Page 10 of The Hero's Bride
Mason cleared his throat and placed his fork on the now empty plate in front of him. “Why don’t we head into the living room to talk.” Mason glanced at Sully, who tipped his chin. “I’m going to make up an ice pack, and I’ll be right in.”
Her whole body was heavy from the food and the exhaustion of the day, and when she got up to follow Sully, it was as if her arms and legs were being towed down by weights.
“You look dead on your feet,” Sully commented as she slumped down on the couch. “Makes sense after the day you’ve had. Feel free to lie on the couch if you’d like.”
“If I lie down, I’ll be asleep before we have a chance to talk.”
Sully smiled. “Fair enough.”
She felt Mason’s presence before he came into her line of sight. He crossed the room in a few long strides and crouched at her feet. “Here,” he said lifting a bag of ice wrapped by a towel. “This should ease the swelling. Are any of your other injuries bothering you?” He continued to hold the cold fabric to the side of her face, eyes brimming with concern.
“Only some bruising. It will go away in time.” She lifted her hand to hold the ice in place, brushing her fingers against his in the process. Tingles raced over her skin. Maybe she was deliriously tired. Mason stared at her for another moment before getting to his feet and settling on the couch beside her.
“Let’s talk about next steps.” Sully was sitting in a corner chair, his feet planted wide on the tile floor.
“It will be at least two days of car travel for us to get to the border crossing.” Mason directed his attention to her. “Earlier you mentioned citizenship. You don’t show up on any U.S. database, so the answer to that is no. The Day family would’ve purposely kept you off the radar. If they helped you apply for a visa, people would’ve started asking why a minor was suddenly working at their estate.”
She blew out a breath. Her heart was beating at a rapid clip and the food she’d eaten sat heavy in her gut. Even if she couldn’t cross the border with them, they’d helped her more than she had imagined anyone would. She could change her appearance and disappear into Mexico, even though it was no longer home here. Light pressure on her forearm made her focus on the man in front of her. She didn’t want to lean on him, on anyone, but his sincere expression and steady eyes grounded her. Thalia clung to his gaze, hanging on his words.
“We are not crossing the border without you.” Mason’s voice didn’t waver. “We have a plan, but you’re not going to like it. I wish there was another way for your sake, but this is the fastest route to getting back into the U.S.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to say she wouldn’t like anything if she were dead, but the way his jaw tightened, and his lips pressed into a thin line made the words dissolve before they were spoken. “If it leads to my freedom, it can’t be so bad.”
Sully leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “We spoke with our former teammate Jude who works for the Department of Homeland Security, on a team that specializes in dismantling human trafficking rings. There are visas for trafficking victims, but immigration services handle the number available per month, which Jude has no part in.”
Mason drew in a breath. “But he thinks he can expedite the paperwork for a fiancé visa and I’m going to sponsor you. Once we get to the United States, Jude will be in touch with the district attorney to work on a deal in exchange for your help.”
She wasn’t sure where to start her questions with so many bombarding her thoughts. “What does your friend think I’ll be able to help him find?”
While she’d asked the question of Mason, it was Sully who responded first. “Evidence that the Day family was knowingly employing victims of labor trafficking. The FBI is working on a much bigger case that might be connected.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be much help, but I’m happy to try.”
“You might know more than you think. Sometimes the smallest detail is the most important,” Mason added.
She mulled over the information, coming back to the first thing mentioned. A fiancé visa. If Mason thought she’d be upset by his offer to sponsor her, she couldn’t imagine how he felt. He was essentially tying himself to a woman he didn’t know who might as well havetroublestamped on her forehead. Her throat was suddenly dry. How could she ask that of Mason or accept his generosity?
“Thing is, Thalia,” Sully began talking and she glanced over at him. She’d almost forgotten he was in the room. “After ninety days if there’s no progress on the case or an alternative hasn’t been worked out, a wedding will need to take place.”
She turned her gaze away from Sully to search Mason’s face. “Are these the lengths you go to for any mission?”
“This mission isn’t official, so we don’t have the backing of the United States Navy. That means we have to get creative with our solutions.” Mason’s entire focus was on her, and she did her best not to squirm under his laser-like gaze.
A trickle of blood landed on her tongue, and she realized she’d been biting her bottom lip. If only she and Mason could have this conversation alone, she’d be much more comfortable asking him what was on his mind. How he felt about the entire situation. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust or like Sully, but if Mason was offering to take this burden on his shoulders, he was the one she needed to speak with.
“You probably have a lot of questions.” Mason’s deep voice dropped an octave, as though he spoke the words for her alone.
She nodded. “Maybe…” Thalia glanced between Sully and Mason again and absently licked her bottom lip. “We could talk for a few minutes.”
If Sully was offended, he did well concealing it. Mason stood and held his hand out to her. “Sure thing.”
She placed her palm in his and it was hard not to notice how his warm, rough skin engulfed her. Actually, there were many things she’d noticed about him, like how the camouflage tactical pants stretched over heavily muscled thighs. Or how his shirt covered his broad shoulders and chest. Mason turned at the first door, leading her over the threshold and into the room she’d be taking for the night.
Mason hesitated. “Is it okay if I close the door?”
“I trust you,” she murmured. Light hit his eyes, and his chest expanded with a long intake of breath. His body had certainly made her take notice, but it was his face that captured her attention the most. A fascinating contrast between hard and soft from his square jaw covered in auburn stubble, straight nose, and sharp cheeks to eyes that reflected kindness when they were aimed at her.
Mason closed the door and crossed the space, sitting beside her at the end of the bed. The mattress dipped with his weight, and the air in the room seemed to thin. She hadn’t spent much time around men but couldn’t recall a time she’d felt breathless due to the proximity of one.
