She's A Distraction
Jericho’s POV
I watched the screen for the sixth time, feeling my anxiety
grow as the message went unanswered.
“What’s
up?” Ash called from across the room. “I hope you’re not just staring at your
phone instead of getting your crew together.”
I
waved the phone at him, brushing off his comment.
“Are
you sure this thing actually works?” I asked, ready to throw it against the
wall.
The
demon raised an eyebrow. “Of course it works,” he said slowly. “What’s the
issue?”
I
tossed it to him, and he caught it effortlessly, examining the screen with a
curious look. “Oh.”
“Oh?”
I huffed. “It’s clearly broken.”
Ash
let out a sigh and placed the phone on the dining table before grabbing his
jacket from the chair.
“There’s
nothing wrong with it,” he said, putting on his jacket and adjusting it. “She’s
just ignoring you.”
I
felt my face heat up at the truth of his words.
“Then
I need to go see her,” I snapped. “This is ridiculous. She can’t just shut me
out like this.”
Ash stood at the table, shaking his head.
“That’s
not a good idea,” he said. “Not right now.”
“If
not now, then when?”
He
looked like he was trying to keep his cool, but I could tell he was frustrated.
Honestly, I was feeling it too. I’d been stuck inside for way too long—first at
Aria’s place, and now in this fancy prison.
At
least here, things were moving forward. Ash’s crew was on-site, the money was
flowing, and we had a base of operations. But it still didn’t feel like enough.
I’d never just barged in and taken over a business before.
Luckily,
Ash knew the ropes and was handling the legal stuff while I paced the suite, my
mind racing with thoughts of Aria and her sweet vanilla scent, just a few miles
away.
The
idea of her beneath me, all breathless and writhing, had me feeling more fired
up than ever.
“Why
not give her another day?” he suggested. “She’s obviously still mad at you, and
you should be focusing on Knox. You don’t need any distractions.”
“Exactly.
I need to know Aria’s on my side, not against me.”
Ash
let out a sound that was somewhere between a grunt and a moan.
“Seriously,
how have you managed to survive all these years?” he complained. I shot him a
glare.
“Without
my memories,” I retorted. “And the more I think about it, the more it seems
like it was on purpose. It’s all too convenient, getting me out of the picture
like that. Knox has to be behind what happened to me.”
Ash
snapped his fingers and pointed at me with his thumb and forefinger.
“Exactly.
That’s what you should focus on. Not Aria. You can deal with that later.”
I
bristled at his casual dismissal. “I can handle that with Aria by my side. I’d
much rather do it with her around.”
Ash
took a deep breath and shut his eyes. For a moment, I thought he might be
praying. When he opened them again, he looked straight at me.
“Don’t
take this the wrong way, Jericho, but she’s a distraction,” he said firmly.
“And I get it. She’s your mate, and you’ve been apart for too long. I
understand you want to be with her.”
“Do
you?” I shot back. “Because it really doesn’t sound like you do.”
He
let out another breath. “I get it because I want to get back to my partner
too,” he said, his teeth gritted. “Just remember, I’m not sticking around much
longer. I said I’d give you a day or two, and you’ve already pushed that.”
I
inhaled sharply, not thrilled about the ultimatum Ash was throwing my way, but
at least he was being honest, and I had to give him credit for that—and for
everything he’d already done for me.
He
came here to lend a hand, and I needed to make the most of it while I could. He
had already sent some of his top guys and tech to back me up. I had the
resources, the access, and the information.
I
was sure the Black Society was involved in trafficking women, just like Ash
said. It was time to take action. But I wasn’t about to let Aria fall back into
Knox’s trap while I waited.
“How
about we grab a bite to eat?” Ash proposed. “Make your big return to town; let
everyone know you’re back. It’s time to get things moving.”
I
looked at him skeptically, and Ash chuckled, noticing my annoyed expression.
“Or I’ll grab you something on my way back since we’re not
there yet,” he laughed. “Come on, Royce. I really don’t want to mess up my
shoes on this rough terrain.”
He
stopped and glanced back at me, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe what
he was hearing.
“Were
the roads paved in Van Zanth?” He raised a hand before I could respond. “That’s
a silly question, right? Obviously, they weren’t. You didn’t even have proper
heating.”
He
shook his head again, chuckling to himself.
“I’m
glad you find this so funny,” I shouted after him as he walked away. “My two
hundred years of suffering will make for a fantastic story at dinner parties.
Avalon will definitely add his own twist to it.”
Ash
waved goodbye, taking Royce with him. The other guards were lounging in the
living room, completely unfazed by their boss leaving, which left me staring at
them. Their eyes were glued to some action flick on the TV, but they shifted
their attention to me as I stepped into their area.
“Is
there something you need, Mr. Walker?” Jake asked.
I
could totally dash out to Aria’s right now while he’s gone. He’d never even
know if I’m quick about it.
But what’s the point? At best, Aria might actually listen,
and we could have a conversation. At worst, we’d end up arguing again, and I’d
be in a different place when I got back. Either way, it would just pull me
further away from Knox and what I needed to finish.
Ash
was right; it was time to take action. But I still had to grab Aria’s attention
and show her I wasn’t backing down.
“Mr.
Walker? Is everything okay?” Jake asked again.
In
that moment, I figured out exactly what I needed to do.
“You,”
I called out to the biggest guy, a dragon shifter named Draven, completely
ignoring Jake. He stood up straight.
“Yes,
sir?”
“I
need you to run an errand for me.”
Draven
nodded and stepped forward to block Jake from my sight.
“Yes,
sir?”
I
turned back to the table and started jotting down the instructions, with Draven
watching me carefully. I liked him; he didn’t ask pointless questions. When I
handed him the paper and he read it, he didn’t show any sign of disapproval if
he didn’t like the task.
“Is there an issue?” I asked.
“No, sir. Should I take care of that tonight?”
I checked the clock and shook my head, pondering for a
moment.
“Let’s do it tomorrow,” I replied. “In the evening… around
five.”
That was usually when Aria got back from her deliveries. If
she didn’t see me, maybe it would jog her memory of how things used to be
before Knox messed everything up, before I made the mistake of pushing her
away.
With Draven handling that for me, I could concentrate on
restoring some order to my territory and bringing a touch of class back to the Black
Society.