“Glitter unicorns,” I correct, amused at his disgust.
“Emma’s weird,” he mumbles, ripping part of the wrapping before holding it out. “Now you.”
I rip the rest of it, exposing a box for a picture frame. Mason lets the paper fall to the floor as he opens the box. Carefully, he slides the black picture frame out and turns it over right-side up.
I lean in to see.
It’s the picture Emma took, of Mason and me kissing by the corral. It’s in black and white, the background blurred and Mason and me in focus.
He has a hand in my hair and one on my waist, like he won’t ever let me go. My fingers are tangled in his shirt, and we’re kissing like we’re the only people who exist. Like the whole world is narrowed down to where our lips meet.
The sun highlights both of us, but all I can see is the look on his face.
Not hunger. Not lust.
Something softer—like he already decided I’m his forever.
63
MASON
We put the photo Emma gave us in the bedroom. Seeing it, seeing everything I’m feeling so tangibly, all I want to do is haul Lily to my bed, but there are logistics to take care of first, so I take her hand and lead her to the main house.
The kitchen in the main house is warm and bright, a stark contrast to the cold darkness outside. Emma's at the stove, something that smells like beef stew simmering in a pot. Jake stands by the counter, arms crossed, his expression serious. Luke leans against the doorframe, seemingly casual but I can see him assessing Lily.
Jake gestures to the table. “Let’s talk strategy.”
I pull out a chair for Lily and take the one beside her. My hand finds her hand again, holding it on my thigh. Luke sees it and smirks as he sits across from me. I’d flip him off if Lily and Emma weren’t here.
“Kelly's the priority,” Jake says, moving to the head of the table, Emma sitting beside him. “We need him alive.”
Next to me, Lily tenses. I squeeze her fingers, knowing that’s not what she wants to hear.
Luke nods. “Agreed. He knows the supply chain, the movement corridors, the safe houses. We need to get the logistics from him before we put him down.”
“Exactly,” Jake confirms. “Turner's operation is bigger than just Kelly. If we can flip him or extract information, we dismantle the whole network faster.”
Lily’s displeasure radiates off her. I know what she's thinking—Kelly killed her sister and she wants to avenge her death. The urge to let her execute him is strong, but Jake's right. One man's death doesn't save the others still trapped in Turner's pipeline.
“We take him clean,” I say quietly. “No permanent damage. We need him coherent enough to be useful.”
“Agreed,” Jake says. He pulls out a map of Turner's ranch, spreading it across the table. “We have three entry points, two extraction routes. The challenge is timing—we need to move fast enough that Kelly doesn't have time to relocate or destroy evidence.”
Luke shifts his weight. “And Turner?”
Jake's jaw tightens the way it always does when Turner’s name comes up. “He’s gone dark, but maybe this will flush him out.”
“Ooo.” Luke leans forward, the grin that earned him the nickname Riot curving his lips. “Does this mean I get to blow up his ranch?”
I feel Lily's fingers twitch. I rub my thumb over her knuckles, hopefully offering some comfort.
Jake gives Luke a flat stare. Then he looks around the table at all of us. “We proceed with the Kelly extraction. We get him, we get information, and we use that to track Turner. He can't hide forever.”
“When?” I ask.
“Saturday night,” Jakes says. “According to our surveillance, they have fewer hands around on the weekend. It’ll be a cleaner extraction.”
Emma raises her hand. “Tomorrow night Lily and I are meeting Harper for pre-baby-shower baby shower. We're going to the Rusty Spur around eight.”