Page 104 of Emergency Exit
That was true. Without Mason, Ash couldn’t have gotten the business off the ground. But where had Mason been for the all-nighters and the endless rounds of meetings, pitches, and networking? Mason had never wanted to do any of the asks. He didn’t like to appear to be begging for money. That part was beneath him. Ash couldn’t name one project in the last year where Mason’s input had been necessary.
“I offered you a partnership,” said Ash. “As I recall, you said the family didn’t think I was a safe bet.”
“Ash, be realistic. You went to a state school. Your brother was in the Army.”
“Marines,” said Ash automatically.
“Your brother was too stupid to even join the Army. And Forest… I mean, Jesus, he was working for some sheik in Dubai and getting some backpacker pregnant.”
“That is not…”
“You were a risk, but you proved everyone wrong! You’ve done great. And you should have come back once you had more polish.”
“Why would I come back when my company was a success?” asked Ash. “And weren’t you at the same state school I was?”
“For my PhD! It was a prestigious program!”
Ash wanted to ask why Mason was doing this, but he realized the truth before the words were out of his mouth. Mason wanted to make Ash feel inferior. The dynamic of their relationship had always been that Mason knew best and that Ash was bumbling along.
But Ashdidknow what he was doing. He knew he was good atnegotiating. He was good at absorbing information. And he was good at making decisions. What he was bad at was recognizing when a pattern in his life had changed. His brothers didn’t make fun of him. Emma didn’t like him as a person. And Ash didn’t need Mason.
“You could have asked for help,” said Ash. Or sold off things like the stupid yacht that was quickly approaching the pier.
“I shouldn’t have to!” snapped Mason. “I just need some time to rebuild! But Donil isn’t giving me the time. He wants the Miller Project, which again should have been fine, but you and Emma fucking broke up.”
Ash cocked his head and tried to look sympathetic. He wasn’t. He was pissed as hell.
“I can’t give you the Miller Project,” said Ash. Why don’t you introduce me to this Donil guy, and I’ll take care of it?
Ash didn’t know much about boats, but he felt like the large yacht should be slowing down.
“You don’t get it,” said Mason. “These are not nice people. You have to do what they say. I know you think you’re a super negotiator, but you’re just like everyone else.”
People were running around on the deck of the yacht. There seemed to be a lot of arm waving. That didn’t seem like a good sign.
“Oh,” said Ash, rolling the rubber band around his wrist down and snapping it around his hair. “I see.”
A plume of black smoke was coming from the rear of the yacht. That was probably Harper’s eagle. He finished tugging his hair into a top knot, the usual position to get it through the hole in his helmet for sparring.
“Mason,” he shook his head, “All this time, and you honestly thought I was normal?”
“What?” Mason looked confused. There was a yell from the two men on the metal dock at water level as the yacht randangerously close to them, sloshing a wave of icy cold water over the edge.
Ash reached out and punched Mason—a stiff, popping jab. Mason’s head bounced, and he stumbled backward. Ash could hear yelling from behind him. He hoped it was the police but didn’t look around to find out. He had to meet Harper at the exit.
With a furious yell, Mason charged back at him, but Ash side-stepped and laid him out with a cross. The two Russians were charging up the gangplank, and Ash ran to meet them.
Time seemed oddly slow as the two men ran up the gangway. Ash had plenty of time to realize this was just like karate. He needed to line the two men up and avoid getting flanked. He could only hit one person at a time, and if he let them split up, they would have an advantage.
The first man made it onto the pier, but Ash didn’t let him get set up for fighting. Instead, he charged in, stomping out with a front kick and following it up with punches. The man staggered back, and Ash used his momentum to spin into a sidekick at the second attacker—sending him staggering and then rolling down the gangplank.
The yacht was making deep belching noises but had slowed and veered away from the pier. He saw Harper run out onto the deck, and Ash ran for the gangplank. He needed Mason’s boat.
The first goon grabbed Ash from behind and hauled him back onto the pier. Shihan had a set list of self-defense techniques he made students memorize, and this was the setup for number six. Ash elbowed sharply backward, dropped his center of gravity, grabbed his attacker’s arm, and pulled sharply, flipping the man over Ash’s shoulder and onto the cement with a resounding thump. The final moves were supposed to be an arm bar, but he didn’t have time for that. He stomped sharply into the man’s ribs and ran for the gangplank. The second mobster was backon his feet, but Ash still didn’t have time for him. Instead, he jumped off the gangway, sailing over the man’s head and into the boat. He hurriedly undid the rope and fired up the engine.
He could see the cops now. There was a lot of yelling. But he could also see that Harper had made it to the edge of the railing. She kicked off her shoes and dove straight into the Sound without waiting.
33
