” Ty agreed.

“Yeah, okay.”

Ty reached forward, took a coffee, then lifted the lid and sipped. “I must admit, I’m intrigued by your request for this meeting. You’ll be returning in a few weeks anyway, so what’s the rush to see us today?”

Brushing my sweaty palms over my chinos, I tried to calm my rapidly beating heart. I’d gone over and over what I intended to say while driving back here, but now facing my two partners, my hands visibly trembled, my left knee bobbed frantically up and down, and my mouth had gone as dry as a desert. Working my jaw a few times to get some moisture back on my tongue, I took one, final, deep breath and blurted out the words I’d come to say as fast as I could before I lost my nerve. “I’m quitting the business.”

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