Page 110 of Trial of Deceit

Ashari stared at him for a moment.Curiosity consumed her, but she directed the conversation elsewhere.He was giving her an opportunity to be selfish, so she would take it.“The next thing is that you killed the only friend I’ve ever had who wasn’t connected to my father in one way or the next,” she said.The sorrow she’d work so hard to bury, forced its way up.A sob almost ripped from her mouth, but she bit hard into her lip to stop it from coming out.Her lips quivered.As Dimitri continued to watch her with a perplexed expression, she stopped fussing her lip.“Dimitri?”

“Charlie is alive,” Dimitri said.

Ashari’s eyes widened.

“What?”came a voice from the doorway.

Ashari and Dimitri looked in that direction.Jediah stood beside a woman, who was almost the same height as him and looked nervous.Dimitri’s eyes widened as he stared at her.

Ashari’s brows furrowed at the woman.“Who’s this?”

“Sashoy Angus, the best bodyguard I know because she’s actually trustworthy,” Jediah spat, his eyes narrowing on Dimitri.

“And his fiancée,” Sashoy added.Her hand raised, slowly waving at Dimitri, whose fingers dug deep into the armrest.“Hi, baby…”

Chapter thirty-one

Dimitri’seyesflashedtoJediah, rage vivid in them, then his jaw clenched.He stood and moved toward them.His shoulder bumped Jediah’s as he walked away.Sashoy sighed before following him.

Ashari stood and moved toward him.Jediah wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to place a kiss on her forehead.

“I thought he’s with your sister?”Ashari asked.

Jediah looked at Ashari, his brows pinching together.“You don’t know her?”he asked.He smirked after Ashari shook her head.

Rolling her eyes, she swatted his chest and pulled away.“You haven’t one-upped me, Jed.”

“Whatever yu say,” Jediah joked, following her to their wing, then into their bedroom.He watched as she lay on the bed, settling comfortably on her back, before he sat beside her.“I’ll tell you about them later.”

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t want you to worry about that right now.I have something else that I need to talk to you about.”

Her brow rose.“Is this about the meeting you went to today?”

His chest tightened.Despite their rocky relationship, he didn’t like lying to Ashari.Especially not since they’d stopped playing cat-and-mouse after Ashari had finally accepted her faith and succumbed to her feelings for him.He couldn’t tell her everything now, but still, he nodded.

“Alright.I’m listening.”

Jediah inhaled a deep breath, then he explained as much as he could to her.When he was done, she didn’t reply.He didn’t know if it was a good or bad sign.Jediah turned his head to the side, listening as a heated argument drifted from somewhere in the house.Sighing, he looked back at Ashari — that vacant look still in her eyes.“Get some rest, okay?”

Ashari stared at him for a moment before turning away from him.Jediah withheld a sigh.He knew she was upset, but other priorities demanded his attention right now.

Deciding he’d deal with her attitude later, Jediah exited the room.Hearing a commotion drifting from downstairs, Jediah casually strolled in that direction while debating if he should light a cigar.

“Weh yu did deh?”Dimitri hissed, his hands balled at his sides.

“Mi caan’ answer that,” Sashoy stated, ignoring Dimitri’s anger.All traces of bad nerves from the initial meeting were gone.“Only Jed can.”

“Jed?!You a come tell mi ’bout Jed?After yu disappear how long?When yu know mi did need yu after wa mi do?!”

“It don’ as simple as you a—”

“Explain!”Dimitri boomed.

Jediah hurried his steps.Dimitri was on the verge of losing control.He couldn’t allow that to happen.

“Wa happen—” Reine gasped as she entered the room.“Sash?”

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