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He was frozen, and the blood was starting to drain from his face. “No—”
“Yes!” I snapped. “She’ll put a tracker in the house. She’ll have a second cell phone. I don’t know, but she’ll figure it out, and again, her father was just murdered. She doesn’t know what he did, and Remmi is uncontrollable. She’s unpredictable. You know what she did to Jess Montell.”
“I thought her father was presumed missing.”
“You know better.” I glared at him. “You know who made him go missing.”
“That’s—”
“She’s a loose cannon.”
He shoved me back. “You brought someone here too. And who was that, by the way? She’s not your flavor of the month. You don’t get like this with those women, and you’re not this worked up just about the compound being at risk. You don’t even like this place. You only come here if you have to. I know you, Ashton.” His face was moving into my space now. He was going on the offense, but I held my ground. “You’re forgetting how much I know you, too, and that puta isn’t—”
My hand moved in a flash, choking him off as I wrapped it around his throat and held him against the wall. I tightened it. “Don’t ever call her that.” Another squeeze. “You hear me?”
He couldn’t speak, but he pushed me away enough so my hand slipped away. “Jesus, Ashton!” He bent over, coughing. “Yeah.” He looked back up, rubbing at his throat. “I’d say I got that one right. Whoever she is, she ain’t worth this shit.” Still bent over, he motioned between the two of us. “We’re familia, and are you forgetting how much family we’ve lost? You’re going to turn on me?”
I stepped in, close. “You should really stop underestimating my intelligence.”
He paused, jerking back up, but he didn’t comment. He only regarded me, a flicker of wariness showing.
“I want you and Remmi out of here within the hour.”
“But—”
I began walking for the door. “That’s not a request. Cut her loose once you get her back to the city.”
“You can’t tell me who to fuc—”
I stopped at the door. “Yes. I can.”
He stared at me, measuring me.
“Both are orders.” I tilted my head to the side. “It would be very stupid of you to challenge me.” That was it. That was all. If he did, he’d learn. If he didn’t, I had no doubt he’d still learn at a later date. Marco was officially on my watch list.
Avery had a small cup waiting for me as I went past him into the garage.
I took it, pausing.
“She was quiet, but she took the espresso.”
I gave him a slight nod. “Thank you.” We both turned as Marco was coming out of the library. He paused, taking us in before he headed down the hallway, disappearing from sight.
“Your hand is bleeding.” He handed me a towel as he said that.
I took it, grimacing because I hadn’t even noticed.
Avery was watching as I wound the towel tightly around my palm. “I’ll put a first aid kit in the back seat before you leave, and I’ll clean the office right away. Do I need to plan my ‘emergency’ tonight?”
“Notify me if they don’t leave within the hour.”
“And if they don’t?”
“Then do the plan.”
He nodded, beginning to leave.
“Avery.”
He stopped. I was watching where Marco had gone. “Watch him on the monitors until he leaves.”
“Consider it done.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
MOLLY
I was such a moron.
Throwing myself at him. Doing the whole hand-to-his-chest thing. Being seductive. And it failed! Crash and burn. He rejected me, but man oh man. I felt him. He wanted me. He was into it, but agh. I was so humiliated.
Was it me?
What was I thinking? Of course it was me.
Me. Who else would it have been? Something was wrong with me. I wasn’t pretty enough, or tall enough, or I don’t know. It was just me. Who was I kidding? The universe did not like me, but dammit. No. I refused to go down this path. I’d done too much, endured too much, etched out a damn good life despite my parental seeds. Screw him.
I mean, that’s what I’d been trying to do but aghhhh!
His loss. Right. Totally his loss. He’d be regretting it, except, and this was hard for me to admit, I didn’t think he was regretting it at all. He was quiet when he got in the vehicle, and despite performing some first aid on his hand, he hadn’t done anything on the whole drive back to the city. Total silence. Which was uncomfortable, and I didn’t know the driver. He was a new guy.
I knew Elijah and now Avery. I didn’t know this guy.
When we passed the turn for my place, it was then I remembered what else Sophie had said. “My place!” I jerked forward. “Soph said all my stuff was gone. Did you do that? Where’s my stuff?”
