Page 101 of Beyond Rosy Irish Twilight

“Yes, my thoughts exactly. Better to get rid of the potential rats.”

Something about the way he was saying that and staring at me put me on edge. If he suspected me of working against him, he would sooner kill me off and take over my own operation than confront me about it.

I nodded in agreement and played it cool. “I’ve got a special shipment of weapons coming in. I’ll keep them aside until you’re ready to make your move.”

“If I decide to still move against one of the other factions, I’ll let you know.”

Fuck, he was onto me. His attitude changed the instant we came over here. Asking for a doctor to see his wife so soon after he told me his wife was sedated was a mistake. Now he was questioning everything. I had to get them all out of here now.

I stood, slipping the mic from his desk smoothly. “I think it’s been long enough, don’t you?”

“They’ve barely been up there five minutes,” he said casually. “I doubt the good doctor has even had time to do a thorough exam.”

I just had to play it cool and get the hell out of here with Jade. “Well, I didn’t promise her anything more than a doctor coming over here to look at her. In the future, she’ll need to be more specific in her requests. Besides, I have work to do.”

He was cool on the other side of that desk, giving me only a simple nod. Whatever he had up his sleeve, it wasn’t good. It was time to go. I turned for the door when he called out to me.

“Asher.”

The icy tone of his voice sent chills down my spine. I half expected to be shot in the back. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least. I slowly turned around and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Do find other ways to keep Jade in line than using my wife,” he bit out. “I don’t like to be inconvenienced.”

“Of course,” I said, then opened the door and walked out. His guards watched my every move. I could feel their gazes watching me as I walked to the foyer. I had to play this right or it could be the end for all of us.

37

JADE

I rushed into the room and knelt down in front of my mother. It had been weeks since I’d last seen her and she looked the exact same. I knew it was too much to hope for that she’d pull out of this. But the moment Asher told me Kate was coming to look at her, I couldn’t help where my mind went. I desperately wanted my mother back, but deep down, I knew that was unlikely to happen.

“Mom,” I whispered, gripping her hands in mine.

She stared straight ahead, a small line of drool slipping from the corner of her lips. With nothing around to wipe it with, I grabbed the sheet off the bed and used it. She was still beautiful. If I stared at her long enough, I could almost hear her laughter and see her vivacious smile light her face. Memories overwhelmed me of when I was little and she used to take me on picnics and brush my hair after a bath. She lived for me, always making sure that I was taken care of. Now it was my chance to do the same for her.

“I’m going to get you out of here,” I whispered, swiping the tears from my cheeks. No matter how long it took, I would get her away from here, from this cold place where my father never visited.

“Jade,” Kate said softly. “May I examine her?”

I nodded and pushed off the ground, swiping at my face. Kate smiled at me, then stepped up to my mother. Hunter took her side to assist her with her exam, but I couldn’t stick around and watch. I wanted so badly for them to find anything that I’d drive myself crazy if I stayed here.

I went into the bathroom and shut the door. Leaning back against it, I closed my eyes and prayed harder than I ever had before. She was the last person alive that loved me, and it was like a punch to the gut every time I saw her in this condition. But I needed to pull it together. I splashed some water on my face and dried it off, but my nerves were no better.

When I looked down, my hands were shaking. I grabbed my purse that was slung across my body and searched for a peppermint. I needed something to calm my nerves, but I had nothing. I sighed, feeling so uneasy that I couldn’t settle down. And then I looked back at the mirror and remembered the medicine cabinet had been stuffed full of old meds my mom had taken. We’d never thrown any of them out. I couldn’t bring myself to do it in case one of them might work again someday. Which was silly because the doctor would prescribe it again if he thought it would work.

I shook out my hands and lifted my fingers to touch the side of the mirror. The door gently popped open and before me were lines of medications that sat untouched. I licked my lips as I stared at all of them. Surely she had something for anxiety. I started reading the labels, skipping over the ones that wouldn’t help me.

And there it was. The bottle sat in front of me, taunting me. I knew I shouldn’t take it. My mom’s meds weren’t mine. And they were old. I wasn’t even sure if they would work. But I needed some relief, and they were right there for me to use. I snatched the bottle and opened it up, seeing it was practically full. The instructions on the bottle said to take one pill in the morning. They wouldn’t kick in right away, but even holding them in my hand made me feel like everything was going to be alright.

I tipped the bottle over, letting one pill drop into my hand, then put it in my mouth. Bending over, I ran the sink, cupping my hands under the water. I paused briefly, having second thoughts about it before sucking back the water and swallowing the pill. I shut off the water and leaned against the sink, letting my eyes slip closed. It could take weeks to feel the full effects of the drug, but maybe it would help.

I wiped the dripping water from my face and was about to close the medicine cabinet when I saw one other medication that I knew all too well. They were the same pain pills Lock had given me, only I was running low. If I asked Chase to get me more, he would have too many questions. A knock at the door startled me and I snatched the bottle without thinking twice.

“Coming!” I stuffed the bottle in my purse and checked one last time to make sure everything was in order before I swung the door open.

Hunter stood outside, staring grimly at me. “Asher is calling for you.”

“He is?”

---