16
Jace
“Christ almighty,” I mumble when I pull into the gated community of the Ashford residence. There’s no need for the access code to gain entry that Willow sent along with the address. Truthfully, I didn’t need either. Word gets around in Whispering Oaks and the surrounding areas when someone buys a house that was on the market for over a year, remodels it, and then shows up at Industrial Steel.
I navigate my bike through the area with ease, glad I took the damn thing because no way would my truck move through all this traffic, and not a single fucking thing will stop me from getting to my woman. A couple of cops try to stop me from parking right next to Willow’s. I put the kickstand down, turn off the bike, and swing a leg over to climb off.
“Sir, you can’t park there, and you’re not allowed in there,” what looks like a rookie cop throws my way. I toss my hand up and keep fucking moving. It’s a goddamn three-ring circus at the house. When Willow said shit hit the fan, she wasn’t lying. I guess the good thing is there’s no caution tape, so nobody’s hurt. Still doesn’t make me feel any better that Willow is inside alone and without me.
“Jace, thank god you’re here.” I make it one step through the house before Willow barrels into my chest. I have just enough time to plant my feet in order not to be taken to the ground.That’s how caught off guard I am by what’s going on. It also doesn’t help that I’ve got zero fucking clue what’s going on and I’m unable to fix it.
“You good?” I dip my knees, hand holding her neck, the other at her hip. The getup she put on this morning has some wrinkling happening, and there’s a weariness around the edges of her eyes that has me irritated as hell. When she came here, there was worry, but not like this.
“Yes, no, maybe?” She words it as a question more than giving me the answer. “There’s so much going on. Dad extorting money from businesses, trying to drain the family money dry by funneling into an offshore account, and then there’s Mom, who’s been sober for months now. She’s been having him tailed, investigated, and started all of this without my knowledge. Oh, and there’s more. Apparently, William Ashford II has been emotionally and verbally abusing her, but I also think there could have been some physical, too.”
“Peaches, should have come with you. Never letting you go somewhere alone again when the gnawing in my gut is telling me otherwise.” She plants her face in my chest, and I pull her in close. I feel the deep breaths she takes, the way her body sinks into mine, taking my strength and allowing herself a moment of weakness. Willow Ashford is made of grit, reminding me a lot of my mother and sister. And maybe her mom wasn’t strong for many years, but her doing what she is right now means she’s tougher than we all thought.
“I’m going to hold you to that, Jace.” She lifts her head. Her lips are bruised from where she’s undoubtedly been biting at them due to her nervousness.
“Come on, may as well meet your mom. Plus, I’m sure she’s being bombarded by more people than she knows what to do with.” I drop a kiss to her lips, needing her sweet taste on my lips, and when she moans beneath the press of my mouth, I slipmy tongue inside. We get caught up in the moment. Everything turns off, the outside noise dissipates, the bullshit she’s about to face head-on is forgotten, and with the way she’s clenching her fingers in my cotton shirt, I’d say this is exactly what she needs.
I’d give my left nut to be able to whisk her away, lock her in at my place, and not come up for air until the dust has settled. She used some big words, and even worse will come the charges that Ashford will be facing. Which means this is going to bring attention to their name, and in a town as small as this, word is going to travel fast.
“I needed that more than I thought,” she says, pulling away from me entirely too fucking soon.
“Yeah, me too. Think we better find your mom, make sure she’s okay, and go from there.” I link my fingers with hers. Willow leads the way, and as we walk further into the house, it’s clear that there are a few investigators digging deep. They have pieces of drywall opened up in some rooms, men in dark jackets with a three-letter abbreviation emblazoned on the back, wearing gloves and not bothering to look behind them.
“I’m sorry you’re meeting my family this way, well, my mom at least. William Ashford II is currently in one of those cars out there, demanding his attorney.” We make it to the kitchen, where two women are sitting at a round table, hands wrapped around their coffee mugs and deep in a conversation.
“Mom, Larissa, this is Jace. Jace, this is my mother, Kate, and Larissa.” Kate stands up immediately, causing the chair to slide along the floor loudly. She composes herself after realizing she’s not as put together as she always is or has to be.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” I hold my hand out to shake hers. She takes the offer eagerly.
“Nice to meet you as well. I’m sorry it had to be in this situation. I promise it’s not always this, well, crazy.” She gives me a warm smile, and I give her a nod.
“I’m Larissa. Willow has nothing but great things to say about you. Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee, water, or juice?” She bustles around the kitchen, waiting for my response. Willow elbows me in the side.
“Coffee will do, no cream or sugar, please.” Kate gestures for me to take a seat, and I do once Willow is in her own. “Do you need help with anything? I’ve got a friend who’s an attorney, Matthew Carlisle. He’s a great guy and can help you with one phone call,” I offer. I’d been about to call him and Jude to see if they could look into a few things when Willow’s text came through, so all that shit went on the back burner.
“Oh, heavens no. My attorney, Mr. Gibbs, as well as the FBI and local police are working together on this. I guess I should tell Willow what’s been going on. The place where grandmother is staying called a few months ago and said payments weren’t being made from the same account and wanted to verify the change. I returned from a thirty-day stay at rehab, clear headed for the first time in quite a while. I’ve done these before, and nothing stuck. This time, I’m in in for the long haul, willing to put in the work. Anyway, I didn’t bring it up to William because I knew he would lie. Instead, I waited until he was out of town, did some digging, and what I found was bad. So bad that I called Larissa in. She helped me lay everything out on the table and call the authorities, doing it in a way where William would be none the wiser.
“They’ve been building a case ever since. He’s been, for all intents and purposes, stealing money from everyone. Setting himself up with enough money to hop to a country that doesn’t have an extradition treaty. I’m not sorry to say that William will be going away for quite some time, and they still have even more evidence they’re compiling from some of the other companies he stole from. We’re just fortunate we caught him before he drained anyone else dry. Including ourselves. Your grandmotherdeserves the best care possible. I’ve got my own battles to fight. I also have relationships to repair, like with you, Willow. I’d love to see my mother and have her see me in a different light, but sadly, we both know how that goes,” Kate finishes.
“I’d like that very much.” Willow squeezes my hand beneath the table, and I do it right back. I abandon my cup of coffee to wrap my arm around her shoulders and place a gentle kiss on the crown of her head. “I do have one question. Are we sure he’s my biological father?” We all let out a chuckle.
“Sadly, I didn’t pick a better man. I should have listened to my father on that one. Now, I love that you’ve stayed here when you didn’t have to, but I want you and Jace to get out of here. This is going to take a lot of time, and there’s no sense in you and Jace sitting around and waiting,” Kate suggests what I’ve wanted to verbalize all along.
“Are you sure?” Willow asks.
“Yes, please. I need to be the adult in this situation, it’s the least I can do. If you’d be accepting of me reaching out, I’ll keep you updated?” There’s a silent exchange between them, then my woman nods in agreement, and we say our goodbyes. I almost suggested Willow leave her car here and we could swing back by to grab it or see if Locke would tow it to my place. But with all the police activity, it’s probably smarter to get it out of here in case they do something dumb like impound it for evidence or some shit.
“Love you, Mom. I’m proud of you,” I hear Willow say to Kate as we walk out to where were parked.
“I love you, too, sweetheart.” I open the door to Willow’s car, start it, and turn the air conditioning on full blast before helping her slide inside. Once I’m sure she’s buckled in, I give Kate a nod and swing a leg over my Harley. It’s time to get my peaches home and wrapped in my arms.
17
Jace
