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Chapter 9
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Ash and Jo got to the doorstep of a bungalow. Ash knocked on the door and they waited for a response.
Jo took that time to scrutinize the house. Although it had seen better days, it was cleaner and sturdier than other houses in the neighborhood. Their lawn was freshly mown too. Jo nodded, anyone who'd try to preserve their house as well as they could despite living in such a dismal place, was commendable.
The door opened, and a matronly woman wearing an apron opened the door.
When she saw Ash, she looked happy. Upon seeing the bruises on his face, her happiness turned to alarm, “Good God! What happened to you, Ash?” she asked as she let them in, she gave Jo the once over and obviously decided Ash's injuries were in need of very urgent attention, because she didn't say anything to Jo.
“Some thugs came after us. I know you've seen the bounty on our heads.” Ash said, as without waiting for an invitation, he plopped onto one of the thr
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Frame Me Chapter 9: II
Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him! An inner voice chanted to Jo, but for the life of her, she couldn't break the spell of his gaze, even to kiss him.Ash was about to lean in and take Jo's sweet lips when Masha burst in, “My boys are home and food's ready. Come to the kitchen and eat.”Ash and Jo jerked apart as though they'd been shot at.Masha was oblivious to what she'd interrupted, and led them to her kitchen with pride, humming happily under her breath.The kitchen was small but cozy and when they entered, two males were already seated at the table awaiting their own share of food.“Umberto, David, how do you do?” Ash asked as he sat down.Umberto, who was Masha's husband replied, “Very well, Ash. Too bad I can't say the same for you.”“Umberto!” Masha admonished as she dished out spicy hot pasta on various plates, “Don't be rude to our guest.”“What can I
Frame Me Chapter 10
Early the next day, Jo and Ash were awakened by Masha. She told them to have breakfast and a bath before they left.Jo agreed and left the room without talking to Ash. Ash knew she was angry with him, and he actually deserved it for how rude he'd been to her the night before. He could still remember how surprised he'd been, when she'd said he had Gulden tastes. Although she'd meant it as a joke, it didn't make it nothing less than the truth.First, she'd seen his tattooless torso, and then she'd found out about his tastes. What else would she be privy to if he let her?It actually wasn't her fault that he couldn't keep his mouth shut when he was around her. Not Capo or Pascal, his most trusted men, knew most of the things he'd told her, but for some reason, he'd wanted to spill all his secrets to her. He knew that would not bode well for him.* * *Jo looked at herself as she put on the shirt Masha lent her. The shirt was loose
Frame Me Chapter 10: II
“Get out of the way, Ash!” Jo growled.“I won't until you start talking to me again!” Ash said.Jo sighed, “I tried to talk to you, and you gave me the cold shoulder. I'm just giving you a taste of your own medicine.”Ash replied, “I know. I'm sorry for the cold shoulder. It won't happen again. I swear.”Jo nodded and kept on walking.“Hey! I just apologized! Why are you still angry at me?” Ash asked.“I'm not.” Jo replied.“Yes, you are.”“Honestly, I'm not angry at you. I just get angry thinking about the mess Masha and Umberto could be in at the moment.” Jo said.“Don't worry, Umberto is pretty smart. He has to be, to have lived this long.” Ash assured Jo.“This long? Umberto is probably in his late forties.” Jo said.“Exactly.” Ash said, “Umberto and Masha were
Frame Me Chapter 11
Ash and Jo walked until they got to a convenience store. They entered, startling the geriatric sales lady who was taking a nap.“What can I get you young couple?” The woman asked as she sluggishly adjusted her glasses and smiled at them.“We'd like to see Jean.” Jo said, not looking at the woman, but rather at the security camera behind the woman.The woman scowled and fixed her with a stern look, “Look, I sell a lot of things, but I don't sell jeans. If you're not interested in buying anything, you better leave.”Ash felt like a child who'd had been caught stealing from the cookie jar, “We're quite sorry, Ma'am. We'll just be on our way.”“No.” Jo said intractably, “I'm not leaving until I see Jean.”“Are you crazy?” Ash whispered to Jo, “She doesn't know what you're talking about.”The old woman was about to wag her finger at Jo, when the
Frame Me Chapter 11: II
Jo and Ash argued over how to get J-Cane to talk to them.“I say we get to his lair and hide so whenever he comes in, we'll question him.” Ash said.“It's that easy, isn't it? We just waltz into his lair? Do you know how many men he has? How armed they are? We might just be walking to our deaths.” Jo said.“Then what do you recommend?” Ash asked, hands akimbo.“I don't know.” Jo said, and pulled out her phone. She opened a social media app and began to scroll through her feed.“Oh sure! There's always time for the gram.” Ash said sarcastically.Jo ignored him and continued scrolling until she got to a video clip.She clicked on it and showed it to Ash, “See. He went live a few minutes ago. At Sassy's. He's probably still there.”Ash was skeptical, “How is this any different from the plan I hatched?”“Sassy's a strip club. What are t
Frame Me Chapter 12
"Tall and Caucasian. He just described more than half the population of Ganghaven.” Jo grumbled. They had left J-Cane at Sassy's, with a warning not to tell anyone that he'd seen them. If he told, they promised to show the cops the footage they had of him leaving the crime scene.J-Cane had hastily agreed. Now, they were in the dark alley behind the club, discussing their next step.“Yeah. I think we should just hand the camera over to the police and let them handle finding out who the Hatter is.” Ash said with resignation.“So you want us to walk up to the precinct and throw the camera at their doorstep.” Jo said, cocking an eyebrow.“No. I have a man on board.” Ash said. When Jo raised her eyebrows in surprise, Ash rushed to continue, “It's not like his an inside man or anything like that, actually it's the other way around. Whenever I come across dirty people, I usually tell him so the cops can take care
Frame Me Chapter 12: II
Jo was about to withdraw from his hard kiss, when Ash changed tactics and softened his lips against hers.Jo's hands on his chest slackened before they gripped him.Ash sought to deepen the kiss and gently ran his tongue over her lips, an unspoken plea for her to let him in.When it seemed like Jo wasn't getting his message, he nipped her lower lip gently.Jo let out a gasp as bolt of pleasure that shot straight to her core, and Ash pushed his tongue in, groaning with pleasure as his tongue made contact with hers.Jo ran her fingers through his hair as his hands slid down her body to cup her derriere.“I'm not letting you go on a date with Pascal.” He said when they came up for air.Jo looked into his eyes. They were filled with lust and possessiveness, or so she hoped.“I wasn't going to anyway.” She replied.“Good,” Ash said with savage satisfaction, a scant moment before he captured
Frame Me Chapter 13
Some minutes later, Ash forced himself to get up from the sofa. Yes, he told himself, he was going to comfort Jo. He knew how hard it was, not to have anyone to comfort you when you needed it.He steeled his shoulders as he walked into the tiny kitchen and found Jo leaning on the tiny counter, with her head in her hands.He took a deep breath and went to her. Worst case scenario, she'd tell him to fuck off.It wouldn't be the first time that would happen, he thought ruefully.When Jo noticed he was around, she turned and stared at him with eyes swollen from crying, “I want to be alone.”“No, you don't.” Ash said, trying to take her in his arms.“Yes, I do. Who do you think you are, telling me what I want and don't want?” Jo asked belligerently.“A friend, I hope.” Ash said sincerely.Jo looked up at him and saw that he meant his statement.A dam she didn't kno
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Frame Me Chapter 23: II
e.”Ash wanted to laugh, “Of course I do. Is it just sinking in now?”Jo nodded, “So you left Gulden to become a gangster once again?”“No,” Ash shook his head, “About that. I was actually meaning to come over to your house with a proposal.”Jo got a confused look as she wrinkled her nose, “A marriage proposal?”Ash replied, “I would have gotten to that, but no. I meant like a business proposal.”Jo nodded, “Let's hear it.”Ash got into business mode and outlined his plan for them to set up a school and a charity organization that'd be run by both their gangs.Jo let him finish his pitch, and after that she walked up to him, “I'm sorry for doubting you, Ash.”“I'm sorry for running off on you too.” Ash said as he kissed her. This time, Jo didn't protest.He carried her over to the bed and laid her down
Frame Me Chapter 23
Ash was in his old apartment in Ganghaven, which he preferred to the plush company quarters in Gulden when there was a knock on his door.Thinking it was Capo or one of his other men, he took his time to open it.He was greeted by the glorious sight that was Jo, her mouth in a hard line. His heart beat faster as he considered the idea of having her in his apartment although from the look on her face, she wasn't there to accept his apology.Well, he would any win no matter how small, he assured himself.“My apartment isn't much but do you wanna come in?” He asked graciously.Jo scowled. Seeing him face to face had awakened a hunger which had been steadily growing. How could someone look this handsome, she thought.Jo knew if she entered his apartment she might lose sight of why she'd come here in the first place and jump him.“No.” Jo said stubbornly.“You want to create a scene for the punks who li
Frame Me Chapter 22: II
The next day, Ruth heard the doorbell ding and went to open it. She didn't see snyone, just a package left on the doorstep.It had a tag which said 'For Jo'.She brought it into the kitchen and called Jo who was still in her room.Jo hurried to the kitchen, “Mum, who delivered that package?”Ruth shrugged, “I don't know. It only says it's for you.”Jo assessed the package critically.“Should I open it?” Ruth asked as she moved to do so.“No! Mum!” Jo said hastily.Ruth gave her a curious look, “And why the hell not?”Jo thought to what Ash had said about his father trying to get her, “Just let me handle this.”She opened the package and sitting innocuosly in it was an apple pie with the words 'I love you' inscribed on it.“Ash,” She said under her breath. He was trying to use apple pie to win her back. Her heart beat furious
Frame Me Chapter 22
Ash and Pascal sat at their favorite table in Jacob's diner as they waited for their orders to arrive.It had been Pascal's idea to come to Jacob's because Ash had been melancholy ever since he returned to Ganghaven. In fact, Pascal didn't understand what was going on between Ash and Jo.Last he heard, Jo was so in love with Ash, she'd taken a bullet for him. Ash had also been head over heels in love with her. He was sure the lovebirds still loved each other, so why were they even apart.I may never get to understand love, he thought.He looked at Ash who was caught up in some memory of some thought.“Yo, what are you thinking of, man?” Pascal asked, trying to distract Ash from his bad mood.“You know, I first met Jo here.” Ash said with a sad smile, “She was sitting at our table with her friends.”Pascal groaned inwardly. While trying to get Ash to quit thinking of Jo, he'd only compounded the prob
Frame Me Chapter 21: II
Ash heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Capo.“It's good to see you, boss.” Capo said with a grin.“You too, my man.” Ash said bringing in Capo for a hug. He didn't think he could explain how much he'd missed his second-in-command. Capo was his loyal confidante and adviser, who had never let him down. He felt so free with him.Too bad he couldn't say the same for the vultures under him at Greenwood Holdings. They were sycophants who only wanted to be friends with him so he could give them something in return.“How's business?” Capo asked.Aah grimaced. Even with his degree, running a company the size of Greenwood Holdings was difficult, “It's coming along. Yours?”“We've shut down most of the business your old man was running, which leads me to ask; after we finish the task, what next? Do we disband and look for other things to do?” Capo asked.Ash shook his hea
Frame Me Chapter 21
Jo forced a smile on her face as she opened the door to usher Andrea and Sia in. She was still living like a hermit in her mother's house, and she didn't want to diagnose what that said about her. She was making progress, she told herself, she was going to make a conversation with her friends even if it killed her.Andrea and Sia noticed her staring into space.“Yo! Earth to Jo!” Andrea said, snapping her to the present.“You okay? We could come back later, if you wanted.” Sia said, leading Jo to the nearest chair.Jo allowed herself to be led and when she sat down, she said, “No. I invited you here. We're going to do this.”“Ok. But there's no pressure,” Andrea said, turning on the television. There was a boring news broadcast going on, so they paid the television no mind.“How's your injury?” Sia asked, switching to physician mode.Jo raised her blouse up and let Sia examin
Frame Me Chapter 20: II
At last, Baines spoke, “How am I sure this is real, not some fabrication?”Ash spread his hands on the table, “You're a lieutenant. I'm pretty sure you'll find the same things I showed you, if you got your people to look hard enough.”Baines regarded him closely, “What's in it for you?”“If you're asking if I'm doing this for some reward or favor or something, the answer is no. Josiah's one of the bastards whose operations put Ganghaven in such a desolate state. He needs to pay for the lives he's ruined.” Ash said. He'd told Baines the truth, but not all of it. Back in Sia's clinic he'd vowed to eliminate all threats to her, both actual and perceived. One of those, was his father.Josiah, in order to get back at Ash could kidnap, maim or worse, kill Jo. In order to prevent that from happening, Ash had decided that his father must be in a place where it would be impossible to do that; jail.
Frame Me Chapter 20
20Lieutenant Ted Baines was disappointed in himself. How could he not have seen what was right under his nose? Due to his implicit bias, he'd thought those two gangsters were the culprits, not knowing it was one of his own men.He hated it when men who swore to serve and protect, did a one-eighty and became what they were supposed to fight. Damian of all people, too.Baines who'd always thought himself to be a good judge of character, couldn't believe he'd sorely misjudged him. His only consolation was that he wasn't the only one. Damian had fooled them all.From the information had been able to gather, Baines learned that Matteo had begun to suspect Damian, and had planted the cameras in the building to catch him in the act.Then he'd confronted Damian who responded by shooting him dead. Then, when Damian had asked to be given time to console his partner's widow, he'd actually gone back to the crime scene and watched what was on the
Frame Me Chapter 19: II
Jo felt a huge ache in her head when she came to. Her mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton and she still felt woozy. She cracked open her eyes and felt a moment of panic before she realized where she was. When her eyes were able to make out the people in the room, she recognized Sia, and her longtime assistant Liv.The first word that came out of her mouth was, "Ash."Sia placed her hand in hers and shook her head."Where is he?" Jo asked, getting hysterical. "I heard his voice when I was coming out of the drugs, or was that a dream?""No. He was here." Sia answered."Then where is he?" Jo asked, trying to sit up. Sia placed her hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back to a lying position."He left." Sia replied."Did he say when he was coming back?" Jo asked hopefully."No.""For how long have I been here?" Jo asked."Two days." Sia answered, dreading the next question."W
