Page 51 of My Secret Santa Mason

I willed her to know I would do anything for her. I would risk my life for her. I hoped she could see it in my eyes.

But Viktor wasn’t making it easy. He was using her as a fucking shield, his body hidden behind hers, making it impossible for me to get a clear shot at him, even if I used my knife and not a gun.

My hands itched to grab the pistol hidden beneath my coat, but I couldn’t risk it. Not with Cami so close.

Tanner moved to my left, closing in on Wallace, who was eyeing the situation with that same cold, calculating look healways had. He hadn’t said anything, and until now, Tanner had hung back.

Tanner moved fast, grabbing Wallace by the collar and dragging him away from the crowd. I could hear the scuffle behind me—the grunts, the sound of fists hitting flesh—but my focus was on Viktor and Cami.

Tanner’s move on Wallace had created another distraction, and Viktor was a little shaken.

“Let her go,” I repeated, taking another step forward. My mind raced, calculating every angle. I had to get her out of this. But Viktor was too close—too damn close.

Then he did the one thing I hadn’t expected. He pulled out a gun and pressed it against Cami’s temple.

“Back off, Mason,” Viktor growled, his voice dripping with malice. “Or I swear to God, I’ll blow her brains out right here. I don’t even care if they see it.”

My heart stopped.

Every muscle in my body tensed, fear like I’d never felt before coursing through me. I couldn’t lose her. Not like this. One wrong step, and Viktor would pull the trigger.

I stared into Cami’s eyes, seeing the fear, the desperation. And then… something shifted. My training kicked in. This wasn’t the first time I’d been in a situation like this. I’d been trained for moments like this. I just had to switch off my mind—and my heart—and act.

Slowly, I raised my hands, stepping back just enough to make Viktor think I was retreating. His grip on Cami loosened ever so slightly, and that was all I needed.

I lunged forward, grabbing Viktor’s wrist and twisting it hard. The gun flew from his hand, clattering to the ground as he let out a roar of pain.

Cami stumbled back, free from his grasp, and I wasted no time. I grabbed Viktor and drove him around the corner, outof sight so I could do what I needed to do without ruining the parade. I didn’t need everyone to see what was about to happen.

It was going to be ugly.

I drove my fist into Viktor’s gut, knocking the wind out of him before slamming him to the ground.

“Stay the fuck away from her,” I growled, my voice low and lethal as I held him down. “You should never have touched her.”

Behind me, Tanner had Wallace in a corner but Wallace wasn’t going to go down with a fight. Still, I knew Tanner could take him and I kept my focus on Viktor. The sounds of the fight were muffled by the parade, the cheers and laughter of the crowd oblivious to the fighting just out of sight.

I pressed my knee into Viktor’s chest, staring down at him with a cold, hard glare. “You’re done,” I spat. “You’ll never touch her again.”

Viktor glared up at me, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. But he didn’t say a word.

He knew it was over.

I stood up, turning to find Cami standing a few feet away, her body trembling, tears streaming down her face.

I cracked my knuckles into Viktor’s face once,hard, and he was out like a light. I wanted to do a hell of a lot more to him—I wanted to skin him alive and string his body up for the world to see what would happen if someone touched my woman.

But this was enough. I wasn’t going to kill in front of Cami when it wasn’t necessary.

I rushed over to Cami and pulled her into my arms. She melted into me, shaking like a leaf as I held her close, my hands running down her back in a desperate attempt to comfort her. She sobbed against my chest and trembled with the fear that had consumed her.

“Hey,” I whispered, cupping the back of her head as I rested my chin on her hair. “It’s over. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

She clung to me, her fingers gripping my coat so tightly her knuckles turned white.

I felt the same. I wasn’t letting her go either. Not after the fear of losing her had ripped through me like a fucking bullet to the chest.

I hadn’t allowed myself to believe she could be everything to me like this, but I was done trying to push it away. She was my everything, and I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her ever again.

---