Her words were a slap to the face. “What?” My hands gestured toward her. “No. Never. What the hell?”
Ashley blew out a breath. “Okay. Good.Sohas anyone else from his family come for you? Or maybe Dimitri?”
“Damn.” I fell back in my chair. “Malcolm told you everything, huh?”
“Yeah, apparently, my best friend didn’t think I needed to know what shit she had gotten herself into. Wild, huh?” She pursed her lips.
I closed my eyes. I couldn’t take the censure in her stare. “Look, I—”
“No, you had your chance to talk. It’s my turn.”
My eyes flew open at her near shout. She jumped up from her chair, eyes wild, a wave of raw anger radiating off her. Never in all the years I’d known her had I considered her intimidating, but right then? That bitch was terrifying.
“You were so fucking weird after Evie’s birthday, but I figured it was just more of whatever the past couple of months have been. But then you go MIA for a week. So yeah, I made Malcolm tell me everything.” She stopped pacing and glared at me, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. “A fucking mafia boss Sasha? Really? Fuck!”
Glancing away, I forced out, “I know.” I didn’t even recognize the small, quiet voice that came from me.
I must’ve looked like a pathetic piece of shit because Ashley’s face and voice softened. “What the hell happened?” She sat back down, waiting for me to respond.
Internally, I battled on how much to tell her. “I saw him, Ash. I saw him kill someone.” The color drained from her face, but I continued before losing my nerve. “And he told me he didn’t know who he could trust. Like, I watched him kill a guy, and then he tells me there are people like him who aren’t on his side? He’s so unsure he has a guy following me. That’s fucking scary.”
Ashley nodded. “But you knew he was, well, you know.”
“Right, but knowing it and seeing it are two different things. But you want to know the most fucked up part?”
Shenodded,her bottom lip between her teeth.
“I still trust his ass. I noticed I was being followed, and I called him first.”
Tilting her head, Ashley narrowed her eyes as she studied me. We sat in silence for a minute before she spoke. “Okay, so he’s not what you’re afraid of?”
I shook my head. I had a lot of time to think about that night. While watching someone die made me physically ill, Luca still didn’t inspire fear in me. The gentle way he cleaned me up and how he protected me from his own family told me more about him than a dead body could.
“You’re afraid of the other guys?”
I nodded.
She sunk into her chair. “And Luca has a guy watching you?”
Another nod.
“But you’re still scared?”
“Yes.” My fingers twisted together.
“What do you think will make you feel safer?”
Shrugging, I thought back to him wrapping his arms around me in that fucking club bathroom. I knew what made me feel safe, the same thing putting me in danger.
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, fuck.” A chime on my laptop let me know my next appointment was due in fifteen minutes. “Shit, I need to get down to the bank. I have that meeting to go over the loan for the new space.”
Ashley worried her lip with her front teeth. “You want me to go with?”
“Nah. I’m just popping in to make sure all our paperwork is in. I’ll be back by lunch.”
Nodding,Ashgot up and unlocked the door. “Okay, but we’re figuring this shit out at lunch. If I need to move me, Malcolm, Axel, and Scott in until we can get a handle on what’s really going on, I will.”