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No one had moved, so Ashton barked, “Now!”
Nurse Sloane gave him a nasty look, but she moved. Nea was next.
I brought up the rear as Pialto and Sophie ran ahead.
I fell into step next to Ashton. He pulled me to him and pressed a kiss to my forehead. He whispered, urgently, “Please be safe. Please.”
Ashton guided us to the back of a warehouse, and he opened a door. Everyone filed into what looked like an office. He went ahead, checking some things before racing back. He pulled me to the door, indicating the others. “Keep them in here. Barricade the windows and doors unless you know who is on the other side.”
I nodded.
He cradled my face, smoothing my hair down with his hands, and took a moment. He bent down, his forehead to mine. “I love you. Be cautious, my only request.”
I was nodding with each word he said, my one hand touching his.
He kissed me and left.
“Lock the door, Molly.” His voice came through the door.
Right. Lock.
I locked it, and then he was gone.
Oh, god.
Oh, god.
No more, please.
But I heaved a deep breath, turned, rested my back to the door, and slid down to the floor.
This was happening.
“He loves you.”
I looked up at Nea, who had come over what seemed like hours later, but I checked my phone. Ten minutes had passed. She turned and slid down to sit next to me. Her long, model-like legs pulled up as she hugged her knees to her chest. “I didn’t think he was capable of that emotion, except for Trace.”
Okay. If she had approached me with this thirty minutes ago, I might’ve been upset. Obviously, she knew Ashton in a way I wished she didn’t. But also, obviously, she was saying this for a reason.
I glanced in Nurse Sloane’s direction. She was holding Sophie in her arms, and Pialto was standing next to them, half turned away. He noticed me noticing them and shot me a look.
I raised my eyebrows back at him, conveying whatever he took that to be, and his nose wrinkled before he turned away. Then he looked again and winked my way.
I had no idea what any of that meant.
“Ashton and I dated.”
Right. I didn’t want to do this. It wasn’t the appropriate time, but I just closed my eyes at this point.
“It was a while ago—”
I held up a hand with an “I don’t care” expression on my face. “I’ll stop you there. Save us both some time.”
She closed her mouth on a snap, sitting up higher. Straighter.
I inclined my head. “I would’ve cared thirty minutes ago. I would’ve been jealous, not insecure, but yeah, jealous because you’re insanely gorgeous. Or I would’ve started that way, then shut down and blocked it off until either Ashton noticed or one of my friends noticed and gave me a pep talk that I do, in fact, ooze amazingness. Also, so you know, I’m not normal. I don’t waste energy on being down in the dumps. I mean, yes; thirty minutes ago, I might’ve considered booking a day in the Misery Airbnb, but that was thirty minutes ago.” I motioned around the room, doing it with my gun, the one Ashton gave me. “Thirty minutes ago, Ashton told me he loved me. And thirty minutes ago, the place where all my loved ones are at is under fire. Someone broke in here, and they shot guns at people I loved. That was thirty minutes ago. Whatever this is”—I motioned between her and me—“I don’t give a fuck about.”
Her eyes caught on it and held. She frowned, a little bit.
There. Right there. She was looking at the gun, and she was annoyed. That was it.
She wasn’t scared, but she’d been a whole lot of scared when Ashton first showed up with the gun and barking orders. Now, she was cozying up to me for what?
I gestured to her with my free hand. “What are you doing?”
“It wasn’t supposed to happen this way,” Nea said.
And at the same time Nurse Sloane whispered, “Nea.”
I frowned at Nurse Sloane, who was standing by the back desk and looking down at a pile of pictures. Then my phone started ringing.
Thinking it was Ashton, I pulled it out as I got up. “We’re safe—”
“Get out of there! Now!”
Not Ashton. I had to look at the screen, seeing the unknown-caller identification. “Dad?”
He cursed. “I’m coming to you. Did you have to go so far fucking north of the city? Get out of there. Now!”
“Dad? What are you—are you driving here?” But I was moving to Nurse Sloane because she wouldn’t stop staring at whatever was on Ashton’s desk.
“I got everything, honey. Everything. I know who’s behind everything.”
“You know who killed Kelly?”
Everyone’s head snapped in my direction.
“What?” a few asked.
I was ignoring them, only focusing on my dad. “Do you know who killed Kelly and Justin? That’s what I asked you to find out, remember?”
