AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He turned his gray eyes back to me, sober again.
“There’s also audio from an unrelated op in the room next to the one where Bonnie and Mueller were killed. It’s muffled, but the shots are pretty clear.”
“Fuck,” I whispered. How did I not know there was a fucking government operation going on in the room next door? “What are your demands?”
He let out a slow sigh and kept his eyes focused on my face. “Nothing too outrageous. Money, obscene amounts of money. Ugly. Fucking. Money. And stay the hell away from Madison and her sister. I don’t want either of them working for you.”
“The girls love Maddie,” Jasper insisted, mostly to be ornery like his father. “Selling ass is a lucrative part of our business.”
“I know. But Maddie is pregnant, and I don’t have time to worry about her safety because of her attachment to you and your family while looking over my shoulder at work.”
Jasper opened his mouth to protest, but I held up a hand to stop him.
“Fair enough. I’ll handle the Maddie situation.” I couldn’t fault a man for wanting to protect his family. It was more than Colm had ever done, making me respect him more.
“And Molly?”
I smiled. “She is a different story, isn’t she? Molly is a grown woman capable of making her own decisions.” Besides, a girl was wounded as that might decide that selling ass was her best way to make a living. “Half a million, and I’ll fire Maddie myself.”
Jameson sucked in a breath and let it out slowly as if reaching for patience. “Molly is family, and she’s damaged, hurt. No offense but working for you won’t give her a shot at normalcy.”
“No,” Jasper growled. “Half a million, and we keep Maddie on payroll. We don’t need another fucking wounded chick walking around. Look how Bonnie ended up biting us in the ass.”
“Two million,” Jameson countered with a grin. “Molly and Madison stay clear of Ashby’s interests other than Maddie’s friendship with Calvin and Ava Rose. Accept those terms, and I’m happy to be your first call.”
“We have plenty of cops on our payroll. One million, and you make sure there’s nothing that will allow Beck to come after Sadie or any other Ashby.” Jasper’s expression darkened, frustrated at the back and forth.
“As a rookie, no one is surprised if I ask questions or linger to hear what’s going on. Eager to prove myself and all that, you know.”
“One million,” Jasper repeated.
“No deal. Two million, or I’ll tell Beck about this conversation, which will only make her believe she’s on the right track.”
“Stop. Listening to you go back and forth gives me a fucking headache.”
Just because I’d quit the booze, thanks to Thomas riding my ass about it, didn’t mean a nice fat joint would hurt. I lit it and took a long, slow pull to relax my nerves.
“Jameson, I will double your request if you can find out what Beck thinks she has on me for the priest murders and retrieve it for me.”
Jameson whistled. “Four million? Consider me on the job.” He pushed out of his seat and extended a hand to me. “I’ll be in touch soon, Sadie.”
“I’m sure you will.”
His big hand engulfed mine, but it told me a lot about the young man. He was kind and gentle but capable, thanks to growing up in a motorcycle club. He’d be worth every penny.
Jameson walked out with an easy stride and closed the door behind him before shooting one last grin Jasper’s way.
“That fucking guy is going to be a headache.”
“Only if you allow it, Jasper. He’s fine, and unlike most of the cops we pay, his goal is to keep his family safe. That means we can trust him.”
“Until we can’t,” he growled and poured another two fingers of Velvet Fire. “What else is on your mind, Ma?”
“Lucky Lopez. I will take it over, transforming the space and the Green Zone. I’ve worked on my plans all week, and I’m ready to start.”
“Fuck, Ma. You never quit, do you?”
“Do I look like a fucking quitter?”
