Into the Dark Read online

  “Oh my God. You’re a lifesaver, Makenzie. And I promise not to tell anyone else about what I walked in on. I will text you the address.” I hang up before she can realise what I said, she doesn't need to know right now how many people actually know about what happened.

  I feel like I have been sitting her for hours waiting on Makenzie. I don’t even know how this will play out, will she call so I have to make a run for it, or will she honk the horn so I know she’s there? I really don't know and this has me worrying.

  Knock. Knock.

  I let my head drop into my hands. I wish she would just go away now.

  “Mason, baby? Are you going to come out now? I’m worried about you, are you ill?” I can't believe she hasn't taken the hint yet that I don't want to come out and see her, there is nothing that would make me leave this bathroom before Makenzie gets here.

  “Wendy, stop calling me baby. I’m fine. I’m just waiting on a friend to come pick me up.” I have told her this about fifteen times now. I really think this girl only hears what she wants to hear.

  “Baby, you can't leave. We’re going to spend the day together. We will cuddle on the couch and watch a movie. You will love ‘The Notebook,' it’s one of my favourites.” I feel like crying. If I stay much longer, she will have the name of our children planned out. All this fucking drama to forget one woman.

  I hear a knock in the distance and breathe a sigh of relief. Makenzie is finally here, or at least I hope it’s her, either way I’m getting out of here now, I'm sure if it’s a stranger they will still notice the kidnapped man shouting at them. I open the bathroom door carefully and poke my head out into the hall, it’s all clear and I can hear Wendy saying something to the person at the front door. I start running down the hall and when I turn the corner I see Makenzie standing at the top of the stairs, I don’t even slow as dodge around Wendy, grab Makenzie by the arm and pull her down the path towards … my car? I slow slightly wondering what the hell my car is doing here.

  “Mason, where are you going? Come back!” I decide my car being here is not the biggest problem at the moment so I continue towards it, but I look out of the corner of my eye to Makenzie.

  “I won’t even comment on this just now, just open the damn door!” But she can bet her arse I will have plenty to say later about it. No one drives my car ... ever. I feel a little safer once I’m in the car, but I don't think we are moving fast enough.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I don’t care, just drive!” I roll my head on my neck trying to ease some of the tension that's there, it’s been a long day already. I lean my head back against the headrest and let out a groan. Gripping the bridge of my nose I try and ease the headache that’s starting to make itself known. I take it my hangover is about to catch up with me.

  “Fuck. That was the booty call from hell. I swear I didn’t think I was going to get out of there alive.”

  “Maybe, this is the universes way of telling you that you need to stop being a man whore and settle down.” I turn my head to look at her, smiling as I do. Little does she know that is thinking like that that got me into this situation in the first place. Constant thoughts of Niamh have been driving me crazy, never has my mind been so focused on one person, not even when I was with Carina. I need to just get a grip, I need to stop thinking about her and just get on with life like I normally would.

  “Nah. It’s just the universe telling me to watch out for the bat shit crazies. And if you see me start to settle down, I want you to slap me upside the head.” Makenzie gives me a huge smile.

  “Oh, Mason. That I will be more than happy to do.” She says this with too much happiness in her voice, but at least she seems convinced about the statement. I am obviously covering everything better than I thought.

  “Yeah, I’m sure you would, Makenzie. But seriously, thank you for coming to get me. I don’t know if I ever would have escaped without your help.”

  “Escaped? Seriously? She was about four foot tall, I’m pretty sure you could have gotten out of there if you had tried a bit harder.” This is what women don't understand. When it comes to control, it's very rarely the men who have it, women control everything. We would never tell them this, but it’s true.

  “Crazy is something you can never escape from. There are so many stories surrounding that tiny little woman back there, things that are just too much for your little innocent ears.”

  “Screw you, Mason.” She says with a laugh.

  “I think I’ve had enough of that, Makenzie. Well, at least for today.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Walking into work the next day, I knew exactly what it was going to be like. After I had gotten home yesterday I had managed to avoid all the guys, I had muted my mobile and went to bed. With my bedroom curtains closed I had watched movies, ignoring the knocks on my front door and the calls on my house phone. There were messages left on my mobile, and text messages asking me where I was. I didn't reply to any of them, if they were really that worried about me they wouldn't have let me go home with Wendy in the first place. Idiots. I wonder if any of them expect me in today? Walking through the main garage door, I could hear the usual noises that come with the work being done. The sander, the clang of tools and the music from the overhead speakers. The music system was one of the first upgrades we had done to the garage, and it had happened pretty quickly once we had opened. The stereo that we had bought initially was a good one, but it still got drowned out once the everyday noises started. I can't work without music, and I think it’s the same for all the guys, if there is no music your mind tends to wander and that can be a dangerous thing in a place like this.

  “Holy shit, Mason!” I hear Ben shout across the garage floor. I continue to walk towards my office, determined to ignore them for as long as possible.

  “Mason, don't be like that. And why the hell did you not answer your phone yesterday? We thought she had tied you up and kept you.” I grind my teeth together trying to let the anger pass over me, but I’m fighting a losing battle, a battle that gets harder when I hear the other guys laughing at what Ben’s just said. I stop dead in my tracks. I feel my hands clenching into fists at my sides, and the laughter around me dies down. I turn and look over the faces of the guys around me, the ones who thought this whole situation was funny just a minute ago, but now it’s not so funny. They can see the look on my face, and they know someone is about to get knocked on their arse. I can see them all shuffling about and suddenly wanting to be invisible so I don't focus on them. I have been itching for a fight since Makenzie drove me home, the feelings inside me are so messed up just now that I can't even think straight. I know it isn't fair to the guys, but I am about to take my Niamh frustrations out on them, and it's going to feel so damn good.

  “Dude? Are you pissed?” I stalk towards Ben, it looks like he is going to be the one nice enough to let me work out my frustrations.

  “You. Let. Me. Leave. With. Her.” I grate out through my clenched teeth, my jaw is getting sore from the tension there. Ben holds his hands up in front of him in a protective stance, but it’s going to do nothing to save him today.

  “You told us you would kick our arse if we got in your way. You threatened to take Wendy’s shoe off and make me eat it.” I don't believe one word that comes out of his mouth. There is no way in hell he tried to stop me from leaving, he let me walk out that door and probably paid for a taxi to get us home.

  “Pull the other one, Ben, it has bell’s on it.” He tries to suppress a laugh, but he fails, showing me that I was right in my assumptions about the situation. I slowly make my way over to him as he backs up, but he’s running out of space behind him as he closes in on the wall.

  “Just as I thought, and you know what's gonna happen now? You are gonna take what I give you like a man.” Ben bursts out laughing again not even attempting to hide it.

  “Dude, I’m not sure if you want me to take a beating or turn around.” Shit. That did sound a bit off, I will just have
to show him what I mean. I grab him by the overalls and pull him towards me, it’s easy to do with him laughing so hard. I get him in a headlock, pinning him to my side. I thought I would feel better but with him laughing so hard and not taking it serious it has lost all the satisfaction. The guy is a dick. I push him away from me, and he falls to the floor still laughing as he lies there. I kick his foot as I walk away from him.

  “You guys are the biggest bunch of idiots I know. Just so you know, Ben, I gave Wendy your mobile number. Expect a call.” The laughter that was coming from Ben just a minute ago has abruptly stopped, making me smile to myself. Serves him right, I hadn't given her his number but it’s going to be fun watching him panic every time his phone rings.

  “Mason! Tell me your lying. Mason!” I can still hear him shouting as I close my office door behind me.

  The phone ringing on my desk pulls my attention away from the order sheets I’ve been working on. I look at the clock on the wall, I have been sitting here for hours not even noticing the time moving on. I notice it now though as I straighten my back, feeling the burn in my shoulders from sitting in the same position for so long. I let out a groan as I pick up the receiver.

  “Good afternoon, RM custom designs, Mason speaking.”

  “Oh, you really do sound sexy when you answer the phone. I can almost not control myself, if I were there I would so need you, Mason.” I stay quiet on my end of the phone, waiting for them to finish. Every time. Every. Single. Time.

  “Mason?”

  “I was just giving you a chance to finish, I didn't want to interrupt you. If I didn't know you better, I would swear you actually want me. Should I be worried?” I hear the laughter from the other end of the line, making me smile to myself.

  “Someone is in a really good mood today, Rocco. Should I even ask?”

  “You sound surprised? Am I really always in a bad mood?” I chuckle, wondering how to explain to him that it’s not that he is always in a bad mood, it’s just he is always so down.

  “Not bad, just ... not always happy.” That sounded like a reasonable answer, I think. He laughs at my answer so at least he doesn't take it the wrong way.

  “I always wonder why I'm still friends with you, Mason. You have always been a pain in my arse since the day I met you.” Thinking back to the day we met I smile, I’m actually surprised we are still friends all these years. The things that we have been through could have really tried our friendship, from falling for the same girl in high school to Elle coming between us for a little while.

  “It’s my hair, you want to know how to get your hair to look the same.” The deep laugh that comes from Rocco shocks me a little, I don't know what Makenzie is doing to him, but she needs to keep doing it.

  “Yeah, that’s it. How is the garage, are you coping without me?” Rocco always worries when he leaves me in charge of the garage, it’s not that he doesn't trust me, it’s just that he doesn't trust me!

  “Everything is fine, it’s always fine, Rocco. When has there ever been anything go wrong when you aren’t here?” I realise my mistake as soon as the words are out my mouth. There was a time not long after the garage opened when I was left home alone while Rocco was away at a supplier meeting, and to this day I'm not actually sure what happened but the bike the guys had been working on had gone up in flames. Before we knew it, there were two fire engines, an ambulance and two police cars outside the garage. There was no damage other than the bike we were working on, but it didn't do anything good for our reputation, and it took us a while to convince our clients not to take their work away from us. I haven't managed to live the incident down yet, even though it was close to three years ago.

  “I’m not even gonna go there, Mason. I actually called for a favour. You know we have that dance next week, could you call them and get me another ticket? I don’t want to leave it until I'm back in case there aren't any left.”

  “You need another ticket? Are you taking your mum?” I know exactly who he’s planning on taking, but as I may have mentioned before, I love to wind him up about Makenzie.

  “Shut it. Can you call or not?” Oh yeah, he's very touchy about this subject showing that he has more feelings for Makenzie than he’s admitted to me. I think it’s time to do a little fishing.

  “Keep your knickers on, I‘ll call. So are you gonna tell me more about her, or am I gonna have to use my imagination ... and we both know how dangerous that can be.” The line stays quiet for a few beats, Rocco obviously deciding what to tell me.

  “I really like her.” It’s said softly, but I can hear him, and I can hear his voice shake with emotion. I know how much that took Rocco to say, to admit it to someone is hard for him even now. I stay quiet letting him lead this conversation, I can be a dick when I’m playing about with him but I know now isn’t the time for that.

  “I didn't see her coming, I really didn't. I was just living life like I always did and then BAM there she was, knocking me on my arse without even trying. She is just...I don't know how to explain it. She just doesn't let me run away, every time I try to leave she follows me, refusing to let me get too far inside my own head. I love that about her.” Wow. That’s really not what I expected Rocco to say, there were a lot more feelings there than I thought there would be. I’m really glad he has found someone that makes him smile, someone that makes him want to wake up in the morning, but I won’t tell him that. No point in making him think I have lost my balls and turned into a woman.

  “Damn, Rocco. You're gonna make me cry here.” I make a few sniffing noises.

  “I really hate you, Mason. Just call and get the ticket. Arsehole” The arsehole is muttered as he hangs up on me, making me laugh. I reach into the top drawer of my desk grabbing my address book. Looking up the number I need, I call to get Rocco his extra ticket.

  I stand in front of a full-length mirror checking out the new suit I’m wearing. I ordered it a few weeks ago when I found out we have this work function, I know I have suit’s at home but they are just bought from the rack in a shop. I have always wanted to get a fully tailored suit, something sharp and sexy. No woman out there can resist a man in a well-made suit, it’s like women in lingerie. Irresistible. As I turn slightly to look at my back, I notice how well the jacket fit’s around my shoulders. The shop assistant is currently running her hands all over my arms and chest, annoying me slightly, she obviously sees creases that I can't and is trying to smooth them out. I turn back to face the mirror and I can’t miss her looking at my arse and licking her lips, it’s like she wants me to see her doing it. I keep looking at her while I cough, her eyes shoot up to mine but instead of looking embarrassed at being caught, a little smile pulls at the corner of her mouth.

  “So is everything to your liking, Mr. McIntyre, or can I do anything else for you?” The seductive purr in her voice is hard to miss, and normally I would be all over her and her suggestions, but today I'm just not feeling it. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the whole situation with Wendy, she has scared me enough that the thought of falling for another crazy woman is making me wary. This is what I am trying to rationally tell myself, it’s not because of a certain brunette, it can't be because I refuse to think about her.

  “No everything seems perfect. Will I be able to take the suit with me today?” With another stroke of her fingers across my shoulders, she leans in while speaking close to my ear.

  “That won't be a problem. If you want to step into the changing room and remove the suit, I will wait outside the door...just in case you need me.” I walk away from her, not sure how to answer. Is it strange that I know what to do to take her up on her offer, but I'm not sure how to say no to her? It’s always been on offer, always been the option wherever I am and whoever I’m with. Normally my dick would be paying very close attention to her, but this time ... nothing. Entering the changing room I make sure the door is locked properly behind me, I don't want her to feel I’m encouraging her in any way. I lean forward dropping my head to the back of the door
as I take some deep breaths, telling myself to man up and grow a pair. With a final breath, I stand and start to strip myself out of the suit. I place it piece by piece, over the back of the couch that’s in the room. As I’m undoing the button on my trousers a gentle knock sounds at the door of the changing room. I drop my head between my shoulders and try not to groan in frustration.

  “Is everything alright, Mr. McIntyre? Can I give you a...hand with anything?” I wonder if all the women that have shown me attention before have sounded so obvious. I’m pretty sure they have but for some reason this girl is grating on my nerves.

  “No thank you, I’m fine. I will be out shortly.”

  Finishing dressing, I grab my jacket from the hook on the wall and open the door. Miss shop assistant is still standing there like a perfect little mannequin. I try to be as polite as possible as I walk past her to the desk at the front of the shop to wait for her to wrap up my suit. I look back at her and see her entering the changing room, it’s not that she isn't attractive, she is. She has red hair that she has swept back into a high ponytail, leaving her neck bare, her figure is what I would class as perfect, a tiny waist and nice round arse. I know women hate to think they have a big arse but men love it, something that they can grab a hold of while we pound into them. Her breasts look like a perfect handful, her bra making them rise and stand out right in front of her, almost begging for someone to touch them. Yet here I stand, irritated at the length of time it is taking her to get my suit ready so I can leave.

  When she walks to the desk with the suit bag in her hand, I reach out to take it, but she pulls it back.