Page 66 of Blades of Obsession

“I-I’ll just wait for her to get back,” she stammers, her chest rising and falling, a trace of need in her voice.

I lay a peck on her neck softly. “I knew you were my good girl.”

•••

It’s been two hours, and neither Frankie nor Asher has returned. I’ve been kicking open guest room doors, trying to find the fucker. Finally, I kick open the last door down the hall, and there he is.

Asher’s pacing around like a caged animal, his expression frantic as he runs a hand through his hair.

“What the hell is up?” I demand, shutting the door behind me.

Asher stops mid-step, looking at me like his world has just come crashing down. “You remember that plan I told you John had me doing? That kept me so busy I couldn’t meet anyone new?”

“Yeah, So?

“The plan was to kill John’s ex-wife!” His voice is a strained whisper, but the panic is unmistakable. “And I just found out she’s Frankie’s mother! I’m freaking out, man. I have to kill my girlfriend’s mother, and her father—the fuckingpresident—doesn’t even know we’re together! Why didn’t anyone tell me?!”

“Calm down,” I say, stepping closer, forcing him to meet my gaze. “You’re not going to do anything stupid, like break up with her.”

He shakes his head, the desperation in his eyes cutting deeper than any blade. “What the hell am I supposed to do? John’s connected to Frankie, and if John finds out—”

“Look, man,” I interrupt, keeping my voice steady. “Frankie’s upset and crying in her room right now. You can’t abandon her because of something out of her control. She doesn’t deserve that.”

Asher’s shoulders sag. “But if I don’t go through with this…”

“Why does he even wantyouto kill her? You’re a hacker, not an assassin.”

“He’s not asking me to kill her with my bare hands. He wants me to interfere with the machines that sustain her life so she naturally passes away. He also wants me to mess with the nurses’ systems so they accidentally double-dose her on pain medication. So when she goes, it’s painless and also looks like an overdose.”

“Damn, he’s good.”

Asher throws his hands up. “Yeah, let’s just celebrate John’s meticulous way of planning murder while we’re at it.”

“Okay, okay. But why does he want to kill her anyway? He’s got plenty of ex-wives, why just her?”

“She’s terminally ill. According to him, she’s never getting better. He doesn’t want her to suffer. He thinks if she goes in peace now, it’ll be better than years of suffering followed by dying in agony later. I don’t think Frankie will see it that way.” Asher’s breaths come short and ragged. “I don’t know what to do. How am I supposed to look at her, lie beside her every night, knowing I have to kill her mother? The guilt would eat me alive.”

“Well, first of all, no one is killing her mother. I’ll handle this.”

“Really?” Asher’s voice beams with relief, but also uncertainty. “He’s not just going to take no for an answer, though. He seems really set on his plan.”

“Just let me take care of it with him. Consider it handled.”

“Well… thanks.” Asher sighs, the tension in his voice finally lifting. “I’ll owe you one.”

“Just take care of Frankie, and we’re even.”

“Really? That’s all you want for going after a guy like John? You know he’ll be angry at you, and you’ll have to go through another torture session because of it.”

“Yes, that’s all I want. You know why? Because Frankie being upset makes Amelia upset. You know how I feel about Amelia being upset.” I step forward, my gaze intense. “So you either fix this with Frankie, go in there and give her a big hug so Amelia can feel better, or you’ll find a side of me you don’t want to see. Do you understand?”

With a reluctant nod, Asher exhales sharply, the tension easing slightly from his shoulders. “Okay. I’ll go talk to her and fix it. Thank you, man.”

As he walks out of the room, I call after him, “Make sure Amelia sees you guys making up!”

Chapter 25

AMELIA

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