Lahat ng Kabanata ng Aegis Group: Kabanata 81 - Kabanata 90

Hannah paced the room.The digital clock ticked away the minutes.Mason had been gone for nearly an hour. How far could he have gone? Could he steal a car in that time? How long did something like that take? Or had he gotten caught? He could be in police custody right now for carjacking and she wouldn't know it.She scrubbed a hand across her mouth, her stomach in knots.He would be okay. He had to be. Saving people was what Mason did. He was a hero. Even if he didn't see himself that way.Mason had secrets. Nearly all the guys who worked for Aegis had something in their past they weren't proud of. She'd heard the stories. She could handle the darkness. What she couldn't bear was the idea of Mason not coming back.But he was coming back.For her.Because that was the kind of guy he was.Whatever he'd done, whatever he wasn't proud of, he was still a hero. Her hero. They'd get the girls back. They had to. She needed to believe that.A door banged against a wall. Was

The sun was starting to set. The building's shadows stretched across the street, casting everything in an ominous lack of light.Hannah paced the darkened room.Zain had said to trust her gut. Well, her gut was telling her she was A, hungry and B, something very bad was going to happen.She grabbed the ball cap from the bed. At Zain's urging she'd gone through Mason's things, depositing a handful of items into the Most Absolutely Necessary bag. One thing Zain had coached her on was hiding. A blonde woman would stick out on the streets of Mexico. Hiding her hair was the first step in blending in. After that his tips sort of blurred together. But the hair thing, that she at least remembered.Hannah coiled her ponytail into a flat bun, pinned it into place, and jammed the hat on her head. The sense of dread was worse. She was practically sick with it-or hunger. At this point it was hard to tell.Back and forth she paced the room. Her hands were sweaty, her chest ached and her pu

Mason watched Hannah stride across the room and come to an abrupt stop in front of the windows. Dirt stained her khaki shorts and the white top, but she was alive. He was grateful for her quick thinking and fast feet. She lifted the lace edge of the curtain and peered out at the street. Night had descended in full force, swaddling the city in starlight.What had he done wrong now?Man, he excelled at fucking up.He collected their to-go boxes and stored them in the fridge, giving Hannah a bit of space while he mulled over her sudden snappishness. Maybe it wasn't him at all. Maybe it was the stress of their situation. It was a demanding set of circumstances to be in, and lashing out at him could be her way of dealing with it all. He'd been in stranger crises with customers, but this was Hannah. Having her upset ate at him. He wanted to fix things. And he didn't know how without taking her away from here. An option she'd firmly squashed.Then there was the fact that they had sex-

Hannah stared at the ceiling and listened to the beat of Mason's heart. She still couldn't think straight. Or at all, really. They'd somehow made it to the bed, and here they were."You want some water or something?" Mason's voice rumbled against her ear."No, I'm fine. Thank you.""Okay." He squeezed her and she felt his lips brush the top of her head.She'd finally seen the Mason she remembered again, the one she'd coaxed out of that grumbling bear of a man she'd first met. He could be funny and sweet, a bit stubborn, but she liked him. He was a good man. And in another set of circumstances he could be more than that for her. But not Mason. Not now. And that was an ache, a desire, she'd carry with her for a long time. She might not be well-versed in love or sex, but her gut told her this was a once-in-a- lifetime kind of thing. So she'd better enjoy it while she had it."I was thinking about taking a shower before bed." Mason drew lazy circles on her arm."M'kay." She lik

Hannah jerked against the man's hold. The bandana tied around her head as a gag cut into the corners of her mouth and the dust got stuck in her nose, making it hard to breathe. Fear gave her fight. She twisted, jabbing her elbows against her captors.If they got her into that building, her gut told her it was all over.She tried to scream, but the gag and her lack of breath made it near impossible.Two sets of hands clamped around her arms and hoisted her up until her toes barely touched the ground. She thrashed, but they were too strong, and she was near exhausted.The heavy doors closed behind them with a clang, sealing her fate. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the dimmer light. There were people around her, but she couldn't see them. The voices didn't make sense. She couldn't understand anyone.Handcuffs clicked around one wrist and then the other. Struggling was an effort in futility. There were too many of them to fight back against, and she hadn't had enough sleep or fo