Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
They played the proud parents, even when he went to work as a public defender, putting a positive spin on it to make themselves look good. Then he went and joined the Hounds of Hellfire and got involved in shady shit that no one could nail us for…because of Ash.
Which put us where we were now. He was playing up his role as the senator’s son—who we’d made to look like he’d been a recluse all the years since he dropped out of the media.
It probably made me an asshole, but I laughed hysterically when Ash’s parents called, trying to reconnect. Clearly, they’d thought he was returning to their society and wanted to take advantage of the situation or clean it up, depending on his motives. He told them to go fuck themselves.
The best part of having Ash play this role was that we didn’t have to burn one of the aliases that Ace and Wizard had built. We simply had to resurrect Ash’s former self. He wasn’t happy about it, but he’d agreed, even without King threatening him.
“Elias,” she greeted with a beaming smile.
Wizard snorted, and Ash shot a scathing look at the nearest security camera.
I gave Wizard the side-eye and muttered, “Because Baylor Chadwick is so much better than Elias Prescott III?”
Wizard’s amusement faded in an instant.
“That’s what I thought. Now get your head in the fucking game.”
Cynthia put a perfectly manicured hand on Ash’s bicep and licked her lips.
I grimaced, feeling relieved that it was Ash and not me out there.
“I just ran into Dev and Hema Pillai. Didn’t you go to law school with their son?”
Ash plastered a charming grin on his chiseled face and nodded. “Rishi and I go way back.”
“We must get together with him and his wife!” she gasped with a girlish giggle that almost made my ears bleed. “He’s running for Congress. I’m sure if you decide to go into politics like your father, Rishi would be a valuable ally.”
Cynthia had done her homework before approaching Ash. Luckily, his parents would rather die than admit he was a patch with the Hounds of Hellfire. They’d stuck to any facts that made them look good, building trust in Ash without us having to do a damn thing.
“Are you at all worried that she will try to make him husband number seven instead of her next mark?” Wizard wondered casually.
Ash choked on his champagne, and I swallowed back my laughter when it sent him into a coughing fit. He was gonna kick my ass if I gave him any more reason to. Hopefully, Wizard would keep saying stupid things to get me off the hook.
However, Wizard’s concern was valid. Over the past couple of weeks, she’d been making more and more comments about Ash’s future in politics and wanting to introduce him to the heads of prestigious law firms. I’d begun to worry about her motives as well. Especially when it had become clear that she was getting frustrated that he hadn’t taken her up on her offer to go back to her place or come back to his.
But Ash had been confident that she was still on the con, so we trusted his judgment.
“Are you alright, sweetheart?” Cynthia asked as she rubbed his back in slow circles.
“Sure, darlin’,” he croaked with a fake laugh. “I was a little distracted by your beauty, and my drink went down the wrong way.”
She batted her lashes at him, and a blush stained her cheeks as she played with the diamond necklace circling her throat.
There was no way that woman had a single thing to blush about.
“I would say I’m sorry, but I can’t pretend I’m not flattered.”
Ash grinned and slipped his arm around her waist. “It’s not flattery if it’s true, sweetheart.”
“Elias…ummm…would you mind terribly holding this for me?” She held out her small clutch and batted her fake lashes again, and I couldn’t help but think that it was weird hearing anyone call him by his full name. The few people who didn’t call him by his road name used Eli. “I don’t know what I was thinking of bringing that old thing. I completely forgot that the wrist strap was broken.”
Ash frowned at the clutch, then gave her a charming smile. “You shouldn’t be wearing things that aren’t as beautiful as you, darlin’. How about we go shopping tomorrow?”
Cynthia giggled again, making me wince. “Oh, Elias. You are the sweetest. You don’t need to take me shopping!”
“I know I don’t need to, sweetheart. I want to. You deserve everything your heart desires. Now, let me take that for you so you don’t have to worry about a thing.”
She patted her blond updo and blushed before leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
Yeah, Violet had been right to blow a fucking gasket about me being the bait. Any man who put his lips on her was gonna be staring down the barrel of my gun right before they closed their eyes for good. So I couldn’t blame her if she’d clawed the woman’s eyes out for kissing my cheek.