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“I’ll be down. Keep her quiet if you can—and in one place.”
“What’s the matter?”
“That friend of yours.” He’s already on his way to the bedroom while the rest of his pancakes sit on his plate. “She’s down there, raising hell in the lobby. Demanding to see me.”
“Oh, Ainsley…” There goes the rest of my meal, though I’ve managed to eat most of it already. Pancakes have always been a weakness. Especially when they’re as delicious as these are. I quickly pull on the borrowed clothes Natalie gave me a couple of days ago while Mason gets dressed in slacks and a button-down, and we’re on our way downstairs in record time. Something tells me this is not the kind of thing he’ll be able to handle on his own.
After all, she might be here to see him, but it’s me she’s worried about. “I’m sorry. She goes over the top all the time.” His clenched jaw is all the answer I get.
I can hear her before the elevator doors even open. “I’m telling you here and now that I will not leave this building until I get answers from that manager guy! You can’t hold my friend hostage! I know she’s here. She would never just leave without letting me know and this place is weird as fuck. Who do you think you are? Do I need to call the authorities? I need to speak to the manager now!”
I could shrivel up and die from embarrassment as she waves her arms around. “Ainsley!”
When she hears me coming, she stops ranting like I flipped a switch and turned her off. “Thank God!” She throws her hands into the air before blowing out a dramatic sigh. “Is that what it takes to get answers around here?”
Mason does not seem amused, and I can’t blame him. “As you can see, your friend is fine,” he murmurs. “So all of this was for nothing.”
Her mouth falls open, and she sucks in a breath like she’s ready to tell him off, so I scramble to cut her off before she makes things even worse. “Relax, okay? I’m fine. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
“You know what? I’ll be the judge of that.”
I have to take her by the arm when it looks like she’s about to get in his face. “How about you listen and trust me, instead?”
“You should listen to her,” Mason advises, and I register the warning under his words. She is pushing things a little too far. And now that I know the sort of secrets kept inside these walls, I can understand why he would be less than thrilled over this scene.
“I mean it.” I hold her by the shoulders as gently as I can and make it a point to look her in the eye so she understands I’m serious. “I am fine. There is nothing to worry about. Mason’s keeping an eye on Jase, too. He’s not the bad guy,” I add in a whisper. All I can do is hope she believes me.
And she seems to. The tension in her shoulders loosens before she sighs. “What do you expect me to do? You fall off the face of the earth, and you don’t get in contact with me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you, I swear.”
“And now, it would be better if you left.” Mason is not exactly rude, but he’s not cordial, either. After all, he’s the manager around here. He doesn’t have to be cordial.
“You really should go,” I whisper. “And remember. If anybody’s looking for me because they want to get to Jase, they might follow you to see if you’ll lead them to me. Right?”
“I didn’t think about it that way.” Her worried gaze moves from me to Mason and back again. “Just, you know, keep me informed. Okay?”
“I will. I promise.” I even walk her to the door but stay inside as she leaves. She is too much. Now, I’m too embarrassed to look Mason in the eye. But when I finally get up the courage to turn toward him, he doesn’t seem angry. Concerned, maybe.
“Don’t even bother,” he says with a sigh as we head back to the elevator. “You didn’t make that happen.”
“I guess I should make it a point to keep her posted.”
“If that’s what happens when you don’t, I’ll remind you.” I’m surprised by how it seems to roll off his back—until I notice from the corner of my eye when he pulls out his phone and begins typing something.
I shouldn’t look. I know I shouldn’t. But I can’t help it.
He’s sending a message to Tank. It’s short and sweet.
Keep an eye on that Ainsley girl. Teagan’s roommate.
I can’t tell whether he thinks she’s a threat or that she might be threatened. When he tucks his phone away and looks at me, there isn’t a hint of what’s going on behind his captivating eyes.
