Page 92 of Please Open Me
“Okay. Advice.”
I nodded, my chest tightening like I’d just agreed to hear a guilty verdict.
Mattie continued: “I think you did the right thing—but not for the reasons you think.”
“…Why?”
Her gaze fell to the monitor. I followed it. Seb lifted Rosie into his arms, walking her gently despite his limp.
“I don’t trust him,” she said.
I choked. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t trust the guy.” She shrugged like it was nothing.
“Okay? I’ve known Sebastian since he was a kid, and I trust him. Isn’t that enough?”
Mattie had barely spoken to him—Why wouldn’t she trust him?
She chewed her lip, reaching for my stomach again. I jerked back so hard I nearly hit the wall.
“Mason, quit—”
“No, you quit!” My voice cracked. “I’ve known you for what—four months? And you’re telling me you don’t trust my partners?”
These people had loved me when I was nothing but shards of myself. Lucian, Sophia, Sebastian—they’d protected me when we were barely more than kids. Every single one of them was worth fighting for.
And I’d be damned if anyone—especially a partner of mine—disrespected them.
“You’d better have a great reason, or we’re done.”
Mattie’s lips pulled sideways. This morning, I’d been afraid to lose her. Now, I wanted her gone.
“What did I do before Hartwood?” she asked.
“…Before becoming a trainer or before moving here?”
“Before the career swap. What did I do?”
I forced my mind back to when we’d first met, chatting between her critiques of my terrible form. “You were a cop. Camden PD.”
She nodded.
“I worked domestic disturbances. Sometimes I’d show up and someone was already dead. When someone kills, they lose something—a spark behind their eyes. The soul’s just… gone. You get me?”
Reluctantly, I nodded.
“Sebastian doesn’t have that spark. Neither does Sophia. Or Cameron.”
The mention of Cameron twisted my stomach. He’d seen horrors—what the Sons of Christ had done—but that was different. Wasn’t it?
But, it made sense for Seb. He was a homicide detective, so of course, he’d seen brutality on a daily basis.
Sophia threw me completely for a loop. I couldn’t figure out how she'd gotten lumped in with them.
“They’ve all seen some shit,” I said, sounding unsure myself.
Mattie just gave me a look like I’d missed the point entirely.
