Page 8 of Trapped for Christmas

Deacon shook his head. “I have no doubt that you do. In the meantime, don’t be hassling Zeb about this. Let him tell you himself. You don’t want to come across as a psycho.”

Mason nodded. He could do that, couldn’t he?

It was five o’clock when Zeb popped his head in the door of Mason’s office.

“I’m off, boss. See you tomorrow.”

“Any plans for tonight?”

“Oh, nothing special.”

“You’re not seeing Kaden, then?”

Zeb’s eyes widened, and then he glared at Mason. He said nothing, just held eye contact. If he was seeing this Kaden tonight, then he’d just described him as “nothing special.” For Mason, that was something to be concerned about. Why was Zeb spending his time with someone who didn’t make him feel like he was the most important person on the planet?

“Deacon was here at lunchtime, so I’m guessing that’s where you got your information?”

“It should have come from you, Zeb.”

“Why? You have no say in my personal life. There was a time when I wanted you to, but you made your feelings clear.”

“I’m just looking out for you. Where does Kaden work?”

“What business is that of yours?”

“Deacon mentioned he worked in finance. I was just showing an interest.”

“He does the same as Ethan, but obviously not at that level. We don’t really talk about his work.”

“What’s his surname?”

The wealth management world wasn’t big. If he had a name, Ethan would know something about him. He knew everyone.

“Why do you need that? You are not running a background check on him.”

“I’m just looking out for you.”

“I can look after myself, thank you.”

“Given your history, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.”

The look on Zeb’s face told Mason he’d just fucked up big time.

“You’re an asshole. Keep your nose out of my business.”

“Zeb, I’m sorry. What I meant was⁠—”

“Save it. Keep interfering in my business, and I’ll find a job somewhere else.”

That was the last thing Mason wanted. It wasn’t just that he needed Zeb nearby to keep an eye on him, but that he couldn’t manage things without him now. He’d never had an assistant before, and now he couldn’t live without one—and not just anyone. Nobody understood the way he worked as well as Zeb did.

“My apologies. Enjoy your evening, Zeb.”

Zeb looked at him, still wearing his scowl. He was so fucking adorable when he was pissed off, but Mason kept his face neutral. Zeb nodded at him and left without another word. Was he going to see this Kaden guy tonight, and could Mason get someone to follow Zeb, or was that going too far? He wished Sebastian were here. The guy was just as obsessive as Mason, although Charlie had the big guy wrapped around his finger. He didn’t know what it was, but something was telling Mason that Kaden couldn’t be trusted.

It had been another week, and Mason still knew nothing about Kaden. His friends were useless, and even Sebastian had warned him to back off. There was something niggling Mason about the guy, even though he’d never met him. Zeb was still out the door at five o’clock every night and arrived at eight o’clock in the morning. They were his contracted hours, and Mason always compensated him if he went over, but that wasn’t an option anymore. If he was asked to stay a bit late for anything, he always “had plans” and said he’d deal with the issue in the morning. He always did, and to his consistent high standard, but it felt like there was an expectation that he had to meet Kaden at a certain time and he couldn’t be late. At least that’s what was going through Mason’s mind.

“Knock, knock,” said Ryder, while knocking on the open door of Mason’s office at the same time.