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“As good as it can be with dead bodies everywhere. Serves the little fucker right, but horrible timing, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I sighed because what else was there to say?
Jasper slid his arm around her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, Mo. Colby arranged for cleanup. This place will be pristine by morning.”
“No skin off my back,” she said with a casual shrug. “And it is morning, Mr. Ashby.” I noticed Maureen went a little pale and couldn’t keep her gaze off the blood splatter on the door.
“Right. I forgot you’re a tough girl.” Jasper said.
“I’m the tough girl as far as you’re concerned, Ashby.” Her full lips pulled into a grin that made me certain something was going on between them. “Think I’ll go get this trash picked up. The cleanup crew has more important things to do. Be back soon.”
Jasper nodded. “Need a hand?”
“I wouldn’t say no to having my own personal cleanup man doing my bidding.” Amusement flashed in her turquoise eyes as she strolled out of the room, Jasper hot on her tail.
Definitely something going on there.
It wasn’t my business, so I didn’t ask. I had enough on my plate.
I lit up a cigarette and waited until Colby returned, grabbed a cup of coffee and stepped outside, scanning the parking lot for any remaining threats.
The chilly morning air and a couple of cigarettes were more than enough to clear my mind for the ride home.
CHAPTER NINE
Savannah
“I better get you another pack of smokes if you plan to go through ’em like that.” Tits shook her head at me and pushed off the side of the gold El Dorado with a smile. “I’ll get you a carton. For the road.”
I nodded, barely hearing her as the nicotine and other poisons worked their way into my bloodstream, giving me relief, even if it wasn’t the kind provided by Roadkill. “Yeah, thanks, Tits.”
She disappeared back into the convenience store, and I lit the tip of my new cigarette with the one that was so low it burned my fingertips.
I tilted my head back, gazing up at the sky. I hadn’t spent much time outdoors in months, and the peek I did get outside came with a parking lot or dumpster view.
Before that, I was too busy helping Father run his underworld empire to pay attention to things as inconsequential as the sky.
It was a beautiful view, though, and I savored it. The morning sky was a gorgeous blend of velvety pink, amber, and blue. The mountains hid the rising sun, so the sunlight was a dusky color. I couldn’t look away.
There was something about the sky, about the vastness of it all, that gave me something akin to hope. Like maybe this wasn’t the beginning of my journey to death’s door. Maybe I’d find the freedom I sought and build a new life for myself elsewhere.
Maybe.
My whole fucking future hinged on uncertainty. And that sucked.
“A fucking possibility,” I grumbled to myself. It wasn’t enough. I was a smart girl. Ronan gave us the best education. We had the best of everything. What the fuck happened? Why hadn’t he come looking for me?
As those thoughts crossed my mind, I stood tall and looked forward instead of up to the cloudless sky. My future was ahead—not behind or above—and I needed to remember that.
A low chuckle pulled me out of my musings, and my gaze found a pair of laughing gray eyes trained right on me. I should have been afraid, worried, but I was mostly annoyed.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” I said in my snarkiest tone.
The gray-eyed biker smiled wider and, holy shit, it was a magnificent sight. Magnificent and annoying.
“That smart mouth of yours is probably the cause for that black eye.”
His words brought be down to reality. This man wasn’t flirting, no matter how gorgeous he was. His words reminded me of what men were like. What they were really like.
“Fuck you. Glad to see how you treat the women in your life. Dick.”
His laugh echoed in the mostly empty parking lot just as Tits pushed out of the convenience store. She sighed at me when she saw me talking to the guy.
“I got you more smokes and some snacks, Blue Eyes.” She gave him a wary eye and said low so he wouldn’t hear, “I can get you out of the Green Zone but after that, you’re on your own.”
“I get it,” I told her softly because I did get it. Rules were rules, and Tits had already put herself at great risk to help me. I held up my cigarette, and she nodded, getting the message I just wanted to finish my smoke before I moved on.
“I can’t make enemies of these crazy fucks, babe. They’ll be on the warpath once they find you missing. Dealio just called and said some bad shit went down at the club which means he’ll need a good hard face ride to put it out of his mind.”
