“When will Max be back?” Jase inquired as he leaned back on the sofa, his eyes scanning the place intently.

The waitress arrived, handing Ashlynn her drink and disappearing just as quickly. “He said probably two weeks,” she told Jase.

“He’s in Vegas?”

Ashlynn nodded, sipping her mojito and trying to relax. “He mentioned something about another casino. Some sort of financial issue, I think. You know Max, always lookin’ to exploit a weakness. He took Brent and Victor with him.”

“Brent’s actively involved now, huh?”

“Seems to be.” Ashlynn hadn’t expected Brent to ever get on board with the family business, but since their father’s death, he’d taken a keen interest. Max seemed to be relieved to have the help, and Ashlynn knew Brent would be a tremendous asset as long as he could stay focused.

“That’s why Leyton’s here?” Jase questioned.

“Yeah.” Leyton was the second-in-command, and he was responsible for stepping in when Max was out of pocket. The position had been reserved for Brent or Ashlynn, but Brent had made it clear he had no desire to be in charge. As for her, transferring into a role such as that one was not something she was interested in. Not now, not ever. Which was why she’d bypassed the opportunity and recommended Leyton.

“You plannin’ to talk to him?”

Ashlynn peered over at Jase, trying to read what he was thinking but not saying. As usual, his expression was blank. Did she plan to talk to Leyton? If she got the opportunity, she definitely would. What she would say to him, now that was another story.

“Looks like you might not have a choice,” Jase muttered.

Ashlynn scanned the room, looking for Leyton, but that wasn’t who Jase had been referring to. Leyton’s sexy-as-fuck right hand was making his way through the throng of people, his eyes narrowed on her as he approached.

“You’re lookin’ mighty fine tonight,” Rock said by way of greeting. The man was a charmer, and sometimes Ashlynn wondered why no woman had ever snatched him up.

“I could say the same about you,” she told him, allowing her eyes to rake over him slowly. It was no secret that Ashlynn appreciated a fine-looking man, and Rock damn sure didn’t disappoint. His mocha-colored skin covered a phenomenal amount of thick muscles, his ass looked as though you could bounce quarters off it, his smile was quick and sexy, and those dark eyes seemed to see right through her clothes. Oh, and his rough voice… Just hearing him speak made her think about hot, no-holds-barred sex.

Rock was hot, no doubt about it.

“Careful,” Rock said with a naughty grin. “You’ll make me blush. But that’s not why I’m here.” The way Rock’s eyebrows lowered told Ashlynn he was about to make a request and he hoped not to piss her off.

“So what brings you my way?” she asked kindly.

“Leyton wants to see you.”

“In Max’s office?” she inquired, not bothering to get up.

Rock shook his head. “Max’s penthouse.”

An intense flurry of sensation ignited in Ashlynn’s stomach. The idea of being alone with Leyton intrigued her, made her curious as to what he wanted. “Let him know I’ll be there soon,” Ashlynn informed Rock.

The other man knew better than to ask for specifics. Regardless of Leyton’s rank within the organization, Ashlynn had the respect of every person who worked for her family, and she took orders from no one other than Max.

“I’ll let him know.”

Ashlynn had no intention of running when Leyton snapped his fingers. As it was, she didn’t particularly care for the fact that she wanted to see him. She hated the feeling of wanting something she couldn’t have, didn’t want to want anyone. She should’ve been happy with what she had, but for whatever reason, there had always been something missing.

“You all right?” Jase asked, his voice low as he leaned in. “Need another drink?”

Glancing down at her glass, she realized it was empty. Nodding, she smiled at Jase, admiring how intensely attractive he was. With his slightly crooked nose—a result of too much fighting when he was younger—those crystal-blue eyes that glittered when he looked at her … oh, and yes, she couldn’t forget his naughty streak, he could melt the panties off a nun. Women’s heads always turned to Jase, especially when he was dressed like he was tonight—wearing a sexy black suit, crisp white shirt, and a stern expression that made men look away in fear. It didn’t hurt that he was armed and not making an attempt to hide it.

She suddenly wished they were the only two in the VIP room, because her body was craving his. Although getting him to fuck her senseless inside the club with so many people around wasn’t an option anymore due to heightened security, Ashlynn had every intention of taking advantage of him before the night was over.

And she figured her need for him would only be exacerbated once she had to face Leyton and whatever it was he wanted to talk about.

Chapter Ten

Ending it … once and for all.

Thirteen years ago

Leyton sat on his bed in his tiny, cramped bedroom—the only place he’d ever had that afforded him a small measure of privacy. Until they’d moved into this apartment, Leyton had slept on the couch, never having a room of his own. Not that there was much to it. The only thing he had was a twin mattress that sat on the worn, brown shag carpet, one old pillow, and a ratty blanket that he’d been using for at least five years now.

In front of him, a pile of pills beckoned him, calling his name, urging him to end it all.

He’d stolen the bottle of sleeping pills from the old woman in the apartment above theirs after he’d gone up to help her fix her clogged sink two days ago. Since then, he’d thought of nothing but them, seeking the solace they could offer.

The two black eyes he sported had kept him from going to school for the last three days, and he knew if he went back, he was going to be put in in-school suspension for ditching, but he’d prefer that to everyone talking shit. They didn’t know that he’d gotten the new bruises and the broken nose from his father’s last drunken rage, nor did he want them to know. It was easier to let everyone believe he spent all his time fighting, when it was actually far from the truth. Although, these days, he did manage to get a few punches in when his father railed on him, but more often than not, Leyton spent most of his time trying to prevent more broken bones since Carl had started using the nearest object to add to the beatings.

As he stared down at the pills, slowly moving them around until they were laid out in a neat row before him, Leyton counted them. If he had to guess, the old lady had just refilled her prescription or she didn’t take them often, because he counted out twenty-eight pills. Whether or not that was enough to kill him, he wasn’t sure, but he could only hope. He was only sixteen years old, and he was ready to put an end to it all. Ending his life seemed the simplest way to stop the pain he endured on a daily basis, to put an end to his bleak existence.

The only thing he had to look forward to was hanging out with Max, but recently, Leyton felt as though their friendship was so one-sided. Max was always there, always attempting to get him to go out and do things, but Leyton couldn’t let his best friend see the various bruises and burn scars he’d acquired, didn’t want him to know that his father beat on him for sport or used him as an ashtray when he felt like it. However, Max had grown increasingly suspicious, so Leyton had started pushing him away. The only friend he had, the only person who actually gave a shit about Leyton, and he couldn’t bear to share the horror of his life even with him.

Leyton felt like a coward for not standing up to his father, but no matter how many times he promised himself he’d fight back, it never seemed to work. He feared the next beating, wondered whether or not his father would eventually beat him to death. That certainly wasn’t the way he wanted to go, hence the sleeping pills.