Mason hated to see them go. Every inclination to follow them and keep them safe was only combated by the fact he had somewhere to be. It hurt him to know he couldn’t always protect them, but it was just impossible to watch over them while trying to find a psychopath.
“You look a million miles away,” Diane said.
“Sorry.” Mason shook out of his dismal train of thought, and suddenly, he was back in the doorway of their home. Diane was standing in front of him, MJ’s backpack hanging from one hand while her car keys were gripped in the other. She had that same concerned look she’d always had when a killer was on the loose. Concern for him, but also for their marriage.
“If there’s something we should know…”
Mason shook his head from side to side. “I told you everything there is.”
“That’s what scares me. There’s no guarantee we’ll be safe.”
“It’ll be over soon,” he lied.
“And then what? Another killer will stumble into our lives? One second.” Diane stepped down the drive and opened the door. As she handed the backpack to MJ, she mumbled something into his ear, closed the door, then returned. “It’s the same problem as always, you know? We were working things out. Business was going steady. You were doing great to keep your promise that there would be no more killers.”
“I didn’t see this one coming.”
“Then why promise in the first place?”
“To keep the family together!” Mason snapped, quieting his voice only at the end. The last thing he wanted was to let MJ know there was a problem. He settled into a low, quiet tone. “Look, it seems like every time I vow to stop chasing these creeps, they come out of the woodwork and find me regardless. What am I supposed to do with that?”
“Well, you—”
“Please, just let me finish.” Mason paid no mind to her hurtful frown. “I’m doing everything I can to protect you, to keep everyone happy, and at the same time, I have an ongoing investigation I can’t even involve the police in. Speaking of which, there’s the big secret. Even if I come out of this alive, there’s no guarantee I won’t end up in prison for murder. So I’m begging you, just for now, can you keep the marital problems to yourself while I try to focus?”
“Nice, Mason. Real nice.”
Mason shook his head again, taking her hand in his. He leveled his gaze on her. “We will address it, all right? I promise. As soon as this is over, we’ll talk about it in depth. But right now, I just need to stay focused. Do you think you can live with that?”
Diane hesitated, sighed, and glanced back at the car. She moved her lips, as if tasting the words before they left her mouth. “Okay. I can do that. For now.”
“Thank you.”
They exchanged a quick, blunt kiss. Diane turned and climbed into the car, checking on their son before she gave some life to the engine and reversed out of the driveway. Mason couldn’t help but notice she seemed distracted, as evidenced by the fact she almost clipped his own car. He winced as the Mustang’s paintwork was almost compromised, but then he quickly understood something that brought his fear back into the bigger picture.
A little paintwork was the least of his problems.