Ash Rising (DEAd Series) (13 page)

“So, now that I’ve given you the intel and business is out of the way, how’s Liz?” Andy asked, sitting across from Ash at the coffee shop near the apartment.

A smile crept across Ash’s face. He couldn’t help it, and he certainly couldn’t stop. Crazy about the girl, he wanted to spend every spare minute he had—and those he didn’t—with her.

“She knocks me on my ass.” Did she ever. He turned himself inside out making love to her, until he was only a dry, desiccated husk. And then she touched him, and he went at her all over again. “God, Andy. I can’t keep my hands off her. These past few months… I feel like I’m addicted to everything about her. Even if we’re not screwing around, I just want to be with her. I mean, it’s like—What?”

Andy’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “You’re in love. Fucking hell. Asher is in love.”

“I…am.” He grinned and scrubbed his hands over his face. “I am.”

“Holy shit!” Andy hooted. “I never thought I’d see the day. Wait until I tell Lisa. She’s going to completely freak out.”

“You can’t tell Lisa.”

“The hell I can’t.”

“She’ll want to meet her and grill her, or at least ask all kinds of questions. Tell embarrassing stories. We can’t do that yet. I’m still undercover. Who knows what might come out? You can’t say anything.”

“I can tell her you’re in love with someone you met without giving away any details. No way in hell I’m not telling her this news. And Daniel. But you are undercover. Shit.” Andy sobered suddenly and grimaced. “How the hell do you handle that?”

“I’m handling just fine,” Ash said with an irritated bite to his tone. Lying to Liz sucked, but he’d never gamble with the op and the safety of the other team members or put all their time and hard work at risk. Lying was the only choice he had. “Already discussed and reported to Pete. This won’t have any bearing on the op. I’ll still do my job.”

“Don’t have any doubt about that,” Andy assured him. “Just wondered what you tell her. I mean, how do you guys talk? About yourself. You can’t tell her the truth. Can’t tell her who you really are.”

“Not yet, but I won’t be working this op forever. We’re pretty close to having enough evidence to take Rico’s group and hopefully one or two of his higher-ups into custody. Only have to balance this for a few more months—weeks, if we’re lucky. I’ve been UC on this going on eighteen months. Pete says it’s time to get me out. We can only risk confiscating shipments I clear so many times before things start looking suspicious. Already cutting it close.”

“True.”

“I’ll be able to tell her everything eventually. Have to do some major sucking up and groveling, but she’ll understand.”

“You think?”

Warmth suffused his chest. “She loves me. She honest to God does. She should be here any minute.”

And then he’d introduce Liz to his oldest friend. The whole traditional bringing the girlfriend to meet friends and family was something he wished he could do—take her home to meet his mom and dad.
The
girlfriend.
The
girl. The time would come, and he’d show her the real him, his roots and where he came from. He wanted to lay with her on one of the chairs on the back deck of his childhood home, watch the moonlight spread silver and slippery over the lake, and make love under a blanket. Meet her family, too, have them come to the lake house and celebrate holidays. Mingle loved ones, spend long summer days with everyone he cared about and cold winter nights curled up close.

Yeah. He couldn’t wait.

“I’m happy for you, man.” Andy reached across the table and slapped his shoulder. “Lisa is going to freak. Seriously. She’s going to murder us all when she finds out I met the girl you finally fell in love with before she did.”

“Come back to my place.
”

Ash had asked three times in as many minutes since he’d brought her home after spending the night at his apartment. Liz shook her head despite the wet, persuasive kisses he plied to change her mind.

“Can’t. Have to study.” She didn’t refuse him often, and he wasn’t playing fair by tempting her. He eased away from where he trapped her against his bike to give an apologetic smile.

“Okay, beautiful. I understand. School’s too important, and I’m being a selfish bastard. Sorry.”

“Later,” she promised, giving him one last kiss. “Maybe tonight.”

He groaned with dramatic flair, drawing a laugh from her as he’d intended. Liz escaped his roving hands and slid onto his seat of the motorcycle. She joked around by making
vroom-vroom
noises, and he chuckled as he slipped into the spot behind her, reversing their usual positions.

“Will you teach me to drive?” she asked, both hands on the grips as she looked at him over her shoulder.

He settled her more snugly into the crux of his thighs, rubbing and pushing lightly against her ass. Easing forward until he covered her with his body, he put his chin on top of her head, hands over hers on the grips, and she leaned back with a sigh of contentment.

“Sure. But not right now. Maybe tonight.” His lips brushed over her cheek and placed small, sucking kisses along her neck to her jaw.

“Definitely tonight,” she agreed, head lolling back on his shoulder when he slid his hands along the sides of her breasts and down her sides to rest in the dip of her waist. His fingers tickled along the bare skin above the waistband of her jeans and then curled and stroked just below.

Liz moaned a soft, breathy exhalation when he rocked his hips, but the front door opened and doused his craving like a bucket of cold water. Gina stood on the front porch, frozen on a step halfway down and staring at them. A scowl narrowed her eyes as she descended toward the drive.

“For fuck’s sake, you two.” Gina stopped next to the bike with her hands on her hips. “You have to do that out here in front of the house?”

“Do what?” Liz tried for innocence, but Ash’s hands tightened on her hips when she would have slid off the bike.

“Um, you might want to stay where you’re at for a second, beautiful. Otherwise, Gina’s going to get an eyeful of what exactly we were doing.” He cast a rueful glance down at his lap and held her against his still-fierce erection.

Gina threw up her hands and stomped toward her car. “You’re an asshole.”

“Why are you the asshole?” Liz wondered, and Ash just snorted.

“Don’t wait up for me,” Liz called to Gina as she pulled out past them. “I’m heading over to Ash’s after class tonight.”

Gina waved her middle finger out the window.

“Well, we’ve cemented your place on her shit list.” Liz turned and gave him a solid, searching kiss. “She’s so jealous.”

Ash broke away with raised brows.

“Oh, like I didn’t figure that out from day one.” Liz got off the bike and waved her hand airily. “But she can bitch and pout all she wants. I’m going to be the one taking care of this tonight.”

She palmed him through his jeans, and he grunted at the unexpected but not unwelcome touch. “And every other.”

“Got to go,” she whispered against his lips, kissing him again despite her words.

Groaning, she pushed away, and he fisted his hands on his thighs, forced his feet to stay planted on either side of the bike to keep from going after her. She walked backward, her fingers touching her kiss-swollen lips, and he bared his teeth at her. With a startled laugh, she whirled away and marched into the house.

Ash sat on the bike for a few seconds after the front door shut, willing himself to cool the fuck off before he did something stupid like chase her down and carry her away as if he were some evil villain. Mainlining caffeine and going over information on the next delivery to be cleared through the Port of Toronto was on his agenda. The job was big given the odd way Rico had been acting, and
the whole deal made his instincts sit up and take notice. He needed to figure out why.

Back at his apartment, he debated about contacting Andy, but he should get a better idea of what was involved in the shipment before reporting to the team. A knock sounded on his door before he could consider the wisdom of that decision.

After glancing through the peephole with a hand on the gun tucked into his waistband—he hadn’t been expecting visitors that morning—he raised a brow and pulled the door open to find Andy in the hall. “Hey, man. I was just going to give you a call. I’m on my way to grab a coffee. I’ve got something I want to run by you, if you’ve got a few minutes.”

Andy grabbed his arm to
stop him as he moved around the apartment searching for his keys. “We need to talk, Asher, but not here. Now, okay?”

“Okay.” He examined Andy’s features, and dread
prickled in his gut at the look on his face.

Ash
followed him through the front door of the apartment and into the foyer. Only a few short steps, and they were out on the sidewalk where Andy hailed a cab.

“Let’s head to the safe house,”
Andy muttered as the bright yellow sedan jerked to a halt.

Ash started to get into the backseat of the vehicle,
but froze at the words to stare at his friend.

“Jesus, Andy.”
Alarm spread from his gut. If Andy wanted to go to the safe house, the news must be bad. A thought struck, and his heart shot into his throat, threatening to choke him. He swayed and reached out to steady himself on the open door. “It’s not Liz, is it? For fuck’s sake, Andy, it’s not…Liz?”

“No.” Andy shook his head and pushed him into the car. “It’s not about h
er. As far as I know she’s fine and right where you left her. At home.”

“How did you—” Ash shook his head. He didn’t
want to know how Andy got that piece of information.

He stared out the window
during the ride across town, leg bouncing in the cautious silence until they arrived near their destination. Andy instructed the driver to pull over a few blocks away from the safe house.

Ash couldn’t imagine what Andy had to tell him, so he tried not to guess. As long as Liz
was safe, he’d deal. Andy unlocked the door to the townhouse and Ash followed him inside. When they were satisfied the residence was secure, Ash stalked into the kitchen and spun to face Andy.

“What’s happened?” he demanded.

Andy dropped his gaze, and Ash fought the urge to punch him. Had to be something big, but speculating was pointless. Andy would tell him soon enough.

“Maybe we should sit,” Andy hedged.

“Maybe you should just fucking tell me what’s going on,” Ash growled.

“Ash.”

His stomach jumped at the catch in his friend’s voice. Something was really fucked up. Andy raised wet, reddened eyes, and Ash’s pulse accelerated to sickening thuds.

“Ash, your mom and dad were killed last night.”

“Wha—” His chest tightened with a vicious squeeze. He couldn’t talk. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t believe. “What
?
”

He staggered forward
, and Andy jumped to catch or support, but Ash held his hand out to stop him. Gasping for breath, he stared blankly at his own knees, body hunched over to ward off pain and welcome denial.

“What…” H
is voice rasped hoarse, rough. Ash shook his head and tried again. “You’re sure?” He barked out a laugh. “Of course you’re sure. Sorry.”

“Ash.
I’m sorry.” Andy lifted a hand toward him but let his arm drop.

Ash gripped
the back of the chair and concentrated on his knuckles, trembling and white with strain. He had to stop the room from whirling around him. Heaving in one breath and then another, he swallowed shock and grief, but the bitter, burning scorch seared his throat. Darkness grasped at his extremities and sapped his strength, threatened his control. He swayed but managed to stay upright, staring hard at the floor and then squeezing his eyes shut as fury washed over him in another soul-crushing wave.

“How?” he managed to croak.

“Carjacking,” Andy told him in an even tone.

“Carjacking?”
Ash’s gaze jerked to Andy’s. He spun and stood in the middle of the kitchen, pressing his fists to his forehead. Another choked, humorless laugh escaped him. “
Carjacking?
”