Page 16 of Axle
I stared back at him, my lips pressed tight. He just waited, his gaze steady and body still. The quiet thickened until it felt like the walls themselves pressed in on me.
It was probably better for him if I didn’t give in. Or if I lied. But something about the way he looked at me shook the word loose before I could stop it. “Ashlynn.”
Satisfaction flashed through his eyes at my answer.
He waited a beat, obviously expecting me to share my last name too.
When I remained silent, his eyes narrowed, but he didn’t push, and a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding eased out.
“Now, tell me what happened.”
Against every bit of sense I had left, I opened my mouth and started to talk.
“The drop should’ve been simple.”
The moment the first word left my mouth, I knew there was no going back. Mason wouldn’t allow it. His gaze didn’t waver. Not once.
“In and out. Like I’d done so many times before. I was supposed to hand off the package in a deserted boatyard, but the guy never showed. Instead, a group of armed men came out of the shadows.”
Every word I gave him felt like another hook sinking in, dragging him deeper into something that was already too dangerous.
“I didn’t stick around to find out what they wanted. Tried to lose them, but it didn’t do much good. Found the duffel. Figured if I had to run, I needed both hands free, so I grabbed it. Didn’t even look inside, just tossed the package in it.”
“A bag full of cash?”
I nodded. “It’s one of the reasons I took this job. The payout was so high that I wouldn’t have to do any more courier stints for a while. I don’t know why it was in the boathouse. I was supposed to trade with the contact. Maybe they ran when those guys started shooting?”
“Hmm. Maybe. And then?” he prodded when I got lost in the memory of what happened.
“They started shooting at me.”
A growl rumbled up his chest. The low and dangerous sound oddly made me feel better.
“I got lucky. Found the bike in the alley with the key in it. I wasn’t exactly prepared to ride one, but I had no other choice. So I took it.” The memory of engines screaming on the speedway still scraped at my nerves. “Next thing I knew, I was crashing. And then…you.”
There was no anger in his eyes. Just something far heavier. “Figured it was something like that.”
“I was carrying a duffel of cash and an encrypted drive.” I snorted and shook my head. “You should’ve assumed the worst.”
“Learned to trust my gut a long time ago, which is why you’re gonna stay here. Where I can keep you safe.”
For reasons I didn’t want to think too hard about, the determination in his voice was almost as unsettling as the men hunting me.
Mason studied me for another long moment before pushing to his feet. “Get some rest. I have some things to take care of.”
I almost asked what kind of things, but I bit the words back because I wasn’t sure I could handle the answer right now.
He headed for the door, and the latch clicked softly as it closed behind him. Except this time, no lock followed.
I rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. My ribs ached with every breath, but it was nothing compared to the tightness in my chest. I’d told him my name. Probably because I wanted to believe his promise to keep me safe a little too much.
Somewhere in this building, his tech guy was tearing into the drive that had dragged all this trouble to my door. I didn’t know what was on it. But whatever it was, the guys after me thought it was worth killing for.
7
AXLE
The first thing I did when I opened the door was look at her mouth.
