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5

ASHER

I wrapped my arm around Holly’s waist and pulled her in for another kiss before she left for the day. Slipping my tongue into her mouth, I threaded my fingers through her hair, thoroughly fucking up the way she styled her hair, but hell, she was beautiful to me no matter how she looked.

She melted in my arms, giggling as her knees buckled. Of course, I caught her, tugging her against my chest as I deepened the kiss. She snaked her arms around my neck, moaning into my mouth as she melted in my arms. Fuck it, neither of us needed to work.

I slid my hand under the strap of her bag, tugging it down her arm, but she caught it, tearing herself away from me.

“Not so fast, buddy. I know what you’re doing.”

I snatched her hand and pulled her back to me. “Damn right. I’m kidnapping you and keeping you with me for the rest of the day.”

“No, no, no,” she laughed. “I have to go to work. I have a shipment coming in today.”

“That’s funny because I have something that needs to be unloaded as well.”

She burst out laughing, yanking her hand away from mine. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

I shook my head, wondering why she was laughing. “That wasn’t a joke.”

“Funny,” she laughed, picking up her bag. She slung it over her shoulder and kissed me on the cheek, preventing me from taking one last taste. “I have to leave, and you aren’t going to distract me.”

“Holly bear?—”

“No!” She held up her finger, her eyes focused and her lips pursed. She was all no-nonsense when it was time for work. Then again, she had to be since I’d been trying to knock her up for the past three months. “Asher, we’re not doing this. I’m going to work, and you are going to put that massive weapon in your pants away until tonight. You’re going to go to work, and neither of us is going to think about sex for the rest of the day.”

“Good luck with that. I have pictures from last night on my phone.”

Her jaw dropped in disbelief. “Asher Willoughby Stone!”

“My middle name is not Willoughby,” I smiled.

“No, but I just gave it to you. I can’t believe you took pictures of me!”

“Baby, I did a lot more than take pictures. I memorized every inch of this body,” I said, trailing my finger along her collarbone, over the swell of her breasts. Leaning forward, I licked the delicate column of her neck. “I could tell you every curve and every place to touch you to make you moan my name,” I said, sliding my hand over her breast.

My thumb brushed over her nipple, eliciting the faintest gasp from her sweet lips. She was doing everything possible to fight her reaction to me, but some things couldn’t be denied. She wanted me, and she always would. There was no way for her to fight this.

She groaned, then yanked herself away from me, holding her hands out as she panted hard. “Now, Asher, you stay away from me. I have…I have things to do, and you’re not helping me.” She fumbled behind her for the doorknob, pulling it open, hitting herself with the door. “I’m leaving, and you’re going to stay here. Do you understand me?”

“Baby—”

“No!” Her lips trembled as she squeezed her legs together. “Oh God,” she whimpered.

Fuck, I really wanted to go to her. But the moment I took a step, she pointed a finger at me and her eyes went lethal.

“Don’t you even think about it. I will…take you out.”

“Yeah? How are you gonna do that?”

Damn, she was so cute when she was like this.

“I will…hurt you badly. I will…roll you up in the rug and dump you in the river.”

“How are you gonna get me in the river?”

“That’s what friends are for. You know Noelle would help me in a heartbeat.”

She would. Noelle had a love/hate relationship with me. I would have to find a way to get her on my good side. “This isn’t over.”

She chuckled, backing out the door. “It is for now.”

I took another step forward, but she rushed out the door and slammed it behind her, bolting down the sidewalk to her car. I yanked the door open and watched from the front porch as she jumped in her car and pulled out as if a murderer was chasing her.

Chuckling to myself, I grabbed my keys and locked our new house, then headed to my truck. I would have blue balls all morning, but she was worth the wait. I pulled out of the drive and headed into work, but I didn’t make it a mile down the road when I noticed the tail. I thought maybe I was being paranoid, so I took a few turns and even stopped for gas. At first, it looked like I was in the clear, but when I got back on the road, I passed the same fucking vehicle at the crossroad two miles from work.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered, pulling out my phone. Wyatt answered on the third ring.

“Are you calling off?—”

“I’ve got a tail.”

“Who the fuck would be tailing you?”

I had no fucking clue. “I even stopped for gas to see if I was imagining things. He reappeared and now he’s behind me again.”

“Can you shake him?”

“What the fuck do you think?” I snapped.

“What do you want to do?”

I ran through the options in my head. Whatever the hell was going on, it was clear someone was coming for me. I just didn’t know why.

“Maybe it’s Jade.”

“For what reason?” I asked. “Why after all this time?”

“Revenge?”

“Doubtful.” But I wasn’t entirely sure about that.

“What do you need from me?”

“I’m gonna lead them out of town. Stay in contact with Holly. Make sure?—”

“I got it. Don’t worry about a thing.”

“Thanks, man.”

I hung up and took a hard right at the next intersection, then hit the gas. Whoever the fuck this was, they were fucking with the wrong guy. I had worked too hard to build my life back up after it had been destroyed. There was no fucking way I was giving it up now.

As soon as I hit the highway, I picked up speed, taking the exit out of town. Fucking hell, this guy wasn’t slowing down. I sped up, pushing eighty miles an hour, fucking praying I didn’t run into any cops along the way. They wouldn’t help the situation. But even at eighty, these fuckers weren’t backing down. They hit the gas right as I hit the brakes for a curve, slamming into the rear end of my truck. I fishtailed, just barely pulling out of a spin.

I yanked the wheel, taking a side road just in the nick of time. He flew past me, giving me a few seconds lead time, but it wouldn’t be long before he was back on my ass. I had to find a solution and fast. As much as I hated it, I reached under my seat and pulled the gun I had recently strapped there for emergencies.

I took another hard right, but slammed on the brakes when I saw another vehicle flying down the road at me, kicking up dust. “Shit.”

I shifted into reverse and hit the gas. With one arm stretched across the back of the seat, I turned and watched through the back window as I steered toward the main road. The initial chase vehicle was just turning, boxing me in. I didn’t slow down. I gunned it, smashing into his front end and deploying his airbags.

My truck spun and I shifted into drive, heading back out onto the main road, taking a left, back the way I came. The second vehicle didn’t stop to check on his comrade.

“Goddamnit!” I slammed my hand into the steering wheel as I raced back to the highway. A semi caught my eyes, barreling down the road toward the intersection up ahead. I would ruin the truck driver’s day, but if I didn’t get this asshole off my tail, I would end up dead. I put my foot down and raced to beat the semi. “Come on, come on,” I whispered, hoping I would make it in time.

I soared through the intersection, the semi blaring his horn as I drove right in front of him. I hit the brakes, yanking the wheel to the left just as I heard the deafening sound of the crash. I didn’t need to see a damn thing to know the vehicle behind me was decimated by the semi.

My heart was hammering in my chest, but I hit the gas and left the scene of the accident. I had to get to Holly now before anything else happened. My hands shook the entire drive to her shop, not because I had nearly been killed, but because Holly was involved. And if I lost her, I wouldn’t survive.

It took me a good five minutes to calm down enough to call Wyatt and check in. “How is she?”

“You’d better get your ass over here now, man.”

“You’re there?”

“Uh…yep. Along with a really fucking scary dude who looks like he murders people for fun, and some guy who says he’s your boss.” He lowered his voice and it sounded like he was walking away. “What the fuck did you do?”

“Not a damn thing.”

“Could have sworn I was your boss.”

“Me too. How’s Holly?”

“You mean, besides the fact that she’s making everyone hot chocolate?”

I smirked at that, the tension easing slightly. “That’s my girl.”

“She put on fucking Christmas music.”

“At least she’s not freaking out.”

“It’s fucking July.”

“Ever heard of Christmas in July?”

He started muttering under his breath and then his voice sounded far away. “You can fucking relax, Noelle. I’m not here for you... No, I didn’t come here to profess my love to you!” Then he was back. “I swear to God, I will kill you for putting me in this situation. She thinks I’m in love with her.”

“It’s not like she’s going to fall for you.”

“No, but she might take a chainsaw to my balls. This woman is immensely scary. After that stunt I pulled, she thinks I’m here for her every time I show up.”

“I’m two minutes out. Just hold her off, and tell everyone else to back the fuck off.”

“You tell them,” he grumbled, ending the call.

Now that I knew she was safe, the tension eased in me somewhat. But there was still the question of who was after me and why. If this had anything to do with Rafe, I was going to reach into his grave and kill him again.

I parked outside the shop and rushed inside. The door bounced off the wall as I flung the door open. The moment I spotted her, my heart skipped a beat, and then I had her in my arms and was kissing her, holding her to me just to make sure this was real.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m fine. What happened? Who are these guys?”

I brushed a tendril of hair behind her ear and sighed, setting her on the ground. “Give me a minute.” Pressing my lips to her forehead, I turned to Cash and Knight. “What the hell is going on?”

Cash raised his chin slightly, his eyes flicking to Holly. “Senator Kavanaugh was shot and killed when he was trying to tell Kavanaugh something.”

“I heard.”

“And then Kavanaugh was shot.”

I nodded. I knew all this.

He seemed a little surprised that I knew any of this. “You’ve been MIA. Chase filled me in. What does this have to do with me?”

“We’re not sure yet. We pissed off someone. They?—”

Glass shattered as bullets riddled the front of the shop. I grabbed Holly and threw her to the ground, covering her body with mine. Glancing around, I saw Wyatt doing the same with Noelle. I grabbed the gun from the back of my jeans and dragged Holly over to the counter, hiding her behind it.

“Stay here and stay low!” I shouted over the noise.

I crawled over to the window and peered over the ledge, spotting two shooters. I held up two fingers, then ducked down and headed toward the window in the corner of the house. They assumed everyone was in this room and was most likely dead. At least, that’s what I was counting on.

Cash and Knight split off, moving to the back of the house. I motioned for Wyatt. “Take the girls and get them to the back room.”

He nodded and started moving while I got going. As soon as I was at the window, I closed my eyes and put myself back in that mindset that I had left behind. When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t the man from the last few years. I stood and sighted my target. I slowed my breathing, let the calm wash over me, and pulled the trigger.

One target down, but that’s when I realized there were more than two. We were sorely outnumbered. One by one, I moved from one target to the next, taking them out while being shot at by their own gunmen. I kept moving positions, keeping them guessing. They fell like dominoes as Knight and Cash took care of the perimeter, clearing the path.

When the firing stopped, I scanned the area, looking for anyone who might be in hiding. There were no signs of movement. Knight walked into the clearing, kicking one body on his way. I stepped out from behind the broken window and moved to the front door, stepping out of the annihilated house. Holly’s business was decimated. It would take weeks to rebuild and make up for all that was lost. But that would have to wait until this was over. Staying was not a viable option.

“I suggest you get the fuck out of here,” Knight said, walking over as he slammed another magazine into his gun.

“You don’t say,” I deadpanned as my gaze swerved to Cash, who came around the other side of the house, wiping the blood from his knife before sheathing it. “I don’t suppose we killed everyone and now you’re going to bury the bodies and tell me we can go back to our lives.”

“They’re only going to send more. You’re going to have to get out of town. Take her parents with you.”

“That should be easy,” I muttered. “Her dad is a fucking conspiracy nut. Can you imagine what he’ll say when he walks into a fucking nuclear silo filled with all those gadgets?”

But instead of bantering in any way, he turned and stared at Knight. “Any location on Jade yet?”

“Rae messaged me,” he said, holding up his phone.

“I take it this conversation is over.”

He ignored me and kept talking to Knight. “Call in a cleanup crew. We don’t have time to waste.”

“Already done. Police are gonna be a problem. This is fucking Colorado.”

“Michael will take care of it.”

“Right,” I nodded. “So, I’ll just take off.”

They walked away without even a word to me, so I turned on my heel and headed back inside, walking up the steps that were torn to shreds. Holly stood in the middle of the room, her hand covering her mouth as she looked at the destruction.

“I just can’t believe it,” she whispered.

“This is definitely not a decorating style that will appeal to many,” Noelle muttered.

“We need to leave,” I said, grabbing her hand.

“But look at this mess. I need to clean it up and?—”

“We don’t have time for that. We need to leave now.”

Her eyes flashed to mine. “Asher, what is going on?”

“I don’t know, but it’s not safe for us here. We need to leave. You too, Noelle.”

“Um…Excuse me?” She shook her head with a laugh. “Nope. Not gonna happen.”

“We don’t have time to argue about this. We have to get your parents and leave now.”

“I’m not going on the run with the Hallmark channel! It’s not happening!”

“Fine, then you can stay with Wyatt.”

A low chuckle came from Wyatt’s direction, and I spun to see him shaking his head at me. “Dude, what are you doing?”

“This is the only way. She either comes with us or stays with you.”

“I’ll stay with him?—”

“No fucking way?—”

They both said at the same time.

“Seriously? You’re not going to take me in?” Noelle snapped.

“You tried to cut off my balls.”

“You thought I was going to meet your parents!”

“It was a joke!”

I let out a loud whistle, stopping the bickering instantly. “We don’t have time for this. Holly and I have to leave now. Either you’re coming with us or you’re staying, but we have to know now.”

Holly turned to Noelle, her eyes pleading. “You can’t stay. I would be devastated if something happened to you because of me.”

That gutted me. It was because of me she was even in danger. My past life once again came back to haunt me, and it had destroyed her business. How was I ever going to repay her for the damage I had done?

“Fine, I’ll go, but if you start acting like a Hallmark card, I won’t be held responsible for my actions.”

“I’ll run her home,” Wyatt offered.

I nodded in thanks. “We’ll meet up at her parents’ house in one hour. Bring only the essentials.”

He snorted in amusement, but quickly covered it up. I dragged Holly to the door and down the steps. It didn’t take long to get her in the truck and on the road. “Get your parents on the phone. Tell them we need to leave now. They need to pack.”

“My dad won’t go. You know this.”

“Tell him if he loves you, he’ll leave.”

“Asher—”

I motioned for the phone. I would guilt him into it if I had to. There was no way I was leaving him behind. I kept my eyes on the road as I waited for him to pick up.

“Holly—”

“Carol, it’s Asher. I need you and Nick to pack a bag right now. We have to get out of town immediately. I’ll be there in one hour to pick you up.”

“Asher, what’s going on?”

“Someone came after us. They shot up Holly’s shop. I’m taking us somewhere safe.”

She gasped in horror and her voice shook with terror. “Asher, I’ll never get Nick to leave.”

“Get him on the phone right now.”

I heard her rustling around as she hurried through the house. I glanced at Holly, hoping she wasn’t rethinking her relationship with me. I couldn’t blame her. This was the second time I’d put her in a situation like this.

“Asher, what’s this I hear about leaving?”

“Nick, someone came after us, and they’re not going to stop. I need you to listen to me. You need to pack a bag and come with us. We’ll pick you up in an hour.”

“Ha! You think I’m leaving my home? That’s just what they want. I’m telling you?—”

“Nick!” I snapped. “Now is not the time for your conspiracy theories. If you love your wife and your daughter, you will pack your shit and be waiting for us when we get there. Otherwise, you’ll be dead and they’ll have to bury you. Is that what you want? Do you want them to find you riddled with bullet holes?”

Holly sniffled beside me. I knew I was being harsh and it was hard for her to hear, but I had to get through to him.

“Alright, son. We’ll be ready.”

“Thank you.”

I hung up and slid the phone over to Holly, sighing heavily. “I’m sorry, baby. I just wanted to make sure he came with us.”

“I know,” she answered quietly.

I grasped her hand in mine, but she didn’t say a word for the rest of the drive. As soon as I pulled into our cul-de-sac, I looked for any signs that anyone had been here, but the house looked clear.

“Stay right behind me. Remember what I told you about clearing the house.”

She nodded as she fought to control the shaking in her hands. I got out and walked around to her side, pulling the weapon from the back of my jeans. Opening the door, I helped her down, taking her hand in mine.

“Alright, let’s move quickly. Stay right beside me and do what I tell you to.”

Her hand squeezed mine tight as we ran for the house. As soon as we got to the front door, I released her hand and unlocked the door. Turning the knob, I caught the faintest flash of a green light.

“Baby, run!”

I turned just as she did, sprinting off the porch. We barely made it halfway through the yard when a massive explosion shattered the house. I reached for Holly, grabbed her around the waist, and tucked her against my body as we were thrown. Her terrified scream pierced my ear, but that was nothing compared to the full-body shake that took over the moment we hit the ground.

I held her close to me, trying to calm her, but we didn’t have time to wait around. We needed to move now. I rolled her over and cupped her cheeks, forcing her to look at me.

“Holly bear, look at me.” Her frightened, watery eyes locked on mine with steely determination. “We need to move, okay?”

She nodded, sniffling back the tears. “Okay.”

“I need you to trust me. We’re going to get through this.”

A shuddered breath left her chest as she nodded. “I trust you.”

I crushed my lips to hers, relieved that she still felt that way. Then I was on my feet, pulling her up as the fire blazed behind us. We didn’t spare even a glance at the house. There was no time. Our hopes and dreams had gone up in flames, but the only thing that was important right now was staying alive.

I hit redial, connecting with her mother instantly as I tore down the street. “Carol, be ready. We’re coming now.”

“Why so soon?”

“I’ll explain when we get there. Just be ready to go.”

I hung up and dialed Wyatt, hoping he was on his way. “Come on, come on,” I whispered when the phone kept ringing.

“What’s wrong?”

“He’s not answering.”

“Maybe he’s packing.”

He wasn’t. He knew to answer. This situation was too hot. There was no way he’d leave me hanging with all the shit happening right now.

“Asher…what’s going on?”

“Something’s wrong.”

“What are we going to do?”

I glanced over at her, unsure what to do. “If we go after them, we leave your parents vulnerable.”

“And if we don’t?”

I didn’t have to tell her. I was pretty sure she could see the answer on my face. She paled as she faced forward. “Go to Noelle.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

I jerked the wheel at the next wheel, taking a hard right. “Call your parents. Tell them to get out of the house. Leave everything behind. Go on foot and cut through their neighbors’ yards until they get to the police station. Tell them to get inside and wait for me.”

“Dad’s gonna love that,” she muttered before she called them.

I hit the gas, focusing on traffic as I shot across town to Noelle’s place. I didn’t know what I was going to find, but considering that Wyatt hadn’t called back, I knew it wouldn’t be good. I just hoped Wyatt had managed to keep them alive until I could get to them.

“There!” Holly shouted, pointing out her window as we shot past an alley. They had two men chasing them, but that wasn’t the most worrying thing. I turned down the next street, and then took another hard right, hitting the gas immediately.

“Brace!”

I slammed on the brakes, shifting into park. Then I flung the door open and was out of the truck seconds later. Noelle and Wyatt raced toward me, his shirt soaked in blood. His eyes widened as he saw me run around the front of the truck and aim at the men chasing him. He grabbed Noelle by the arm, pulling her from the mouth of the alley to the side just as I fired the first shot.

I pulled the trigger over and over, taking out two more targets before retreating quickly and getting back in the truck. Wyatt was already in the back with Noelle, breathing hard as she pressed her hand to his side.

“You okay?” I asked as I hit the gas and headed for the police station.

“Peachy,” he grunted. “Can’t say it’s been a dull day.”

“Bet you never thought you’d have so much fun as a mechanic,” I muttered.

I grabbed the phone from the console and dialed a number I thought I’d never use again. We had somewhat of a love/hate relationship from the moment we met. Things hadn’t exactly gone the way either of us planned.

I cut out into traffic, nearly hitting two vehicles as I punched it, flying through an intersection to get to the next pick up. I couldn’t waste time. I had no idea if Holly’s parents made it to the location I gave them or not.

“Why, Asher. I was wondering when you were gonna grace me with your?—”

“Scottie, I need a ride and fast!” I shouted, taking a corner faster than I planned, nearly tipping the truck over. “And a medic.”

“You don’t ask for much, do you?”

“I’m serious right now. Whatever the hell you got me into, I’ve got tangos all over me. Get me the hell out of here!”

“And where is here?”

“You know where!”

“Yeah, I do,” he grumbled. “And let me tell you, I’m not too fucking happy about it. You remember what happened the last time we were there.”

“Scottie, now’s not the time to reminisce. How soon can you get here?”

“I gotta get fueled up and cleared. Grab FNG?—”

“Scottie!” I shouted. “Just give me a fucking ETA!”

“Two and a half hours—give or take.”

“Make it two hours. No more. Get me an extraction point.”

“I’ll send coordinates, but I will not fly over any mountains under any circumstances. You, me, and Colorado really don’t get along.”

“Scottie, we’re not in the same fucking area.”

“Yeah, like that really matters,” he snorted.

“If you get me out of this, I’ll buy you a popsicle.”

“Yeah, like that’ll make up for the years of therapy I’d have to go through to get that job out of my mind.”

“It’s not my fault you did the tango with Fox.”

“We swore we’d never speak of that again!”

“You might have,” I shot back. “Just get your ass out here.”