Chapter 17

Ash looked worried, "I don't like this. He's going to give us a location? And we aren't allowed to bring our men? I don't like this at all."

Jo kissed him softly on the lips, "But we have no choice."

Ash looked at her, "I know you want to clear our names. I want that too, more than anything. I want to be with you, and savor our relationship without worrying, but I don't want us walking into a trap."

"I know." Jo said.

"Then stay here while I go. I don't want to lose you." Ash said.

Jo refused adamantly, "No way. I'm coming with you. If anyone should go alone, it should be me. After all, this was my plan."

"No way." Ash said, "Rex would totally try to kick my ass if he found out I let you go alone."

"Try?" Jo asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Ash snorted, "Of course. Don't tell me you think Rex can kick my ass."

"I don't think he can kick your ass." Jo said, and Ash smiled.

"I know he can kick your ass." Jo finished, and Ash laughed.

"And I see what you're trying to do." Jo said to him, "It won't work."

"What?" Ash asked innocently.

"You're trying to change the subject." Jo said.

Busted, Ash thought.

"Like I said, it won't work. Either we go together, or I go alone." Jo said obstinately.

For one moment, Ash thought about tying her up or sedating her when it was time to meet with the cops, but he discarded the idea.

The Jo he knew was so resourceful that she'd find a way to attend the meeting, and afterwards, find a way to hand his balls to him for trying to keep her away in the first place.

"Fine," He conceded, "We'll go together."

Jo hooted with joy and flew into his arms, taking them down on the floor.

Ash laughed at her happiness and wondered if it was the time to give her the words he held close to his heart. Actually, he'd been holding the words for a while, but he hadn't known.

When Jo began to talk about the preparations they'd make for the meet, he decided he'd give her the words when they were done with the situation at hand.

* * *

The Hatter fumed at the injustice of it all. Just one drug deal had led to the cluster fuck he was in, all because the stupid cop couldn't mind his business.

For almost half a decade, he'd successfully managed to keep his identity secret, and then all of a sudden, those two gangsters had found out.

He hit his fist on a table and wondered if they actually knew, or if they were just bluffing, after all, he knew how meticulous he was, just to prevent people from identifying him.

While he wasn't sure if they actually knew, he was sure that he wouldn't wait to find out.

Those two nobodies had signed their own death sentences when they'd told the cops they knew who he was.

He laughed aloud mirthlessly. They thought they were smart by asking the lieutenant to send some men to them. They didn't know they were giving him ample time to kill them before they could squeal like the pigs they were.

All he had to do, he decided, was to get the location of the meet and show up. He'd put bullets in them and disappear.

Yes, he thought. He'd worked too hard for the two fools to put an end to his business venture just like that.

He stood up and sighed, he hated going to Ganghaven. The place was filled with filth, the human kind. He knew he had to do the killing himself, because there was no one he trusted enough to let them do it in his stead.

Trust got people killed. Just ask the dead cop, he thought, with a smirk on his face.

* * *

"You mean you agreed to the ridiculous conditions?" Rex asked Jo, although his eyes were on Ash.

"He gave us no time to respond before he hung up on us." Jo shrugged.

"You know he did that on purpose, right?" Again, Rex's gaze was on Ash as he asked the question. Ash thought to tell him to quit looking at him as if he were a foolish child, but he didn't. The man was correct.

"We know it was a power play. You know, have the last laugh and what not but we didn't call you here to tell us what we already know." Jo said.

"In fact, we didn't call you at all." Ash said with exasperation. They were supposed to communicate the next part of their plans to their seconds-in-command via the phone, but Rex had appeared in person, claiming that the plans were too important to be discussed any other way that was not face to face.

Ash knew the man had actually come up to the house to annoy him.

"That doesn't mean I still won't tell you." Rex shrugged, answering Jo and ignoring Ash.

"The lieutenant has sent us a place for the meet; Ronnie's boutique." Jo said, reading a message on her phone.

Rex laughed. The boutique, like many businesses in Ganghaven, had folded to the high heavens. The building just sat there as a reminder of what would happen to other businesses in the area if the crime rate of the block didn't lower drastically.

"Capo and my men are checking out the floor plans to see if there are places we could use as escape routes." Ash said.

"Are you people actually going to that meet alone?" Rex wanted to know.

Without speaking, Jo nodded.

"Now, that's just plain stupid." Rex said angrily.

"No, Rex. You won't be inside, but you'll be around the area." Jo said in a cajoling manner.

Rex refused to be mollified, "Fat lot of good that'll be when someone decides to shoot you!" He raged.

"That's the only way this will work. End of discussion." Jo said.

"But-" Rex protested.

"That was an order!" Jo said.

Rex kept quiet, but his displeasure radiated off him in waves.

* * *

The next day, which was the stipulated day of the meet, Jo called her mother.

"Jo, how are you?" Ruth asked when she answered.

"I'm okay, mum."

"Are you sure? I'm so worried about you. The life of a fugitive is not for a young woman such as you." Ruth said worriedly.

Jo rushed to comfort her mother, "Don't worry mum, it'll be over soon."

Her news was received by Ruth with a spell of silence. Jo wondered if her mother was still on the line.

"Hello, mum. Did you hear what I just said?" Jo asked.

"Yes. I did. What do you mean it'll all be over soon? What are you planning to do?" Ruth asked curiously.

"I'm planning to present the cops with evidence of my innocence." Jo said, not bothering with the details.

"How are you going to do that?" Ruth asked.

Jo pinched the bridge of her nose. Her mother always wanted to know every detail. If she indulged her mother, it would only cause her to worry more. Jo didn't want that for her.

"Don't worry yourself about that." Jo said.

"I don't like the sound of that. Jo, my gut is telling me that you're about to do something dangerous. Please reconsider your plan, whatever it is." Ruth pleaded.

Join the group, Jo thought. Out loud, she said, "No way it's dangerous, mum. It's just easy and safe."

Ruth snorted, "Jo, you forget I'm your mother, I can tell when you're lying even through the phone."

Jo hit her forehead with her hand, "Mum, I-"

"I know there's no way I can dissuade you from going, so just assure me you'll be safe." Ruth said with resignation.

"Fine, mum. I'll stay safe." Jo said.

"Good." Ruth said before changing the subject to a more benign matter, "Who's that beautiful man that was on the bulletin alongside you?"

Jo felt herself blush, "Muuuuum."

"Hey! I'm middle-aged, not dead. I can still appreciate a fine man when I see one." Ruth countered.

"I'll tell you all about him when this is all over." Jo promised.

"From the smile on your face, I know you two are involved." Ruth said conspiratorially.

Jo groaned, "There wasn't a smile on my face."

"There's one now." Ruth claimed.

Jo noticed that true to her mother's words, she was smiling.

"Promise me you'll stay safe and come back to me. I don't want to lose you." Ruth begged once more.

"I promise, mum." Jo said genuinely. Whatever happened, she wasn't going to die, she vowed.

"Oh, and next time you're coming over, bring your young man with you." Ruth said.

Jo chuckled before she hung up and put her phone away.

When she finally noticed the lone tear trickling down her face, she angrily wiped it away. This was not the time to get in her feelings.

She turned around and found Ash leaning against the wall.

"For how long have you been there?" Jo asked as he approached her.

"A while." He said as he pulled her into a hug and put her head on his shoulder.

"I swear to you, I don't cry every time I talk to my mother." Jo said because both times she'd spoken to her mother, she'd cried afterwards.

"I know." Ash said as he kissed her head.

"She wants to meet you." Jo told him.

"And she will. We'll both go to her. I'm not letting anything happen to you." Ash said fiercely.

Jo dislodged her head from his shoulder and looked into his eyes, noting with intense satisfaction the numerous emotions that swirled in those green orbs. There was anger, determination, and something she didn't want to examine too closely so as not to have her heart broken.

Then she sighed inwardly. Who was she kidding? She was well and truly in love with Asher Mason. In fact, she'd been in love with him since he'd told her his life story.

How could she not be in love with him when he'd proved to be a person who was good and pure to his core.

"What are you thinking about?" Ash asked, wondering why Jo had gone silent on him.

"I'm thinking ... of how pure and good you are." Jo replied. She berated herself for being too cowardly, she should have told him she loved him. But like most people, she was afraid she'd lose him. She feared he might not be in the same place as she, in regards to their relationship.

"Pure and good?" Ash asked with a grimace.

Jo nodded.

"Whatever you say. Just don't tell my men, I'll never be able to live that down. Pure and good she said." Ash said.

"Why? Your men already know." Jo said.

"Yeah, right." Ash said.

"I'm sure they do. I mean you help people, and you ask for nothing in return. You're not even from around here. Other people would've just washed their hands off their father and started life anew in Gulden, while others would've continued living the good life, not minding who paid for it." Jo explained.

"Well," Ash said fiercely, "I'm not just anyone. Moreover, living off illegally made wealth isn't the definition of the good life, at least not in my book."

Jo hugged him tightly. How could she not love him when he said things like this, and meant them? She promised herself she'd work up the courage and bare her feelings to him after they got their lives back.

* * *

Before they set off for the meet, Jo and Ash called all their friends and told them what they were about to do, in case they did not return. After that, they armed themselves with pistols. They shared one last kiss before they set out.

Jo was jittery, although she didn't show it. She kept asking herself; what if Ash got arrested, injured or killed just because of her plan? She didn't know if she could live with herself if anything happened to him. She swore to herself she would make sure the meet went smoothly. If it didn't, she was going to protect him. She grabbed his hand to calm her jitters.

Ash noticed Jo's grip on his hand bothered on painful but he didn't say anything. He knew how frightened and nervous she felt. How could he not, when he felt the same way himself? Earlier that day, he'd vowed to keep her safe and return her to her mother, but no one knew what the fates had in store for them. Look who's being poetic, he thought balefully. To distract both of them, he asked Jo, "What are you thinking about?"

Jo knew she would offend his macho sensibilities if she blurted out the vow she'd made to herself a moment ago, she lied, "I was thinking about my mum's apple pie. It's the first thing I'm eating when this is all over."

Ash laughed, "If you love it so much, it means I'll have to learn how to make apple pie."

Jo gasped, "You would?"

Ash was about to nod when he noticed something. Jo saw his mood change immediately. He began to look around observantly with his hand on the pistol he'd tucked in his back pocket.

"What is it?" Jo asked, her nervousness making a comeback.

Ash discreetly pointed at a homeless man, " You see him? He's trying to act like he's homeless, but immediately he saw us, he talked into something on his wrist."

"Yeah, I see him now," Jo concurred, "His shoes look too new for a homeless man. You think he's with the cops or with the Hatter?"

"Probably the cops, but let's be on our guard." Ash advised.

Jo nodded and they walked on. Some minutes later, they approached the run down building that once housed Ronnie's boutique. Capo had told them that the building had no secret passages or escape routes. The only way in or out was through the front door, and this bothered Ash because that left them at the mercy of the cops.

Jo looked at the other buildings in the neighborhood. Even though she couldn't see them, she knew Rex, Capo and a few of their men were around, watching over them. Jo hoped the cops wouldn't notice them, or the meet would be called off.

Sending up a prayer for protection and strength, something she rarely did, she wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and followed Ash in to the building quietly.