by Sarah Bailey
“Little star, please.”
It was probably making him uncomfortable having me all over him when my dad was here. I kissed his cheek again before pulling away.
“I love you.”
Then I got up and turned to Xav and Viktor, who were both watching us. Xav with a smirk and Viktor with understanding.
“Dinner’s ready, should we go through?”
Chapter 6
“You owe me,” Xav hissed at me right after we sat down.
I glanced at him with a frown.
“Why?”
He rolled his eyes and served himself roast potatoes. I’d made sure to make extra since I knew they were the boys’ favourites.
“Who do you think kept Daddy V’s attention away from you and Quinn mauling his daughter?”
I almost choked.
“What did you just call him?”
“Viktor.”
I scowled as he grinned. I didn’t care he’d had to keep Viktor’s attention away from us. Hell, that kiss had been hot. But Xav calling the man who was essentially our father-in-law a stupid name which was bound to piss off Ash? Yeah, I had a problem with it.
“Have you said that to Ash?”
He shrugged as he continued to serve himself after Quinn passed him carrots. I’d gone all out and made a roast dinner for this evening with both beef and chicken.
“Yes, and I swear she would’ve beaten me up if she wasn’t hurting.”
I eyed Ash who was making sure to serve Rory. It wouldn’t surprise me if she cut up his food for him. Something I knew Rory wouldn’t exactly be happy about but would allow. Ash could be a little scary when she went off on one.
“It’s a bit creepy… even for you.”
“What do you mean? I’m not creepy.”
“Creepy, pervy, same thing.”
He pointed his fork at me.
“It is not.”
“Would you two stop bickering?” Quinn interjected.
Xav turned to him with a grin and I knew there’d be trouble ahead regardless of the fact we were entertaining Ash’s dad tonight.
“Sorry, Dad, the missus and I will try to keep it down.”
“Excuse me? Why am I the wife in this situation?” I asked, midway between serving myself some parsnips.
Xav patted my arm as Quinn glared at him.
“We both know why that is, dear.”
“Jesus Christ,” Quinn muttered.
Just because I bottomed didn’t make me his fucking wife. I poked Xav in the ribs as a warning. If he didn’t cut it out, then I’d use his ticklishness against him. I spared a glance at Viktor, who looked outright amused by what was happening at the table. This was nothing compared to what it could be like with Xav, his incessant jokes and relentless teasing.
Viktor leant over towards Ash, “Are they always like this?”
“This is them on their best behaviour,” she replied, rolling her eyes.
“I would like to see them at their worst.”
Ash hid a smile behind her fork.
“I’m sure you’d be scandalised.”
Viktor’s grin got wider.
“I assure you, I have seen a lot of very scandalous things in my time.”
Ash flushed and looked down at her plate.
“Husband and wife isn’t far off what Xav and E are,” she all but whispered.
Since Xav was too busy stuffing his face and Quinn was scowling into his plate, I doubted they heard her. Rory was busy trying to eat with one hand until Ash noticed and practically ripped his cutlery out of his hand so she could cut his meat up for him. He looked like he was going to protest, then he saw her face. He sat back and let her get on with it, making me grin.
You really do love that girl, Rory. More than you’ll ever let on.
Quinn looked up and raised an eyebrow at Rory, who scowled. Then Quinn grinned and shook his head. Our quiet boy didn’t like being forced to have Ash babysit him like this. Then again, if it had been one of us, he’d have outright refused.
Viktor sat back and eyed me and Xav for a moment before comprehension crossed his features. I couldn’t say our situation was the norm or that many people would approve of it. I mean for starters, the four of us shared a girlfriend and then there was Xav and me to contend with on top of it. Complicated didn’t even begin to cut it. But we were it for each other. The five of us. Four friends forged in the fucking pits of hell and one girl who’d been broken until we fitted her pieces back together again.
“Okay since all you are being quiet as shit about this, I guess I’ll start,” Xav said, waving his fork around. “We need to do something about Julian and fast because I for one don’t want him fucking well out on the streets any longer.”
I winced. We’d been avoiding talking about him whilst Ash and Rory recovered over the past couple of days, but it was the reason Viktor was even here other than to see his daughter.
“Julian would be your father,” Viktor said.
“Yes, a father who should be in prison… not to mention he has cancer and is meant to have treatment for it. And who knows if he’s still on his medication for his lung clot. We need to find him. Julian might be a psycho, but I don’t want him dead.”
I rubbed Xav’s arm, realising perhaps this whole situation bothered him more than he’d been willing to let on. His conflict surrounding Julian was no secret to me, but with everything going on, he’d not said anything about how he felt regarding this situation.
“Do you have an idea of where he’d have gone?”
Xav looked down at his plate.
“I’m sure you know he used to be an enforcer for Russo. I imagine he’s with his old associates, but I have no clue where they’d be. We didn’t think to keep tabs on them after Julian got sent down.”
“Then that’s what we do first,” Quinn said. “Look for them and work out if they’re still loyal to Russo, then we lean on them. I can pull in favours from a few people to help us track him down.”
It seemed like the only plan of action we had regarding Julian. The police were hunting for him, but if Russo’s men had helped him escape, they knew very well how to evade the police. Julian wasn’t stupid. He knew he needed to keep a low profile until he was ready to strike. Whatever plans he had couldn’t be good. Our focus should be on keeping Ash inside and away from everyone else until further notice.
“Okay, I can get started on that.”
“Have you thought further about Isabella?” Viktor asked.
Quinn’s mouth settled into a thin line.
“We don’t know where Russo is holding her,” I said, saving Quinn from answering. “And our contact within his organisation has gone dark. The only other intel we’ve managed to acquire is from Fabio, but even he has no clue what’s going on.”
Viktor rubbed his chin.
“Yes, he told me as much. It seems Russo isn’t taking chances.”
“Are you saying you can’t get a hold of Nate?” Ash asked, looking up from where she was helping Rory eat.
“No, not for lack of trying,” Quinn replied.
Ash’s face fell a little and her brow furrowed.
“That’s not good. Do you think Frank knows he’s your mole?”
Quinn’s expression turned grim.
“Could well be. I think we have to assume the worst and turn to other avenues to find out what’s happening in Russo’s inner circle.”
Ash’s face paled a little and she turned back to Rory. His eyes were intent on her as she resumed helping him with his food. I could only imagine what was running through her mind right then. She might be ours now and angry at Nate, but I don’t think she wanted him to die at Russo’s hands. We’d have to wait and see what happened next as much as it pained me. We’d had so many plans ruined recently. Everything was up in the air and who the fuck knew how things would go from here on out.
“You can’t put Fabi in any further danger,” Ash said
quietly, her eyes on Rory rather than the rest of us.
“We might not have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice. He has a family. If there’s anyone I care about who is a part of this world outside of this room, it’s him. So please… for me.”
“Kotik, we need him,” Viktor said.
I watched her hand tremble as she curled it into a fist on the table.
“Mandy and Ricardo need him more.”
“He knows what he’s signed up for.”
The fork she was holding clattered on the plate. She pushed her chair back and stood up abruptly.
“Excuse me.”
I saw the pain in her blue eyes before she walked out of the room. Before anyone else could do a thing, I rose to my feet and followed her. Ash was in the kitchen, pacing and running her hands through her hair as I closed the door behind us.
“They can’t,” she said, not stopping to look at me. “It’s not fair.”
I approached her slowly, not wanting her to get spooked and lash out at me considering I understood her predicament.
“How can they act like Fabi is collateral in this?”
I stopped her pacing and tugged her against my chest, running my hand down her back. She didn’t exactly melt into my embrace, but she didn’t try to escape either.
“He was my only friend growing up, E, my only friend. The only person who gave a shit about me.”
I had a feeling there was more to it than that, so I said nothing.
“I can’t let him die. He’s done so much for me. So fucking much. God. This sucks. Fuck. I hate this situation. I hate everything about it. I fucking hate stupid fucking Frank and his bullshit.”
Her hands buried themselves in my jumper, fisting the fabric at my waist.
“What happened between you and Fabio?”
She let out a shuddering breath before the tension left her body and she buried her face in my chest.
“He was my first,” she whispered. “It was my first act of defiance against my father… I wanted to decide who it was. He meant the world to me, you know. Not romantically, but as a friend. When he met Mandy, he couldn’t be around me as much, but I never forgot what he did for me. How much he cared. How gentle he’d been with me. He did that for me so isn’t it only fair I do this for him?”
I held her tighter, understanding what drove her. Why she didn’t want her friend hurt in this war, but war had a way of hurting everyone involved. And there would be collateral damage no matter what.
“Sometimes we have to make very tough choices in life. He knows what he signed up for, Ash. He chose to work with Viktor as well as Russo. We can’t protect everyone we love.”
I didn’t want to say those things to her, but they were true.
“I know. I hate it, but I know.”
She pulled back and stared up at me. The tension and anxiety flittering across her features made me want to take her away from all of this so she wouldn’t have to suffer any longer.
“We’re going to get through this, aren’t we? None of us will be safe until we destroy Frank. I want him gone, but I’m still terrified he’ll hurt everyone I love in the process. He’s not a man people mess with for good reason.”
Reaching up, I cupped her cheek and stroked her face with my thumb.
“I think we have to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. We’ve made so many plans and all of them have failed to take him down. What we do next will ultimately decide our fates in this war. And make no mistake, Ash, this is a war and one we have to win no matter the cost.”
“What if the cost is one of us?”
I almost shuddered thinking about it. We could not afford for that to happen. The cost would be too high. Far too fucking high. So even as I’d said, no matter the cost, I didn’t mean us. We had to find a way to survive. We needed each other.
“How about we don’t think about it unless we have to cross that bridge? We already have enough to worry about without the possibility of one of us not making it through this.”
She leant into my hand, her eyes darkening.
“You’re right. There’s already enough on the line.”
“You ready to go back in?”
Ash took the opportunity to raise up on her tiptoes and reach for me. I leant down willingly, letting her brush her lips over my jaw.
“I am… Thank you… you always know how to calm me down.”
I turned my face into her mouth and kissed her, cupping the back of her head gently. My beautiful girl sometimes needed a minute to gather her thoughts.
“I love you,” she murmured against my lips.
My heart thundered whenever she said it. I’d never get over hearing those words coming from her.
“I love you too.”
I pulled away and she dropped back down to her feet.
“Guess I should tell them I understand why Fabi has to put himself in danger.”
Taking her hand, I pulled her back towards the dining room.
“It’s going to be okay, Ash. You’ll see.”
I wish I could see it too. My words felt hollow and empty. Who knew whether or not things would be okay. Who knew if any of us would come out of this unscathed. Only time would tell. And time was not on our side at all.
Chapter 7
I glanced at the clock, realising it was almost dinner time. Having spent most of the day researching Julian’s old contacts and doing website maintenance, I was starving. I stood up and stretched before ambling downstairs into the kitchen. It was deserted, making me frown. Eric was normally cooking dinner at this time.
I walked into the living room, finding Ash and Rory on the sofa. She seemed to be reading to him but stopped mid-sentence when I arrived. Considering Rory was still under strict orders to keep his activity to a minimum, to see Ash looking after him and him letting her was sweet.
“Hey lovebirds, you seen E?”
“He went to the casino a few hours ago,” Ash replied.
“He should’ve been back by now though,” Rory added.
I slumped down next to Ash and stroked her shoulder.
“Did Quinn go with him?”
“No, he’s in his office… I think he’s in a mood which is why we’re hiding in here.”
I grinned as she leant into me.
“What’s Mr Uptight’s problem this time?”
“Something about Mac McCarthy.”
“Fucking Irish gangsters.”
Ash shrugged and popped her Kindle down in her lap. I glanced at it, seeing the paragraph she was on.
‘His fingers wrapped around my neck, squeezing until I could hardly breathe. My heart pounded violently in my ears as my body trembled with need. The wicked look in his eyes set fire to my veins. There was no doubt in my mind, this man would devour me whole with his cock and his tongue.’
“Are you reading porn to Rory?”
Ash fumbled with the off button, clearing the text off the screen as her face flushed.
“No! It’s a romance book.”
“That’s what’s in romance books? Jesus, I need to get me some of that.”
She rolled her eyes and shoved me.
“Not all of them…”
I glanced at Rory over the top of her head.
“This is the shit you’re into? Man, I wish I’d known this earlier.”
“Fuck off,” he muttered.
“Hey, I’m not judging. Hell, angel, you can read this shit to me any day.”
“I’d rather not. You’d complain about it the whole time except for the sexy parts and then you’d get distracted and want to get in my knickers.”
She hit the nail on the head right there. Just the thought of hearing dirty shit from that pretty mouth of hers had my cock stirring. None of us had been able to touch Ash intimately since the car crash. I couldn’t exactly complain, but fuck did I miss her lithe body wrapped around mine.
“Mmm, did the do
ctor say when you can resume normal activities again?” I asked, leaning towards her and nuzzling my nose against her neck.
“Xav…”
“I can’t deny I’d use any excuse to get you naked and hearing you read dirty sex out loud would definitely constitute as an excuse.”
She squirmed as I kissed her neck. I took her hand and pressed it against me, not caring at all Rory was right there.
“I’m surprised Rory here isn’t getting all hot and bothered by it.”
“He’s not allowed to do any strenuous activity,” Ash panted out as her fingers wrapped around my cock.
“I’m relatively sure if you did all the work, it wouldn’t be an issue.”
“Would you leave her alone?” Rory interjected. “She’s still in pain.”
I pulled away and gave him a sly smile.
“She’s not complaining.”
He glanced down at where Ash’s hand was in my lap and rolled his eyes.
My phone buzzed. I fished it out of my pocket whilst Ash pulled her hand away, shifting closer to Rory with a very red face. She gave him an apologetic look.
I frowned as I noticed it was a picture message from Eric. Opening it, I felt an icy chill run down my spine. Sitting in a chair was Eric, his head bowed against his chest and blood trickling down his forehead. It looked as though his hands were secured behind the back of the chair, which is what was still holding him up.
ERIC: Your boyfriend and I are going to get further acquainted today. As if we’re not already. Lots of love, Dad x
“Xav? Are you okay?” Ash asked.
I didn’t even know what the fuck to say, so I gave her the phone. Julian had taken Eric. My worst fear confirmed. Here we were worrying about Ash and I should’ve fucking well been worrying about the rest of us. All of us should’ve been on fucking high alert.
“Wait… Julian has E?”
Rory peered over Ash’s shoulder, staring down at the message and picture.
Why the fuck was I sitting here like a lemon? I needed to do something. I needed to save him. Like right now.
I jumped up, ready to spring into action until I remembered I didn’t have a fucking clue where Eric was.