Page 44 of Hidden Obsession

When Travis kissed him, Mason was too stunned to react. His brain analyzed the scene like it was an out of body experience. It was a sweet kiss, but the most surreal one of his life.

When Travis broke the connection and leaned back, a tear slid down his cheek. “I know the Secret Service wasn’t enough for you. You have the soul of a hero. Of course, you would have found a way to continue helping in your own way. But even though I understood your reasons, I wasn’t ready to see you go. I needed you, I still do.” After a brief moment, he locked gazes with him. “I love you, Mason. That’s why I came back here. The mission was a cover. I’ve been here for months, following you, observing you, making you were okay, gathering the courage to finally say those words to you. I love you.”

All the air left Mason as he looked at the man before him. It wasn’t the declaration of love that threw him, but the entire situation. One of the people he trusted the most on earth couldn’t be saying that to him. Time froze for a moment before Mason could form words. “Travis, man. You know I love Cleo.”

The way his friend’s face twisted into a grimace of pain and anger didn’t bode well. Mason thought he would lose it, but instead, Travis shook his head and pushed away from the chair.

“You can’t believe that. How can you fall for a woman after a few months? And one with a sketchy past that exploded in your face as soon as you decided to protect her. You’re risking your ass for someone who’s not worth it.”

“You know nothing about her!” Mason knew he should remain calm and in control, but he was edging quickly toward losing it.

Travis returned to him, leaning with his hands on his thighs, calm slightly returning to his demeanor. “You are blinded.”

“Travis…”

“No! I won’t let you lose your life with someone who brings trouble to your door. Not if I can’t help it. You are the only person in my life that matters. I didn’t have a say in what happened to the others but I will not fail you. I will protect you even if it’s against yourself.”

The way he said the words made Mason tense and he pulled at his bonds to the point he expected his skin to start peeling off.

“You know you can’t get free from these. You remember basic training don’t you? It seems it will take you more time to see the light, but I expected that.”

Standing, Travis heaved a heavy sigh. “While I leave you to think, I’m going to start righting the situation. Once I deal with that violet-haired secretary of yours, it will be a positive step forward. I should have done it that night. Ending her would have resolved this whole situation. I thought that scaring the little runaway would be enough for her to bolt from Miami, but I was wrong. I should have followed my instincts.”

Now, Mason couldn’t breathe as he realized that from the beginning, his target had been the wrong one. “It was you all along? The stalker? The snakes?”

Travis smiled. “They were a nice touch, although finding snakes from Arizona was a challenge.”

“You poisoned a service dog, for fuck’s sake! How did you find heart medication?”

Immediately, Travis sobered. “That wasn’t my intention, man. It was something I found that speeds up the heart. I wanted to make her think she’d had a panic attack. An increased heartbeat is an undeniable symptom. I wanted to make the situation untenable for her to the point where her only logical option was to leave.”

“You could have damaged her heart!”

And Mason saw it on his face, that gleam of madness he had never noticed before in his friend, and it was frighteningly clear.

“As I didn’t succeed and I intend to put an end to this charade, your point is moot.”

“This is not a charade. This is not a joke! She loves me.”

A dark cloud thundered over his face. Travis came so close and his body was so tense, Mason thought he would punch him. “I’m the one who loves you, who laid my life on the line countless times to protect yours, who would die for you! And I know you feel the same. You just have to realize it. I need to remove your blinders.”

Travis’ body shook and he seemed to get a hold of himself before a grim look crossed his face. Mason knew Cleo’s life was on the line. Full-scale panic settled inside him, the chair rattling hard under him. Travis ignored him and as he went to the door, giving him a forlorn look as if he was trying to convey how sorry he was before leaving him.

As the door closed, Mason’s pain and desperation dissolved into a primal scream that filled the empty room as he felt his heart slowly dying inside his chest.