Page 104 of Trial of Deceit

Holding the side of her head, Ashari gulped down another sip of water.Sitting and doing nothing was driving her insane.Anxiety bred a dreadful fear deep within her gut that made her queasy.

Closing her eyes, Ashari leaned forward.She bounced her leg and breathed slowly.After two attempts to level her breathing didn’t work, she gave up.

She straightened her back and continued watching the feed.Masked men ran in hives out of trucks, infiltrating the warehouse and going into a shooting frenzy.Everything was happening so fast, she was unsure how Jediah’s crew knew who was an enemy.They moved with such efficiency and precision while she watched in awe.

Still, the enemies weren’t dying fast enough.Many had dropped like flies, but there were still too many of them.Now knowing all she did, she was sure this was an inside job.

Watching Jediah duck behind a column to reload, Ashari gritted her teeth.She couldn’t sit still any longer.She’d lost too much and sacrificed plenty all in the name of a failed case; she couldn’t just allow Jediah to die at the hands of those who betrayed him.

His own family.

The family she’d married into.

Hoping for the best, Ashari swallowed more water.It was a futile attempt to soothe her raw throat, but she didn’t stop draining the cup until it was empty.She stood and moved to the closet.After slipping on a vest and gas mask, throwing a rifle over her shoulder and holding a pistol with silencers in each hand, Ashari slipped out of the room.

She wasn’t stupid.In her efforts to help, she stuck to the shadows and avoided hallways that echoed with gunfire.Emergency lights lining the bottom of walls prevented her from slamming into them while guiding her through the warehouse.Turning a corner with her guns trained before her, Ashari froze at seeing a man at the end of the hallway.He had his back against the wall, panting with a hand pressed against his hip.His other hand, stained with blood, held a rifle.He hadn’t noticed her yet.

Ashari tightened her grip on her guns.She knew she should turn around, but what if this was one of Jediah’s crew?She didn’t know how they identified each other.The dust and darkness of the warehouse had made it impossible to tell.

Ashari flicked the safety on and off on one of her pistols.The man snapped his head in her direction.Surprise flashed in the man’s eyes, his finger around the trigger twitching.

Ashari didn’t think.

She shot him.

Twice.

Two clean shots that ended his life quickly.

Then, she continued down the hallway.

Entering the large room, she ducked behind a table that was on its side, and gave her eyes time to adjust to the darkness.As far as she could see, the room was practically empty.She saw Jediah, but where was Dimitri?They would’ve never left each other’s side at a time like this.Her eyes scanned the room again, her brows pulling together as uncomfortable questions formed in her mind.

Looking back at Jediah, she was about to move forward, when a figure before him made her pause.She shifted about, noticing someone standing a few feet before Jediah.

Based on her small build, it was a woman.She held her gas mask in her hand.The clouds of dust made it hard to see who she was.She and Jediah had a pistol aimed at each other.

They were tense.Someone was going to die.Either this woman, or her husband.

And it could never be Jediah.

Quietly, Ashari laid her pistols on the ground.She slipped the rifle off her back, aimed at the woman with the use of her scope, then fired a shot.The gas mask fell from the woman’s hand.Her hand darted to the wound, shock rendering her silent for seconds before she released a piercing scream.

Jediah looked over his shoulder.He waved his gun around in an effort to pinpoint exactly where she was.In that split second, the woman limped away.

Ashari’s lips parted to yell for Jediah to stop the woman, but her throat protested.Groaning, she yanked off the gas mask and coughed.She knew it was stupid to irritate her throat further, but breathing was hard with or without the mask.Tossing the gun to the side, she bent over and rested her hands on her knees.The ground swayed.Her nose tingled from the awful mix of dust, blood, antibiotics, and gunpowder.

“J-Jed,” she forced out while his footsteps echoed in the room, sounding further and further away.Before she could call for him again, the world faded into nothingness.

“What do you mean?”Jediah asked, his grip tightening on Ashari’s hand.

Cedella smiled warmly.“Your wife got a bad hit when she fell.The baby has a better chance of survival out here than inside her.”

“Cedella, you already a walk a thin line wid mi,” Jediah reminded.“If this is another one of your ploys to get my family to give you and your hospital more money than we already do—”

Ashari’s lips trembled as she moved her free hand to her belly.“I-it’s too early.I’m only twenty-four weeks…” she trailed off with a wince.

Jediah moved closer to the bedside.He loosened his grip and stroked his thumb across her knuckles.His brows furrowed as he wiped away the sweat dotting her forehead.