ASHTONWe were leaving the downtown warehouse, which at one point had had three guests, but we made the decision to separate the Worthings. Avery would take them to the compound and put them into the warehouse their detective cousin had vacated earlier. Their interrogation would be a much longer process.“Marco is still at Katya?”I was checking my phone, then cursing when I saw all the missed calls and texts.“What?”I called Eze, my main guy I’d left on Molly. “What’s going on?”“Molly and Jess left the house earlier today.”“What?” I put him on speaker. “You’ve got me and Trace.”“I followed. Your orders were to stay back if Montell was in the house with her. Well, they went to Easter Lanes—”“Where are they now?”“The police station.”Trace jackknifed forward. “What?”They kept talking, but I went scrolling through the rest of my phone. My sources from all departments were alerting me. I clicked on the last one.34: Homicide had them, but OC is pulling rank. I can’t get any more i
MOLLYI was taking stock of my life. It felt appropriate to do that while I was in the slammer.Except I wasn’t. I didn’t think.We were in a building with cement walls, uncomfortable benches, and metal chairs. No windows. I didn’t think we were at a police station, but there were police here. Across from me at a metal table in the front lounge area was my new pen pal. Ritalicious was fabulous. Her pink nails, eyelashes, and feathers were on point. I now had a new obsession with feathers, faux feathers though. Not real feathers. But also, she gave me the name of a gay bar that she promised had the best shows.I was basking in the future excitement of attending Gary’s Hairy Heels and waiting for Jess to stop fighting with whatever cop came through the door. It’d not been easy when the first cops showed up at Glen’s apartment. Once they knew who Jess was, their attitude went south.It was like that with each one who approached us, and now we were somewhere I didn’t know where, and I was
ASHTONI took her to the private floor that Trace and I usually used when we were at Katya. There was a small patio-like extension to the side, a bench that sat far back in the shadows. I knew Trace used to sit and watch Jess when she worked. She didn’t know, but it was private, and we could still be a part of the atmosphere below.That’s where I took Molly tonight.Trace and Jess went to their place, and when he or I were here, we were the only ones allowed on this floor. Elijah was at the door. A few guys were on the other side, my personal guards. Anthony came in, Katya’s main manager, and had a debrief with me quick, but now he was gone.I was sipping my bourbon, and she was dancing on the end of the patio, overlooking the floor, lost in the music.She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.It sounded so fucking cheesy, and it wasn’t something I usually would think, but with Molly Easter, I found myself unable to think anything else.God. What was I doing with her?Even I did
MOLLYThe night was a dream, which was the point. I wanted a night away from guns and people dying and missing family. And so far from my normal life that it was laughable. This wasn’t my normal. I wasn’t the girl who got this type of life. Work. Grind. I fought to keep what I had, and even that was almost conned out of me. That’s the girl I was. My dad made it very clear what kind of girl I was growing up, what I deserved, but Ashton. He was something else.He wouldn’t last. I knew this was all temporary. I didn’t get the happily ever after. That had never been in my stars. I’d known from the beginning what to expect.That’s how I knew I would enjoy every minute I got with him while this lasted.I was going with it, and if that meant seriously hot sex, sign me up.I was there for it. I was going to savor every second of it, because we both knew that one day, we’d find Kelly’s killer. My dad would come back, and all this would be over.Just the thought was making my heart palpitate in
MOLLYMy phone started blowing up a block away.Ashton calling.I hit decline but texted:I’m sorry. I overreacted. I’m with some of your staff, and I’ll tell you where we stop.My phone buzzed.Ashton: Where are you?Ashton: The security monitors are showing me that you WALKED OUT ON YOUR OWN? Where are you going?Ashton: Have them turn back.Ashton calling.I declined.Amy frowned back at me. “Everything okay?”“Yeah, I . . .”Ashton: Answer the goddamn phone or I will fire that worker you left with. I’m assuming she has no idea what she did, helping you.Ashton: ANSWER YOUR PHONEAshton calling.I declined.Ashton: She’s fired. Want to keep pushing me?Ashton: I won’t stop with her. I will find out who that driver is. I’ll find where he works, and I’ll get him fired too. Keep pushing me. I have no qualms about blowing up lives for your safety. Pialto and Sophie are next. Give me enough motivation. I could get them evicted by the end of the night.Me: Stop! I’ll ask them to bring me
ASHTONWe pulled up to Detective Worthing’s place, and I called first.“Yeah?”“You have her?” I asked, looking toward his building. Getting a call from Jake Worthing after threatening him, then asking him for a favor, wasn’t what I had expected for the night, but when he told me the events of the evening, I was thankful he’d stepped in. Again. Even though, there was a part of me where I wondered, really wondered, if I was good for Molly. This war would pass. She wouldn’t be in danger at that time. She’d be normal, could be normal. Live a normal life, but not if she was attached to me.I brought this to her. Guns. Wars. Mafia. That was me. That was this life, so while she ran from me, while I was worried to the point that I wanted to strangle someone, there was a deeper part of me that had to ask the question: Would she be better with someone like Jake Worthing?Or someone else. Someone normal.I thought about it and felt like I gutted myself.I was so far in, too far in. And that was
MOLLYI had no idea why we were here, but I was also not going to push my luck with Ashton.I’d done something stupid, let my emotions run me off, and he was quiet, but the fury was simmering under his surface. It was there. I could feel it, but I also couldn’t lie and say I didn’t want to make sure Amy and Nick were okay.When we got there, Elijah went inside to check the place first. He came back, and Ashton had me go first. He didn’t touch me, like he had when we went into Katya or when we left our floor. I missed his touch. Even a simple graze of his finger would’ve reassured me a little.Nothing. He kept a firm distance behind me as I walked in.Amy and Nick were there, and Amy gasped when she saw me. “Oh my—” She stopped, paling, and her mouth dropped when Ashton stepped in after me.The whole diner went quiet, more than a few mouths dropping to the ground.A guy stood up from their table, starting to approach before stopping and moving back a foot. His hands folded in front of
MOLLYWe went to Ashton’s Manhattan apartment. I was dead on my feet when we finally walked inside.“Do you want a drink?”Ashton had thawed toward me, significantly. Which I was grateful for, but which also alarmed me because man, when he was pissed, he was like ice. Like the Antarctic ice that doesn’t get thawed.I shook my head, leaving my purse, impressed with myself that I had kept ahold of it through everything tonight. “No.”He tossed his keys on the counter, putting his phone and wallet down. Then went to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink. “You sure you don’t want one?”“Do I need one for this?”His gaze locked on me. His eyes trailed down my body, and I looked away. I didn’t want to get heated. I didn’t want to want him. I just wanted to go to bed, alone, and wake up and regroup because my head was spinning. No matter what, the fact I reacted so quick and so intensely was scary.I didn’t like how much he could affect me.“You were jealous?”Here we go.“No. Yes. I