“And why did you have to bring Caleb Burke into it?” He might be able to deal with Talbot and Stark, but Bliss’s town doc was a pain in everyone’s ass.
Mason’s smile damn near blinded him. “I had to bring in a third if I wanted you to keep our majority intact. Also, from what Georgia tells me, Caleb is very good at acting as a balance to Stef and Seth. And they’re fast. They’ve already started contacting the rest of the stockholders. By tomorrow morning, you’ll be back in control of Roberts Corp, but you’ll have three new board members. I’ve been promised that Stark and Talbot will be silent partners as long as you promise to sell that land to Nell and Henry’s new nature reserve for far less than it’s worth, though surprisingly more than I would have thought those two could afford. How the hell could they quickly come up with a million dollars?”
Cole had zero idea because as far as he knew, Nell spent her life protesting things like fracking and big box stores, but now he’d promised to sell her the land in exchange for a crazy buyout deal that gave him ten years to buy back his stock and get his company firmly back in his hands.
It was stupid. It was insane. It was his family coming through for him because he could continue to grow the company while he paid back the men who were already working their asses off to block the takeover.
He got to save his company and Bliss thanks to his incredibly smart and quick-thinking boy. “I love you, Mason.”
He also loved the way Kitten held Mason tight, both of them cuddling in his rearview mirror.
“I love you, too, Master,” Mason said with only one little hiccup. He was trying so hard to keep it together.
“You better love me because I’m going to take this deal of yours out on your backside the minute we get home.” Pure arousal ran through his system. Damn but he loved them. He had roughly an hour before the Bliss crew was scheduled to show up. He’d planned to be at a play party this evening but that had dissolved in the wake of Julian’s scene.
He should be pissed about that, but it had moved them forward so much more quickly. If Julian hadn’t pulled his stunt, he would still be worried about Mason and Mason wouldn’t understand that he was done with being a fool. If he walked into a room and saw Mason standing over a dead body, he would ask Mason what had happened and he would believe everything Mason said. He would never question Mason again.
Not him or Kitten. They were his family. They were placed above everyone else and now they knew that thanks to Julian Lodge.
He glanced back through the rearview mirror and watched as Mason kissed her, his tongue tangling with hers as he pressed his chest to her breasts. Mason was hot and there was no way he let that get by him. He would have them both tied down and screaming long before the Bliss group ambled their way back.
They would be gone in a few days. He should be annoyed, but he was kind of looking forward to getting up in the morning and making pancakes and watching those two kids get syrup everywhere.
Damn but he wanted a future. A future with them.
He pressed the button to release the gate. The big iron gates pushed open, allowing him to drive forward. He turned a little but couldn’t see inside the gatehouse. Normally one of the guards he employed would have waved as he drove by, but there was no movement this evening. It was dark in there and he couldn’t see the outline of the guard. It was early evening. The lights hadn’t come on yet so there was no way to see in.
He drove forward because he didn’t care if his guard was taking a little nap. The kid would be forced to wake up soon enough because Nate didn’t have a handy remote to open the gate and then the guard would likely get an earful. Listening to a lecture from Nate Wright was punishment enough. He wanted to get home with his subs. He wanted to get them in the dungeon where he could tie them down and they would take his cock any way he desired. They would rule his heart and his head, but in the bedroom he would be their king. It was a tradeoff he greatly desired.
Still. He couldn’t help but let his brain play around the problem that was still at hand. Mason might have saved the company, but he hadn’t answered the fundamental question of who had set him up in the first place. And why? Why would anyone set Mason up to take the fall?
He couldn’t be certain it was Bob. Bob was too smart. If Bob had wanted to hide something, it would have taken Chase far longer to find it. Also what did Bob gain? Sure there would be a big bonus for him, but it likely wouldn’t go over the million and a half he’d spent.
Except Bob hadn’t spent it. Shit. Bob—or whoever was playing Bob—had been the one to feed the other company the information it needed to take over. There were any number of proprietary documents that the other company would need in order to quietly ensure an easy takeover that would blindside him. “Bob” was engaging in corporate espionage, and taking over Mason’s identity was a convenient wall to hide behind in case Cole had discovered the plot and gotten the evidence he needed to prosecute. It was a gamble because the guilty party would lose the cash, but they wouldn’t lose years of their life to incarceration. No. Whoever it was had handily set up Mason to do it.
They would have taken his company and perhaps years of Mason’s life. Cole likely would have believed that Mason could do it if they hadn’t reconnected. He would have believed Mason truly hated him.
If it hadn’t been for that car accident. Cole pulled into the round drive and stopped the car, his mind whirling. If it hadn’t been for that horrible day, the next time he likely would have seen Mason was as some cop was hauling him away.
Or in a casket if the accident hadn’t been an accident.
Cole let the keys drop to the seat beside him as the truth hit. Shit. Cole didn’t believe in coincidence. It was too convenient. If Mason was dead he couldn’t argue for himself. Cole would have had no one to prosecute. He would have been forced to fight and very likely lose. Hell, he likely would have gone into a deep depression and he wouldn’t have given a flying fuck about his company. He would have been a dead man walking and he wouldn’t have even swatted at the vultures who came to pick at his carcass.
This had never been about Mason. It had all been about Cole. Mason had been a pawn in a very nasty game.
“Mason, love, who besides you knows the company so well that they could sell me out?” He had an idea, but he wanted to see if Mason thought the same thing. There were several people who knew their departments like the back of their hands, but only two who had known the daily ins and outs of absolutely every aspect of the business.
And only one who might be vicious enough to tear him down to his core because he couldn’t love her.
“Master, uhm, I’m a little busy,” Mason managed. “Can we talk about business later?”
When Cole looked back, Mason had a hand on Kitten’s thigh, slowly drawing up her skirt. They were beautiful together. So fucking gorgeous. He wanted nothing more than to climb in the backseat and order them to suck him dry before he watched them fuck and got hard again. He would spend the entire evening inside them, playing, touching, reaffirming their bonds.
Perhaps the bad stuff could wait for a while.
“Let’s take this inside.” There was time enough to deal with his suspicions. When he took a break, he would call Chase Dawson, though Chase had stayed for the play party and would likely get even more surly if Cole interrupted him. Nate and Gemma. He would discuss his suspicions with Nate and Gemma when they got back. In the morning, Chase could run down a few leads and if his suspicions were correct, he would be cleaning house come Monday morning.
Cole got out of the car, letting the driver’s door close before he opened the back. “You two, in the playroom. No clothes are necessary. Move it.”
Mason groaned against Kitten’s lips. “Damn it. I think he’s serious.”
“I am more than serious. That’s twenty, Mason. You’re not going to screw her in the backseat. We’re doing this properly.” He couldn’t help but smile. “It’s getting too dark. I can’t watch you out here and you know how I like
to watch my subs perform.”
Kitten grinned up at him as Mason allowed her to exit the vehicle. Her skin was flush with arousal and she was practically glowing. “We like to perform for you, Master.”
She went up on her toes and placed a sweet kiss against his mouth before winking and heading for the house.
Mason was a bit more somber as he got to his feet. “We both know who it was, Cole. She’s the only person who could easily get into your e-mail, so we should assume she sent the letter out blackballing me. She did everything. I just don’t want to think about her tonight because I believe she was at the party where I got roofied. I’ve got this image of her in my head. I think she gave me the coffee.”
Cole’s gut tightened. He might do more than fire her.
Mason shook his head, his hands going to Cole’s waist. “Don’t, Master. I don’t want to think about this tonight. Tomorrow’s soon enough. I just got my family back. Can’t we have a nice night?”
He let a long breath out. Chase was just going to have to live with disappointment because he was about to get a phone call. But he couldn’t let Mason down. “Yes. We can have a nice night. Well, until the twins get back and then we’ll likely have a night with baby drool and spit up.”
Mason’s smile nearly lit up the night. “One day that’s going to be us.” He wrapped his arms around Cole.
“If we’re lucky.” Cole kissed the top of Mason’s head. “Go on and prepare her. We don’t have long and I want to make it count.”
Mason frowned a little. He was no fool. Cole was sure he saw right through his command. “I thought you said we would shelve the issue.”
His brat was in for a rough time. “That’s forty and I’m just going to make one call. Go or you might not come at all tonight, love.”
Mason was up the steps in a heartbeat. Cole watched as he disappeared behind the door. With a long sigh, he turned and touched the Bluetooth device in his ear. He wore it while driving and while he was sure it made him look like a douchebag, it was right there. He could join them in a moment, but he had to take care of this first. He stared out over the grounds for a moment, deeply aware of how close he’d come to losing everything. He could have lost the company and the house, but more than anything he could have lost them. He had to do everything in his power to ensure that didn’t happen.
“Dial Chase Dawson,” he commanded into his earpiece. He would switch to the cell in his pocket when he got inside. The call went to Chase’s very dour greeting. Fucking voice mail, but then what had he expected? The man was likely having a good time with his wife and would be for several hours. Julian’s play parties could last hours. “Chase, I need you to do me a favor and call me when you get this.”
“End the call, Cole,” a low voice said behind him.
Cole felt a chill go through him because he knew that voice. He touched the earpiece, disconnecting the call.
“Don’t you try anything or I’ll blow a hole through her head so wide you could read the paper through it,” Lea Schneider said.
Cole held his hands up because he was fairly certain who Lea was talking about. Hands in the air, he turned and saw Kitten with a gun to her head.
“Where’s Mason?” Lea asked.
Mason had gotten away. Mason had likely heard something going on and had slipped into a closet. He knew the house as well as Cole did. Mason knew all the little hidey-holes. Mason might be their only shot at getting out of this.
“I tried to tell her that Mason is a traitor and we got rid of him, but she won’t listen to me, Master.”
Smart. Oh, his girl was so damn smart. “Mason Scott conspired with someone to take down my company. I found the evidence this afternoon. I told him if he ever showed his face to me again I would kill him.” It was time for some serious acting. “He didn’t give you up, you know. I had no idea you were working with him. I would never have expected it.”
Even in the moonlight, he could see the way her eyes widened. “You believed the evidence?”
She was completely bat-shit crazy. “I’m a logical man. I can also see the evidence right in front of me. You’re the one Mason was working with.”
Lea shook her head. “No. That was Bob Hays. I found out a couple of months ago. Cole, I’m sorry I didn’t bring the evidence to you myself, but I was so sure you wouldn’t believe me.”
“I believe you,” Kitten said, her eyes wide.
“Shut up, bitch. You’re the reason we’re here. You and that homo. You’re the ones who make him forget who he is,” Lea spat.
Oh, he had to play this so carefully. “Lea, Kitten hasn’t done anything to hurt you. I think you should let her go. Shouldn’t this be between the two of us? We’ve worked side by side for years. I’ve always trusted you. Let Kitten go and we can sit down and talk.”
Lea’s eyes filled with tears. “I’ve ruined everything. You have to believe me, Cole. I was sneaking in tonight to leave the evidence behind. I had to make sure you got it. How did you get it?”
Careful. He had to be so careful. “When I found out about the takeover plans, I knew it had to come from the inside. I hired a PI. Unfortunately, I knew it had to be Mason. Why else would he show up now? So let Kitten go and we can sit down and talk about how to fix the situation. We’re still in trouble, Lea. The company still needs you.”
She was a raging crazy person and he’d totally ignored all the signs because he hadn’t wanted to take the time to hire and train someone else. This was his fault.
Lea shook her head. “The first thing you should do is get rid of this one. Dumping Mason was good, but she’s taken you off your game, too.”
“Where is he?” Mrs. Hamilton stalked out of the house and as if the universe wanted to complete his daily set of crazy fucking murderous bitches, she had a gun in her hand, too. At least he knew how Lea had gotten into the house. “Where is that little prick?”
“Cole says he dumped Mason,” Lea said, her eyes never leaving his. “I’m afraid he won’t be joining us tonight and we have some problems we hadn’t planned on, Hamilton. You told me he wouldn’t be back for hours.”
“You promised me. You promised me that this time I would get to kill him.” Mrs. Hamilton looked nothing like her normal buttoned-up self. Her hair was unkempt and her skirt sported several stains. Blood. She had blood on her clothes.
God, he hoped his guard was alive.
And Mason. Where was Mason? He had to pray Mason had called the police.
“Shut the fuck up and let me think for a minute.” Lea’s hand was shaking. If her finger twitched and the trigger went off, Kitten would be gone.
The device in his ear buzzed, letting him know a call was coming through. Could he touch the earpiece without her seeing? If he could, the person on the other end of the line might be able to hear and they might call the police.
“I think we should all stay calm.” His heart was pounding in his chest, but he managed a cool demeanor. He needed to keep her talking, needed to give Mason time to get help. “Mrs. Hamilton, why are you doing that?”
Sure enough, Lea turned slightly to attempt to see what he was talking about. Cole quickly touched the device in his ear.
Mrs. Hamilton frowned his way. “You should shut up, Cole. You’re not half the man your father was. You know that, right? They would be shocked by your behavior.”
He’d always wondered if Mrs. Hamilton hadn’t had a thing for his father.
“Cole, I need you to stay very calm.” Mason’s voice came through his earpiece. “I’ve already called the police and they’re on their way. Five minutes tops. Keep her talking.”
Mason was here with him. Talking. Mason wanted her talking.
“Lea, could you please explain what’s going on here? I’m deeply confused. And don’t bother to kill the sub. It would only end up putting you in jail and I would just find another one. You know I rarely care about them or keep them for very long. They’re disposable.”
“That was a mistake, Master,?
?? Mason said quickly.
“Disposable?” Mrs. Hamilton turned her gun his way.
Yes, he’d made a terrible mistake and it looked like he was about to pay the price.
* * * *
Mason kept his voice down even though he knew no one except Cole could hear him. Somehow it didn’t matter. It seemed like a time to whisper. “Remember how Mrs. Hamilton doted on Emily? She was cold as ice to everyone else, but she had a weird connection to Emily. Tell her no one except Emily mattered.”
He stopped his slow progress through the house to glance out the window. He had to make sure they were really still there. He could hear them talking, but he needed to see them. God, had he made a mistake?
When he’d followed Kitten inside, the first thing he’d heard was her telling someone he couldn’t see that the Master had tossed him out.
Mason won’t be coming back and my Master will be here any moment.
The door had closed behind him and he’d had to move very quickly to get to the parlor. He’d flattened his back to the wall as that crazy Lea had moved Kitten outside to confront Cole. He’d immediately dialed 911, but maybe he should have followed her out.
He’d decided to make a break for Cole’s office where he kept a couple of handguns locked up in his case. He’d decided to try to call Cole because he couldn’t let his Master think he was alone.
Cole’s voice came over the phone. “I haven’t loved any submissive except Emily.”
Bingo. Mrs. Hamilton’s shoulders relaxed and suddenly the gun wasn’t pointing Cole’s way anymore. “I knew. I knew you loved her. She was too beautiful to not love. She looked like her mother.”