Page 37 of Dark Obsession
Chapter 13
Nate
"Just relax. They're really nice people. You might actually like them." Ashley gave me a tight smile as we got out of my truck and walked to the front of the mansion. My bike would have helped ease my angst, but I didn't think it would look too good driving like a badass on the rich side of town. Probably have the fucking cops called on me ten times before I parked the damn thing.
"I doubt that, but thanks." I placed my hand on her lower back and reached up to ring the doorbell. "I thought rich people had a valet."
"They do, usually." She glanced around and jerked back stiffly as the door opened. "Daniella. Paul."
I waited behind Ashley as she moved into the couple’s arms and let out a long cry. She broke down into tears and I found myself rather impressed with her antics. I'd never seen her really cry other than the day we found her mother raped and murdered in the old shitty shack where she lived when we were kids. Outside of that, she was emotionally high or fueled by anger. There was no in between.
Had her tears earlier back at the apartment just been a warm-up to her performance in front of the dude's parents? I realized that I didn't know his name. Fuck. I'd have to ask her just in case I got caught alone with one of them.
"This is my good friend, Nate." Ashley moved back and motioned to me. "He came with me today just to be a support unit."
"Well, that's very kind of you." The older man extended his hand and shook mine. "Paul Webb. Nice to meet you, son. This is my wife, Daniella."
The woman was breathtaking, her thick brown hair long and hanging past her shoulders, her body curvy and built for keeping a good man warm most nights of the week. I forced myself to stop being a bastard, though something about her kept driving me toward it. Had I slept with her before? She reminded me of someone. Who?
"Nice to meet you both. I'm so sorry for your loss." I shook the woman's hand and moved back to stand behind Ashley.
"Thank you. Denise here is the one that needs our attention right now. Us losing our son is just horrific, but I feel so bad for you." The gentleman turned his attention back to Ashley and reached for her hand. "Did you have any idea that he was taking illegal substances?"
"No. None at all." Ashley used her free hand to wipe at her face. "It's so lonely in that big house without him." She choked up again, and Daniella moved up and wrapped an arm around her before walking her down the hallway.
"There, there, dear. Let's get you something warm to drink. We'll figure it out."
"I know," Ashley's voice carried back to me, "I just loved him so much, Daniella. He was everything to me. We shared everything. Why wouldn't he tell me about his addiction to whatever the hell this stuff was?"
Paul let out a long sigh. "I never thought the day would come where I would have to bury one of my children."
"I'm so sorry, sir." I slipped my hands into my pockets, feeling beyond uncomfortable. I didn'tdopeople. Ashley would be paying me back handsomely for this shit - in Benjamins. "How many kids do you have? Did you have? Awww shit. I'm sorry."
He gave me a sad smile. "No, it's okay. No one knows how to behave in these situations. I had Darek, and then my two daughters. They're twins, but they look nothing alike."
"Fraternal twins?"
"Yeah. Come on in here and take a load off while the girls visit." He moved in front of me, and I followed him down a long hallway to a brightly lit study. There were windows from floor to ceiling, covering three-fourths of the room.
"Wow. It's beautiful in here." I turned slowly, taking it all in. The pictures hanging on the wall caught my attention, but I forced myself to keep moving. No need to be nosy. I didn't want to know anything more about the guy or his family than I already did.
Ashley was the black widow. I was just the stiff dick that cleaned up her mess or pulled the trigger if she got too scared to do it. We had a good thing going. No fucking way I was going to let my conscience get in the way.
"Have a seat. You like bourbon?" He moved towards a large mahogany cabinet in the far corner of the room.
"Love it." I sat down and sunk into the leather, enjoying myself more than I should have. I was a bastard for wanting to live the poor guy’s life. All the parts except losing my son. I snorted softly as the old guy continued to chatter on about how great Darek was.
Funny to finally know the cat's name. After he's dead.
Would I ever have a son? I let my thoughts sweep me away to a hospital room, Jenna smiling up at me from the bed below. Her hospital gown looked good on her. Fuck, everything looked good on her. The little bundle tucked into the blue blankets in her arms was mine.
"You know what I mean?" The guy stopped in front of me and extended the glass of bourbon to me. "It just doesn't make any damn sense. Give your whole life to this fucked up city, and they take your first born when you're not looking."
I took the glass and nodded at him. "What do you mean, sir? You gave your whole life to the city? What do you do?"
"I'm the DA for the State of New York. I prosecute the criminals that sell this shit, and I'm going to let things die down for a day or two, and then I'll find out who did this to my boy." He lifted his glass as something came over his features that left me with the stark realization that if we got away with this shit, it would be by the skin of our teeth.
"I hope you do." I lifted my glass and drank deeply from it. Fucking Ashley, making me come over and sit with the old man whose son I'd helped her kill for money. For his fucking bank account. I hated myself a little more than usual.
