Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“That depends. Are you here because you used all your federal government resources to find a thread on where Jack might be?”
I didn’t need her to answer, but if I did, her guilty look before she glanced away told me everything.
“Maybe.”
“Oh, come on now, Addison. Let’s start with a little honesty.”
She folded her arms and snorted. “Honesty? That’s rich coming from a man whose entire life is about a distinct lack of honesty.”
“How so?” I knew it was a cop’s point of view, but still, her words made me curious. “What do I do that’s dishonest?”
“You sell drugs.”
“I don’t sell anything but the best damn shepherd’s pie in all of Nevada and loads of booze. But if people didn’t want drugs, dealers wouldn’t have a thriving business, now would they? Maybe it’s time the government stopped trying to regulate what people did with their bodies.”
“I’m not arguing U.S. drug policy with you, Jasper.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Because there is no argument to make. It’s an overreach. Nothing more than a way to keep the private prison industry in business, but you’re not here to talk about that.” No, she was too itchy, too nervous about being here for anything but business. “You have an answer for me.”
Addison nodded reluctantly. Her drooping shoulders and hangdog expression told me the answer before she did. “I do. I want to find my father.”
“And the money?”
“I’ll take the money just in case you decide to fuck me over, but what I want, what I need, is my father.”
“That’s bullshit, but I’ll let it slide since we have a deal.”
Thank fucking Jesus. It was about goddamn time I started to clean some shit off my plate. I stood and rounded the desk, ignoring how Beck’s blue eyes went round and wide as if I would push her up against the wall and fuck her like she wanted me to. Instead, I held a hand out to her.
“Right?”
Another reluctant nod passed in silence before Beck put her smaller hand in mine.
“Yes, Jasper, we have a deal. I’ve already put in for a transfer, effective after some personal time off.”
“Excellent. That’s exactly what I want to hear.”
“I’m sure it is,” she shot back with a smile. “We both know if I stuck around any longer, your family would be in a lot of trouble.”
I let out a deep laugh and shook my head. “We both know that if you stuck around any longer, there wouldn’t be much longer for you to be around.”
Sadie didn’t want Agent Beck killed, not after the shit show with Father Dietrich, but if she stuck around, that would have been the most expedient option.
Her blue eyes widened for a fraction of a moment before she regained her composure and lifted her chin in a defiant tilt. “That sounds an awful lot like a threat to a federal agent.”
“I don’t make threats, Beck. I make promises.” I took a step back and reached for my backup phone. “Speaking of promises, I have another to keep. Did you get the Bitcoin wallet like I said?”
Beck nodded. “I did.”
“Good.” I sent the two million we agreed on and tucked the phone away. “It was nice doing business with you, Agent Beck.”
She flipped me off just as her phone chimed with a notification. “Fuck you, Ashby.”
I laughed. “I guess you should have negotiated a fuck before leaving town if you wanted one so bad.”
She rolled her eyes and let out a huff of disappointment. “Right, because your dick is coated in gold and fat-free chocolate.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Addison. You made the smart decision.”
She shook her head and looked away and for the first time, I could see how hard this was for her. But it was the best thing for the Ashby Organization. “That doesn’t make this choice any easier.”
“Nobody said it would be easy. Nothing worth having ever is.” Running this family, keeping everyone safe. It was the hardest, scariest thing I’d ever done in my entire fucking life. But I didn’t want to be or to do anything else.
Beck didn’t move from her spot in the middle of my office, her blue stare trying to see through me. “Well?”
“You want the fuck? Convince me with a blow job.”
She let out a low, frustrated growl. “My father’s location, Ashby. Where the fuck is he?”
I smiled. “Text me when you’re out of Nevada, and I’ll send you his coordinates.”
“I don’t trust you.” Arms folded; lips pushed into a small pout. She looked like a bratty fucking kid.
“I don’t trust you either, but I have the information you want, which puts me in the power position.”
She wanted to argue, I could see the fire in her eyes, and I waited. “If you don’t send me those coordinates, I will be back, Jasper. And I will make you and your family pay.”