Page 101 of Mason

My brother.

My flesh and blood.

And now I have to wonder—is this my life now?

The two men in my world are both marked men.

Clay, with his crusade to tear down corruption, to expose the worst men in the country.

Mason, with his kingdom built on crime, on blood, on power that was never meant to be kept clean.

Two men. Two dangers.

And me?

Caught in the middle.

The van swerves again. My body jolts, but I barely notice it. I’m running through every scenario in my head, searching for leverage.

What do I have?

My hands are bound. My body is battered.

But my mind?

Sharp.

Unbreakable.

If I can get them just scared enough—push them just over the edge—they might do the right thing and let me go.

I shift, forcing my voice into something controlled, something calm, like I’m the one holding the power here. Like I’m the one calling the shots.

“You think this ends with Mason Ironside?”

The passenger flinches.

Good.

Keep pressing.

“You think he’s the only one coming for me?”

I tilt my head against the cold metal floor, angling my voice just enough to slip through the partition.

“You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourselves into.”

The driver shakes his head violently. “I don’t want to fucking know.”

I smile—a slow, cruel thing.

Let them wonder if I know something they don’t. Let them drown in the paranoia of it.

The passenger whirls on him. “Then pull over! Let’s leave her on the side of the road and be done with it!”

The van jerks to the side, nearly throwing me into the wheel well.

The driver exhales sharp through his nose. Decided.

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