Jase had seen the pictures of Roberts, knew that they showed him snorting to his heart’s content, so he understood the man’s reaction.
“It’s just…” Roberts spun on his heel, went in the opposite direction. “Someone’s gonna…”
Jesus.
Could the guy just spit it out already?
“Sit,” Ashlynn commanded. “My boys have itchy trigger fingers, and it makes ’em nervous when you do that.”
The judge flopped down in the chair, running his fingers through his thinning gray hair. “I can’t do this,” he mumbled again.
Not once since they’d been there had the judge stated what he had an actual problem with, but Jase could fill in the blanks. Four years ago, by a pure stroke of luck, it was brought to Ashlynn’s attention that the Place Six judge for the Court of Criminal Appeals had a slight drug problem. Always looking for a stronghold, it’d been Ashlynn’s idea to set Roberts up, bust him with a rather impressive purchase of cocaine, but only once he’d snorted the shit. Using his drug habit as leverage had only been the tip of the iceberg, though.
After doing some digging, they’d learned of the judge’s shady past, one he’d thought he had hidden well. Unfortunately for Roberts, it wasn’t that easy. So, using him to their advantage, the Adorites had started blackmailing Roberts. To hear Ashlynn tell it, they had quite the need for a man in his position, especially when it came to the incarceration status of their enemies. Now, the Adorites merely exploited their relationship with the judge when it was necessary to get one of their adversaries to bend to their will.
But again, the judge had been working to find the straight and narrow path he’d clearly strayed from years ago—or so he wanted Ashlynn to believe.
“You can do this,” Ashlynn said reassuringly. “And you will.” Ashlynn was quite persuasive, but today, Jase wasn’t feeling it.
He wanted to get Ashlynn out of there. Now.
Although Leyton was within a few feet of Ashlynn, Jase didn’t like the itchy feeling he had about them being there. There were four enforcers outside, keeping an eye on things, and two more circling the area in the armored Escalades just as a precaution. Jase still wasn’t sure that was enough.
This meeting had been planned for at least two weeks, and they didn’t know who else might be aware of it. If Tony had been in the know, then it meant Moroso likely knew, as well, because the slimy weasel had apparently been divulging secrets. If Moroso really was after Ashlynn, what would stop him from having his hired guns show up there? They’d only changed the timeline by a little more than an hour, so it would be pretty damn easy to take her out, along with the judge, if they so chose. Which, in the end, would prove more beneficial to Moroso than he probably even realized.
A woman’s voice sounded from the other room, and the judge abruptly got to his feet. “That’s my wife. She can’t know about this.”
“I’ll take that as my cue to go then,” Ashlynn said with a smile as she got to her feet. “Am I gonna need to make any more house calls?”
Roberts shook his head, then peered over his shoulder.
“Good.”
Leyton placed his hand on the small of Ashlynn’s back and followed her toward the door.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Ashlynn said, turning to face Roberts.
“What’s that?”
“You’ve got an appeal coming up. Dennis Moroso.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s denied.”
“I c-can’t d-do that,” Roberts stuttered.
“You can and you will. Otherwise, they’ll be mourning your death and filling your vacant seat in the very near future.” Her tone was so matter-of-fact it sent a chill down Jase’s spine.
Ashlynn and Leyton passed Jase on their way to the door. He kept his eye on Roberts as he backed out of the room behind them. He scanned the foyer, up the stairs, everywhere someone could surprise them from, but thankfully, they didn’t encounter anyone else on their way out.
Rock was sitting in the idling Cadillac CTS-V just outside the front door, and within seconds, they had Ashlynn inside.
“Where to, boss?” Rock asked, looking back at them from the rearview mirror.
“Take the long way back to my place,” Ashlynn said, though the question had been directed at Leyton. “Oh, and Rock?”
“Yes?”
“Keep your eyes on the road. Anything you hear is of no concern to you. Understood?”
Jase couldn’t see Rock’s mouth in the mirror, but he could tell by the man’s eyes that he was smiling. “Absolutely.”
She had effectively piqued Leyton’s curiosity, because his eyes widened as he waited for her to explain. The smile she gifted them with was one Jase was very familiar with. She had a dark, devious side, and she enjoyed pushing people to do things they didn’t necessarily want to do. Or, in this case, they didn’t think they wanted to do.
Ashlynn reached for the button on Jase’s jeans, causing him to suck in a breath as she grazed his dick with the side of her hand. She was sitting between him and Leyton in the backseat, so she didn’t have far to reach. He wasn’t sure what she had in mind, but considering they didn’t have a lot of room to maneuver—as it was, his knees were damn near in his face—this was sure to get interesting if Leyton didn’t put a halt to it now.
Jase glanced at Leyton. As much as he wanted this to happen, one of them had to be vigilant. Ashlynn’s life was on the line, and allowing her naughty side loose right now—as tempting as that might be—wasn’t an option.
“No,” Leyton barked, his hand coming down to cover Ashlynn’s, both resting atop Jase’s now growing erection, causing his blood pressure to soar. “We’re not doin’ this.”
“Oh, but we are,” Ashlynn assured him.
“Not here,” Leyton added, his eyes hard.
“Fine,” Ashlynn conceded. “Rock, nix the scenic route, please.”
Leyton’s voice lowered so that only the three of them would hear him. “Ashlynn, you’re gonna get me killed.”
“Oh, quit bein’ so dramatic,” she mumbled, turning her attention to Leyton after giving Jase’s leg a pat.
Jase watched the interaction. A smile formed when Ashlynn stared at Leyton until he finally relented, his shoulders relaxing as he leaned back into the seat. But he didn’t get far before Ashlynn had Leyton’s face in her hands and her mouth crushed to his.
Just when Jase thought Leyton would panic, pull away, possibly pretend that the kiss hadn’t actually happened, the man surprised the hell out of him. Leyton’s arm slid around Ashlynn’s shoulders as he pulled her close, kissing her as though his life depended on it.
Jase had always known that the man would eventually reach his breaking point. He had to wonder if today was that day.
Realizing where they were and what his role was supposed to be, Jase immediately turned his attention back to the scenery outside the window, scanning their surroundings, making sure everything was kosher.
Once he was satisfied, he met Rock’s curious gaze in the rearview mirror, nodded once, and prayed like hell the man could get them back to Ashlynn’s as soon as fucking possible.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Don’t kid yourself. It’s just sex.
Three years ago
After helping Ashlynn up to her bedroom, getting her settled beneath the blankets, Jase was getting ready to leave her alone when she called out to him from the darkness.
The sound of her voice stopped him, causing him to swallow hard as he placed his hand on the doorknob. He needed to leave, to keep going, to walk out of her room and let her sleep it off. They’d been at Devil’s Playground for the past few hours, and Ashlynn had managed to drink enough to become belligerent. Thankfully, Max had been there, and he’d encouraged Ashlynn to go home and sleep it off.
Exactly what Jase had been hoping she would do.
“Don’t leave me,” Ashlynn pleaded, and his heart thumped painfully hard in his chest.