Page 126 of Relapse
‘Too stupid to do anything right.’
‘Why can’t you do anything right?’
‘You’re such a disappointment.’
‘Useless.’
‘I wish your mother never had you.’
It wasn’t until we stepped outside that I realized none of the taunting phrases running through my head were Mason’s.
Mason cupped my face and gazed down at me. “You okay, beautiful?”
“Yes,” I smiled back at him.
All I saw of Star before she tackled me was a streak of blonde hair.
“I was so worried about you.” One second she was hugging me and the next she was slapping Mason’s chest. “You arsehole! What did you do to her?”
The wicked smirk that spread across his face was answer enough, but of course he had to go a step further. “Oh, I did plenty.”
My jaw dropped. He did not just say that.
“I knew it.” Star’s eyes narrowed into tiny angry points as she swung her glare to Silas – who was standing next to his Hummer. “I told you he’d take advantage of her. But nooo, you said he wasn’t that kind of guy…”
At least I wasn’t the only liar in this group.
“Calm down, London. She liked it.”
Star was small, but I was pretty sure Mason shouldn’t be antagonizing her. Judging by the look on her face when she turned back around, I was right.
“What did you just say?” She looked like she was going to pounce on him.
As much as I wanted to run and hide, I couldn’t abandon Mason to her wrath. So I summoned all my strength and stepped in between them.
“It’s okay, Star,” I reassured her. “Everything’s good. I promise.”
Can’t say I was surprised when she didn’t automatically believe me.
“Are you sure?”
I tipped my chin back and looked at Mason. The way he was staring down at me with a twinkle in his green eyes caused a tingling sensation to fill my chest.
Mason Kessler wasn’t adding to the voices in my head anymore.
He was battling them.
* * *
I didn’t likeit in here. There were so many people, I barely had space to breathe. And they were loud, yelling stuff at the ring someone had set up in the middle of the bar. I clung onto Star’s shirt and stared up at the bearded man behind us. He was big, tattooed, and mean looking. Just the kind of man I’d expect to see in New Haven.
Why were we here anyway? This was the place where bad things happened to good people. Mason and Silas could probably take care of themselves, but Star and I were little. Neither of us came up to a single person’s shoulders. She didn’t seem worried though.
Star stood beside me quietly humming while she sipped on a mug of beer. As if there was nothing wrong with this situation. Maybe she hadn’t heard the stories about New Haven?
I tucked myself up against her and said, “We shouldn’t be here.”
“Why not?”
