Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 122074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
It had to do with her mother. And mine.
But that was something to untangle another day.
I was here. I’d already told her enough to start this process.
Molly hadn’t even needed to know about the real ownership of her business. Her system was old, but the business was doing well. She’d continue to make it do well. It was profitable, and I could’ve made our claim known at a later date, demand payment for profits that hadn’t been paid to us, or I could’ve transferred everything legally into her name, and she never would’ve known.
I could still do that.
Then again, that wouldn’t be very Mafia of me.
CHAPTER TEN
MOLLY
“You close early on Sunday nights?”
I almost screeched as I jumped backward.
I grabbed onto the counter, glaring at him behind me. “Why are you still here? What do you actually want from me?”
I was scowling as he stilled, his own eyes narrowing, and I had an image of a cobra raising its head, eyeing who it was about to attack.
A chill went down my spine, and I shook my head, trying to clear the unsettling image from my mind. Then I remembered what he’d originally asked. “We do. Ten.” I looked at the clock. I’d made Pialto leave an hour ago, along with the rest of the staff. I could handle the last three customers, but they’d just left as well. I was ignoring the pit in my stomach because I didn’t think Ashton remembered what usually happened on Sunday nights here.
“Why?”
The bell above the door jangled again, and I looked over, half expecting one of our customers coming back. A lot of people forgot their jackets, but it wasn’t a customer. Two men were coming in, their badges flashing under their jackets as they moved. Dead eyes.
Cops. I would’ve known without the badges or their guns on their sides.
Also, I knew one. Detective Worthing had finally shown up.
Police always made me feel the same way, like my life was about to get fucked sideways. Again. It was a pattern that repeated.
“Molly Easter?” The first cop approached, showing me his badge. This was the one I didn’t already know. He had sandy-brown hair, looking like he could fit in at a country club or in the middle of a shoot-out. Pretty blue eyes. White. His nose had been broken at some point in his life. There was a dip on the bridge. The other cop who came with him was the opposite in a lot of ways. Dark features. Hair. Eyes. There was a dangerous air that surrounded him, a bit more than his partner.
He was also staring at Ashton. Hard.
“I’m Detective Monteyo. It’s nice to officially meet you.” The first one was introducing himself before he put his badge away. “Mind if we ask you a few question—”
“What are you doing here?” Worthing cut in, his voice rough. The question was directed to Ashton.
A whole new slew of shivers went through my body, and I had a distinct impression that nothing was what it seemed right now.
I heard Ashton’s cool response but could also hear some dark amusement from him. “What do you mean? We had a conversation hours ago that you were coming in. You said soon, yet it’s almost closing time. What took you so long?”
I sucked in my breath.
I felt a whole edge slam into place as Worthing’s eyes took on a rageful effect. “Excuse me?”
Monteyo had frozen in place, but he coughed, giving Worthing a look before speaking. “We got word that Miss Easter had returned to her place of employment, and since we were grabbing food in the area, we decided we could stop in.” He focused on me; his smile was forced. “Get some preliminary work out of the way before the week starts tomorrow, you know?”
I had no idea what he was talking about. “I own this business. It’s not just my place of employment.” I sent Ashton a withering look because it was going to be my business again. At this point, I would do anything and everything to get this away from his family and away from my father, and away from even the West Mafia family too.
I was so tired of this world.
Ashton was unreadable. His face was made of granite, but his eyes met mine before they slid over my head and landed back on the detectives. “You have questions for Miss Easter?”
Neither of them moved, but Monteyo coughed again, clearing his throat, and took a step forward. He pulled out a pad of paper and questioned me about the robbery. I answered with honesty except vaguing up the bit where I’d used the Walden family name to scare the robber away.
Monteyo frowned. “So you think he changed his mind because of your father?”
I snorted. “Have you met Marcus Easter? He’s Satan’s spawn. If you haven’t met him, I’d stay away. He’s a curse that you’ll never get rid of, no matter how much you try to shake him. He’s like lint that’s immune to a lint roller.” I shuddered at the magnitude of truth there.