On the Run

Chapter Thirteen

Once we were inside, I quickly made my way to my bedroom. I wouldn’t make it very far barefoot in a flimsy hospital gown. Pulling the drawers open, I grabbed the first things I saw from the necessary drawers. The clothes didn’t exactly match, but that wasn’t an immediate concern. After putting on my underwear and sports bra, I slipped an oversized brown t-shirt over my head. Next, I pulled a pair of ripped up jeans over my hips. I swiped any dirt or debris off of my feet before I jammed my feet into socks, then into a pair of hiking boots.

When I stepped from the room, Mason was patiently holding both packs filled with supplies. I snatched a jacket from one of the hooks in the mudroom for myself and the hand-me-down jacket a neighbor had given them for Amelia. “Ready?” he whispered.

We cautiously exited through the back door of the house, making sure the coast was clear to begin the journey across the town. Mason held a finger to his lips signaling to be as silent as possible. Crouching down he moved forward, as I followed behind. My heart was in my throat, terrified of being caught. The thought of losing my new chosen mate or even my child created a tightness in my chest. I forcefully shook the thoughts from my mind. Focus, I scolded myself. You will lose them if you don’t stay sharp, i***t.

As we crossed over into Mrs. Dunway’s yard the light on her back porch flicked on. Mason quickly pulled me, behind a massive oak tree. His arms wrapped around me so tightly, I could hardly breathe. I was too scared to breathe. Waiting to hear a sound, the light to turn off, anything. The smell of burning tobacco wafted towards us. The old lady was probably sitting on her back porch smoking a cigarette. Mason’s grip on me relaxed a bit, letting me get a proper breath.

The seconds dragged by like minutes as we both anxiously waited for Mrs. Dunway to return to her house. I could feel Mason’s solid chest under me, the magnetism I felt toward him didn’t relent even at that moment. I wanted to bury myself in his warmth, his scent. When I first met him, his face was clean shaven, and you could see his two perfect dimples on either side of his smile. Now, his face was covered in thick, dark stubble, giving him an even more ruggedly handsome look.

The light finally flickered off, bringing me back from the entranced state I was in. We set off again, running from shadow to shadow until we finally made our way across town. Mason held up his hand, signaling me to stop. Cowering behind him, I held on to him for protection. I could see a light coming toward the shrubbery we were hiding behind. There was a crackle of a walkie talkie followed by a voice, “Dunway’s called in about suspicious activity in her backyard.”

The light stopped, “Tell that old hag I’m on the way. Probably just some teenagers getting hot and heavy.”

The light turned back the direction it came from, heading for Mrs. Dunway’s house. Of course, I thought. She would call pack security. “Don’t worry, if they knew the Leader was dead security would be out in full force,” Mason whispered. “We’re just a few houses away, the blue and gray one.”

When we arrived at Mason’s house we were greeted by an older woman with a her hair pulled back in a sleek bun. “Hurry before someone sees you,” she hissed at us both.

We entered the kitchen as the woman paced back and forth. “This is Joshua’s grandmother Patty, Emma’s mother,” Mason introduced us. “This is Bethenny, my mate.”

The woman’s scowl softened slightly before she shook her head back and forth, “No, no, no, don’t tell me anything. They can’t make me tell them anything if I don’t know anything. So, I’ll be going to my room and going to bed. Good night.”

“Come with us,” Mason pleaded with her.

“I’m 72 years old, son. I don’t have a journey like that in me,” she said before placing a hand gently on my face. “You get that precious little thing out of here and never let her come back, you hear?”

I nodded holding back tears as Patty swiped away at tears of her own rolling down her cheeks. She retreated from the kitchen before popping her head back in briefly. “Oh, I filled up a duffel bag with a change of clothes, plenty of water bottles, deer jerky, and plenty of protein bars. Its supposed to be getting cold soon too so be careful, please,” she warned.

Mason nodded and thanked her before placing a kiss on her forehead. “Love ya, Ma,” he told her.

She let out a soft sob, “You’re the best son-in-law I could have wished for.”

Patty turned to leave the room, sniffling. Soon she disappeared up the stairs leaving us alone again. I stepped towards him, placing my hand on his powerful bicep. “I’m so sorry you have to leave people you love behind because of me,” I said weakly.

Pulling me close, Mason pressed his lips to mine tenderly. “You don’t need to apologize, you haven’t done anything wrong,” he reminded me. “I love you.”

Hearing those words from him made my heart skip a beat and butterflies explode in my stomach. I never knew hearing someone tell me they love me could make me feel so good. I leaned my head away from his chest, meeting his gaze. “I love you too, Mason.”

He grumbled low in his chest before taking my lips with his. He lifted me onto the counter, feverishly kissing my neck and mouth. His tongue flicked across the sweet spot at the bend of my neck, causing a low moan to escape my lips. Panting heavily, I pushed him away. Mason stopped immediately, and began apologizing profusely, “I should have realized you wouldn’t be ready after that. I’m being selfish.”

I placed the palm of my hand against the rough stubble covering his part of his face, wanting to remember him in this moment always. “It’s okay, really. I want to, but…” I trailed off.

Mason raised his hands, running them through his dark locks. “You’re right, we need to focus,” Mason said, tossing me a set of keys. “I’ll get the kids and get them into the security truck. We can take it as far as we can and keep track of what they know on the radio. Can you take the bags to the car?” he asked pointing to a door I was assuming was the garage.

I nodded and began picking up bags to load them into the security truck. When I opened the door to the trunk area, a voice came crackling over the radio, “Anybody hear from the Leader?”

My breath stopped as I waited to hear if anyone responded. Another man’s voice crackled in, “He’s got that pretty little fox all tied up. We ain’t gonna see him til after dawn.”

“Mmm I’d like to get another piece of that.”

“Leader said he wanted her to himself tonight. Told Perry he’d cut his balls off if he interrupted him.”

“Well s**t guess I’ll have to f**k my wife tonight.”

“Can you believe that i***t still thinks he can keep her as a mate?”