Page 9 of Break

Mason visibly shivers. “God damnit, nowI’m going to have nightmares again.”

“That bad?” Leah laughs.

“Princess, you have no idea.” Mason shoves an accusatory finger at me. “That man looks like a golden retriever, but he’s a shark. A nasty, greedy, take it all shark.”

Holding my chest, I gasp. “That’s not true. I’m just better at getting what I want than the rest of you.”

“You’re a monster,” Kerrington tosses out there.

“I prefer the term Shameless Entrepreneur.”

“He’ll take everything from you with a smile on his face,” Mason explains to Leah.

She shrugs. “Well, isn’t that how you play to win?”

“Exactly. See? She gets me.” I hook my arm around hers and pull her away from Mason. “I’d never do that to you, though. You’re my favorite.”

“Don’t believe him, Leah!” Kerrington warns from behind us. “He’s a fucking menace with no conscience.”

Eye-rolling dramatically, I lean into her. “He’s still scarred about going bankrupt after three turns around the board.” I cluck my tongue. “Really, Kerrington, grow a pair and fight me for Broadway next time.”

We take the elevator up to Mason’s condo and when the door opens, it’s like I step into a dream.

No.

It’s a nightmare.

“Nicole?” Mason's voice fills with alarm. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

She takes one look at me and collapses.

Chapter 4

Kerrington

My instincts propel me forward and I nearly catch Nicole, but Landon beats me to it.

“Jesus Christ, what’s happened to her?” My heart is in my throat as I stare at the woman I’ve obsessed over for far too long. She’s lost weight since we last saw her. There are dark circles under her eyes and her cheeks are hollow. Even her hair is dry and thin.

“Get her on the couch,” Mason barks.

Leah dashes to the kitchen and comes back with water.

Landon carefully rests Nicole on the couch but doesn’t let go of her. “Hey,” he says gently, trying to coax her awake. “Come on, baby. Wake up for us.”

Leah hands me the glass of water and now me and Mason are both on either side of Landon, all on our knees, trying to wake her up.

Nicole’s eyebrows twitch. “Mmph.”

“Duchess,” I say in a more authoritative tone. “Open your eyes for us, please.”

Landon spares me a glance that burns withannoyance, and then he focuses back on her.

Nicole finally comes to and the first person she looks at is Mason. “Ugh.” She groans, pushing him back with her hand on his face. “Too close, Mase.”

Leah sighs with relief. “Well, she’s back to normal, at least.”

“God damn, woman.” Mason rises to his feet and huffs. “You scared the shit out of us.”

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