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)
They’d tried in the beginning, but she’d taken one look at them and snapped her fingers. “Outside. Now.” Her tone was super sharp, and they did what she said.
No one messed with Sloane.
“Molly, do you want us to call a lawyer for you?”
Most people might be confused about why she was offering this. I’d been the victim. It was my place that was held up—no. Never mind. I just remembered that I had indeed shot someone. This suggestion made total sense, but for a minute I thought maybe Sloane was referencing the other elephant in the room.
Everyone on the street was aware of the Mafia war going on.
When that robber had first come in, I’d thought that Easter Lanes would be collateral in the war because of my loose connection to the Walden Mafia family. I was relieved to find out he was just a typical run-of-the-mill idiot criminal.
“Is that guy I shot—is he dead?”
Sloane and Nea stiffened before sharing a look.
“No. Oh gosh. No, Molly. From what we were told, your hand jerked, and the bullet grazed the side of his face.” Nea motioned down her cheek. “He’ll have a nasty burn for a long time, but it was mostly superficial. He’s handcuffed and in police custody at the hospital.”
My shoulders sagged. I felt like I just gained back five years of my life. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. Did you think—”
I shook my head before she could even say it. “I didn’t know. I was . . . never mind. Thank you.” I shared a silly smile with both of them. “I didn’t kill someone. Phew. I mean, they probably won’t charge me with much for self-defense, right? It was self-defense. It’s not like I’ll get assault with a weapon or something, right?”
They were doing that look-sharing thing again before Sloane spoke, and her voice was curt. “No. They will not be charging you with anything. I will make sure of that.”
Okay. Who knew a nurse had such pull with the police? But go Nurse Sloane. Mentor slash crush.
I gave her another smile while starting to think maybe I had ingested an edible and didn’t remember it. “You’re super cool, Nurse Sloane.” I was starting to feel rainbows and unicorns. That was a momentous feeling. I’d be up for meeting a yeti at this point. “I always wished you were my mom. Did I ever tell you that?”
The ceiling was moving. The clouds were coming in.
I was sure I was seeing Mount Everest too.
“The drugs kicked in.”
A hand went to my arm and another behind my back. I was being lowered down to the bed. “You can take a nap, Molly. I’ll handle the detectives and get them out of here. When you wake up, everything will be fine. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”
I was trying to tell Sloane that was amazing, and thank her for it, but one of the unicorns started to talk to me. I was going to shut up.
I didn’t want to miss this conversation.
CHAPTER FOUR
ASHTON
I should be exhausted from hospitals by now.
My uncles. My grandfather. All had been gunned down three months ago, on that night. And I had been here, watching from a similar hallway as each of them flatlined. Over and fucking over again.
And the blood. Everywhere.
I had to give the hospital staff their due, because they’d tried to save each one of them, but Jesus. They came out one by one, all covered in blood, and that feeling right there, watching each of them and seeing how they didn’t want to look my way—I would never ever forget that feeling. It fucking haunted me, every morning, night, and day.
I couldn’t get that out of me, no matter how I tried, no matter how I focused, how I obsessed, how I thirsted, but now. Now, I had a new mission, one just for me.
Molly Easter.
She was sleeping, curled on her side and the blanket tucked over her shoulder.
I had mixed feelings concerning Miss Easter, and they stemmed from a day that no one, including Trace, knew about. But right now, I was letting the current thought come through. And that was that Molly Easter, among other things, had been a pain in my ass for nearly all my life.
“What are you doing here?” A hiss came from my right, and I stepped back from the opened doorway where I’d been standing, smirking at Dr. Nea Sandquist, who was clutching a tablet to her chest. Her eyes bugged out.
“Dr. Sandquist.”
“You can’t be here, Ashton.” She moved closer, her head ducking down as some of the nurses went by, all attention on us. “Get out. I mean it.”
My body had been churning, a mix of emotions surging through me, but at her command, I went cold. “Watch your tone, Doc.”
She drew back, her eyes sparking. Pain flashed before the doctor shuttered her expression. She clutched her tablet even tighter, her fingers turning white. “I was stupid when I first met you, believing you were interested in me. I know who you are. Since our couple of dates, I’ve been educated.” She spat out the word. “I know exactly who really runs this hospital, but I won’t leave. I don’t care if you threaten me. I won’t go.” She nodded inside Molly’s room. “She’s good people. Leave her alone. She’s innocent from your business.”