PLAYING MASON'S GAME

The sound of Mason’s ringing phone pierced through the silence of the room, waking him up from his sleep. He let out a groan as he reached for the phone on his nightstand, his hand brushing his hair back.

"Carl, do you have any idea what time it is?" Mason scolded as he answered the call.

But his scolding was cut short as he heard Ashley’s voice on the other end of the line. His heart skipped a beat at the mention of her name, but he quickly composed himself.

"What do you want, Ashley?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"You have been asleep all day," she said, her voice dripping with disdain. "I’m coming to take my mother, and you better be ready to hand her over. Meet me at the location I will send you, or you will regret it."

Mason felt a surge of anger course through his veins. How dare she threaten him like that?

"No, Ashley," Mason replied firmly. "I’m not playing your games. This game is mine to play. You come to me if you want your mother back, I will send you the location."

"Fine! But don’t try to do anything shady!" Ashley snapped.

"I should…" But before he could say anything else, Ashley had already hung up. Mason growled in frustration, feeling trapped.

He turned to Melody, who was lying next to him, pretending to be asleep. He grabbed her right breast hard, she gasped and opened her eyes to look at him.

"Go freshen up, we have to get ready to meet Ashley." He said, touching her gently on the arm.

Melody groaned, turning away from him on the bed. "This has nothing to do with me, Mason," she muttered. "I don’t want to get involved."

But Mason was insistent. "You have to come, Melody. It’s important. And besides, this is the last time you will have to see Ashley. After this, she will be out of our lives for good."

Melody sighed, reluctantly getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom to freshen up.

Mason felt a sense of relief as he watched her go. He was glad that she had agreed to come with him. With Melody by his side, he felt like he could handle anything. He then texted Ashley the address to meet up, thinking of the kind of trap to set for her.

***

Melody walked down the stairs to the living room, packing her hair into a ponytail, when she saw a thug standing above Mary, who was sitting on a cold floor. He was handing her a plate of food. "Eat it! You old bitch!" He cursed and tossed the food at her feet.

Melody felt her blood boil as she watched the thug taunt and poke at poor Mary. She couldn't stand by and let him continue to treat her that way.

"Hey!" Melody shouted, catching the thug's attention. "Leave her alone!"

The thug turned towards Melody with a smirk on his face. "What's it to you, princess?" he asked, before turning back to poke at Mary's head once more.

"I said leave her alone!" Melody repeated, her voice rising in anger. She stalked towards the thug, her eyes fixed on him. She wasn't scared of him, not one bit.

Suddenly, Mason appeared on the stairs, dressed in all black with a rifle in his hand. Melody couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear as she looked at him. What was he going to do with that thing?

"Mason," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "What's going on? Why are you carrying that?"

Mason's expression was hard as he glared at the thug. "I just want to feel safe," he said, his voice firm.

Melody frowned. She didn't like the sound of that. She didn't like the way Mason was looking at her, either. It was like he was daring her to step out of line, like he was trying to control her.

She shook her head, pushing away those thoughts. She had to focus on Mary, on getting her out of here. "Come on," she said, grabbing Mary's hand. "Let's get out of here."

But Mason blocked their way, his jaw clenched. "You'll do no such thing," he said, his eyes flashing with anger.

Melody felt her own anger rise up in response. "Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" she said, her voice rising.

Mason stepped closer, his gun still in hand. "I'm the one who's protecting you," he said, his voice quiet. "And part of that protection means you stay here with me."

Melody glared at him, her eyes blazing. "I don't need your protection," she said, her words cold. "I can take care of myself and Mary."

Mason's expression softened slightly, but his grip on the gun didn't falter. "I know you can," he said, his voice low. "But I want to keep you safe."

Melody sighed, feeling exhausted. She didn't know how to deal with this. She didn't want to fight with Mason, but she didn't want to stay here and watch Mary suffer either.

In the end, she did the only thing she could think of. She picked up the plate of food that had been given to Mary and handed it to her. "Here," she said, her voice gentle. "Eat. We'll figure something out."

Mason gave her a sharp look but didn't say anything. They all made their way to the dining table, where the maids served them food. The atmosphere was tense, with Mason and Melody barely speaking to each other. Mary sat quietly, eating her food with shaking hands.

Melody wished she knew what to do. She wished she could make everything better, but she didn't know how. All she could do was wait and hope for a way out.

***

Carl stood in the middle of Ashley and Xander's room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes fixed on Ashley as she stood before him, her expression desperate and pleading.

"If you want my men to help you, you're going to have to pay up," Carl said, his voice gruff and menacing.