Ashby Holler (31 page)

Her soft hands skated along Dez’s cheeks, trailing a wave of sparks. Sasha drew back but didn’t get very far. Some magnetic force held her lips just above his, igniting the tiny space between them in electric fire.

“I forgot to tell you I love you,” Sasha whispered, her fingers trembling on the back of Dez’s neck.

Dez leaned closer to Sasha, his heart racing, and she jerked back.

“But I hate your fucking guts too,” she said in a dead-serious tone. Her brow crinkled, but that blaze still lit her eyes.

“I can take that.” Dez lifted Sasha’s chin, gliding his hand down her neck. Before his lips could touch hers, a throat cleared behind him.

“This is disgustingly sweet,” Otis sneered, “but we got a lot of cleaning up to do here.”

“Burn it,” Sasha said, glancing at the warehouse. “The bodies too.”

Otis stared at Sasha as though she’d just spoken a foreign language. “But the runs, our pickups.”

“We’ll have to get a new stash house.” Sasha limped to the back of her truck, grabbing a gas can. “This place might as well be listed in the yellow pages.”

“I guess.” Otis shook his head, his gaze falling to the tall metal building. “It’s a shame. You grew up here.”

“Yeah.” Sasha tightened her grip on the gas can, marching toward the warehouse. “I did.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Sasha

Sasha squeezed against the driver’s side door as Dez and Otis crammed into her truck. An orange glow lit the woods around her. Flames groaned in the quiet night, but she didn’t look back. A fire had already devoured this warehouse in her memories. Witnessing the real inferno seemed unnecessary.

After shutting the passenger door shut, Dez dropped his hand on her leg, and she sped off down the trail. For just a second, she peeked in the rearview mirror then darted her stare to the road ahead. Now she couldn’t look. It had become an issue of pride, a dare to prove her back still held a solid bone. Sasha cut around a curve, ignoring the red flicker that danced on every tree. A squeak rang out from under her palm, and she loosened her grip on the hard plastic steering wheel, her gaze coasting to the side mirror.

“Sasha,” Otis said, pulling Sasha’s stare just in time to keep her willpower in mediocre standing. “We should talk about your mother.”

“She’s gone.”

“What?” Otis grunted.

Sasha looked past Dez’s stunned face and into eyes drenched in anger. This would be the point where she usually backed off, delved into la-la land, but she couldn’t stand to live another second in lies.

“I sent her packing. Did you know I owned the entire compound and all its contents?” Sasha slowed the truck. It was getting pretty difficult to speed down a bumpy trail while sardined in a tight cab and keep track of Otis’s guilty expressions.

“You do?” Dez asked, his eyes wide.

Sasha waved her hand in Dez’s direction, bouncing her eyes between the road and Otis.

“I did know that,” Otis said, leaning against his door, “but having your name on a piece of paper doesn’t give you the right to toss your mother out of her home.”

“Did you know Dante was my real father?”

That one must have hit Otis in the teeth, because he didn’t say anything for a while.

“Sasha.” Otis exhaled loudly, shifting in his seat. “I know everything. About everyone.”

“Is that a threat?” Sasha asked, unable to stop the sneer that carried her words. Dez tensed up, but she didn’t look at him. This time, her gaze reflected one of guilt, but she was better at hiding it than Otis.

“No,” Otis said, matching her short tone. “You’re my family. I don’t throw family under the bus when things get rough.”

The words struck a chord, a loud grating tune that plucked at Sasha’s soul. She’d had her fair share of fuckups. In the old days, she wasted years tormenting her mother, and never once was she thrown out of her home.

“She’ll come back,” Sasha said, mostly to soothe her own heavy mind. “Then I can apologize.”

“Apologize!” Dez yelled. “She was gonna let us get killed. All of us.”

“You’re wrong,” Otis said with a low growl that disrupted the air around them. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Do you?” Dez said.

“Guys!” Sasha held out her hand, but it did little to ease the rise of tension in the cab. “Give it a rest. My fucking head is killing me.”

She turned onto the compound, never happier to see the dented front gate. In a minute, she could park this truck then walk away. These two jokers could spend all night beating each other’s faces in, but she’d had enough bloodshed.

Vinny walked down the clubhouse steps as she parked, Kev not far behind. Their eyes were fixed on her, seeking answers, directions, guidance. She never had those things to spare, not for herself or others.

When Otis got out, Dez moved away and Sasha grabbed his hand. “Stay with me tonight?” she asked, recognizing but ignoring the desperation in her question.

Dez smiled, warm and genuine, a sight as rare as a blue moon and just as stunning.

“I’ll stay with you every night,” he said without hesitation.

Every night. The thought was both tempting and terrifying. “We’ll just start with this one,” Sasha said, and Dez’s glower swept back in.

***

Vinny

Vinny turned his back as Sasha walked toward the garage with Dez. She said three words to him before strolling off with his brother, and they weren’t the ones he wanted to hear. No, “I love you,” “Thank you, Vinny,” not even a, “Let’s burn one.”

All she said was, “Mom back yet?” Then she nodded and away she went. Not that he expected different, only hoped.

A zippo clicked, the porch steps creaked, and floorboards shifted beneath Vinny’s boots. He peeked over his shoulder, groaning. The crew of eyes hovering at his back wanted something, and they wanted it from him.

“Where’s Ellen?” Kev asked, shooing the prospects back.

“Good question,” Otis said with a glare that matched his harsh sneer.

Vinny looked at the road far below their rolling hillside. It would’ve been great to see headlights. Then he could point his finger to Ellen, wander off, and wallow while she barked orders, which always seemed to flow easily.

“Ah…” Vinny shrunk down under Otis’s glare, then puffed his chest up. He was VP of Ashby Trucking. These men answered to him, not the other way around. At least that’s what Ellen would tell him.

“Ellen’s out on business,” Vinny said, nearly convincing himself. “She’ll be back soon. Otis, can you crash here again tonight? You know, just in case.”

“Sure, kid.” Otis nodded, easing off enough for cool air to rush in.

“I can stay too,” Kev said, cringing from his own eagerness. “I mean, if you need me to.”

Vinny smirked. It was either that or cry. His friends were as sad and lonely as he was, lugging around their own loads. They should be together. No one else would have them.

“Yeah, man. You can have my room for the night. I’ll sleep in Sasha’s old room, but those two,” Vinny pointed at the prospects who lingered nearby, “they’re bunking in the clubhouse.”

Tingles coursed through Vinny’s veins, turning his blood to steel. He propped his head high and strolled off the porch, toward the big house. Tonight, he was the ultimate authority. It shouldn’t feel so good. His rise came from Ellen’s fall and Sasha’s weaknesses. He could keep a level head, no problem. After all, this power was fleeting. Ellen would be back, and, like always, Sasha would spin the situation into gold. Everyone’ll soak it up, and then it was business as usual, the blissful state of ignorance at Ashby Trucking. Not for him, though. He knew too many ugly truths and hadn’t heard enough of the right words.

A giggle spilled from Sasha’s open window as Vinny passed the garage. He looked up, stopping his stare before it reached her room. A glimpse of his brother’s hands on Sasha’s body was not a visual he wanted trapped in the ole noggin. The images already circling around in his mind, where Sasha ran her fingers through his hair, licked every inch of his flesh, were far better. It wouldn’t be long now. When Dez fucked up and Sasha flipped out, he’d be standing by, her trusty friend on standby, the man who always held her heart in the end.

***

Sasha

Sasha drew the arm that circled her waist close to her chest. Minutes dwindled into hours while she lay adrift in Dez’s warm clutch. He took to snoring a while ago and she’d kill for a few puffs of a joint, but her soft bed kept her shackled in its chains of refuge.

She nestled closer, floating on the cusp of a dream when an engine’s rumble jolted her eyelids open. That sound disturbed her sleep so many nights. The smooth chops of a big block motor, deep bass of exhaust. Mother’s home.

Electric vibes stirred Sasha’s body. Sleep would never come now, not until she said everything she could to return things to some semblance of peace. She lifted Dez’s arm, slinking away. Her shoulder pulsed, more so than her head, but this couldn’t wait. If she didn’t beg her mother to stay, she’d spend months tracking the bitch down just to plea for her return.

In near darkness, Sasha fumbled for her clothes. A heavy metal belt buckle clinked as she squirmed into her pants, echoing louder than it should in the thick silence. She grabbed the end of her belt, glancing at the bed. Dez grunted and rolled over. She inched backward. His arm flopped over the side of the bed, and a steady snore rang out. Sasha hurried to the door, snatching a leather coat from the floor along the way.

Frosty air shocked Sasha’s skin when she stepped outside, filling her lungs with its wintery chill. She crept down the stairs, slinging the coat around her arms. The sleeves ran far past her wrists, and a musky scent tickled her nose.

“Dez,” Sasha whispered, pulling the flap closer and taking a deep breath. A hard edge dug into her ribcage, knocking her chest with every step. She reached into the inside pocket, her fingers grazing the snub-nosed barrel of a revolver. A smile spanned her lips. Dez probably had a mini arsenal tucked away in these pockets, a thought that turned Sasha on too much.

She looked at the big house looming atop the hill and its many windows cloaked in black. Her loosely tied boots thumped as her foot tapped gravel. One apology. After losing so much, trampling on her self-respect should be a cinch. Her legs should carry her punk-ass right to her mother’s feet, but they weren’t budging. Instead, a call summoned her back to Dez’s warm arms.

Sasha turned away from the big house, catching a beam of light in the woods. She headed up the hill, taking light steps. Muffled voices rose above the symphony of crickets, and she pulled the gun from her pocket.

Branches scratched her face, snagging her hair as she climbed the gentle slope into dense trees. A man shouted, stopping her short. She crouched low, glancing back at the compound far below. In the dead of night, through tight-packed trees, Sasha only glimpsed more trees. Twigs snapped behind her. She turned, lifting the gun when she heard the screech of metal hinges. The cellar, she must be near the cellar.

“Fuck that,” her mother’s voice rang out, cracking in fear.

Sasha jumped to her feet. Her mother’s fright echoed in her ears, tuning out the inklings of danger and drawing her forward. She burst from the web of branches, her gun raised high. A flashlight shot to her face, blinding her in white, but she kept her finger on the trigger.

“Sasha?” her mother said. “What the fuck?”

The light dropped, but its glare stayed strong in Sasha’s eyes. She blinked, moving toward her mother’s voice. Blue dots cleared from her vision, and Dante’s grin filtered in. She froze in place, swinging the gun to him.

“I was hoping you’d show up,” Sasha said, clicking the hammer back.

“Your mother brought me here, to take you again.”

“What?” Sasha lowered the gun, looking at her mother.

“He’s lying,” Ellen yelled, reaching for the gun in Sasha’s hand.

Sasha backed away as Dante and her mother closed in.

“She wanted me to keep you locked up for nine months,” Dante said, his eyes fixed on Ellen’s face. “Apparently you’re having a kid and your mother wants it, but not you, little girl.”

“Don’t listen to him, Sasha. He’s insane.”

They kept moving closer, like a magnet drawn to her pull yet repelled by each other. Sasha scurried backward. The gun rattled against her palm, and the ability to control her arm became iffy at best.

“When I told Ellen to go fuck herself, she pulled this gun on me.” Dante lifted his hand, flashing a handgun. “Marched me up the hill. I think she was gonna toss me in the cellar. That’s why I elbowed her in the gut and took this bad boy.” He waved the gun before lowering his arm.

Sasha closed her eyes. She didn’t know Dante. If he was a pathological liar like everyone else, she didn’t have a clue, but this seemed like something her mother would do. She opened her eyes, finding her gun aimed at her mother’s chest.

“You’re not buying this shit, are you?” Ellen shouted, moving closer to Sasha.

“Stay back,” Sasha yelled. “Both of you.” She swung her gun back and forth, legs hurrying away. The whirl in her mind grew into a cyclone. She couldn’t separate truth from lie. Still, they both slithered closer. “Just stop. Please, stop.”

“It’s okay, little girl,” Dante’s voice trickled in so smooth, silky, darker than night. “I couldn’t do it before, but I’m ready now. I’ll set you free.”

Dante lifted the gun, and Ellen cried out, rushing to Sasha’s side. Sasha staggered backward as her mother ripped the gun from her grasp. An elbow hit her chest, driving her even farther back.

Roots snared Sasha’s heel, and she fell as shots blasted through the air. She braced for hard ground, but the fall didn’t break. Stars drifted away, stone walls zoomed beside her, and a darkness swallowed her whole. The cellar. She fell into the—

Ash spouted up in pillars as Sasha slammed onto concrete. Blood spewed from her mouth, showering her face in its warmth. She gasped for air, finding none. No oxygen, no light, just a churn of shattered glass in every inch of her body and a red-tinged sky so far above.

A velvety haze settled over her, bringing the aroma of lavender to her oxygen-stripped lungs. Pain left her body as quick as it struck. The intense fear of dying atop piles of burnt bones melted away next, leaving only cold. Her fingers twitched, every tiny breath held fire, yet her skin hardened in a frosty layer of ice.