Ash by Julieanne Lynch Page B

and put on my shades. I tried my best to keep calm. Marcy’s mentioning Connie’s name perplexed me. If she had been a man, I would have knocked him out. But as it stood, Marcy, the asshole she was, didn’t deserve being KO’d—yet.
    I turned around and scowled.
    “Connie made stupid promises and requests when she was drugged to the eyeballs. Don’t you get it? She didn’t know half of what she was saying, and you coming here, pushing me into a situation I don’t want, has got to stop.”
    Marcy didn’t reply. Her nose crinkled as she stared at me.
    “So, we’re done? I can go about my business?”
    “We’re not done by a long shot, Ash. If you think I am going to let this go, you have another thing coming. You, of all people, should know I am not one to shy away from something I want. Oh, and another thing, I remember all those late night calls, the gifts, the constant messaging. I don’t forget, even if you have.”
    “Don’t you fucking dare twist my good nature.” I moved closer to her, pointing a finger at her face. “You sick bitch.”
    She was tiny compared to my six-foot-four frame, and it earned me a few glares from several passersby.
    “That’s right, Ash, just keep on living in denial. It’s what you do best,” she replied with a smile and blew me a kiss.
    “Fuck off.” I turned my back on her, knowing I was seconds away from laying into her.
    Without looking back at her, I walked away from the conversation. The perpetual rage burned.
    There would never be an easy way of facing the past, our choices, and the very things that brought us Jake. The good that came out of Marcy’s help was now marred by her persistence. I was adamant that she wouldn’t become a part of Jake’s life. Some would call me selfish, but at the end of the day, I had to protect my child. Marcy and her feelings could go and jump off the nearest building.
    One thing I hated more than anything was confrontation. Things had changed from my youth, when I used any excuse to get into arguments. I no longer thrived on being an asshole. I preferred the quiet life, but trouble always seemed to find me.
    I put the bad feeling to the back of my mind, along with Sophia and continued with my errands. I was on a mission not to allow anything to dampen my day. Not when I had a twelve-hour shift ahead of me.

    I was checking off the trucks when Joe came along.
    He mumbled something to himself and stopped by me.
    “You look like a man with a whole lot of something on your mind,” I remarked.
    “Booze at my age and twelve-hour shifts don’t really mix well,” he grumbled.
    “Rough night?”
    Joe smiled and nodded. “Ooooh, the whiskey was too good to say no to. Unfortunately, I can’t handle the stuff like I used to.”
    When Joe admitted defeat, I knew he had more than likely become the heart and soul of the little gathering, which, in turn, would have caused a bit of bad blood between him and his wife. I opted to question no more and continued reading my checklist.
    “And speaking of booze, where did you scurry off to?” he asked.
    Great, he’d noticed!
    “Jake wasn’t feeling so great, so Danny dropped me off at home,” I lied.
    “Ah, how’s the little guy doing anyway?”
    My discomfort dissipated, and I smiled. “He’s great. Danny is bringing him in later, as a treat.”
    “Good, make sure he stops by the office.” He pointed his finger at me. “And let him sit in the truck. Little boys and the truck, the stuff dreams are made off.”
    Joe walked away, slurping his coffee, letting me continue my rounds.
    I was always happiest when left to work on my own. The station was busy, but most of the guys knew how I liked to do things my way, and rarely interrupted me. Of course, Tracey was an exception to the rule.
    For some reason, I was her target whenever we both ended up on duty together. I always tried my best to be polite and courteous, but there were days when Tracey irritated the hell out of me and she pushed