Page 36 of Fallen Hero

Mason was done with his two by the time I was done.

Did I say show-off . . . ?

“Everything go okay when you went back out?” I asked.

“Yes.”

Great, not only was Mason being a jerk again, he was being a monosyllabic jerk.

The guy had the whole Jekyll and Hyde thing down to a science.

“You’re like a box of chocolates,” I mumbled under my breath.

“Come again?”

“You never know what you’re gonna get. Nice Mason. Dick Mason. Reassuring Mason. Bossy Mason.”

“Are you done?”

“I’m sure I can come up with more if you’ll give me a minute or two.”

“Should I order you a latte, too, while we wait for you to remember more ridiculous quotes from stupid movies?”

Someone was testy.

“I was needing a minute to remember your other personalities, since there seems to be so many of them. Not movie quotes. But are you saying that Forrest Gump is a stupid movie?”

“Not the whole movie, just the parts with that bitch Jenny in them.”

“Jenny wasn’t a bitch—”

“You’re right, she wasn’t just a bitch, she was a total piece of shit who took advantage of Forrest until she used him up, then she ran off, fucked who she wanted, smoked what she wanted, and injected shit into her body until she made herself sick. Then when Forrest did something good for himself, her manipulating, selfish ass crawled back so he could take care of her kid.”

The kid was Forrest’s, too, but I ignored that.

“That’s awfully judgmental.”

Mason’s body turned to stone, and his face twisted into a scowl.

“I’m judgmental as fuck, and people who tell you they’re not are lying.” Mason paused and stepped closer. “You’re judging me right now, thinking I’m an asshole because I called Jenny a bitch. You’re judging me because I’m honest enough to admit I judge the fuck out of every person who comes into my orbit.

“I protect my peace and my boundaries. If I deem someone’s character unacceptable, I don’t allow them close. But just because I don’t want a certain behavior in my life doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It just means it’s not right for me. And there’s where everyone gets it wrong—no one has the right to shove their judgment down someone else’s throat. That makes them an asshole, and if they take that further, it makes them a piece-of-shit tyrant.

“Do not mistake me, Calista. I judge, but I will be the first one to call out an asshole who thinks their beliefs or opinions should be shoved down anyone’s throat.” Mason yanked his phone out of his pocket, stared at the screen, and finished with, “Pete’s approaching the alley. We need to get upstairs.”

“You’re right. I was judging you. I think you’re an asshole, and not only because you think one of my favorite movies is stupid.”

“Right.”

I followed Mason to the far back corner of the abandoned shop, where there were two doors. According to Fallon, one of those doors should exit into a passageway that connected all of the stores, as well as had access to the apartments. Thankfully, that access was stairs. There was zero chance I was getting into an elevator in this run-down building.

The mere possibility of getting trapped in a small space with Mason was out of the question.

Chapter Ten

I never should’ve switched places with Fallon.

I shouldn’t’ve let my need to have Calista close override my good sense. But the thought of Calista being out of my sight while we’d be surrounded by dangerous men had the potential of giving me an ulcer.