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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
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 56
MOLLYMy stomach fuzzies were on drugs. I could barely stand still, but Jess, total cool. All cool. She was the definition of cool. We were in a back room in one of the towers, and I kept moving the flowers around. Dress was perfect. Hair was perfect. Makeup was on point. Shoes were on. So, flowers. They needed to move from the left. That wasn’t right. To the right.Back to the left.No. They looked better in the front—“Stop, my beautiful sunshiny boss and soul sister.” Sophie moved in, taking the flowers from me and putting them on a counter.I sucked in my breath. “That’s a perfect location for them.”Her smile was a little tight. “I know. You’ve put them there seven times in the last hour. You need to calm down. You’re not the one getting married.”My hands were tingling, so I began wringing them, shaking them out. What were the tingles from? Why was I all tingly? The fuzzies had begun to invade the rest of my body. The fuzzies usually only came out to play when Ashton was around,
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 57
ASHTONThe night was about Trace and Jess, but the second Molly showed up, my eyes never left her.We had dinner, speeches, and I was doing my thing. Toasting Trace, telling him how much I loved that we’d grown together over the years to where we both were now through loss, grief, but blessings. Trace was looking Jess’s way for the blessing part. I was looking Molly’s way, and now someone pulled out a playlist, and people were dancing.Jess’s mom was dancing with Avery.Sloane was dancing with Demetri.Me, I was heading right for Molly, who was standing with Pialto and Sophie.Their heads folded together, the freaking three musketeers, until I got to them. They went silent. I waited until Pialto’s head popped up, and he blinked, pretending to see me for the first time. “Oh, hi, Ashton.” He nudged Molly with his shoulder, who looked up, looking all shy.She ducked her head down, the same shy smile showing over her face. Her cheeks were a good blush color by now. I glanced at the winegl
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 58
MOLLYOh, god.Not again, but again.All that flashed through my head in the space when Ashton let me back down, and bang!Bang!He cursed, pulling up my panties, then fastening his own pants. He had a gun out, and where did he get that gun? But he had it pointed down, and he took my hand, pulling me to the back of the shed.I looked around, hearing the screams but knowing I had to follow Ashton.Another scream. God. That was Jess’s mom.And another—that was Sophie.I started to turn, to run for her, but Ashton caught my hand. “No. No, babe.”I could hear Sophie crying. A guttural scream left me, but Ashton yanked me against him, clamping a hand over my mouth and wrapping an arm around my stomach. He was hurrying backward, carrying me with him, and he had the gun in his hand. “Ssssh. Please, Molly. Please.”I was crying, already knowing I was about to lose someone. I didn’t care if it was me. Just not someone else. Please.I stopped fighting to get free, and Ashton put me back down at
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