Page 145 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I
I just told Mason everything. He sits on the edge of the sofa, scowling at me with his eyes narrowed to slits.
“So you’rethePaisley Grove?” This is the second time he’s asked me that.
I nod.
“And that’s why Herc tossed you out in the cold?”
Tears fill my eyes as I replay being walked out of the VTI building like a common criminal. “Yes.”
“I know this situation isn’t ideal…” Lake says.
Mason scoffs. “No kidding.”
“But, Mason, this is where we are, so we—”
Mason throws up a hand. “Wait. Were you stealing from us the whole time?”
I shake my head adamantly. “No. Never.”
“Then why the hell did you mislead us? No… You did more than mislead us. What you did was illegal. I can call the cops and have you arrested.” He grunts as if he just remembered something. “That’s right. Max Grove is your brother. He probably has the cops on his payroll.”
“What?” I bite back. “My brother may be a shrewd businessman, but he’s not a dang mobster.”
He narrows an eye. “Are you sure about that?”
I set my jaw. “Yes.”
“I’m not.”
“I don’t care.”I do care.
“Mason, could you please calm down,” Lake says, her voice absorbing some of the tension between us. “Your overreaction isn’t helping the situation.”
“My overreaction?” he shouts, pointing at me. “She’s been lying to me, to you, to Herc, to everybody, and I’m overreacting?”
“I know, but the world isn't about following rules and regulations for being a human being. She did what she did because her situation is complicated. Can’t you grasp complicated, Mason? My God.”
His large fingers are pressed against his forehead, massaging his temples. By the looks of it, forgiveness for me resides many moons away.
“What was the purpose of it all?” he asks with restrained aggression.
I swallow hard and think before I speak. Instinctually, I want to lie to cover for Max. But I’m tired of lying. “I was planning to recover what was stolen from my family.”
His eyes narrow a pinch more. “And what do you think was stolen from your family?”
I hesitate, trying to decide how honest I should be. “A code.”
“What kind of code?”
I explain how someone broke into my grandfather’s home and stole a code out of the library. Then that code came online a few months ago. Its location was in VTI’s brain.
“Then you hacked the brain to find it?”
“Tonight, I did,” I reply in a flat tone.
Mason lifts his chin. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
I shake my head.
