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)
I pushed back from his chair, but I still loomed over him, just staring down at him. “You owe us seven million—that’s with interest.”
“What? That’s—” He quieted himself because he knew there was no reason to argue.
He did, and we both knew it.
“I’m cutting you off.”
His eyebrows dipped down again. “What’s that mean?”
“That means you’re done. You’re no longer in the employ of the Walden family. Your debt will remain intact and will acquire interest, but we both know you’ll never pay that off, so I’m giving you an alternative. Leave.”
He didn’t say anything.
“I righted your wrong. I returned Easter Lanes officially to Molly. But she asked me for one thing, and that’s for you to disappear from her life. That’s what I’m doing right now. I’m putting an order out that if you are seen on any of the Walden premises, that you can be removed the old-fashioned Mafia way. You can take that how you’d like, but I don’t want you in my city. If you leave, never come back, you can remain alive. If you come back . . . you’re out, Shorty.” I motioned to Elijah, who came forward.
“What if she changes her mind? What if she wants to see her father one day?”
I motioned for Elijah to put the bag over his head. “Then that’ll be her decision. Not yours. Elijah will take you anywhere you want, anywhere except New York City. I hope to never see you again, Shorty.”
A muffled protest was my response as I left.
Avery was standing at the SUV, and he opened the back door for me. “Compound?”
I got inside. “Compound.”
I had one more item to extinguish.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
MOLLY
Ashton wanted to take me on a trip, but I hadn’t expected a helicopter ride.
I gaped at him when we drove up to the helipad. “Are you serious?”
He smiled before nodding. He’d also asked for me to dress up, so I was wearing a dress. V neck. The material was the softest fabric. Sequined. It looked light pink, but in the right light, it could sparkle and give off undertones of lilac as well. And it was wrapped around me like a robe. I tied it in front. Ashton was wearing a black suit and an off-white shirt under. He looked dashing.
“What’s the occasion?”
He squeezed my hand, nodding to the helicopter. “Just get on. You’ll see.”
A guy approached us, wearing a bright-orange vest. We were given these helmet/visor things with radio pieces for our ears. It helped silence the sound, but we could still talk to each other. After we got in and seat belted, the helicopter lifted off.
I’d never imagined this was something I would do in my life. Never, ever. Not being the daughter of Shorty Easter, and as I was starting to learn, the daughter of Gen D’amperia. I was learning all the ways she was like me, how she wasn’t like me, and I kept remembering new things. Memories that my dad used to tell me didn’t exist, but they did.
And I had a newfound obsession with the stars. The ceiling in Easter Lanes was getting a whole new upgrade. Actually, the whole place was. The entire interior was getting one giant mural painted over of the night sky, complete with galaxies and stars.
Obsessed. Me.
I was expecting for us to go north of the city, but forty minutes later, we were landing in the Hamptons. It was a private landing spot, behind a giant house. Cobblestone driveway. Grand arches. It looked like three giant villas from Tuscany, but they were transplanted into the Hamptons. A giant pool. A lavish garden. Tennis court. And there were four other barnlike structures.
“What is this place, Ashton?” I asked once the helicopter took off and I could hear my own voice.
He squeezed my hand, tugging me forward. “Come on.”
I followed.
He took me inside the home, into the kitchen, and Avery was there. He gave us a small wave, but he was busy cooking. “Welcome, Molly.”
“Hi, Avery.” But I was so confused.
Ashton kept tugging me forward, taking me through the entire house.
It was all modern, mostly cream-colored palette except for the library, which was filled from the floor to a second floor with books. There were beds built in among the bookshelves, or a few. A reader’s dream reading escape.
Then to the primary bedroom, which was its own floor. Its own library.
Through a secret doorway, into a secret room, then to a secret slide.
“What?” I laughed, taking the slide first and ending up in another whole section of the house.
Ashton landed behind me and began leading me again. We were in a glass-enclosed patio area, and then through another secret door, and we were outside. We were on the other side of the house, by the pool, which had its own pool house, and another whole Zen maze and garden.