Page 28 of Echo

After making a quick call, I began cleaning up the equipment we’d brought to the suite so we could tap into the surveillance at the hotel where the fundraiser was being hosted.

“Elias Prescott?”

I glanced at the monitor to see one of the waitstaff standing in front of Ash, wringing his hands and giving him a sympathetic frown.

“Yes?”

“Sir. I’m…I’m so sorry to have to tell you. The hospital just called. Your father…he collapsed, and they’re rushing him into surgery. Your mom is asking for you.”

Ash’s brow slammed down, and he quickly handed Cynthia her bag before digging his phone out of his pocket. “Dammit. I turned it off.”

He looked at Cynthia, who was wearing a mask of horror and sympathy.

“Darlin’, I?—”

“No! No!” she said with an understanding smile. “Go. I’ll be absolutely fine. Go be with your mother.”

“I—” He shook his head. Then he squeezed her hand and whispered, “Thank you.”

Wizard started a slow clap as Ash rushed out of the ballroom.

I rolled my eyes. “I’d be gone when he gets here if I were you.”

He grinned and continued helping me pack up.

“My dad in the hospital?” Ash scoffed as he stormed into the room, yanking off his bow tie. “You couldn’t have come up with anything better? Do you know how fucking hard it was to pretend I cared?”

I shrugged. “Best I could think of to get you out fast while making sure she knew you wouldn’t be home tonight. In an hour, send her a text to check in and let her know you’ll be there for at least twenty-four hours.”

“And if she calls the hospital?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

“What? You think we’re new at this shit?”

Ash deflated. “Right.”

We’d set up a “private hospital” where Cynthia would be able to call and check on his dad’s condition. There was even an address in case she decided to take it that far. It was guarded by a couple of our enforcers, dogs, and an electric fence.For the privacy of the patients, of course.

Ash’s dad was actually on a ship with some donors who’d lost power and communication for the moment. It would probably be repaired by morning…assuming things went as we expected tonight.

Ash stripped out of the tux and pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Then he turned to Wizard with a scathing expression. “You and I need to have a talk, brother? Because if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to get your ass handed to you.”

“He’s just trying not to think about the woman who won’t give him the time of day,” I answered.

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” Wizard groused as he closed up the last case and put it on the trolley we used to cart it up from our van.

“Violet and I have no secrets. You think she doesn’t know what’s going on with you and Thea?”

“We’re not talking about this,” he barked before slamming open the door and pushing the cart through it.

“Touchy,” Ash joked.

“Talk to me when you’re dealing with your own stubborn woman,” I replied.

He scoffed. “Not gonna happen.” He pointed at the tux balled up on the floor. “You, King, and Blaze got fucking lucky. Probably have the only three sane women in the world.”

I laughed and tossed him his cut from the bed. “We’ll see.”

An hour later, we were staking out Ash’s “house”—or the house we rented to solidify the illusion of Elias Prescott III—when King sent me a text to let me know that Cynthia had called to find out Ash’s dad’s condition.

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