Whatever It Takes (14 page)

One unseasonably warm Saturday in early January, Laurie
found herself in a pretty little park across town. She’d studied nonstop all
through Christmas break and had continued at the same pace since classes
resumed. After little more than a week, she was going stir crazy in her dorm
room. She’d been longing to get out but didn’t feel like running around to
parties with Olivia.

Since Laurie had the whole day free, she grabbed an erotic
romance novel, a guilty pleasure she indulged in whenever she had the chance,
and went for a walk in search of a nice, peaceful place to read. She was happy
when she found the park. She could tell there would be plenty of green grass,
shady oak trees and colorful flowers in the spring. Quickly finding a bench to
relax on, she began reading her book.

She was lost in her novel as it revved up to a raunchy sex
scene and she allowed her imagination to place her and Mason in the role of
lovers while reading the scene. It was a
good
one. Biting her lip to
keep from smiling, she read the steamy passage but froze when she felt someone
staring at her.

She looked up and almost shouted in surprise when she
discovered Mason sitting on the other end of the small bench. A leather
messenger bag sat between them. He was staring at her with a strange look on
his face, somewhere between amusement and awe. She laughed, feeling foolish.

“I’ve been here for almost five minutes. You were totally
engrossed in that book.” He chuckled. “I could have squeezed right up next to
you and read over your shoulder. And the look on your face—the story must be really
good. Mind if I take a peek?”

He reached for the book but Laurie pressed it against her
chest and blushed. Mason raised an eyebrow and grinned knowingly but dropped
the subject.

She hadn’t spoken to him since the incident at Christmas
when she’d practically begged him to take her to bed, and it was a little
uncomfortable to see him, especially with her head filled with sexual fantasies
and him in the role of the hero from her book.

She really wasn’t sure what he thought of her after their
last meeting but somehow she managed to act as if she wasn’t dying from
embarrassment. He behaved the same as he always did, so she was hopeful he had
put the incident out of his mind and would not bring it up.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, holding back a nervous
laugh. “Are you stalking me?”

“No, but that’s not a bad idea—the view would be nice. I
could keep all the losers away from you.”

Mason gave her a grin that made her blush. He glanced around
the park then back at her.

“I’m just meeting someone in a little bit. After I’m done,
you want to go grab some lunch and hang out for a while?”

Laurie smiled, hoping her rush of excitement wasn’t too
evident. “Sure, that would be great.”

Mason smiled warmly at her then glanced around the park
again. She was about to say something else when she noticed he had gone still,
all humor gone from his face.

“Fuck.”

She looked at him, concerned. He spoke without looking at
her.

“Cops. If they come over here, just act like you don’t know
me. I’m just some asshole trying to hit you up, okay?”

Laurie casually glanced around the park and noticed two
cops. They were looking around as if searching for someone until they spotted
Mason. Immediately, they both moved in his direction. He did an amazing job of
not looking at them as they approached.

She stared at her book, pretending to be absorbed in the
words. Her heart was pounding in her ears and panicked thoughts raced through
her mind.
Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! They’re going to arrest Mason. What do
you think happens to drug dealers, dumbass? Not Mason. Oh God, don’t look in
his bag. Shit…I bet that’s where his stuff is. Damn it. What should I do?
Should I make a scene? Fake a seizure? What does a fake seizure even look like?
No, stupid, that’s not going to help anything. Just stay calm, remember you don’t
know him. Don’t look, don’t look. No…a normal person would gawk.

The cops stopped in front of Mason and ordered him to stand
up. He did a good job of playing the innocent guy being hassled by the police.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, sounding surprised.

“Please stand up, sir,” one of the officers snapped.

Laurie pretended to be an innocent bystander and gaped at
the scene as she thought any normal person would. As Mason stood up, the other
officer spoke to her.

“Ma’am, I think you would be more comfortable if you found
another bench while we deal with this scumbag.”

Laurie did her best to look shaken up and nodded. As she
stood up, she had a really, really dumb idea and decided to go for it before
she regained her sanity.

She smoothed out her skirt then reached back down to the
bench and snagged Mason’s leather bag. The strap was long, so she took a moment
to loop it over her head, and position it to hang across her body. Managing to
keep the tremor out of her hands, she slipped her book into a pocket on the
side as if it belonged there.

She was sure the satchel could pass for an expensive,
oversized purse or laptop case. She glanced at Mason and saw his eyes widen in
fear for just a fraction of a second before he looked away. She smiled politely
at the cop and then walked away.

Mason’s heart pounded hard as the cop watched Laurie go. He
fully expected the police officer to call her back and demand to see the bag.
Panic swirled in his belly and he decided Laurie’s only hope might be for him
to distract the cops. If he punched one of them, they’d have to turn their
attention away from her, to subdue him, and she could get away. The cop stared
intensely at Laurie’s retreating form. Sure he was about to call to her, Mason
tensed up as he prepared to throw a punch. He grimaced inwardly, knowing they
would beat the hell out of him for it. Before he could raise his fist, the cop
turned back and smiled at his partner.

“That is one sweet ass,” he stated and then whistled
quietly.

Mason relaxed, filled with a mixture of relief and anger.
The asshole cop didn’t suspect her of anything, but at the same time, Mason
didn’t like anyone looking at his girl like that.

The cops patted Mason down roughly as he calmly stood with
his hands on his head. He could hear people complaining about the police
harassing innocent people and almost smiled.

“Where’s the dope?” one of the cops demanded, getting in Mason’s
face.

“What are you talking about? I don’t have any dope,” Mason
stated, doing his best to sound bewildered.

The cop demanded that Mason open his mouth and shined a
light inside.

“What are you doing here in the park?” the officer asked. “I
can’t imagine a guy like you spends much time sitting around bird watching in
parks.”

Mason shook his head.

“I was just cutting across on my way to meet some friends at
O’Neil’s Bar and Grill, when I saw that chick sitting here reading. I thought
she was cute and maybe I could get her number, so I sat down and started
talking to her.”

The cop laughed, openly ridiculing Mason. “You were trying
to hit on that girl?” He jerked his head in the direction Laurie had gone. “The
girl with the hot ass? You hear this, Landry?”

The other cop joined in on the laughter.

“Damn, buddy, a woman like that ain’t going to be interested
in a scumbag like you. I’m willing to bet she’s a college girl, probably a
trust-fund baby, to boot, and you”—the first cop motioned to Mason and laughed then
pulled out his shirt collar, exposing more of his tattoo—“well, it looks like
your decisions so far have been questionable.”

“He’s right,” Landry joined in. “You don’t have a chance
with a classy girl like that. Maybe look around and find a disease-free
stripper or a hooker with a heart of gold. That would be your speed.”

The two cops laughed, thinking they were hilarious.

“Am I being detained or are we done here?” Mason finally
asked.

The cops stopped laughing and demanded his ID. He gave it to
them and they ran his name, checking for outstanding warrants. It took a good
twenty minutes but his name came back clean and they told him he was free to
go.

Laurie sat on the stairs inside Mason’s building. She didn’t
like being inside in the dark but she was afraid to wait out in the open. She
was starting to panic. It felt like it was taking too long for Mason to get
there.

When she’d grabbed his bag her heart had pounded so hard she
thought her knees would give out on her as she walked away. She became a little
calmer as each step carried her—and the bagful of God only knew what—farther
and farther away from the police.

As she’d neared a hotdog stand, she’d noticed the vendor was
talking loudly, drawing attention from passersby.

“Look at that shit.” He’d motioned toward Mason and the
police with his tongs. “Fuckin’ cops, hassling that guy. He didn’t do shit.” He’d
looked at the man in line waiting for his hot dog. “You know it’s just ‘cause
of how he looks.”

The customer had nodded, looking at the scene angrily,
adding to the vendor’s argument. “Tats don’t make you a criminal. Guy’s
probably an accountant or some shit like that.”

The crowd had been quickly becoming angry and Laurie’d had
to fight back a nervous laugh.

As she passed the hotdog vendor, he’d looked at her hard for
a moment then continued to rant about the police. She’d quickly looked away and
picked up her pace.

She was relieved that she’d been able to find Mason’s
apartment from there. She’d been nervous about walking through his neighborhood
alone but she was more afraid to keep walking around with the bag in her possession.
Again, she prayed the police didn’t find any reason to arrest Mason—she had no
idea what to do with his satchel if he didn’t show up.

After what seemed like an eternity, the door at the street
flew open and Mason stepped in, looking a little breathless. When she saw him,
she let out a sigh of relief and stood up with a hesitant smile.

* * * * *

Mason stalked toward Laurie, torn between the urge to kiss
her or wring her pretty neck. Instead, he grabbed her around the waist and
lifted her off the ground in a bear hug. She stiffened for only a moment before
she relaxed into his embrace and hugged him back.

He smiled to himself, enjoying the soft curves of her body
pressed against him. He pressed his face into her hair and inhaled deeply, growing
dizzy from her scent. He exhaled and shook his head.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” he demanded, although
there was no fire in his words. “Why would you take that kind of risk? They
could have busted you.” He finally set her back on her feet and stepped back so
he could look at her face.

“I didn’t want you to go to jail.” She didn’t quite meet his
eyes. “I took a chance.”

Mason hooked his finger under Laurie’s chin and forced her
to look at him.

“Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before.
Thank you, Laurie.” He leaned forward and planted a quick, searing kiss on her
soft lips.

When he stepped back she gazed at him with flushed cheeks
and bright eyes, and he couldn’t stop himself from going back for seconds. She
gripped the front of his shirt and kissed him back with growing confidence.

He felt an urgency and wanted to go deeper, plunge his
tongue into her mouth and take her right on the stairs, but he pulled back,
instead. Breathing heavily, he put his arm around her shoulders and led her up
the stairs, intent on picking up where they’d left off on her last visit.

He hadn’t stopped thinking about it, and her actions in the
park only intensified his feelings for her. The fact that she’d risked herself
to save him led him to believe she felt more than just lust for him as well. It
went deeper for both of them. He realized he didn’t just want her in his bed.
He wanted her in his life.

Amazed that he was comfortable with those feelings, he decided
that if she were game, he would take care of getting her in his bed as soon as
he got her inside his apartment. Then he could start working on the rest. His
steps quickened and he pulled her up the stairs with him. The idea of getting
her naked and beneath him was so tempting, he had to fight the urge to scoop
her into his arms and run up the last flight of stairs.

“So do you think someone set you up?” she asked, sounding a
little out of breath from her effort to keep up with his pace. “Maybe the person
you were supposed to meet?”

“Not him—I’ve been doing business with the guy for years. I
mean, since we were both kids. He’s more than a customer. He’d never rat me out
but someone did. Someone knew I was going to be there.”

They reached the door to his apartment and he couldn’t help
himself. He pushed her against the wall, tangled his fingers in her hair and
lowered his lips to hers. She ran her hands up his chest and gripped his
shoulders as she kissed him back.

The fire built but Mason did his best to control it. Instead
of deepening the kiss, he kept it playful for the moment. He would not take her
against the wall in the hallway. He wanted her naked in his bed so he could
look at every delicious inch of her body, before he buried himself inside her.

Keeping his body pressed against hers and planting light,
nipping kisses on her lips, he dug in his pocket for his key. In a moment, he
had the door open. He pulled Laurie away from the wall and ushered her in ahead
of him. She seemed as rushed as he was when she stepped over the threshold but
once she was inside she stopped short, and he had to sidestep to avoid crashing
into her.

There were people already inside his apartment, drinking his
beer. Joe, Brook, Chris and a new guy who looked almost as big as Mason was—wider,
in fact, but not as tall—sat in Mason’s living room.

“How the fuck—?” Joe began.

Brook looked right in his eyes and Mason knew in an instant
who had set him up. She looked at the other men, panicked and then there was
chaos. The large man lunged at Mason, slamming him against the wall with a bone-breaking
crash.

Mason shouted for Laurie to run and fought back. He grappled
with the stranger near the door as Joe pounced on Laurie before she could make
it back to the hallway. He grabbed her around the ribs and balled a fist in her
hair. Mason was aware that it was happening but couldn’t get free from his
attacker to help her.

“Where do you think you’re going, bitch,” Joe growled as he
dragged her to the kitchen and bent her over the counter, pinning her head down
and pressing his big body against hers.

Brook lunged at Mason and sprayed him in the face with
something in a small bottle. It stung and he gave a surprised shout. He took in
a shaky breath as a wave of something akin to euphoria washed over him and made
his heart pound harder. He ignored it and continued to fight his attacker.

Brook turned her back on him and moved toward Laurie.

“Oh, I have something yummy for you, skinny bitch,” she said
as she approached her.

From the corner of his eye, Mason saw Laurie struggle but
she couldn’t break free of Joe, who held her head in place. He was grinding his
hips against her ass, no doubt rubbing his goddamn cock against her. A
combination of revulsion and panic flashed across her face, and rage flared inside
Mason. She cried out when Brook sprayed her with the same bottle she’d used on
him.

The sight of Laurie under attack and the sound of her panicked
cry kicked Mason’s adrenaline into overdrive. His long-forgotten street-fighting
skills kicked in and he maneuvered the large man into a double armlock, leaving
him powerless. Grinning wickedly, he delivered a crushing knee to the guy’s
nuts, leaving him in a whimpering mass on the floor, clutching his balls and
crawling for the door. At the same time, Laurie managed to throw her head back
with enough force to connect with Joe’s face, busting his lips wide open.

Free of the big guy, Mason made for the kitchen, only to be
confronted by Chris. Not willing to waste any time on him, Mason grabbed the
smaller man by the throat and belt buckle and tossed him out the open door.
Chris landed hard in the hallway and stumbled back. He collided with the stair
railing, which splintered under his weight. He fell backward, down the
stairwell with a squeal and several loud thumps, ending with a sickening crunch
that could only be the sound of bone shattering.

Laurie pushed herself up and spun around but she wasn’t fast
enough to get out of Joe’s reach. He grabbed her by the throat.

“Fuckin whore,” he growled, rearing back to punch her.

Her body visibly tensed. But before Joe could connect, Mason
rushed him. He landed a glancing elbow to the side of Joe’s head, sending him
sprawling onto the floor. Mason pushed Laurie toward the kitchen and put
himself between her and their attackers.

Their path to the door was blocked and they had nowhere to
go. His vision was blurred and he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.
Strange sensations beset his body, making his heart race, and he struggled to
control his breathing. He felt Laurie grip the back of his shirt and heard her make
a small, panicked sound, which made him want to kill every bastard in the room.

Joe was on his feet again, blood dripping from his face. He
lunged for Laurie but Mason caught him with a right hook, planting him back on
the floor with a hard thud.

“Don’t fuckin’ touch her,” he growled.

Brook made a nasty sound that may have been a laugh. “So now
you’re a fucking hero? Don’t bother, sweetheart. In a few minutes, she’s going
to be begging to be touched and she won’t care by who. Let’s see if she’s still
your
Angel
after she’s been screwed six ways to Sunday.”

It took a moment for Mason to fully grasp the meaning of her
statement but when he did his stomach dropped.

“No fucking way.” He’d heard rumors that some kid, a speed
freak who dropped out of MIT, had come up with a new drug. Like Ecstasy but
with less hallucinogenic properties and a stronger effect on the sex drive. A
lot stronger. It was good for orgies or date rape, not the kind of shit he
dealt in.

Brook held up the little bottle with a grin. “I got it from
Crawford. The kid really is a genius. He calls it Party Time.”

Mason took a deep breath, trying to pull himself together.
Think,
you fucking idiot. Think. You ain’t gonna let these fuckers touch your girl.
Laurie trembled behind him. She would put up one hell of a fight for as long as
she could but that in the end, the drug would win the battle and she would end
up hating herself, probably him too.

He glanced around the kitchen, looking for a weapon, and
then remembered the .38 he’d stashed in a holster held onto the back of the
fridge with Velcro. He’d put it there months earlier when dealers were being
robbed all over the city. He prayed it was still there. Pushing backward, he
kept his arms spread out to block anyone from reaching Laurie. He stepped back
again, pushing her into the space between the fridge and the stove.

Brook giggled. “Oh, give up and face it, sweetheart.
Everyone here is going to get a piece of her. Hell, I might even have a taste
and before it’s all over, you’ll be more than happy to line up for your turn.”
She laughed loudly and spun around excitedly. “I just wanted to get you busted
so I could look for your money and stash, but this is going to be way better. I’m
going to get both of you at the same time.”

“You fucking bitch,” Laurie hissed, still wiping at her
eyes.

She tried to push past Mason to get to Brook but he kept her
trapped behind him. He could feel anger and fear radiating off her, and fury
built up in his chest. He backed up more, pinning her against the wall.

With blood pouring from his nose and mouth, Joe made another
move toward the kitchen as Mason’s hand closed around the gun. Relief that it
was still there made his knees weak. His vision was still blurred and he
doubted he could hit anything more than a few feet away, but he was confident
they would all scatter at the first gunshot. He pointed the weapon in Joe’s direction
and felt the satisfaction of hearing Brook scream.

He pulled the trigger as Joe lunged for the door. Everyone
piled out into the hallway as Mason fired off another round. Brook screamed
again and they scrambled over each other, trying to get down the stairs. Mason
lunged for the door, fired a couple more rounds into the hallway then slammed
it shut and slid the lock into place.