Chapter 14 Kaden
Kaden
My body stutters as Ashleigh enters my eyeline.
To my right, she strides purposefully across the grass, still barefoot, her steps silent but determined.
Her arm straight out and unwavering, the barrel of her gun aimed right at her father.
Her jaw is set, fixed with steely resolve.
Every movement her body makes is precise, betraying no fear.
I’m certain that everyone around us freezes at the sight for a moment before Marcus’s guys snap into gear. Their weapons all trained on her in an instant.
I reach for my Glock, the weight familiar and comforting in my hand, and aim it at Marcus’s right-hand man - Felix. Lee quietly emerges from the car and moves into range. I trust that my backup and the fenceline are doing the same.
“Ashleigh. What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I’m not living in fear.” Despite a half-circle of guns trained on her, Ashleigh’s gaze doesn’t so much as flicker. Her arm is steady, her posture defiant, and her intent unwavering. The sun catches in her hair, a stark contrast to the grim determination in her eyes.
“What? You’re going to shoot me, are you? I don’t think so, dear girl.” Her father has the audacity to laugh at her. What an idiot. He clearly doesn’t know a damn thing about his own daughter. I slowly edge closer to her side.
“Oh, really? But I’ve waited such a long time to see the tables turned.” Her eyes narrow at her father, and her voice carries elsewhere. “Felix? I have his ledgers from the past twenty-four years. Your name is plastered all over them. Lower your guns, and I’ll hand them over.”
Marcus sputters nonsense to Felix and his men, voice cracking with disbelief, but no one has a chance to react before Ash fires off a single, echoing shot.
The bullet hits her father square in the chest, his body jerking with the impact before he collapses to the ground.
A collective breath ripples through the air.
I squeeze off warning shots at his men, forcing them to scatter, boots thudding frantically as they flee across the grass.
Felix stays behind. I follow close behind Ashleigh as she walks over to meet him, my gun at the ready. I don’t trust him; I don’t trust that he won’t try to kill her. Felix has been Marcus’s second for at least the seven years that I’ve known him. Surely his loyalty is unyielding.
Marcus lies on the ground next to them, bleeding out. He coughs and gurgles. I know we’ll have to get rid of his body later on - there’s no chance he’s surviving that shot.
“It’s all here.” Ash holds up a small, silver flash drive between her fingers.
She drops it into Felix’s awaiting hand.
His fingers snap shut around it, and he gives a single, curt nod before backing away slowly, eyes never leaving Ashleigh.
He stays silent, a deep frown wrinkling his forehead, uncertainty flickering across his features.
It’s all quite strange to watch, like a transaction between ghosts.
“A ‘thank you’ wouldn’t have been too much,” Ash whispers to herself, my chuckle seeming to startle her. But still, she doesn’t turn around. Her eyes lower to her father.
Is she okay?
What’s going on in her head right now?
Why isn’t she looking at me?
Why hasn’t she looked at me even once?
Is she upset with me?
Too many questions… I force them out of my mind and reach out to take Ash’s hand in mine. That jolts her and, finally, she turns to me. I search her face, looking for anything she’s willing to let me glimpse - any insights into her thoughts.
“I’m sorry,” A lone tear slides down her cheek.
“I’m not.” I pull her close, hands on her cheeks, and capture her lips. Her arms wind around my neck, mine wrap around her waist, pulling her even closer. “I love you.”