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Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 48
MOLLYThe safe house was an entire building that was hidden in plain sight.We drove into a parking lot, went down, and somehow we were going through a tunnel and parked in a basement. There were a bunch of men in the room as we got out. Ashton took my hand, walking with me to an elevator, and up we went. We got off on the sixth floor, the elevator opening to an apartment that spanned the entire floor.“Make yourself comfortable.” Ashton pressed a kiss to my forehead, staying back with Elijah and a few other guards. I wandered around. For safe houses, this one was luxurious, but I wasn’t surprised anymore. Everything Ashton did was thought out. He had the reputation for being more impulsive, and Trace was the analyst, long thinker, but Ashton was underrated. Severely.It wasn’t until later that day, after I headed right back to bed and slept, that I realized we were next to Octavia.I’d woken later in the afternoon, heard the music, and went to see what was going on. There were floor-
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 49
MOLLYI tried fifty different pizza places in New York. Course, they didn’t know I tried them because we ordered delivery to a place that wasn’t even remotely near here, and there was a whole elaborate system for security guards who picked up the food and transferred it. But I tried them, and I was now an expert.I was considering creating an app just about New York pizza places. Though, there probably already was one, and so . . . maybe I’d look into that.I asked about Jess and Trace, but Ashton said they were in a separate place.“We want to keep you separate, just to be safe. Less exposure.”That was three weeks ago, and we were still going.Ashton left at all hours of the day. Sometimes he’d crawl into bed for a few hours, then leave for three days. It was insane, but they were in a war. The news was reporting a huge uptick of criminal shootings, all places with mob ties.I wondered if those were either Ashton’s or Trace’s places because I didn’t know much about the Worthing fami
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 50
ASHTON“She was right?” Trace joined me in the back of the kitchen where I was standing, a drink in hand but mostly watching Molly interact with Jess. They were on the other side of the kitchen, doing meal prep for dinner.I nodded, indicating for us to head somewhere private.He followed, stepping out onto the back three-season porch.“Car was registered to the grandmother of a guy in Crispin Worthing’s employment.”“Crispin?”“Who we still have locked down at the compound. Avery connected when I told him the latest. He’s making headway with both of the Worthings, but the biggest information they’ve given up is that Nicolai has a backer. One big major backer, bigger than anyone.”“That’s not good.” Trace asked, “Mauricio reached out himself about the shooting tonight?”“He did. I told him what happened, sent him the registration, and he was fine. The numbers collaborated with their security cameras.”“Is he going to let Molly watch the security tapes?”“They’re being compiled into ph
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 51
MOLLY“I’m going.” I was following Ashton around the room the next morning.“You’re not.”Over dinner last night, a very, very late dinner, I learned that Jess was going with her mother to the hospital. Right then and there, I knew I had to go. I couldn’t explain why. There was no rational logic for me to go, but I had to go. I just knew it. My gut was sparking something bad, and I didn’t think it was the lettuce I forgot to wash.I was the fixer in this group. It was my job to go, and he needed to understand this.I was pleading my case this morning by just repeating that I was going because he’d stopped listening about the group dynamics and roles.My plan of attack was to wear him down, and it was working.He picked up a tie, putting it around his neck. “You’re not. You have to look at the security photos from Octavia, remember?”“I have to go. The photos can wait.”He finished looping the tie through the hole, then tightened it. “That look okay?”It didn’t. I stepped in, righting
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 52
MOLLYMatt was outside my bedroom door, and I’d blasted my fan, telling him not to bother me for a few hours. I was going to take a much-needed nap.All my craziness. All the times I reacted to situations and ended up making things worse. Most of those times, I hadn’t made a conscious decision. I’d only felt the switch happening, and then bam, I was reacting and doing stupid things to put my loved ones in danger.This was different. I was choosing to do something stupid, but I was doing it to save someone I loved.So, I snuck out using the secret exit.Ashton shouldn’t have told me about it because it was going to be my personal front door. Also, it was just plain awesome because there was a tunnel that went under a whole other building. It came out to a side street, but because no one thought I knew about it, and I doubted Ashton thought I’d use it, I totally used it.The same gray sedan that we’d used to pick up my dad was waiting for me behind a dumpster. I ran over. “Go, go, go.”
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 53
I was up and scrambling.He went for the gun. I went for him.Fuck him. Fuck this. Fuck everyone.I was totally and completely embracing that darkness in me, because right now, this guy was the same as the guy at the gas station who’d put a gun against my head, the same as the guy who’d pointed a gun at me in my cousin’s apartment, the same as the guys who’d chased me in traffic, and I was not letting them win.Never.I would be standing at the end. I declared it. Every damn time.Knowing that, remembering all of that, I accepted the last part of me that I’d been hiding from, the part that helped connect me to Ashton because he had it too.I reached out, and slammed my foot down on his arm, then pivoted and delivered the best soccer kick straight to his face. If it’d been a ball, it would’ve sailed halfway down the field. I was sure of it.I wanted to do it again.His head snapped back from the force.“Hey! Stop. Stop right there.”I twisted around.Jess had the guy’s gun, but she had
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 54
MOLLYNea drove for a while. She and Jess were talking, but we couldn’t hear much in the back. My phone was buzzing, and I answered, already knowing it was Ashton.“We’re in the back of a vehicle.”“I’m aware.”Oh, boy. His voice was already grim. He was not happy.“I’ll call when we’ve stopped—”“We’ve been following you for the last three blocks. Tell Nea to pull over in the nearest parking lot.”“What?” I looked up, peering through the window, and there he was. Ashton was glaring at me from the front seat, right next to Elijah, whose mouth was twitching. “How’d you find us?”“I put a tracker on your phone, remember? Tell her to turn off.”“Oh, okay.” I twisted back around. “Nea! We have a ride. Pull over.”“What?” Both she and Jess said that at the same time.I motioned behind us. “The cavalry found us.”“What?”Jess cursed. “There’s a parking lot. Go there.”She hit the turn signal, moving over, and once she had stopped, vehicles swarmed us. Literally. One went in front. Two went
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 55
ASHTON“Thanks for letting us do it all here.”I was fixing Trace’s tie as he was doing his cuff links. He was talking about my family’s compound, and I grunted, stepping back. “It’s the least I can do. The Worthing family stepped back and pushed Nicolai out, but he’s still out there. This place seemed the obvious choice so we’re all safe while being ridiculous and having a wedding.”“Has Molly had time to look over those pictures from Octavia?”“She started. I brought them in case she had time later. They’re in my office.”“But she’s not recognized the woman?”I shook my head. “Not yet. She will, though.”He cleared his throat. “Thanks again for letting us do it here. I mean it. I’m aware that this was your safe place if there was a world apocalypse.”I paused, remembering how happy Jess had been, how Molly was trying to “fix” the group. I shrugged. “It’s the least I can do for you guys.”“Tell the truth. You’re already scouting locations for a new compound, aren’t you?”I shot him a
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