Karma

LAUREN

After the doors burst open, a group of men rushed into the building, their boots pounding against the concrete floor like thunder. Weapons drawn, they moved with precision, their eyes sweeping every corner, locking onto every threat.

For a moment, it was as if the air had been sucked out of the room. No one moved. No one breathed. I was frozen in place, watching them storm in like something ripped straight out of a nightmare.

“Drop your weapons! Now!” one of the men barked, his voice sharp and commanding, cutting through the shock that had gripped the room. The others shouted the same order, guns aimed at Ginny’s guards, ready to fire if they made even the slightest wrong move.

Ginny’s face twisted in disbelief, her shock mirroring my own. My mind raced, trying to catch up with the chaos.

~Who were they? What was happening?~

Then I saw it. The badges. Stamped on their uniforms, barely visible in the dim light, but unmistakable.

The Specialist Firearms Command. Metropolitan Police.

I breathed a sigh of relief. This wasn’t the Omens. This wasn’t Anthony’s men coming to drag me into the darkness. These were cops.

Tactical, trained, deadly—but they weren’t here for me. They were here for... ~Ginny?~

Ginny’s guards hesitated, their hands hovering near their weapons.

“I said drop them!” the officer shouted again, his tone razor-sharp, as the tension in the room ratcheted up another notch. For a split second, I thought a firefight would break out. But then, one by one, the guards let their guns clatter to the floor, hands raised in surrender.

Relief flooded through me, but the danger wasn’t over. Not yet.

I glanced at Mason, and that damned smile was still tugging at his lips. He knew. He knew they were coming.

Ginny’s bravado crumbled in an instant, her mouth falling open as she staggered back, her grip on power slipping through her fingers.

Ginny's shock quickly twisted into rage, her eyes blazing like wildfire.

"You think this is over?" she screamed, her voice echoing through the cavernous space. "You have no idea who you’re dealing with!"

The officers closed in on her, their movements swift and practiced. Mason had his grip on her, but in the chaos, one of Ginny’s remaining guards panicked. A single shot rang out, and for a heartbeat, everything devolved into chaos.

Mason glanced toward the gunfire, just a split second of distraction, but it was enough. Ginny seized the moment, slamming her elbow into Mason’s side and breaking free. She bolted for the nearest exit, her wild eyes scanning for any escape route.

But I wasn’t going to let her get away. Not this time.

Before she could take another step, I launched myself forward, adrenaline surging through my veins. My hand connected with her face, the impact sharp and satisfying as she stumbled back, caught completely off guard. I didn’t hesitate. I shoved her to the ground, knocking the wind out of her.

Ginny glared up at me, her rage seething, but I wasn’t intimidated anymore.

“You're done, Ginny,” I said, my voice low and steady.

Mason was back at my side in an instant, regaining his grip on her. We shared a grim smile as the officers swarmed in to finish the job, cuffing her wrists with a final click, the sound like a nail in her coffin.

Ginny struggled, fury still pouring out of her, but it didn’t matter. The fight was over—and this time, I had won.

The team work swiftly, tracking down the other members of Ginny’s posse and putting them in handcuffs as well.

I watched as Ginny’s plans came crumbling down. She had nothing left now. The Omens weren’t coming and she was left with nothing. Only the clothes on her back.

Still she yelled out in anger and defiance. She wasn’t ready to accept her fate.

“Mark my words, I will come for you!” she spat at Mason, her face contorted in a mask of venomous hate.

Mason stood rigid, a cold stare fixed on her as the officers guided her toward the exit.

“You’re going to prison for a long time,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion. He watched her with cold eyes as she was led towards a waiting police van.

“You think you’ve won, Mason? You’re nothing but a pawn. You have no idea what’s coming.”

Mason seemed unbothered by her threat, but I knew there was truth behind it. We may have escaped Ginny’s clutches, but the Omens still knew who I was. Anthony Brown knew who I was. It was only a matter of time before they caught up with us.

For now though, I decided to revel in our victory and let the relief flood over me.

As the officers escorted Ginny away, I felt a surge of triumph mixed with disbelief. The woman who had twisted my life into knots and killed my father was finally facing justice.

After Ginny was taken away, the chaos of the room slowly dimmed, but the weight of what had happened crashed down on me all at once. My eyes followed the officers as they gently covered my father’s body with a white sheet. The sight of it felt like a stab to the heart. He was really gone.

The ache in my chest became unbearable, and I felt my knees give out beneath me. But before I hit the floor, Mason was there, his strong arms catching me, holding me up when I couldn’t stand on my own. His grip was firm, yet gentle, pulling me close as the full reality of my father’s death washed over me.

"He’s gone," I whispered, barely able to get the words out through the sobs building in my throat. "My dad is... he’s gone, Mason."

Mason’s arms tightened around me, pressing me into his chest as I broke down. I could feel his steady heartbeat, his warmth surrounding me like a lifeline, as if he could absorb the pain that was ripping me apart. "I know, Lauren," he murmured softly into my hair. "I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry."

The tears came then, uncontrollable and raw, as I sobbed into his chest.

"He sacrificed himself... for me. I wasn’t ready to lose him."

Mason stroked my hair gently, his own voice trembling, but he kept it together for me.

"Your dad loved you more than anything. He wanted you to have a future, a chance at happiness. He gave you that gift, Lauren."

"I don’t know how to do this without him," I cried, my whole body shaking in his arms. "I don’t know how to move on from this."

"You don’t have to figure it out all at once," Mason whispered. "You don’t have to be strong right now. I’m here. I’ll carry you through this, just like he would’ve wanted. You’re not alone, Lauren."

His words wrapped around me like a blanket, and even though the pain didn’t lessen, the sense of being held, of being understood, made it feel just a little more bearable. Mason didn’t try to offer empty reassurances or pretend everything would be fine. He just stayed with me, letting me grieve in his arms, promising me that I didn’t have to carry this pain alone.

And in that moment, with my father gone and my world shattered, Mason’s quiet presence was the only thing keeping me from falling apart completely.

Mason wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a comforting embrace. With his massive stature, it felt as though I was completely surrounded by him. I melted into his arms, allowing my weight to lean completely against his.

It could have been minutes or hours that I was standing there in his arms. For a moment, the world outside ceased to exist, no Ginny, no Omens, no looming threats. Just the steady rhythm of Mason’s heartbeat against mine, the reassurance that we had made it through the storm.

The sound of boots crunching on the concrete floor brought us back to reality.

One of the officers approached, a man with sharp eyes and a calm demeanor, his badge gleaming under the warehouse lights.

“Mr. Campbell?” he asked, looking at Mason. “I’m sorry to interrupt, I know you have both been through a lot today. My name is Sergeant Arthur Kingsley. I need to speak with you for a moment, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Mason only held me tighter, shaking his head.

“Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of Lauren.”

The sergeant paused, studying Mason for a second before nodding.

“Very well,” he said. “First, I want to thank you. Your information was crucial not only in taking down Ginny Hart, but it’s also led to a major breakthrough in our case against Anthony Brown.”

At the mention of that name, my stomach tightened.

The man I’d been trying to forget, the man who had haunted the edges of my life without even knowing him. The monster Ginny had wanted to reunite me with.

Sergeant Kingsley cleared his throat, his eyes flicking between me and Mason.

“I understand this is a difficult time, but we’ll need to ask you some questions about the information you’ve provided. What you know about Anthony Brown, the Omens…”

Mason didn’t even let him finish.

“Not now.” His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. “The only thing that matters right now is Lauren.”

The sergeant hesitated, clearly not used to being brushed off like that, but he nodded.

“Of course. I’ll give you some space.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, handing it to Mason.

“Call me when you’re ready to talk.”

Mason barely glanced at it before stuffing it into his jacket. His focus never wavered from me. As the sergeant walked away, I stood there, trying to piece it all together. The weight of everything that had just happened. But this… this new piece of the puzzle?

"You’ve been working with the police?" My voice came out more incredulous than I intended, shock rippling through me.

Mason met my gaze, something dark and pained flickering in his eyes. For a moment, I thought he might deflect or shrug it off. But instead, he sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair, the tension in his jaw betraying how hard this was for him.

“I did everything I could to save you, Lauren,” he began, his voice low but intense. “I would’ve made a deal with the Devil himself if it meant finding you."

I stood there, waiting, knowing there was more. Something about the way he hesitated told me this wasn’t just about working with law enforcement.

“What did you do?” I asked, my heart pounding in my chest. “What did you give up?”

Mason looked away for a second, the weight of his answer hanging heavy in the air. When he spoke again, his voice was barely more than a whisper.

“I never expected any of this to happen the way it did,” Mason said. “The nature of my work requires me to make deals with people from all over the globe, from all walks of life. Not all of the people I deal with would be considered good people.

Some of my associates made their way onto the Most Wanted list, some of them were even being pursued by Interpol.”

Mason paused for a moment as I looked at him, trying to piece together exactly what he was saying to me.

“The police approached me about my ties to these men before, but I had no reason to give up such a huge deal before. The moment I knew that you were in trouble, I didn't hesitate to make the call. I gave it up for you, Lauren. All of it. Every deal, every connection, everything I’d built. I handed it over in exchange for their help.”

I felt my heart stutter in my chest.

“You gave up everything?”

Mason’s gaze was unflinching.

“Yes. The most powerful man in London just lost half his influence because of one call I made for you. To get you back.”

The weight of his words crashed down on me. This wasn’t just some small favor. He had surrendered everything for me.

“You didn’t have to…” I began, but Mason cut me off, stepping closer.

“Yes, I did,” he said, his voice firm now. “Because if I lost you, none of that would’ve mattered. I’d trade it all a thousand times over to keep you safe.”

I stared at him, my mind reeling. The man in front of me was no longer the cold, calculated figure I’d once thought he was. He’d risked everything, crossed lines I never imagined, just to save me. And in doing so, he’d revealed a part of himself I hadn’t seen before, a part that terrified and comforted me all at once.

“Mason...” I didn’t know what to say. Gratitude, anger, disbelief, they all churned together inside me. But all I could manage was his name, spoken softly, like it was the only thing grounding me in that moment.

He reached out and cupped my face in his hands, his thumb brushing gently across my cheek.

“You’re worth more than all of it, Lauren. You always have been.”

I stared at him, a mix of shock and something else swirling inside me. After everything he’d done to get out of the life he hated, he sacrificed everything, exposing himself, just to save me.

As I stood there, looking into Mason’s eyes, everything seemed to shift. The chaos around us, the officers, the flashing lights, the broken warehouse, faded into the background.

All I could see was him. The man who had done unspeakable things to find me, to protect me, to love me in his own way.

I felt an overwhelming connection to him, deeper than anything I could explain. He wasn’t the man he used to be, and somehow, I knew that. I had been so lost in my own fear and confusion, but now, it was all becoming clear.

The way he’d fought for me, even if it meant crossing lines he swore he’d never cross again, it wasn’t the reckless violence of a criminal anymore. It was something more. Something driven by love.

Mason had always been complicated. That had never been in question. But now, standing here, I could see the vulnerability beneath the hard edges. The man who had spent so long running from his past was now willing to face it head-on, for me.

It was like seeing him for the first time, not just the man he projected to the world, but the one who was scared, scared of losing me.

He had changed.

He wasn’t the Mason who had kidnapped me out of necessity or desperation.

This was the Mason who had fought like hell to bring me back, no matter the cost. And in that moment, I realized I didn’t care about the mistakes he’d made in the past. I saw the man who would sacrifice everything for me.

And I loved him for it.