Page 90 of Pieces of Ash

I fucking realize that I haven’t known her that long.

But it just doesn’t matter. The heart wants what the heart wants. Mine wants her.

I loosen my hands on her ass, sliding them to her hips and holding her steady until her feet hit the ground.

My voice is hoarse with emotion. “We should go back, baby.”

She tilts her head and grins. “First,doudou. Now,baby. Which one is it?”

“Whichever one you want.”

“Both, please,” she says, just a tiny bit sassy, and I can see her mother so clearly in her for a split second, it almost knocks me on my ass.

“Both it is, babydoudou.”

“If that means ‘baby crap,’” she says, “you’re in hot water.”

She makes me laugh again, which is the wonder of Ashley. She’s in a world of shit up to her eyeballs, and she’s still making me laugh. What a woman.

I whistle for Bruno and take her hand, turning us around and leading us back to the house. When the barn is in sight, I realizethat there’s an unfamiliar car in the driveway, and every muscle in my body tenses. I’m immediately on high alert.

I yank Ashley against me, pivoting to hide us behind a tree trunk and look down into her eyes. “Are you expecting anyone?”

“No,” she says.

“There’s a car in the driveway.”

“Is it Gus?”

I shake my head. “No. The car’s black, not white.”

“Is it an SUV?” she asks.

I take a peek and shake my head. “No. A sedan.”

I can see her thinking before she whispers, “A Cadillac?”

“A Honda.”

Her shoulders relax. “It’s not Mosier.”

I nod, squeezing her hand and wishing I had my gun. I’ll clean it tonight and start carrying it with me at all times. “Stay behind me, okay?”

“Don’t take any risks.”

“I won’t. Come on.”

There’s no way he could know where she is already, I think to myself, unless the priest gave her up. Would the priest give her up? Shit. Ashley was positive he wouldn’t, but my initial feeling was that Raumann would stop at nothing to get her back. I should have followed my instincts. What if the priest fucking buckled, and Raumann’s sent one of his men to grab her?

As I get closer, I realize there’s someone in the driver’s seat, and someone else, in a trench coat with the collar up, is knocking on the front door. Fuck. What the fuck is going on?

“Stay here behind the barn,” I whisper to Ashley. “I’ll go see who it is and let you know if it’s safe.”

“Okay,” she says. “Be careful.”

I drop her hand, walk around the barn, and call through the ebbing rain, “What do you want?”

To my surprise,Gusturns around and looks at me. “Julian!”