by KB Winters
Was the parking lot always this big? I grew more tired with every step, and the Emerald Isle entrance seemed to get farther away, my condo on the top floor almost out of reach. Maybe it was the small act of carrying groceries, something I rarely did because every store in town delivered. Maybe it was the weight of this pregnancy and my future, or maybe it was the lack of sleep, but the slog to get home seemed like a climb to the top of Mt. Everest.
“Hey! Yo!”
I was definitely exhausted because I never turned when men hollered vaguely at me. It was asking for trouble. Still, too tired to resist, I turned without thinking and was greeted with a big meaty fist flying at my face at one hundred miles per hour. All at once, the groceries fell to the ground, and my knees buckled at the force of the hit or the pain, I didn’t know.
“Son of a bitch!” My cheek stung, and I was pretty sure the skin had split open.
“You work at Midnight Mass, bitch?”
I nodded and tried to look up to see what piece of shit had the audacity to attack me in broad daylight, but my left eye was already starting to swell, and blood was spilling down my cheek.
“I wait tables there most nights.” Was this one of those freaks I’d rejected recently?
“You’re their little fuck toy, ain’t you? The one all those Ashby punks use as a come dumpster?”
He let out a disgusted laugh, and I looked up again, trying to ID the big man who hit women. Pregnant women.
“I heard sometimes all three brothers fuck you at once. That true?”
He laughed like this was a fucking movie, and he was the misunderstood villain, but I knew better. He was a piece of shit. He was also lucky that all I could think about was my baby.
“I’m just a waitress.”
“Bullshit,” he growled and kicked my chest with enough force to send me crashing to the concrete.
My head hit the pavement hard enough to blur my vision.
“It’s true,” I choked out, barely able to breathe due to the size twelve—at least—that tried to interrupt my heartbeat.
“A whore and a liar, no wonder the Ashby bitches like you so much.”
His deep laughter sounded behind me as I got on my knees and attempted to crawl away from the danger.
“Stop!” I yelled when his hand grabbed a handful of hair and yanked me backward. The move reminded me of the few times I’d been brave enough to attempt escape as a little girl. Crawling away, running away, hiding. None of it ever worked. Never saved me from a hard, sweaty fuck with dear old Dad.
“Stop!”
“In a minute,” he growled and dragged me across the pavement, small pieces of debris embedded themselves in my skin.
“Just give Jasper Ashby a message for me.”
Before he gave me the message, the man let me go, and I fell to the pavement, taking the opportunity to crawl away. I looked up to see what was going on. Was he going for a weapon to mutilate or murder me? Or worse? No, there was a sound of bone cracking against bone and through my one good eye that had filled with tears, I could see two figures fighting.
I slid backward, eager to get away from the men just to be safe, glancing over my shoulder once a while to see how close I was to the entrance of my building.
“Help!” The word came out hoarse, and I choked on it, heart still racing with adrenaline and the force of the kick to my chest. Where was a big, burly neighbor when I needed one?
Fuck this. I turned on my hands and knees, knowing I could crawl faster than I could slide on my ass, anxious to get to the entrance. To safety.
A pair of hands landed on my back, and I froze.
“No! Get away! Help! Get off!”
I turned on my back and kicked with all the might I could muster, pushing at the attacker I couldn’t see. My baby needed me. Hell, I needed me, and I wasn’t ready for either of us to die.
“Stop fucking kicking me, Mo!” Jasper’s familiar voice grunted when I landed a kick.
“Where the fuck is Hulu, anyway? I’m going to kill him.”
“I’m right here. Just arrived to pick Mo up for her shift.” Hulu’s confusion was palpable because Jasper was pissed off, and he had no idea why.
“It’s not Hulu’s fault. I didn’t tell him my plans for today. I drove.”
“You what? What the fuck were you thinking? Didn’t I tell you no one goes out without protection? Stubborn fucking woman,” he grunted and helped me to my feet. “Are you okay?”
I took a step away on wobbly legs. I couldn’t see Jasper, not clearly, but he wasn’t quite as big as Hulu, and I took another step back.
“Get your hands off me! Did you send him here to kill my baby?”
It didn’t make sense that some thug had shown up with a message for Jasper, who happened to show up at the same time.
I could practically feel the anger vibrating off him, and I took another step back.
“Did you really just ask me that?”
“Answer the question.”
His shoulders fell, I could see that much. “No. What do you think I am? A fucking monster? I don’t hurt kids of any age. Period.”
I believed him instantly. Jasper and I had never talked much, but he had the same haunted look in his eyes that I often saw in my own. He hid his demons from the world, and those demons kept him from being a monster.
“The things he said, about me fucking all the Ashby men, sounds like they came straight from your mouth.”
“Ah fuck, Mo. I’m sorry this happened to you.” He slung an arm around my shoulder, and I stiffened for a moment before relaxing against him.
“Hulu, take that asshole to The Warehouse. I’ll meet you there after I get Mo settled.”
“Got it. Don’t do that shit again, Mo.”
I nodded at his angry words, but I didn’t bother looking back because I still couldn’t see anything clearly.
Jasper kept his arm around me and guided me across the lobby, sounds of slot machines and revelry in the background only highlighted the silence between us. Once we were inside the elevator to my condo, he sighed. “I’m an asshole, Mo, I know that. But I am not a fucking monster.”
I nodded, my head down.
Jasper lifted my chin and stared at me before he brushed a hand over my cheek. “You all right?”
“Just peachy,” I sighed. “He punched me in the face, kicked me in the chest, and I hit my head; otherwise, I’m grand. No need to worry about me.” I’d have the hotel doctor look me over when Jasper was gone.
“I’m came because I was worried,” he growled. “But you don’t look too sick to work.”
I shrugged. “Thanks. I just got beat up. I’m taking a few days off. I had a doctor’s appointment and errands I haven’t been able to take care of because I’m too tired after working eighteen-hour days at Midnight Mass and Lucky Lopez.”
“We need to get you to a doctor. Find out if you have a concussion and if the baby’s okay.”
His words were gruff, but I could hear the concern. Felt myself lean into that caring voice before I caught myself and took a step back.
“I’m fine, Jasper. The hotel doctor will look me over. Just help me to my room, and you can get back to business.”
His hands landed on my shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. “It wasn’t a request, Mo.”
“I’m off the clock, Jasper, which means you’re not my boss.”
He laughed, and the sound echoed just as the elevator doors slid open on the penthouse floor.
“Haven’t you learned by now, Mo? I’m always the boss. Come on.” He hooked an arm around my waist and guided me down the hall to my condominium.
“My groceries.” The words limped out of my mouth, but it was the only thing I could think of with Jasper’s arms around me.
“It’s being taken care of.” His ominous words struck me as odd, and I stopped right in front of my door, digging deep in my purse for the keycard.
“What does that mean, Jasper? Be specific.” I had to see things beca
use heat flared in his eyes before he banked them.
“It means they’re being loaded into my car as we speak. There’s room for them in my fridge.”
Oh no. I shook my head and put a hand to his chest. “I’m not going to Ashby Manor.” I should have been happy to finally get an invite, but I wanted to stay here in my own home. Relax. Heal.
“Yeah, you are. I’ll have a doctor meet us there to stitch you up and check you out. Pack a few things, and you’ll stay with me until we figure everything out.” Jasper used his typical commanding tone that was meant to avoid any arguments, but this was my life. My freedom.
I let out a huff. “Don’t you own the freakin’ hospital? I’m sure one of your doctor’s can see me there.”
“I do own a hospital, and I’d like it to keep its accreditation, which means my doctors follow the rules, which will mean a visit by the cops.”
“Oh no,” I said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “You don’t want the guy who did this to me to go to jail? Gee, thanks.”
“He’s being taken care of, Mo.” His voice softened, and that caught me off guard.
“Whatever. Send your doctor here to stitch me up.” I held the card up to the sensor and pushed inside my place, kicking off my shoes and removing my purse as I progressed down the hall, exhausted and aching.
“Goddammit, Mo, can’t you ever do anything the easy way?”
I let out a bark of laughter. “I do one thing very easily, Jasper, as you well know.” I stopped as realization dawned. This wasn’t about my safety, not really. This little incident gave him the perfect opportunity to keep an eye on me. “That’s why you want me at Ashby Manor.”
His shoulders rose and fell with a dramatic sigh. “And why is that, Mo?”
“You want to keep an eye on me, maybe get your doctor to get some DNA so you can figure out if this baby is yours or not?” I’m an idiot. Leaning into his touch, feeling treasured by his treatment when it was all an act. To make sure he didn’t get taken for a ride.
“Would that be such a bad thing?”
“You could try being honest, a thought that probably never occurred to you. I’m not asking you to be involved. If you think I’m lying, don’t worry, you can walk away guilt-free. I’m not asking for anything from you.”
He folded his arms; a fierce, angry expression darkened his handsome face. “That’s not your call to make.”
“It damn well is,” I shot back, feeling my own anger rise. “If it’ll settle your mind, have your doctor come stitch me up, and I’ll give him permission to take my blood for testing. Or however they do it these days. Then you can get your results and leave me alone.”
Humiliation burned deep in my gut at the direction my thoughts had gone, thinking that Jasper cared about me beyond my basic well-being. He was just protecting his empire, and if this baby was his, he would keep the child close, which meant—by default—keeping me close.
“Leave you alone?” Jasper let out a deep, rumbling laugh. It was light and free; unlike any sound I had ever heard from him.
The sound brought a smile to my face.
“If that’s my baby you’re carrying, we’re bound for life, Mo. For life.”
When he said it like that, it sounded more like a threat than a romantic promise.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jasper
“Where the fuck is Cal?” I convened a meeting with Terry and Virgil, and as usual, Cal had left us hanging.
“He’ll be here,” Virgil assured me with an exhausted sigh. “Said he had to get a sitter situation settled for Ava Rose.”
I didn’t believe that shit for one second. “Yeah, right.”
Terry’s brows furrowed. “Is this meeting specific to something or just a state of the union type of deal?” Terry sat back with his legs crossed at the ankles, relaxed as could be even though it was early in the morning and it was just us three inside the dining room. I wanted to meet without the staff listening in. Before Maisie and Kat woke for the day.
I sighed, grateful to Terry for trying to keep this shit show on track.
“Something specific. Some asshole attacked Mo in the parking lot of Emerald Isle. Claimed to have a message for me, but I beat the fuck out of him before getting the message. Later, he didn’t have much to say. It’s hard to speak without teeth, apparently.”
Terry and Virgil both laughed. “Who was he?” Virgil’s low growl told me he was as pissed off as I was, even though he didn’t have all the details.
“No clue. He didn’t say much before I pulled all of his teeth and shipped him out of town in pieces.” I flashed a smile and sighed.
“The question,” Virgil said with a smile, “is why did this asshole come after Mo, and why did you just happen to be at Emerald Isle?”
He wiggled his eyebrows expectantly, and I sat dropped down in the chair with a sigh.
“I’ve been fucking her,” I growled in response. “And now she’s pregnant.” There was no point beating around the bush. I invited them here for a reason, and that was one of them.
Terry let out a loud roar of laughter first, smacking the table with his palm, cracking up. “You sure the baby is yours?”
“Right,” Virgil added. “I mean we are talking about Mo, and she gets around, Jas.”
I knew what they were saying, and even though it pissed me off, they were right. There were no secrets about Mo. She fucked for cash all the time. Anybody. Anywhere.
“Yeah, well, we fucked, and we did it raw so the possibility exists that the child is mine.”
“But it’s a slight possibility,” Virgil added. “At least three different guys have turned up for her at Midnight Mass this month alone. And,” he squirmed a little because of what was coming next. “we’ve all been with her, Jasper. All of us.”
“Not me,” Terry offered and raised his hands defensively. “Not for years, anyway.”
“I fucking know that, and I really don’t need to hear it, Virg.”
“Oh shit,” Terry laughed. “Please don’t tell me you have delusions of turning Mo into an honest woman.” I frowned, and Terry laughed even harder. “Oh no, you are!”
“This has fuck all to do with honesty, and Mo has always been straight up about what she wants out of life. But if she’s carrying my kid, I need to be there for her.”
“And if the kid isn’t yours?” I knew Terry was trying to be helpful, to give me a different perspective, but it only pissed me off.
I had no right to be pissed about it, not when I said pretty much the same words to Mo, but I was.
“She didn’t tell me. She didn’t rush over to me with a smile and dollar signs in her eyes,” I admitted. “If I hadn’t shown up when I did, I’m not sure she would have said anything to me at all.”
That was a damn hard pill to swallow, especially considering most women would leap at the chance to have a wealthy man father their children. Hell, I half expected Mo to strut up to me and tell me she was knocked up with my kid and, in the next breath, demand an exorbitant amount of monthly support. But she hadn’t done that, and I didn’t know why.
“Ouch,” Terry said with a frown. “That’s rough.”
“Tough breaks,” Virgil added with a shake of his head. “A kick in the nuts.”
“No shit,” I growled angrily. “I don’t need your fucking sympathy.” The blood test would be processed in the next twenty-four hours, and I’d have my answer one way or the other. These men were my brothers, but they would have answers only after I did. “That’s not what we’re here to talk about,” I reminded them.
Their laughter faded, and Virgil nodded. “Sadie,” he guessed correctly, adding a solemn nod.
“Yes. We need to discuss what we’re going to do if she doesn’t wake up. The doctor said she has to wake up on her own, so all we can do is just wait. Just fucking wait.”
I wasn’t a patient man, and waiting for something like this, to see whether my mother would live or die, pushed my ability to wait to the limit.
>
My office door banged open, and Cal finally stumbled in, drunk and smelling like a distillery. “We can start now,” he slurred and flashed a crooked, toothy grin.
My nostrils flared at the sight of my youngest brother, drunk at the ass crack of dawn, acting like a buffoon. “Sit the fuck down, Cal. You’re drunk and you’re late.”
Cal threw his head back and laughed, nearly falling backward on unsteady legs. “Fuck, I thought I was early. What do you need me for anyway? I’m just your little fucking keyboard monkey,” he said and mimicked typing on his computer. “So,” he slurred, “what did I miss?”
“Sadie. She woke up for a few minutes yesterday,” I growled. “A few seconds would be more accurate, but she opened her eyes and said a few words.”
I didn’t want to get into that trauma, that fucking mindfuck from yesterday. “If she doesn’t wake up, we all need to step up, especially you two, in different ways.”
I had been thinking about it all night, and this would have to be a family effort.
“You’re already in charge of everything, so what the fuck difference does it make?” he sputtered.
“Goddamn right, I’m in charge. Who should be? You? The asshole who’s drunk at six o’clock in the fucking morning? I don’t think so.”
I didn’t even know why I was arguing with Cal. I didn’t argue with my employees, and I definitely didn’t argue with drunk fuckers.
“But Sadie built this. After everything Colm put her through, everything he did to her, forced her to endure, she still built this up, and she did it for us. Maintaining it isn’t a one-person job.”
“So you finally admit it?” Cal’s lips curled into a sneer, and I balled my hands into fists. “You hear that, guys? Jasper can’t run the whole fucking empire on his own without help from us lowly peons.”
He snorted and laughed like this was some fucking party instead of an important meeting about the future of the family.
“I never said I could do it on my own, Calvin. But your skills are so limited that the rest of us have to do everything you can’t, which is every fucking thing.” I shook my head. “Why the fuck are you drunk this early in the morning?”
