CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE MOLLY
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
MOLLY
I had no idea why we were here, but I was also not going to push my luck with Ashton.
I’d done something stupid, let my emotions run me off, and he was quiet, but the fury was simmering under his surface. It was there. I could feel it, but I also couldn’t lie and say I didn’t want to make sure Amy and Nick were okay.
When we got there, Elijah went inside to check the place first. He came back, and Ashton had me go first. He didn’t touch me, like he had when we went into Katya or when we left our floor. I missed his touch. Even a simple graze of his finger would’ve reassured me a little.
Nothing. He kept a firm distance behind me as I walked in.
Amy and Nick were there, and Amy gasped when she saw me. “Oh my—” She stopped, paling, and her mouth dropped when Ashton stepped in after me.
The whole diner went quiet, more than a few mouths dropping to the ground.
A guy stood up from their table, starting to approach before stopping and moving back a foot. His hands folded in front of him. “Uh. Mr.Walden. Sir. Hello.”
Ashton gave him a nod before turning toward the counter.
An older woman was coming from the kitchen area, an apron tied around her waist. She had gray hair, but it was her eyes that made me pause and take her in again.
She wasn’t nervous with Ashton, not a bit.
She inclined her head a little. “Ashton. It’s nice to see you. ”
He moved past me, meeting my gaze, before turning to her.
As he stepped toward the counter, Amy rushed over to me. “Hey. Hi. Are you okay?”
I nodded. “How are you? I was worried about you.” Nick was watching us, but he remained sitting. He was watching Ashton too. “I’m really glad you guys are okay. I’m so sorry for pulling you into my mess.”
“No. I mean, it’s okay. I have no idea what’s going on, but wow.
You actually know the boss boss man. We—we heard rumors when Jess quit about who really owned Katya, but we weren’t sure.
Then yeah, he and Mr.West both started showing up on the main floor.
They never used to do that, not till Jess.
And you know him. I, uh, I’m kinda in shock.
” She touched my arm. “We went to the police. We weren’t sure what to do.
You ran into traffic, but you yelled for us to leave and Nick saw the guns, and we’re so sorry we didn’t stop and help you more. ”
I shook my head. “No, no. It’s fine. I’m just glad you guys got away, and you’re okay.”
She was nodding, her eyes big and scared, but she gave me a faint smile.
“The officer at the station said they already had you. They told us to go home.” She motioned behind her.
“Nick, uh, he wanted to go home, but I was shaken up. I wanted to be here, with the rest of the group. We didn’t tell them about, you know, about you. I don’t think they know you.”
Oooh no. She was still operating under the assumption I worked at Katya.
“No. I—I don’t work at Katya. I was there, and I—” I looked Ashton’s way; he was now moving to sit in a back booth.
Elijah remained just inside the door. The other guard was outside.
“I overreacted to something tonight, but I don’t work at Katya.
I’m really sorry I pulled you into my mess. I’m just grateful you’re okay.”
“Yeah. Of course. Yeah.” She looked back at where Ashton was sitting. “Do you, do you think you guys would want to join us?”
“No!” I gentled my voice. “No. But thank you for the invitation.”
Her head was bobbing up and down. “Oh. Yeah. Cool. I mean.” She giggled a little. “That’s cool that you know him. He’s—yeah. You know. Wow.”
I did. I really did, and giving her another smile, then one to Nick, too, I moved toward Ashton.
He was sitting with his back to the wall, his front facing the rest of the diner, and his eyes were on me. They pinned me down as I slid into my side of the booth. I could feel Amy’s and Nick’s attention on us, probably the rest of them, but I reached for the menu.
“Nancy is making you something.”
His tone was so rough. Brisk. Cut off.
I ... had so royally messed up. “I’m sor—”
“Save it,” he clipped out.
Really, really messed up.
“If you don’t want me to apologize, why’d you bring me here?”
“To see that your friends are okay.” Those cold eyes locked onto me, and he leaned forward.
“And to let them know I know you. To let you know the extent of what I can do, will do. And to let Nancy know that I’m aware my employees come here after working at Katya.
I need to press upon you that there are not many twenty-four-hour diners open in a safe area.
This is one of them. I say the word, Nancy will shut the doors to them.
I own Katya. My family owns other businesses here. She knows how it works.”
I slumped down. “I’m aware. I’m a business owner too. I bet Nancy is the rightful owner of her diner. I wonder how she’d feel if she found out the person she thought she bought it from had conned her, and actually gave it to a Mafia family. I bet she wouldn’t be as warm and welcoming then.”
He didn’t reply, just glared at me.
And fuck him, but it was affecting me.
He’d been inside of me not long ago, and then I realized how much power he had over me, freaked, and ran. Now everything was up in smoke.
I lowered my head. “I really am sorry.”
He sighed. “I know. We’ll talk about what happened in private.”
God. He gave in, an inch. The knot in my chest loosened, just slightly.
Nancy came over, bringing coffee and a plate of food. She placed it in front of me, not him, and even though it smelled delicious, looked delicious, I couldn’t eat it. My appetite was gone.
“You’re not hungry?” Ashton asked when Nancy left.
I shook my head. “I’ll have the coffee. Thank you.”
I was in the bathroom and coming out, seeing a woman waiting to use it.
I moved aside, holding the door for her, but she didn’t go in.
She was insanely gorgeous. Sleek black hair.
Dark almond eyes. Long legs that supermodels had, and she was dressed in the cutest outfit.
Hemp sandals. A faded jean miniskirt with an oversize corduroy sweater.
Underneath, she had pulled the collar up from a button-down shirt so it folded over the sweater.
The tail ends peeked out from under too.
Her hair was pulled back, two long braids trailing down her back while the rest was shiny. So beautiful.
Her eyes were icy.
“Can I help you?”
“He takes women up there regularly. Three times a month. Don’t think you’re special.” Her lips pressed in a flat line. Her message was delivered, so she started back for the others’ table.
Ashton was watching our exchange, but no way had he heard. He was too far away.
I stood there, the same feeling happening all over again. Like a knife came up and punctured my stomach, my insides were spilling out onto the floor.
It was becoming increasingly and alarmingly obvious how incredibly stupid I had been because Ashton was inside of me. He wasn’t a fun time. This wasn’t sex with no emotions. There were emotions. So many, and while they were curling inside of me, what that woman just did—I felt the switch.
The. Switch.
I began marching for her when Ashton rose swiftly. He touched my arm, stopping me. “What did she say?”
I swung my gaze up, seeing his eyes starting to heat up.
I started to go past him. “Nothing. Just tired of hearing about your other women.”
His hand tightened, then changed so he wasn’t hurting me. He slid down, catching my hand, and moved in again, blocking me from seeing their table. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“How could you? You wouldn’t let me apologize.”
His eyes narrowed, some of the hard mask slipping. “What are you talking about?”
“Why I left. I wanted to explain, but you shut me down. Now she threw it back in my face, and I’m sorry, but I’m tired tonight. I did something irrational. I get why you’re mad at me, but I’m not going to take attitude from her.”
He went eerily still, and the feeling, whatever was going on with him, was starting to puncture my anger. Unease and something else, something I couldn’t place, went through me, but he lifted his attention from me and looked, finding her. He turned back to me. “What did she say to you?”
I told him, repeating it word for word.
He frowned at me. “I have never taken a woman up there before.”
I had to take a step back. “What?”
“I only go there with Trace. We’ve kept our ownership low profile. It recently came out that we own it because of Jess.”
I—had no idea what to say to that. “Before, that manager guy said something about your women too.”
Ashton straightened fully, letting go of my hand. “What did he say?”
God. This was embarrassing, but I told him, including how Elijah tried to shut him down.
“I will question Anthony, but again, I’ve never brought a woman there with me. He was making assumptions.”
And that was ... I had no idea what to even think now.
Ashton turned, motioning for Elijah.
“What did Anthony say to her at Katya tonight?”
His story was the same, but he added on, “He took one look at her, and he wanted her. I tried shutting him up, but he was saying shit that didn’t make sense.” Elijah gave me a pitying look. “How he operates isn’t how Ashton operates. He was wrong. I didn’t get that in earlier.”
I was mortified as the pieces were starting to come together.
I was with Ashton Walden. Who he was, how he looked, his power, his money, even how he walked. It made other people act crazy, which was starting to make sense.
Ashton’s face was unreadable as he studied me, saying to Elijah, “Take her outside. Please.”
Elijah nodded, and I moved ahead of him.
We went past their table. I gave Amy and Nick a small smile, another last way to apologize, but when I saw that woman staring at me, I stopped and leaned into the table.
“It’s not that he brings women there on the regular.
It’s that he doesn’t bring women there. He brought me tonight, and sorry, honey, but I think I’m pretty fucking special.
I got a glimpse into how you think and how you feel, and I can draw comfort.
The universe will give you what you deserve.
So knowing that, have a nice fucking life. ”
Ashton was behind me, then moved closer. “Whoever you are, you’re fired.”
She paled. Others gasped. Mouths dropped again, but Ashton took my hand and led the way back outside. I risked it, squeezing his hand as we got into the waiting SUV.
He linked our fingers in response.
We drove off, and I couldn’t hold back a smile.
I hadn’t completely Shorty Eastered this whole thing.