Page 44 of Beyond Rosy Irish Twilight

“And it’s fucking pointless,” I spat. “These guys aren’t on our side. They’re out to kill each other, and that’s it.”

“They’re protecting you,” Chase pointed out.

“Wrong. You’re protecting me. And I can do ten times better going up against an army by myself than if I had a hundred of these guys at my back. They’re all thugs.”

“Asher,” Chase shook his head. “Take the time. They need it, and it’s not doing you any harm to take a fucking break.”

I averted my eyes from his. I couldn’t stay here any longer in paradise with Jade. She deserved this and so much more, but that would make me want things that I couldn’t have. The sooner I got back to reality, the better it would be for all of us.

“I can’t trust her. She keeps talking about a different life.”

“Uh, probably one that doesn’t involve her father,” Chase pointed out. “That sounds like the perfect ally.”

“Yeah? Are you sure about that?” I spat. “He said she betrayed him. But he didn’t say to who. The truth is, I have no fucking clue what she’ll do to get her way. She may look innocent, but have you ever looked in her eyes? There’s fight in there.”

“That’s usually a good thing,” Lock muttered.

“Except if she’s fighting for something different than I am.”

“Uh…I hate to point this out,” Chase grinned, “but you can’t know what she’s fighting for unless she tells you. And she’s not going to tell you unless she knows you’re on the same page as her. And you’re not going to say anything unless you think you can trust her. See where I’m going with this?”

“Around in fucking circles,” I snapped.

“Exactly. Why don’t you try finding out how she betrayed her father?”

“Yeah? And how does that work?”

“Well, you sit down with her. You say, I want to get to know you better. And then you fucking ask her!” He turned and threw his hands up in the air in frustration. “It’s like talking to a fucking toddler.”

“I can’t trust her.”

“And with the scars on her back, who the fuck do you think she trusts?”

He had a point, but it wasn’t just about trust. There were so many issues between us, I just couldn’t see a way out. “Look, we’re heading back today. The house is ready and the guards are in place. We’re not going to get anywhere as long as we’re hiding out here on an island.”

“Fine,” Lock sighed. “I think it’s the wrong move, but it’s your op. I’ll tell Scottie we’re flying back today.”

He turned and stalked off, but Chase hung around, looking at me with disgust in his eyes. “You’re a fucking coward.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re running away.”

“I’m going back to where the fucking job is. How is that running away?”

“You’re using her as an excuse to step back. You like her, and that’s the problem, because you’re terrified something’s going to happen to her.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Wow, that’s very analytical of you. Fuck you very much.”

I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm. “I’m fucking serious. If you would just talk to her—”

“And blow my fucking cover?” I snapped.

“You don’t know that you will. But if you push her away, you’re losing the chance to find out invaluable information.”

“Yeah,” I scoffed. “Because Ambrose filled her in on all his plans. She’s a fucking wealth of information.”

“What are you going to do when we get back there? Are you going to lock her up in a tower and ignore her?”

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