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Was a good time enough?
The answer came easily. No.
It wasn’t good enough because no one stuck around good-time girls when they were sick or injured, when they needed something more than a stiff drink and a stiffer cock.
It wasn’t Dell’s fault for sticking to the norms we’d set more than a year ago. We didn’t show up with soup when the other was sick, and we didn’t call when we were apart. But, oh, we had a wonderful time when we were together. We went out to eat at high-end restaurants; we danced all night, took in shows and concerts, took helicopter rides over the Grand Canyon. Once, we even took off to Los Angeles for the night.
Whatever we did, Dell and I had a great time together.
But still, he couldn’t get away fast enough with my hair not done and sticking up in all directions, my face free of makeup, my body covered in cotton instead of silk, lacy pajamas.
Like all men, he wanted the illusion. The fantasy.
And it was my fault for being so fucking good at presenting that very fantasy.
Chapter Eleven
Jasper
It was Sunday, and normally when we all gathered around the dining room table, it would be a loud and festive occasion where we talked business, family, and professional. Today it was all wrong because Sadie’s seat was empty. Still. Fucking. Empty.
It didn’t matter that Virgil and Maisie showed up or that Kat and Terry had expectation in their eyes. Even Cal appeared, though he’d barely said five words to any of us. What remained of the Ashby family was accounted for in this room, and it felt wrong. All wrong.
“All right, we’re all here, so let’s stop wasting time and talk about what we need to talk about.”
Kat frowned and shook her head. “We’re not all here. Where’s Thomas?”
“Thomas isn’t here,” I growled. “He isn’t family.”
Kat snorted and shook her head, aiming a long French manicured finger in my face. “He’s not blood, but he is the reason you stopped getting your ass kicked in the fifth grade.” The satisfaction on her face that accompanied her words had my anger rising.
“That and a growth spurt,” Virgil added with a laugh.
Kat snorted again and rolled her eyes. “Thomas is important to Sadie, which means he’s important to us. He should be here.”
“Well Thomas isn’t here, Kat. Deal with it.”
We stared at each other, neither of us willing to back down because of our stubborn Irish roots. I grabbed the bottle of Velvet Fire from the middle of the table and poured three glugs into a glass.
“Look, I know shit is fucked up right now. It’s scary, and it’s stressful for all of us, but the only way we can help Sadie is to keep the Ashby Organization running. Keep everyone under our protection safe. She worked too fucking hard, gave up too much of herself, to make this organization, this family what it is today. She sacrificed even more than any of us know, and I plan to make damn sure that we don’t lose it all, or any of it, on my fucking watch.”
The room was dead fucking silent after my little speech, and I fought the urge to roar in anger.
“Are we done here?” Kat’s shitty attitude lately had me at my breaking point.
“We’re done when I say we’re fucking done, Kat. Do you have anything constructive to add to the conversation, or are you just here to show us all how bitchy you can be?”
The heat of anger flared in her blue eyes, but it was the only sign she felt anything. She glared back at me, unbothered by my outburst. “My job is running the way it always has, smooth like butter. Bookings are up, restaurant reservations have increased twenty percent from last quarter, and I’ve got three critics coming to check out the restaurants.”
“Good,” I sighed. “That’s really good. You could have just fucking led with that.”
She smiled and shrugged, her eyes sparkling like the mischievous little girl she’d been while the rest of us were fighting off grown men who wanted more than we were willing to give. I didn’t resent her for it, but if she knew, she might shut the fuck up a little more often.
Cal was silent, sulking and drinking more than he normally did. I tried to be patient, but dammit, this sullen teenager bullshit was getting old.
“You find anything on the security footage around the Green Zone yet?” Cal’s eyes were focused squarely on his empty plate like he was in a trance. A goddamn trance instead here with the rest of us. “Calvin!”
He startled and looked up, his exhausted gaze landing directly on me.
“Nope. I haven’t found a damn thing yet. It’s the fucking Green Zone. Every other person looks suspicious in dark clothes, hoodies, and hats.”
