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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
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 59
I nodded, letting him know I was fine, but I wasn’t. I was suddenly so tired. And worried.Ashton was still out there. Jess. Trace. It’d been quiet except for an occasional gunshot, and quiet again. I couldn’t handle the silence. I felt like my skin wanted to come off my bones.“Your father knows who killed Kelly? Jess’s friend?” The question came from Nea, who was staring at my gun.I shrugged. “I don’t know.”She lifted her gaze to me, her eyes narrowed, focused. “That’s what he was trying to find out? Who killed them?”I frowned at her. “Yeah. Why?”“Nea.” Nurse Sloane was coming around the desk, fixated on her friend. “Don’t—”Nea shook her head, her eyes looking a little panicked. “He knows. He knows, Sloane.”“Nea, don’t—”Her voice hitched up. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.”She’d said that before. My body went cold at her words. “What wasn’t?”“Um . . . ,” Pialto said from behind me. “What are these?”“What?” I glanced back. He was staring at the desk, at the picture
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 60
ASHTONI was going to murder whoever was doing this, whoever was putting my loved ones at risk, whoever dared to bring this fight here. Here. My compound. My family’s compound. The one I loathed.I raced from building to building, tearing open every door to find everyone.Marco and Remmi were in a back closet.Avery and Elijah found me when we moved to another building. They helped take my primo and Trace’s sister to another safe room.I kept going. I had to keep going.Everyone had to be safe. We couldn’t lose anyone.I swept through the staff building now.Trace was inside, holding a gun up and aimed right at me. He cursed, seeing me. “Thank god.”I grated out, “We need to find the rest.”“Molly?”“They’re safe. They’re in my office.”I turned, my gun in hand, and I kept going. Always keep going. Always.Never stop. Never stop fighting.“Ashton. Jesus.” Trace touched my arm. “You’re shaking.”Avery’s radio sounded. There was another barrage of gunfire before a voice came over, yelli
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 61
MOLLYThe rest of the story was pieced together.Sloane filled in the initial blanks.“You killed Kelly. Didn’t you?” Jess said rather than asked.Sloane nodded. She’d been void of emotion by then, sitting in a separate room at the compound. Nicolai’s and Nea’s bodies were both—well, I didn’t know. I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to know, but now it was later, and it took time to learn the truth.Everyone just wanted to know the truth.“I did. I thought I was protecting her, but now I realized that Kelly was trying to protect herself. I came in at the wrong time. I—I’m so sorry, Jess. I’m so sorry.”“Why did Nea kill Justin?” Trace moved to Jess’s side, his hand on her back.Sloane raised her chin up. “She was dating Nicolai. They met a month after.” She looked Ashton’s way and at me. “I think that’s what she was saying earlier. She was hurting after.” She glanced in Ashton’s direction. “Then Nicolai came in asking questions. I don’t know what drew him to her, but she was beautiful. She m
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 62
ASHTONWe were at Katya two weeks later.The place was closed down, except for the small group on the dance floor. A DJ was booked, and he was enjoying every time the girls wanted a song changed. I was in our private box, coming up here because Avery told me a certain detective wanted to talk to me.He came in now, stopping to grab a drink that’d been poured for him on the bar. I was standing at the end, overlooking how Molly was dancing with Jess, Sophie, Pialto, Remmi, and half the staff, who Molly had insisted be given the night off. She wanted to extend another “sorry” to them for the night she’d left and put two of them in danger. I didn’t think the boyfriend was in attendance, but Molly had insisted. I wouldn’t be surprised if the boyfriend showed up sooner or later. So far, everyone was having a good time.Her cousin Glen joined as well.“What are you guys celebrating?” Jake joined me at the window, sipping his drink.I gave him a cursory look, noting his badge wasn’t out. “A f
Mafia's Cruel Arrangement chapter 63
ASHTONThree months later and Elijah was directing Shorty Easter to my new place of business. It was just one of many. I’d moved it farther north of the city, and we owned a good acreage on the Hudson River. This particular new building was a warehouse, one that no body of government was aware of. Yet.It was also the perfect place for me to fulfill my second promise to Molly.Elijah brought him inside. We were both ignoring his protests as he put him in a chair and whisked off the bag from over his head.Shorty quieted, blinking a few times for his gaze to adjust to the change. It was daylight outside, the sun fully shining down, and in here, all dark except for a few lamps in the corner.“Ashton Walden?” Shorty’s hair was greasy, as always. He had his usual homeless-esque attire on. A cargo jacket with holes for the elbows. The pocket was pulled off. The ends of his jacket were shredded and frayed. His jeans were just as bad, and I couldn’t see what kind of shirt he had on under the
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