Page 140 of A Captive Situation

If that meant going back to college, then that’s what I would do. I wasn’t sure yet.

There was no rush.

But I also had a real-life bucket list to start crossing off.

I was excited because Jake was all in. Turns out that he had another cousin in Hawaii, and we met them when we went for the Aloha Festival. I was also currently learning Spanish, but it was coming along slow. Very slow. Muy lentamente.

As for New York City, we’d be going back. I just hadn’t told Jake yet.

He told me about the deal he struck with his cousin, and I mentioned what I could to my aunts and mom.

A plan was forming.

My mom was in charge of that list.

Jake

I’d been putting this last call off for so long. Too long. It was time. In fact, it might’ve been too late, but I needed to call him. I’d finally told Sawyer what I bargained for our safety.

I stepped outside, breathed in the night air, and hit call on my phone.

The other line rang. A moment later, it was answered.

Ashton’s voice was abrupt. “It’s been a minute since we’ve had a call. I’ll admit, a part of me is excited while a part of me is disappointed. I thought we were done with this. I thought our last correspondencewasour last correspondence.”

There’d been a time in my life when I considered him my only friend. It was when the world was dark, when no one helped and only my supposed enemy extended a helping hand. We had years together where I’d been an ally of sorts. I was a loyal man. I only betrayed those who betrayed me first.

That was the reason for this call. Because Ashton betrayed me.

I drew in a breath before saying, “I’m not calling to catch up.”

Ashton grew quiet on his end. “I wouldn’t think you would. What’s the reason for this call, Worthing? What did you do, Jake?”

I murmured, “It’s more what you did, Ashton. You fucked up.”

He was quiet again before saying, “I fucked up? Okay. Tell me how I fucked up. Tell me the reason you’re shifting blame for whatever the fuck you did. I’d love to hear this.”

It was so simple really. I didn’t understand how he couldn’t realize it. I told him, “I asked you for help with saving my woman’s life. You said no.” I cringed, hearing the laughter that came from him that day. “You laughed at me.”

“I did not,” he returned, so smoothly.

“You did.” It was the day I didn’t know if I could save Sawyer’s life. I would never forget that day. “You should’ve helped me that day.”

Ashton was quiet again before he exploded, “I already had! What are you talking about? I’d done too much. I couldn’t do any more without risking a full-blown war between us and your cousin.”

There it was. The truth.

I noted, softly, “There was already a war, remember? You’d already been waging it against my cousin, but you wouldn’t help me that day because I was your first wave. Wasn’t I?” I figured it out later. If Creighton had known, then there was no reason Ashton hadn’t also. “You knew what my family trained me to become, didn’t you?”

There was silence for a bit. And that was my answer.

“Jake,” he started. “You were a cop—”

“There’s a difference between what my family had me doing and what I did for the force. A major difference and you know it. That’s what you were banking on. You knew he had Sawyer. You knew the lengths I’d go to save her. I was the first wave. You were hoping I’d kill my cousin. And if I went with him, if that was the only way I could kill him, then that just meant I was collateral. Right? That was your plan?”

My chest filled with anger and bitterness. Ashton had power and control. I came from a position of no power.

“I asked for your help against Lane. You told me no.”

---