Page 80 of Lilly

Phillip sets his eyes on Dean. "If you want to be part of this, you will do as I say. If you don't, you'll be the one betraying us. Do you understand?"

I see Dean's throat move as he swallows.

"Mr. Ashford, confirm what I'm saying so I know you understand."

He nods. "I kill her or...or you kill me."

Phillip smiles. "I knew you were a smart man, Mr. Ashford. Now as for your assignment, here is the contact number for the freelancer." He takes a card from his suit jacket and hands it to Dean. "We refer to them using a number not a name. They do the same for us, so when you call him, don't give him your name. Give him the member number on the back of the card. It's a temporary number. When you're officially a member, you'll be given your actual number."

"So what do I tell him when I call him?"

"That we have a problem who must be taken care of. Use those exact words. He'll know what you mean. After that you'll tell him a package will be arriving. The package will contain the woman's photo and when and where he needs to meet her to take care of this. I'll provide you with those details, which you will then convey to the freelancer." Phillip grins. "Simple, isn't it? The easiest half million you ever made."

"I've um, never made that much money, at least not at one time."

"It's just the beginning. This is your future, Mr. Ashford. Just one last hurdle to get past and it's all yours."

He takes a deep breath. "So who is it? Who's the woman?"

Phillip takes the photo from his pocket and slides it across the table, setting it in front of Dean.

He picks the photo up and stares at it. "I...I think I know this woman."

"I believe you do. Earlier you mentioned her stepdaughter was dating your son."

"Rachel?" Dean looks at Phillip, panic in his eyes. "Rachel Kensington?"

"She betrayed us, told our secrets, despite knowing the possible consequences of her actions. She thinks she's safe because she's married to Pearce but no one is safe in this world. Not even me. Or you, Mr. Ashford."

He shoots up from his chair. "You want me to..." He drops the photo. "No. I can't do it. I know her. She's a very nice woman. And she's Lilly's mother. I can't take her mother away from—"

"Rachel is NOT Lilly's mother," Phillip says, knowing that if he didn't correct Dean, I'd burst through the door and correct him myself. I abhor when people refer to Rachel as Lilly's mother. I'M her mother. Her ONLY mother. And no one takes my place, especially not that bitch, Rachel.

"Lilly will still have a mother," Phillip says. "Her REAL mother."

"I can't do it," Dean says, shaking his head as he paces the floor. "I can't hurt Rachel."

"You're not doing it yourself," Phillip explains. "You're hiring someone to do it."

"Give me someone else. Someone I don't know. This is already hard enough. You can't expect me to—"

"This is your assignment and you will do as you were told." Phillip is in front of Dean now, his finger pointed at him. "You made a deal with us and there is no option to go back. I told you what will happen if you do."

Dean's hand goes over his chest as though he's struggling to breathe. "I'm sorry, but I just can't do it."

Phillip steps back. "You're willing to sacrifice your life for this woman you don't even know?"

"I...I DO know her and I know she's a good woman. She's always been kind to me. She's kind to my son. She—"

"She betrayed us!"

"I understand that, but this is too harsh of a punishment. Isn't there some other way to deal with this?"

Phillip gets within inches of Dean's face. "I've told you what to do. Now DO it!"

Dean shuts his eyes, breathing hard. "I can't. I can't do it."

"Knowing your refusal will harm your son?"

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