ASHTONI was going to murder whoever was doing this, whoever was putting my loved ones at risk, whoever dared to bring this fight here. Here. My compound. My family’s compound. The one I loathed.I raced from building to building, tearing open every door to find everyone.Marco and Remmi were in a back closet.Avery and Elijah found me when we moved to another building. They helped take my primo and Trace’s sister to another safe room.I kept going. I had to keep going.Everyone had to be safe. We couldn’t lose anyone.I swept through the staff building now.Trace was inside, holding a gun up and aimed right at me. He cursed, seeing me. “Thank god.”I grated out, “We need to find the rest.”“Molly?”“They’re safe. They’re in my office.”I turned, my gun in hand, and I kept going. Always keep going. Always.Never stop. Never stop fighting.“Ashton. Jesus.” Trace touched my arm. “You’re shaking.”Avery’s radio sounded. There was another barrage of gunfire before a voice came over, yelli
MOLLYThe rest of the story was pieced together.Sloane filled in the initial blanks.“You killed Kelly. Didn’t you?” Jess said rather than asked.Sloane nodded. She’d been void of emotion by then, sitting in a separate room at the compound. Nicolai’s and Nea’s bodies were both—well, I didn’t know. I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to know, but now it was later, and it took time to learn the truth.Everyone just wanted to know the truth.“I did. I thought I was protecting her, but now I realized that Kelly was trying to protect herself. I came in at the wrong time. I—I’m so sorry, Jess. I’m so sorry.”“Why did Nea kill Justin?” Trace moved to Jess’s side, his hand on her back.Sloane raised her chin up. “She was dating Nicolai. They met a month after.” She looked Ashton’s way and at me. “I think that’s what she was saying earlier. She was hurting after.” She glanced in Ashton’s direction. “Then Nicolai came in asking questions. I don’t know what drew him to her, but she was beautiful. She m
ASHTONWe were at Katya two weeks later.The place was closed down, except for the small group on the dance floor. A DJ was booked, and he was enjoying every time the girls wanted a song changed. I was in our private box, coming up here because Avery told me a certain detective wanted to talk to me.He came in now, stopping to grab a drink that’d been poured for him on the bar. I was standing at the end, overlooking how Molly was dancing with Jess, Sophie, Pialto, Remmi, and half the staff, who Molly had insisted be given the night off. She wanted to extend another “sorry” to them for the night she’d left and put two of them in danger. I didn’t think the boyfriend was in attendance, but Molly had insisted. I wouldn’t be surprised if the boyfriend showed up sooner or later. So far, everyone was having a good time.Her cousin Glen joined as well.“What are you guys celebrating?” Jake joined me at the window, sipping his drink.I gave him a cursory look, noting his badge wasn’t out. “A f
ASHTONThree months later and Elijah was directing Shorty Easter to my new place of business. It was just one of many. I’d moved it farther north of the city, and we owned a good acreage on the Hudson River. This particular new building was a warehouse, one that no body of government was aware of. Yet.It was also the perfect place for me to fulfill my second promise to Molly.Elijah brought him inside. We were both ignoring his protests as he put him in a chair and whisked off the bag from over his head.Shorty quieted, blinking a few times for his gaze to adjust to the change. It was daylight outside, the sun fully shining down, and in here, all dark except for a few lamps in the corner.“Ashton Walden?” Shorty’s hair was greasy, as always. He had his usual homeless-esque attire on. A cargo jacket with holes for the elbows. The pocket was pulled off. The ends of his jacket were shredded and frayed. His jeans were just as bad, and I couldn’t see what kind of shirt he had on under the
MOLLYAshton wanted to take me on a trip, but I hadn’t expected a helicopter ride.I gaped at him when we drove up to the helipad. “Are you serious?”He smiled before nodding. He’d also asked for me to dress up, so I was wearing a dress. V neck. The material was the softest fabric. Sequined. It looked light pink, but in the right light, it could sparkle and give off undertones of lilac as well. And it was wrapped around me like a robe. I tied it in front. Ashton was wearing a black suit and an off-white shirt under. He looked dashing.“What’s the occasion?”He squeezed my hand, nodding to the helicopter. “Just get on. You’ll see.”A guy approached us, wearing a bright-orange vest. We were given these helmet/visor things with radio pieces for our ears. It helped silence the sound, but we could still talk to each other. After we got in and seat belted, the helicopter lifted off.I’d never imagined this was something I would do in my life. Never, ever. Not being the daughter of Shorty Ea
ASHTONI waited until the next morning. I didn’t want to be predictable, but as soon as she started waking up, with her coffee already on the nightstand, she rolled over, and I was there.“Morni—” She stopped because she saw what was in my hand.The ring. I moved so I was half lying on her, nestled between her legs, and I held it up to her. “Will you marry me?”“Ashton.” She sat up slowly, reaching for the ring.She’d start crying. She was a crier, at least lately, but she cried when she was happy. She rarely cried from the other reasons anymore.Those tears were starting. Her bottom lip beginning to tremble. “Is this—are you sure?”I groaned. “God, I’m sure.” I reached forward, brushing her hair back, tucking it behind her ear, and I held her head in the palm of my hand. “I meant it last night. I think I’ve loved you since we were kids. Just took me a long time to figure it out.”She was biting her lip, still crying, but her eyes were beaming at me. She kept looking from me to the ri
Rex, a dedicated lawyer, finds himself caught in a dangerous web of deceit and betrayal when his best friend and law firm partner becomes the target of a vengeful client. As tensions rise, Rex's attention turns to protecting his friend's daughter, Raina, who unwittingly becomes a pawn in this high-stakes game.Driven by a fierce sense of duty and an unyielding desire to keep Raina safe, Rex goes to extreme lengths to shield her from harm. Their bond grows stronger amidst the palpable tension, leading Raina's father to entrust Rex with her protection while he deals with his own troubles.But Rex's unwavering commitment to Raina comes at a cost. As their connection deepens, he must navigate the blurred lines of their relationship, grappling with his protective instincts and the undeniable attraction between them. Will Rex be able to keep Raina safe without losing himself in the process?
REXSleep is the only thing I want when my phone rings ten minutes to midnight. The darkness of my bedroom shatters with every flash of the screen, forcing me to roll over to grab the obnoxious device off the nightstand.“Yeah?” I answer, my voice rough, and sleep desperately wants me to go back to bed.“Rex.” Owen strains just saying my name, which gets me to sit all the way up. I’m wide awake as I wait for my law partner and best friend to tell me what’s going on.“Hey, I’m up. What’s happening? Where are you?” I ask him. The bed creaks quietly under my weight while I swing my legs over the side. The dark gray carpet is warm as I pad my way into the bathroom. The lights force me to squint, waiting for my eyes to adjust to being open at this hour.“Saint Salvatore’s,” he grunts out. I’m already doing the math of how long it will take for me to get dressed and drive over there.I tell him, “I’ll be there in like twenty minutes.”“No, don’t.” He strains and grunts from the obvious pain