Not that I would’ve run—the Perpura Brothers needed to be taken down, and I wouldn’t leave the mission unfinished.
“Come in,” Tommy said from his position behind his desk.
Al, his younger brother and the more sadistic of the two, leaned against the wall behind him. His grin was more sneer than smile.
Shoving my hands in my pockets to hide my nerves, I played it cool. “What happened with the deal?”
Tommy held up a hand to silence Al when he growled. “You—”
The butterflies in my gut turned to bees.
“We think there’s a mole in our midst,” Tommy said, staring me down. Challenging me to give myself up.
The bees turned into angry wasps when four guys surrounded me.
“Do you know who it is?” I asked. By this point, I knew full well they did.
“We do, and so do you.” Al’s smile turned my blood cold as a hand landed on each shoulder.
Jay chose that moment to grip my shoulder. I turned to fight him off as my name cut through the fog.
“Blaszek, are you okay?”
He pulled over and rolled down the windows.
I sucked in the hot, humid air, taking several deep breaths while doing my countdown ritual to bring me back to the present.
The brothers never mentioned Ashley. She was safe, and that was all that mattered. The Navy taught me how to withstand a lot of abuse, physical and psychological, but I wasn’t sure I could watch them hurt her.
When I recovered, I apologized.
“No worries. You good?”
“Yeah, thanks.” Prior to seeing Ashley, I hadn’t had a flashback in weeks. Since then, I’d had three.
“ I hate to be an ass, but will this be a problem?”
“No, seeing Ashey brought up some shit, but I’ll deal with it.” And I would, because failure wasn’t an option.
Chapter 7
Ashley
When I woke up in my childhood room, I had to remind myself where I was. The pale pink and green, colors I loved as a teen, were a harsh reminder I was no longer a self-sufficient adult. It wasn’t my choice, but that didn’t mean I felt any better about it.
I’d applied to every job advertised between Dallas and Weatherford, and even a few that weren’t. Crickets.
It didn’t make sense. I had a strong resume, a great portfolio, and my clients loved me. There should’ve been interest by now.
My phone alarm beeped. The screen reminded me it was Wednesday when I picked it up to silence it.
Wednesday. The day Nathan returns from his job in Dallas.
I washed my face in cold water before joining my grandmother in the kitchen for breakfast. As I came around the corner, I almost tripped over a black cat walking between my legs.
“What the hell?” Gran didn’t have a cat.
“Language, dear.”
