“Look where it got them,” he said quietly. “Dead and alone. You’re definitely not dead, and even before this you weren’t alone.”
He was right. Even before the bar was hers, people had helped her. Sometimes just a little, but it had kept her going. That was what she tried to bring to the girls and to the regulars.
“Are you one of mine?”
“Damn straight! As long as you don’t give away my seat at the bar to any of the newcomers.”
“Never,” she promised.
Taryn felt better after talking to Jed. Who’d have guessed?
She’d built a family. A reputation. And now it looked like those two worlds were colliding.
She didn’t know how to feel about that.
She couldn’t dwell on it because Dani chose that moment to give her another hug.
“That was amazing. I’m so glad you’re not dead.”
Taryn held the hug another second, then stepped back. “Sounds like you didn’t have much faith in me.”
“I did! Compete faith. But I figured the pimp and his guys would cheat.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Dani looked at her in surprise.
Taryn had surprised herself. “Can you handle the cleanup?”
Dani looked around the bar and nodded. “What do you want to do with the trash?”
“Tie them up—tight. And put them in the basement cells. We’ll have to come up with a more permanent solution later.”
“Where are you going?”
“I need to finish this thing with Ash.” She hoped he was still fighting.
Dani’s face fell.
Taryn added, “In a good way.”
If Taryn could have her reputation and her family, maybe she could find a place for Ash and Hope in that mix. A way to use her reputation to make them hers.
Taryn patted Dani on the shoulder then retraced her steps. The keys were scattered all over the floor. Some had been crunched under feet. Others were probably lost. She didn’t have time to pick them up. Fortunately, she had an idea that didn’t require the keys.
Chapter53
Ash struggledto find his footing against the Tremaine cybersecurity measures. He knew what they were, where they were. He’d even spent hours thinking about how to beat them over the last five years.
And right now, none of that was working.
He needed to get deep enough into the system to trigger the big traps. The ones that could catch and keep Caspar.
Right now, his only advantage was knowing his old teammates’ styles.
He dodged Ava when he encountered her first. Ash felt bad when he slipped by her easily. These were the people he’d spent his time with. His people.
Betraying them turned his stomach. But right now, they stood between Ash and his sister’s long-term freedom. Never a good place to be.
