Page 104 of Queen Of Dark Money

Butthere was no time to be sick.Notime to let the anxiety in.Icouldn’t afford a breakdown whenIwas fleeing a hitman.

AndRafewas of the same mind.

Iput my head against his back and closed my eyes, refusing to open them even as the cars moved up beside us, surrounding the bike at high speeds as we kept going, right out of the fucking city and into what had to be the pier district.

I’dbeen here whenIfirst arrived, and the smell was something you didn’t quickly forget.Itreeked of fish, rust, andsaltwater, the underlying tang of metal never quite leaving the back of your throat.Itwas a smellI’dbeen familiar with, on the other side of the country, on my own coastline.Thefishing wharf reeked like this, too.So, in a sense, it felt almost like home.

Butmy mind knew it wasn’t.

Itwas far from the homeIknew, the home whereIfelt somewhat safer thanIdid here.

Rafeslowed to a stop, andIbarely opened my eyes a peek beforeIwas being yanked off the back of the bike by strong hands that felt vaguely familiar.Myhair was shoved from my face asIcame nose to nose with a very franticJasperStone, his eyes blown wide, pupils dilated, adrenaline pounding through his veins, clearly affecting his mental state.Heshook me slightly, his teeth bared, red creeping up his cheeks.

“Whatthefuckdo you think you’re doing?Youalmost gotkilledout there!”

Rafewas scrambling to put the kickstand down on his bike so he could get over to me, butRiverwas there first, his fist flying, slamming intoRafe’sside as he fell off the bike and rolled away, narrowly missing being crushed by his own machine.

“Thefuck,Riv!”Hewas on his feet, tossing the helmet to the side, fists balled up at his side as he rounded the now-fallen bike. “That’sa brand new importedDucati, you fuckstick!”

“She’sa fuckingperson,man!” he yelled back, ducking asRafeswung on him, missing by a mile.Isuspected it was due to his shakiness, probably an adrenaline dump.Iwas feeling one.Rafeno doubt was in the same boat.

“TheKings–”

“TheKingsare not your fucking conscience, you addled piss pot,”Riverspat, his eyes narrowed to slits as he ducked and weaved and bobbed aroundRafe’suncoordinated, flying fists. “Youknew we didn’t agree to their stupid idea, and you wentahead and did it anyway.Justwho the fuck do you think you are?”

IfeltJasper’sarms tighten around me as he tugged me against his chest, his breathing shallow but increasing in depth as we stood there in that awkward embrace, two people whose only connection was a week’s worth of practical jokes and pranks designed to piss him off and bring me joy.

Ifelt his lips against my forehead, just heavy enough to make me question whatIknew about him. “Don’tdo something that stupid ever again,” he whispered, just before the panic set in, shoving out the last of my adrenaline spike, the sound ofRafe’sjaw connecting withRiver’sfist in the background.

“Nopromises,”Imuttered against him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Whydid you guys come, though?”

Heleaned back, confusion on his face. “Youtexted.”

Ihad a hard time fathoming someone likeJaspercaring enough to drop everything to show up to an unsanctioned impromptu press conference whereItaunted my father from the other side of a camera. “Yeah, but that was just becauseIhad a funky feeling.”

Hishand moved over my shoulders, rubbing up and down, though if it were more for myself or him,Icouldn’t tell. “Andyou were right.”

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

JASPER

Iwasn’t sure when the change happened.Therewas no defining moment whenI’dstarted to see her as less of an annoyance and more of a woman making the best of a shit situation, but it happened.Alongthe way,I’dlost the desire to be rid of her for my sanity and started wondering whatIcould do to convince her to stick around when theKingswere done with her.

Becausetheir bottom line wasn’t keeping her here.Itwas getting as much use out of her as they could and then letting her return to where she’d come from.Whereher family was, no doubt.

Iheld her against my body, breathing her in asRafeandRiverduked it out not twenty feet from me.Whenshe’d textedRiverthis morning thatRafewas up to something, and that they were onKingsbusiness at the courthouse, he called me, sinceIwas closer, and told me to get there–quick.

Wehadn’t been quick enough.AndDomhadn’t answered his phone yet, so he had no idea.Hell,Ihad no idea she’d been nearly killed again, and was beginning to wonder if the killers gotDominick, too.Itwould serve us right for letting our guard down.

ButIdoubted a man likeDomwould be taken out that easily.

Hewasn’t an easy target.

Abig one, maybe, but not easy.

Riverpulled in behind me asIreached the courthouse, and there was no doubt in my mind that he’d blown every red light along the way and doubled the speed limit to make such good time.Andthen the shots were fired, andRafemanaged to get her on the bike and out of there in record time.

Whatcame next–well, this was only what he’d asked for, doing what he did.

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