Page 40 of Hidden Obsession

That seemed to have grabbed his attention. “Whatever it is, there is no truth there.”

“And I’ll make sure that it stays that way.”

It was a standoff. Spears was assessing him like he was trying to see if he was lying. There wasn’t much time, as the sirens were getting louder and Spears’ followers were getting twitchy.

When he saw Spears step back, it was as if a door had slammed in his face, and panic engulfed Mason with surprising force, blanking his good sense, making him desperate. So he threw his last card, hoping to turn the tables in his favor. “Your grandmother is OK, Cleo. She’s safe.”

As soon as the words were out, it was as if the world had stopped turning. Everyone held their collective breaths. Mason could hear his heart beating hard in his chest, the very first sound, as he locked gazes with Cleo who looked stunned, scared, and lost. And so beautiful.

Everything slowed as the police appeared around the corner. In his peripheral vision, he saw Spears’ followers reach for their weapons, and knew they wouldn’t be the only ones and he started to run.

The group scattered, but Mason’s only target was Cleo who was running toward him.

One of the followers fired just as Cleo reached him, and Mason only had time to drop them both to the ground, shielding her with his body. He heard Shane screaming something about not letting Spears disappear.

He heard two shots fired, followed by footsteps and unknown voices, presumably the cops, ordering them to get to the ground.

As he was already there, he checked on Cleo huddled against his chest. “Baby, are you all right?”

Her beautiful face was scrunched up and stained in tears, and her eyes closed. She had fainted but at least she seemed unharmed. Mason called her name softly. “Cleo.” The commotion around them amplified. Mason heard barking behind him, but before he could react, he felt the sting of a needle in his thigh and then he was being pulled away.