Page 64 of Racing Dirty Trilogy Box Set

Ashton

Our plane ride is quiet once I revealed how Switch captured Xavier and Izzy.

The plane dips and hits turbulence occasionally, shifting in the air, but other than that, it’s a smooth flight.

Ashley’s curled up in the seat across from me, sound asleep.

Mia’s next to her, resting her head on Ashley's side, also sound asleep.

Christian and Redline are talking in hushed voices across the aisle from me.

In another time, another life, I would be over there joining them.

I was the outgoing one, and Christian was the shy one growing up.

Girls saw him as Ashton’s younger, dorky brother with long, skinny arms and legs, no muscle build, and an awkward teenager.

Living in a small southern town it was hard to escape the stereotype and being four years older than Christian, I already developed my body and build.

The elderly people in our town always compared us, asking him why he can’t be like his older brother.

Why aren’t you following his footsteps and joining the service?

No matter how pleasant and nice he was to everyone, they constantly turned their noses up at him and used him to get to me.

He hated me for it and needed some kind of outlet to get rid of his anger and aggression and he found that in Maui Tia boxing.

Christian grew up while I was in Iraq and since I've come back from my two tours, we've grown apart.

I've done things overseas I'm not proud of, taken many lives more times than I can count, and it's hard to be the man you once were when you've seen and done things that can't be unseen or undone.

I stare at my hands, lost in thought when Christian sits down next to me. He nudges me with his massive shoulder. "Hey bro, you all right?" he asks.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I claim, shaking my head and clearing it of those younger years.

"You're acting distant. I want to help and don't leave me in the dark this time.

" Before I can rebut his statement he cuts me off.

"I realize we're not as close as we used to be, but Ashton, you're my brother.

I'm here for you. There are things you don't know about me and things I don't know about you.

" He settles his palm on my shoulder, squeezing it.

I stare into his familiar brown eyes, his gaze not leaving my face.

It's my fault we're not as close as we should be and that's on me, not him. I nod my head.

"Thanks, man. Look, there are things you don't realize I went through in Iraq and I hope one day I can talk to you about it, but today isn't that day.

We need to focus on getting Nolan, Xavier, and Izzy back safely.

My team will meet us in the City once they have the other cases we were working on closed.

I don't know how long that will be, but in case they aren't here on time, I need you to be prepared for what you're about to see. It's not going to be pretty."

"I can handle it. Since meeting these guys, I've realized everything isn't black and white. There's a grey line I've had to toe. Honestly, it felt good, not always being straight and narrow. So, whatever you need, I'm ready."

My face must have displayed my shock because Christian lets out a quiet laugh.

My brother, the straight shooter, always doing the right thing, will cross a line he can't come back from.

This won't be grey, it will be black, so black that once you get a taste for it, it'll be hard to give up.

I don't want to change the way he sees things.

That'll be more guilt I have to deal with.

"Don't even think about it," Christian responds with a shrug.

"Think about what?" I ask.

"I can handle it. I've seen some dark shit on the police force.

That girl right there," Christian says pointing to Mia, "is my light.

I didn't want her to come, but she's a stubborn one.

I know what we're walking into and trust me, brother, I'm ready.

Xavier and Izzy have become a part of my family and these assholes just fucked with the wrong guys. "

"You do know, if mom heard your mouth, she'd break out the Dawn dish soap," I say with a shudder. Christian mimics my reaction.

"That shit is so gross. I can still taste it from when we were teenagers and thinking it was cool to swear." We both laugh and I scrunch my nose. That shit’s nasty. "All I want is for us to be in this together. I'm here Ashton, no matter what."

"Thanks, man. What's going on with Redline?" I ask the question that's been bothering me since I saw him get off the plane with Ashley. We both look over at Redline. He's sitting next to the window with his eyes closed, not paying us any attention.

"Rush and the rest of Ashley’s crew had to stay behind a day and he didn't want her coming alone. He told Redline to come with her and keep her safe. I don't know for sure. What do you know?"

"Between the two of us? He had a massive crush on her for years.

I don't trust him nor like him very much.

Something about him rubs me the wrong way.

I hope I'm mistaken but keep your guard up around him.

Ashley trusts him and she's a good judge of character, so I hope it's just my paranoia kicking in and he's here for the right reasons.

I hope he isn't here to drive a wedge between her and Nolan, but here to help. I guess we'll find out soon enough."

I rest my head on the back of the seat and stare out the plane window.

The clouds break apart under us and the Brooklyn Bridge comes into view.

The sun is glistening off the Hudson River, causing the bridge to shine.

The landscape is breathtaking. The two new twin towers loom in front of us, shining in the sunlight.

Sometimes it's hard to believe so much evil lurks beneath something so beautiful. I know first-hand how something so beautiful can be so deadly.

Ashton, Iraq-2 years ago

The stink of burning flesh fills my nose and awakens me.

I jolt upright but quickly realize I'm still tied to a metal chair. Memories of the last couple of days assault my mind and I squeeze my eyes shut, struggling to block them out. Images of a beautiful woman with long black hair, piercing blue eyes, and secrets of her own. Owning her body, the way she owns my heart when I take her away from her suffering with my hope and dreams of us escaping her personal hell. I don’t know what happened to her because these men came into her room in the dead of night and knocked my ass out with a blow to the back of my head.

Black boots stomp on the dirt floor into my line of sight.

I keep my head down, trying to play it off like I'm still sleeping, but my body aches all over from the massive beatings I've received.

The black boots stop right in front of me and I coil my muscles.

A reflex ingrained into my mind by my drill instructor.

"Well, well, well, look who's finally rejoined the party." A dark voice says off to my right.

I don't move a muscle. Keeping absolutely still, I wait for the man to finish talking.

He isn't done yet. That's all this man does is run his mouth and his voice is grating on my nerves.

I can't wait until it's my turn to give him the same torture he's inflicted upon me.

Not answering him pisses him off and I'm waiting and ready.

"Do it again," he commands. The sting of a whip cracks across my exposed skin. Pieces of flesh rip from my body and boots keep going repeatedly.

I don't say a word as the whip keeps shredding my flesh. Burning agony fires through my body until I can’t take any more pain and pass out with one thought on my mind. Revenge. It's a bitch, motherfuckers.

The plane starts its descent onto the runway.

The dip it takes snaps me out of my memories.

I reach across the seats and gently shake Ashley awake.

She jerks her head up and her reflexes kick in, ready to pounce.

Once she has her bearings, she blinks her brown eyes and relaxes back into the seat.

This woman has seen and done so much in her short life, it hurts to see her like that.

The vulnerability on her face is heartbreaking.

"Have you heard from him?" she pleads with a sleepy voice. I shake my head and her face settles into a frown. "How are we supposed to find him in a city full of thousands of people?"

"We'll find him, trust me. I can find anyone, anywhere. Even if they don't want to be found. It's what I do." I answer with a shrug.

I give her the famous line we always say and she responds by rolling her eyes. It's true though, it's what I do. I've been trained to kill someone with my bare hands and find anyone, anywhere. All I need is internet access and a few minutes.

The plane lands and rolls down the runway before coming to a complete stop.

The seatbelt light flashes off and we all get up.

Mia is a little slow since I forgot to wake her.

Christian is by her side, steadying her sleepy form.

I grab my black duffle bag and swing it over my shoulder.

Redline takes Ashley's and his own bags and we all exit the plane into the airport.

The sun is shining brightly off the white marble floor through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows as the five of us make our way to the car rental counter.

They hang back off to the side of the crowd as I get our car.

A few minutes later, I make my way back to them and we exit out the doors.

The city sounds assault my hearing when we walk out into the parking lot, making me flinch.

Taxis are lined up, waiting for someone to flag them down.

Horns are blaring, and sirens are going off in the distance.

This will take some getting used to. I sneak a glance at the others behind me and they have the same reaction as I do.

Locating the black SUV, I hit the key fob and the rear hatch pops open.

Redline and Christian throw their gear in the back and I set my duffle on top.

I have important things we'll need while we're here and I want none of it broken.

I unlock the doors and we all climb inside.

Redline, Christian, and Mia get in the back and Ashley takes the passenger seat.

She lets out a yawn and stretches her hands above her head, arching her back.

I glance in the mirror, while she does this, and watch Redline.

He's facing the window, staring off into his own world, not paying her any attention.

"Where are we heading?" Ashley asks quietly.

"We're going into the lion's den, but first we need to locate Nolan." My phone dings in my pocket and I pull it out. "Got him. He's staying in a motel in the heart of Manhattan."

"How do you know?" Ashley asks.

"I have an app on my phone that tells me when the company cards are being used and he used it two hours ago at a motel in Manhattan.

He knows I have the app so that tells me he wants us to find him.

If he didn't, he would’ve used a different card.

" An email icon lights up my phone and I click on it.

The information he wanted about Wrath fills the screen.

This bitch is dangerous. The police arrested her several times for fighting in the last seven years.

The last time, she did a stint in county for a year.

The guy she beat the shit out of ended up in a coma.

When he came too, he dropped all charges, and they let her out.

She has a younger sister and a little boy around eight years old.

I click on the attachments and suck in a deep breath.

"Holy shit," I whisper, staring at the image on my phone.

"What is it?" Ashley asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"Nothing, it's nothing. Just some information on another case." I answer quickly, closing the image and staring back at me so she doesn't see it. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Now what?

I start the SUV and pull out into heavy traffic heading into the heart of New York City. Things will be brutal and I have no doubt, once this is over, every one of us will be different.