Page 146 of Scars Run Deep

“Yeah. Why?”

She looked away awkwardly and fidgeted with her purse. I saw her move to grab her phone, but pull up short.

“Mom?”

She grasped my hand suddenly. “I’m happy for you. Sorry, I just… I need to get going.” She gestured out at Carson in the distance now holding court with a bunch of the faction leaders and some celebrities too. “He won’t react favorably if I delay any longer with getting back to my duties.”

I’ll fucking kill him. I gritted my teeth, forcing back the urge. To do that, or to react in any visibly negative way.

It wasn’t time yet.

It would fuck up everything and end up hurting her and all of us in the process.

“Okay, Mom.”

“Meet me like I said?”

“Of course. I’ll be there.”

She smiled, then with noticeable effort, turned on her heel and disappeared back into the crowds at this superficial bullshit event.

I made my way over to Asher up at the bar.

“Before you ask, I’m looking into that errand comment my father made,” he spoke quietly.

“Nothing yet?”

“No. I doubt we’ll get answers before the true event taking place soon.”

“What about J?”

“Jonah came through. We have an accurate lay of the land,” he whispered to me, leaning in covertly as though he was just embracing me.

“What?” I whispered back. “I thought he was just with Reed?”

“No. I had to tell you that to keep you calm, because you’ve been on the verge ever since we got here. Actually, before that. As soon as we stopped messaging Aurora so we could focus. She’s the calming influence on you.”

“Fucking secrets,” I hissed.

“It’s only been a couple of hours and now you’ve been told. I’m walking the line, Killian. I’m trying to, anyway. And it’s for you.”

Dammit. “All right, yeah. I am on edge. I probably would’ve done the same.” I took a sip of my champagne and grimaced, then said, “I’m assuming with you now telling me that everything went well with this secret task you sent J on?”

“He’s gotten a complete lay of the land. Specifics that will serve us and Caleb’s team well. They have fifty hostages.”

“Fifty? No, that’s a lot more than we’d accounted for when they were being held at the final site.”

“They’ve obviously brought in more over the last few days. These are all of them, though. The last. We do this and the entire dollhouse operation is done.”

“So, Jonah was able to just walk in to the sub-level downstairs?”

“He used his connection with the enforcers holding the hostages and guarding the space, pretending he was catching up with the several he used to be close with before the Hexwood move. During this reunion, he was able to document everything, snap photographic details and send it all to me. It’s been relayed to Caleb.”

“He’s moving his team into position?”

Asher smiled. Actually smiled full-on. “Absolutely, he is.”

“It’s almost over,” I breathed. “It’s really almost over.”

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