The NSC Boxset: Heart of Stone (175 page)

“For one, you’re not used to this kind of thing and two, you’re too involved.”

I just glared at him. “What the hell, Mason? You’re too involved, she’s your friend” I argued but he smirked at me.

“You ever killed anyone, Hunt?”

My brow rose but I continued to stare at him “Well, no but . . .”

“Well even Ava has and your inexperience could cost Lay her life. No way, and no way again.”

“Bollocks, Mason. I’m going in with you. By the looks of those images there’s roughly eight guys’ in there. You need all the help you can get.”

Mason smirked again. “But we have a secret weapon.”

I frowned and his smirk turned into a sly grin, “Ava.”

I turned my gaze to Ava who grinned and smiled at me. “Afternoon, guvnor.’ Ya’ aint got a bog I could borra hav ya’?” she said with a wink as she wiggled her large breasts at me.

I couldn’t help but smile at her but I still turned to Mason “But I need to do this Mason, please don’t . . .”

He shook his head again but placed his hand on my shoulder. “I know how you feel about her Lucas, but I need you to trust me. Layla won’t want you there for one and I know her, she gave herself to him, she won’t be happy we’re going in to bring her back. I’m gonna have to do the whole club and caveman routine to get her out of there.”

“Fine” I relented, “But you need to promise me Mason . . .”

Ava placed her hand on my arm. “I’ll get her out Lucas, I promise.”

I looked at them both before I inhaled deeply then nodded “Okay, but when she’s out I’m tying her to my fucking side.”

Mason smiled sadly “She loved Ryan, Lucas. She’s just doing what she thinks is gonna help you. To her, she can’t bear to lose any more people. And I know she’ll blame herself for what’s happened.”

I nodded my agreement but it still hurt like fuck that she had left me and not trusted me to protect her.

An hour later Ava descended the stairs and every jaw in the room hit the floor.

She wore a tight black leather skirt, a red halter neck top that barely contained her large breasts and knee high leather kinky boots.

She smirked at everyone “I look like a fucking tart!”

“You are a fucking tart!” Nate retorted and she glowered at him.

Mason came to stand behind her and placed both hands over her breasts and growled in her ear, “You look like I could fucking bend you over in front of every fucker in this room and bang the life out of you.”

“Shit, Mason,” Nate growled “she’s my best friend and practically my sister. Don’t talk like that in front of me.”

Liv rolled her eyes and cupped Nate’s crotch. “So you don’t want me doing this in front of Ava” she said as she massaged his private parts.

I could see his Adam’s apple bob and he swallowed heavily, “Angel, carry on and I’ll be doing what Mason just promised.”

Everybody laughed and I frowned at how relaxed everybody was whilst my girl was holed up in some nutter’s house.

Ava caught my distress and took a large breath. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Mason gripped her chin and tilted her head back so she was facing him, “You know what I said, baby. DO NOT take him on by yourself. You wait for me, okay?”

She rolled her eyes at him “Mason, I’ll be fine but I’m warning you, he touches Lay or me, he’s going down.”

Mason glowered at her but sighed and nodded.

“Okay guys, let’s fetch little Willow home.”

Chapter 27

Layla

HE WAS SLOWLY torturing me. He had opened the door to me eight hours ago, never said a word but smiled smugly at me and led me up to my room.

It had been prepared ready for me. He had known that I would relent and give in to his demands. It had angered me at first, his self-assured smugness, but then I thought of Lucas and how safe he would now be and I had swallowed back my temper.

Because I was back under my own steam, I had the whole of the house to my discretion but he still hadn’t faced me.

I knew it was coming but he was making me wait, the slow torture of apprehension was worse than the delivery of his punishment and I had so far watched numerous amounts of television, made endless cups of hot chocolate and just pottered, desperate for any kind of distraction.

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t free, far from it. His minions watched every move I made and I currently counted about seven of them, Diablo making eight.

I don’t know why I had scoped the place out. It must be Mason’s training kicking in but there was only one of the men here who worried me . . . Diablo.

I walked through the huge foyer, its shiny marbled floor reflected back at me and my eyes widened at how gaunt and empty I looked but I told myself that was a good thing. An empty person was unbreakable, incapable of anymore heartache, so I smiled back at the unrecognisable person staring up at me from the mirrored floor tiles and saluted her before I continued towards the kitchen.

“Kayla” Henry greeted from the kitchen table and I gave him a small smile. Henry had been Diablo’s right hand man for well over ten years now and his loyalty to Diablo would see me safe from Diablo’s other randy devotees.

“You want a drink Henry?” he shook his head and held up a mug to show me he already had one.

I nodded and walked across the huge kitchen and opened the house size fridge and removed some milk and filled my cup.

“Miss Kayla, please let me do that” Jan, Diablo’s housemaid said behind me.

I shook my head. “Need something to do Jan, I’m going mad.”

She gave me a sad smile but took the cup from my hand “I insist. Please, sit.”

I sighed before plonking down in a chair beside Henry.

“Where’s Diablo?” I asked Henry.

He eyed me warily at first but answered me eventually “He’s out somewhere. I’m sure he’ll come and find you when he gets back.”

“I’m sure he will” I answered as the front doorbell ping ponged and Jan frowned but went to answer it.

I took over her job and finished my chocolate before I made my way back to the lounge.

“Oh, gawd. Ta’ so much, treasure. Dunno what I’da done if ya’d said nah.”

I frowned at the voice coming from the front door; it was kind of familiar but unfamiliar at the same time.

“Come in and I’ll show you to the restroom” Jan said as she opened the door fully.

I gripped the handle on my mug tightly as Ava entered the foyer dressed as a prostitute and my heart suddenly settled in my mouth.

Her eyes flicked to me but other than that she didn’t acknowledge me as Jan walked her through the hallway towards the bathroom at the bottom of the stairs.

“Cheers, sugar. Be right out.”

I had to do something to get rid of her. If Diablo’s men saw her dressed like that, she wouldn’t be getting out of here alive.

“Oh crikey Jan, this chocolate’s shit, dunno what I’ve done to it. You couldn’t be a love and make me one of your special ones could you?”

Jan’s eyes flicked from me to the bathroom where she waited for Ava to exit from. “It’s okay; I’ll see the girl out.”

She pursed her lips but nodded. “Make sure she gets out though, Miss Kayla. If Gary sees her dressed like . . . that, well . . .”

I lifted my eyebrows and rolled my eyes “Yeah, I know what you mean.” She took my mug from me and looked at the contents and frowned but shrugged and went back into the kitchen.

I waited until she had disappeared and tapped on the door. It opened slightly and Ava’s hand shot out and dragged me in with her.

“What the hell. . . .”

I didn’t finish that sentence as Ava’s fist shot out and everything went black.

* * *

I groaned as my head throbbed and I forced open my eyes. I blinked at an angry glowering Mason who was staring at me from across the room.

I shot up and sagged in despair when I realised where I was. “What the hell, Mason?”

He lifted a brow at me and pursed his lips before he stood slowly from the chair and stalked across the room to me.

His hands rested on the edge of the bed and his face came within an inch from mine. “Do you fucking realise what you have done?”

I gulped at the rage coming off him but my own anger flared “I didn’t ask you to come in, all white knight hero, gun wielding conqueror, Mason. Do you even realise what you have done?”

His eyes narrowed and he clamped my jaw between his thumb and finger and turned me to look at him.

His wrath hit me full on and my blood froze at the sheer rage he radiated. “I risked my wife for you Willow. My wife risked her life for you. Do you even comprehend that?”

I stared at him and chose my words carefully, “Mase, I went off my own back. I went because I wanted to. I went because it was my choice to go back; not yours, not Ava’s, mine. I did not need fucking saving!”

He was about to say something when Ava walked in and my heart stopped at her huge black eye “What the hell happened?”

She smiled at me. “Don’t worry, Hun. The guy came out worse than me. Gave him a bit of a surprise” she chuckled and I knew if the punch she gave me was anything to go by then the bloke behind her full on strength would yes, be very surprised.

Mason continued to glare at me and I glared back “Well? Are you gonna fill me in on what went down?”

His lips curved into a malevolent grin and I shivered at the wickedness in it “Let’s just say Diablo doesn’t have as many pupils to teach his vile lessons to.”

I closed my eyes in distress and groaned “Fuck, Mase. Thanks and all that but you have just signed my death warrant . . . and Lucas’s. Diablo won’t take this lying down.”

His eyes fired and the growl that left his throat had me slithering backwards on the bed to get away from him.

“He just signed his own death warrant, Lay cos’ I aint giving up till the man goes down. It’s a shame he wasn’t there when we pulled you out.”

He pulled back and left without saying anything else and I knew he was trying to rein in his anger with me.

Ava plonked down beside me on the bed and sighed heavily “Sorry about the hit, Lay, but I knew you wouldn’t come out if you were conscious.”

I shook my head at her and stroked my finger across her bruised cheek bone “Who did this?”

She shrugged “Tall grey haired fella.”

“Henry.” I said simply.

She winked at me “He didn’t think I could lay him out, the shock registered on his face before he went down. Was quite funny really.”

“Did you hurt Jan?” I asked hoping they hadn’t.

Ava shook her head “No, she ended up tied up but she wasn’t hurt. Mason and the guys took the rest out though so . . . sorry if any were your friends but they wouldn’t have let us walk out of there with you otherwise.”

I shook my head but shivered when I thought of Diablo’s fury when he returned, especially if Henry was dead.

“You have to be careful now, Ava. He has surveillance camera’s everywhere. He’ll recognise all of you and hunt you down.”

She smiled wryly. “That’s where your boyfriend came in handy, Lay. He hacked into Diablo’s security cameras and accidently deleted all the previous 48 hours recordings” she smirked.

I sucked my lips in at the mention of Lucas.

“Where is he?”

Ava sighed heavily “He’s a little angry with you at the moment. Give him a while and he’ll be here.”

I nodded faintly and turned to the window. “But he needs protecting now. I need to hire some security for him.”

She smiled widely “Already on it, Lay, for you too.”

“No, Ava. You need to leave me be. If I’m an easy target they’ll go for me instead of Lucas.”

Ava scoffed loudly “You gonna tell Mason that?”

I rolled my eyes again but left the argument knowing I wouldn’t win against Mason.

“I need to get home” I said as I climbed off the bed and approached the en-suite. Ava followed me in and stood regarding me as I pee’d.

“That’s okay but you take Neo with you.”

“Neo?”

She nodded slowly as I pulled everything back up and washed my hands. “Neo; security, bodyguard, protection. Whatever you wanna call it but he comes with you.”

I sighed but nodded and stretched my aching neck “Fine.”

I had relented easily because it was simpler that way but I was under no illusions that one guy, even if he was a hefty bastard, wouldn’t protect me against Diablo.

Just because Mason had taken most of his men out didn’t mean there weren’t others. Others Diablo would pay well to get to me.

I knew I would see Diablo again soon, but for now all I could do was sit back and wait because that’s what he enjoyed; the element of surprise, the chase, and the hunt.

Chapter 28

Lucas

RED WAS PALE when I entered her lounge. A big dark skinned bloke had answered her door and I knew he was her protection, Mason had even insisted I had my own muscle currently following me around.

Her eyes lifted to mine when I walked in. She knew I was angry the way her throat bobbed and she sucked in her lips.

“Bedroom” I said simply.

She nodded, stood and walked past me and entered her bedroom.

Sara smiled softly at me, knowing how I was both angry and so damn relieved to see her safe but my natural dominant traits had me in need of punishment. The urge to make her realise just what she had done coursed through me like a fire through an elevator shaft; hot, fast and fucking explosive.

She stood silent as I walked in behind her and closed the bedroom door, “Strip.”

She yielded immediately and removed all her clothes before she stood again, waiting for her next command.

“Submit.”

She instantly dropped before me and lowered her eyes and held out her wrists.

I grabbed her hair and tipped her head back as I crouched in front of her. “Do you have any fucking idea what I’ve been through, Red?”

“No, Sir.”

“Well, I’m gonna show you.”

I stood and closed my eyes to try and control the anger inside me, she didn’t need that but she still needed to understand what she had put me through.

“Bara, Red.”

She rolled onto her stomach, placed her crossed wrists behind her back and crossed her ankles also. My cock shouted in delight, its throb alerting me to the fact that it wanted release quickly and I knelt aside her and clamped her wrists with the cuffs I had brought with me.