Blindfold: The Complete Series Box Set (49 page)

Or who it pissed off.

“And why aren’t
we calling the cops?” Toni asked, her voice deceptively quiet.

“I already mentioned that Trask had somebody working with him on the inside. I don’t know if it was inside Phenecie-Lang...or if there was somebody dirty on the force or with the FBI.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I stared down at Toni, refusing to let myself be distracted by her. “Plain and simple, I don’t know who I can trust, and until I do, I’m not risking my sister.”

“She’s not the only one in danger here,” Toni said, fury vibrating in every word. “I deserve to have a say in what happens.”

“This is a family matter,” I snapped. “It doesn’t concern you.”

“Ash...”

I heard Isadora start to speak, but then Colton was murmuring something and they were walking out of the room. I didn't have a chance to process any of that though, because Toni was coming at me.

“I had a letter shoved under my door!” Her voice rose and her eyes flashed as she jabbed a finger at me. “A letter that threatened my family, Ash! That sure as hell concerns me!”

“And they kidnapped my sister! They might have been involved in the death of my parents!”

“So because you were involved first that means you get to be in control? The danger to my family is less important? Or do they just not matter?” Her voice cracked. “Fuck you, Ash. I have a right to have a say in what happens to my family!”

“My parents might be dead because of a dirty cop!” I wanted to grab her and shake her. Didn't she get it? What if something happened to Isadora? To her? I could keep security on her family until we had a better idea of what was going on. Her and Isadora, I had to keep close. “I don’t want anything else happening!”

“Yeah.” She curled her lip in a sneer. “To you. To your sister. But fuck the rest of the world. You’re a real prince, Ash.”

“That’s not what I said.” I caught her arm when she turned away, but she jerked back.

“Maybe not, but that's kind of your usual go-to attitude.” She raked me with a dismissive look. “I’m sure you’ve got it in your head that you’ll just keep security on my family while you try to work this out, but what happens when they decide they’ll go after one of my dad’s employees since they can’t get to him? Or Trask sends someone to the school where my sister-in-law teaches? I’m guessing these clowns don’t much care about collateral damage.”

She was coming up with scenarios I couldn’t even try to find answers to, and I could see her fury growing, the distance between us spreading all over again.

But I couldn’t do it.

“Toni, if we call the cops, and one of them is dirty, then everybody is in danger,” I said.

“News flash, asshole,” she snapped back at me. “Everybody already is in danger.”

Chapter 7

Toni

I was done. Done with this world where I'd never belonged. Done with this man who didn't care about the hell he was putting me and my family through.

I turned and walked out of the room. I heard footsteps behind me, but I ignored them.

“Toni.”

“Go away,” I said shortly.

He didn’t.

I made it up the first flight of stairs, but on the landing, he caught my arm. I whirled around and slapped him without a second thought.

“I told you to stop manhandling me, you bastard!” I growled at him.

I raised my hand to slap him again, but he caught my wrist. In a blur of movement, he shoved me against the wall, and pinned my captured wrist over my head.

Heat and rage merged together, then exploded as he slammed his mouth down on mine. His tongue shoved between my lips, and I bit down as I struggled against his grip. He growled and let go of my hand to shove his between my thighs. I’d worn jeans. I was both grateful and miserable of that fact just then.

As he rubbed against me, his tongue curled around mine and teased, taunted. I should've pushed him away, but my hands clung to him. He shifted against me, grabbing my hips and lifting me. My legs automatically went around his waist, pressing him in just the right spot against me. He rolled his hips and the friction bordered on pain.

Fuck.

If he stopped, I was going to kill him.

When he pulled his head away, I grabbed him and yanked his mouth back to mine.

He bit my lower lip and it made me whimper.

His hand pushed my top up and roughly yanked at my bra until he had my breast freed. As he worried my nipple into a tight little point, I arched my back, pushing my breast against his fingers. The need inside me was a burning, a sharp, painful desire that I knew was going to break me...

Fuck.

“You're not doing this to me again.” I pushed against his chest as I untangled my legs from around his waist. As Ash took a step backwards, I managed to get my feet underneath me.

“Doing
what
? Look, we can talk about–”

“Doing
what
? Are you fucking serious?” I shoved him again, just because I had to get rid of some of the anger, some of the hurt. And he was the closest outlet. To my complete and utter horror, my voice hitched, then cracked. “You try to act like I'm not just another piece of ass...”

“You're not,” he insisted. “I came after you because...”

He started toward me, but I slapped at his hands.

“No.” Shaking my head, I backed away from him, feeling sick inside. “You came after me because you wanted to fuck, because that's what you do when you get pissed.”

“Toni...” His voice trailed away as his gaze landed on my face.

Something he saw there must have spoken volumes because he lapsed into silence.

“You might've thought you meant it, but only because you enjoy sticking your dick inside me. It's lust and that's easy enough to satisfy anywhere. You should know.” I wasn't going to listen to my hormones or my heart anymore. It hurt too much. I had to think of my family. “You seriously think I should be okay with letting you call all the shots on this.”

His eyes flicked away.

Clenching my hand into a fist so I didn't reach for him, I shook my head. I understand where you're coming from. You love your sister, but that doesn't mean you've cornered the market on that emotion. I love my brothers, my parents. You think you'd do anything to protect her? Multiply that by four for my brothers, then make it six because I've got my mom and dad. Now add in Deacon and Franky's families. Children, Ash. My nieces and nephews. You think because she's all you got that you love her
more
? Or maybe because you’re loaded that your decisions somehow trump mine?” I squared my shoulders. “Guess what? I don’t care
about your money. I don’t care if you can buy and sell this block three times over. Respect and decency, compassion, all that means more to me than how much money you’ve got. And you don’t respect me.” The truth of that statement made my chest hurt.

“That’s not true,” he said, shaking his head.

“It is. Otherwise you’d already understand this simple fact: I'd die for any of my family, twice over, and they'd do the same for me, but you want me to sit back and twiddle my thumbs while you decide what's best.” I couldn't even meet his eyes. It hurt too much. “You think you get to make all the calls, because your sister is all that matters.”

The misery inside welled outside of my control now and my voice broke. My eyes were burning and I fought not to cry. Not in front of him. This time when he reached out, I moved away so violently, I almost fell.

“Don't you touch me, dammit! I already told you, you're not doing this to me anymore!”

Slowly, his hand fell to his side.

I needed to get out of here.

“Please, just leave me alone.”

For a moment, he looked like he was going to try and say something else, but in the end, all he did was nod. He shoved his hands into his pockets as I turned away.

I couldn’t fall apart.

Not yet.

Not with my families' lives at stake. My heart could wait.

Chapter 8

Toni

I could still feel his eyes on my back as I closed myself inside the guest room they'd given me last night. My suitcase still lay open, propped on a stand I’d found in the closet. I hadn’t put everything away. On some level, I must have had an idea that this wasn't going to work out.

“How many times are you going to let him hurt you like this?” I whispered.

To be fair, I hadn’t exactly intentionally set out to let him get to me like this at all today. But something about him just brought it out in me.

Further proof that I needed to get out of here.

“You know better than this,” I said, sighing. The sound came out wet and broken, the tears I was fighting edging closer and closer. I didn’t have time for tears. I had to pack. Call a cab. Get out of here without Ash trying to stop me. I didn’t know if he still would, but I had to do it while this hurt was still looming large in my mind. If I waited too long, I might forget how bad the ache was, or get needy and desperate. And stupid.

Everybody had a right to be an idiot once in their lives, I supposed. My brothers had all done it. Vic more than once. And if I started counting relationships in there...Deacon and Franky might've married great women and hadn't dated much before them, but Kory and Vic more than made up for it.

Considering how the past two weeks had gone, I was going to write this off as
my
idiot time. Between the finals I'd missed and papers I'd turned in late, not to mention the fiasco of missing my class earlier this week, I was sure pretty much everyone who knew me would agree I'd been an idiot.

It didn’t take more than ten minutes to re-pack what little I'd gotten out, and just as I was closing my suitcase, somebody knocked.

I ignored it.

I had no desire to talk to Ash again although he’d probably just barge in anyway. I should've just locked it. A moment later, the door opened and I clenched my jaw as ugly words boiled up my throat. I spun to yell at him, except it was Isadora who slid inside.

She looked at me, then at the suitcase. “You’re leaving,” she said, her voice calm.

“Damn straight.” My voice was husky, but level. Looking into her concerned eyes, I made up my mind. “I’m also quitting. If you need me to work two weeks for official notice, I will. But I’d rather not. I’m sorry.”

Her lips pursed, and she sighed. “This hasn’t exactly been the easiest way to start out a new job, has it?”

“Oh, the job was wonderful.” I hurried to reassure her. I didn't want her thinking any of this was her fault. “I really enjoyed working with you. It's just...” I let my voice trail off.

“I know.” She moved deeper into the room, tugging her pale ivory shawl more closely around her shoulders. “Do you hate him?”

“What...no.” I wished I could though. Turning away from her, I levered my suitcase off the bed. “I’d like to, but no. And it's not all...I'm down to the wire with my classes and I’m barely able to concentrate. I missed an important class a couple days ago because I was so tired, I slept through my alarm. And I missed another class yesterday.”

Looking defeated, she settled down in the chair. “You’ve worked so hard. I can't let you put any of that at risk. But is now
the best time to leave? It’s not safe. You know that.”

“I’ll go to a hotel.” I shrugged. I hadn't really thought further ahead than getting away from Ash. “I’ll order in pizza and watch movies. When it’s time for class...” I frowned. “There's campus security. Or I'll talk to my brothers. Vic'll come with me. I'll be okay.”

“Toni, please.” She had a pleading tone in her voice.

I shook my head and hoped she couldn't see the tears in my eyes. “I–I can’t. I can’t be around him, Iz. It's just too hard.”

Chapter 9

Ash

The door closed softly behind my sister, but the sound echoed in my head.

I was still sitting on the stairs, looking at absolutely nothing when somebody came out. My head jerked up and my heart leaped.

I was half-way to my feet when I realized it wasn’t Toni. Isadora bore down on me with a look of complete and utter disgust on her face. The sight of something so foreign on her face caught me off guard, and I found myself backing up a half step before I realized what I was doing.

“You’re an idiot. And an asshole!”

I almost looked around, sure that my baby sister couldn't be talking to me like that. Her voice was harsh, almost unrecognizable, and I suddenly realized that her eyes were glittering with tears.

Shit.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Iz...”

“You know what, just don't.” She held up her hand. “Do you know what she’s doing in there? She’s leaving, Ash.
Leaving
. She's putting herself in danger because she can’t even stand to be around you.”

“Like hell she is!” The words popped out of me before I could stop them. I started to step past Isadora.

“You can’t stop her,” she said as she grabbed my arm.

“If I have to tie her to a fucking chair––”

“Like they did to me?” Isadora said, her voice flat.