Page 125 of Trial of Deceit

“What are you thinking about?”Jediah asked, helping Ashari stand from the table.

“How I could barely enjoy my food ’cause you kept looking over your shoulder,” Ashari joked, joining their hands as they moved toward the restaurant’s entrance, which also served as one of its exits.

“I’m on edge.Mi work hard fi dis, but it feel weird being in Kingston—”

Ashari squeezed his hand.“Relax.Nothing’s gonna happen to you.”

“Easy for you to say,” he grumbled.

Ashari rolled her eyes.“Cedella’s hospital is right around the corner if you want her to give you something for the nerves.”

Jediah chuckled.“Look at you taking advantage of your newfound resources.”

She grinned.“Remember I’m a Richardson, too.”

“Yeah, I guess you are,” he teased, making her gasp.Jediah grinned at her while opening the door.

They stepped out into the cool night air.

Jediah looked before him, then his body froze.

“Hands in the air!”came a yell.

Ashari’s heart raced, her hand loosening from Jediah’s grip and falling to her side.Her fingers began undoing the zip on her clutch.She watched through wide eyes as a convoy of police cars pulled closer to the curb, blinding blue lights flashing atop them.Loud gasps came from the patrons behind them.

Jediah shoved Ashari behind him.He turned his head from one side to the next, encountering nothing but a wall of police personnel behind a barricade.Not all of them were armed.Some of them held onto leashes of dogs, spit dripping from their long canines as they barked and snarled at Jediah and Ashari.

Feet shuffled behind them as Jediah took a step backward, forcing Ashari to take one, too.They could run back into the building, but it wouldn’t make any sense.By the police’s formation, Ashari knew the entire building was surrounded.

“Hands in the air!”ordered a louder, more impatient voice from within the crowd.

Ashari’s eyes darted around, but she couldn’t place who the voice belonged to or where exactly it stemmed from.

“I know my rights,” Jediah gritted out.

“Rights?”came that same voice, and Ashari’s blood ran cold.The person stepped through the blockade, donned in a bullet proof vest with his stance sharp.

Senior.

Jediah went rigid.

Ashari stumbled a few paces backward.

This couldn’t be happening.

It shouldn’t have been right now—

Toby’s eyes met Ashari’s.“I’m giving you one last chance to make things right.”

Those words made the world slow around Ashari.

Yet, somehow, her heart was the only thing that continued at an irregular pace.

Beat.

Beat.

Beat.