“Not to mention, I’ve got everyone on it. I’ve called in every favor I’ve got,” Max told her.

“I appreciate that.” Had her father still been alive—or in charge of the family, for that matter—he would’ve brushed her off, told her it wasn’t for her to worry about. But the Moroso family had targeted her, and in turn, they’d hurt Aidan, and they’d killed two people close to her. She wasn’t going to allow them to get away with that. “Does Marco know?”

“Yes,” Max said. “He does now.”

“Good. I assume you’re offering them up for a trade. His life for theirs?” Ashlynn sipped from her water bottle.

“Yes,” Max confirmed. When she didn’t say anything, Max glanced at Leyton, then back to her. “And while we wait, we’ve been trying to determine where you’ll be staying.”

Ashlynn had assumed Max would insist that she stay there with him, but based on the way his gaze slid back to Leyton’s, they’d been discussing something else.

“For now, I think it’s safer if she stays with me,” Leyton said. Although he referred to her in third person, he was looking directly at her.

“I think that’s a good idea,” she agreed, but not for reasons Leyton might’ve thought. It had nothing to do with the fact that she wanted to be with him, but rather because Leyton’s place was a little more secluded than Max’s. “What do you think about that?” Ashlynn asked her brother.

“Leyton has a good argument,” Max answered.

She waited for him to make a declaration that the two of them weren’t to be alone together, but he didn’t. Glancing over her shoulder to ensure they were still alone, Ashlynn stepped toward Max but found herself being pulled up against Leyton.

She peered up into brilliant green eyes. “He knows,” Leyton told her. “He knows I love you, he knows I love Jase, and he knows that the two of you love me.”

Ashlynn couldn’t help but look over at her brother.

Max’s expression never changed, but he nodded.

“So no more issues?” she asked, referring to his interfering with them being together.

“As long as you’re happy…” He trailed off, his gaze sliding to Leyton’s.

Leyton wrapped her in his arms, and she felt his strength, his power. And along with that, she felt safe there. The same as she’d felt with Jase. It’d taken her long enough, but finally, she was willing to admit that she knew what love felt like. Jase. Leyton. They were love.

Before anyone could say anything more, Courtney and Rock joined them in the kitchen.

“Did you figure out where you’ll be staying?” Max’s wife asked, her question directed at Ashlynn.

“For now, we’ll stay with Leyton. But I won’t let this go on for long,” she said, peering at her brother again. “You need to be prepared to escalate if he doesn’t show himself. It’s time to put an end to this shit once and for all.”

“I know,” Max agreed, that lethal look returning to his eyes. “Trust me.”

As for what that meant, Ashlynn wasn’t sure, but she knew she would find out soon enough. “I need to check on Jase.”

“I’ll help Walter make dinner,” Courtney stated. “If Jase doesn’t wanna come down, we’ll have it brought up to him.”

“Thank you.”

Holding her water bottle close to her chest, Ashlynn turned and left the room, but not before she heard Max tell Leyton, “I meant what I said. As long as she doesn’t get hurt.”

Great. There he went playing big brother again.

Not wanting to listen to Max read Leyton the riot act, she went back upstairs, wanting to check on Jase, see if he needed anything. Mindful of him possibly being asleep, she opened the door quietly, then gently closed it behind her.

But the second she turned around, she realized none of that was necessary.

Jase was gone.

A feeling of dread washed over her. For whatever reason, Ashlynn didn’t think Jase was wandering around the house. He was gone.

Throwing open the door, she ran down the stairs. “Where is he?” she yelled.

Several people rushed into the living room, including Dane, Rock, and Courtney.

“What’s wrong?” Courtney asked, looking back at Ashlynn as though she’d lost her mind.

“Jase. Where is he?”

“What are you talkin’ about?” Max asked, sauntering into the room. “You’re the one who told us he was asleep.”

“He was,” she snapped. “When I left him a little while ago. But now he’s not there.”

“I’m sure he’s around here somewhere,” Dane stated, but Ashlynn could tell he didn’t believe those words any more than she did.

“Yeah?” she retorted. “Where? Why haven’t any of you seen him? You’ve been down here the whole time, right?”

Dane nodded.

“Find him,” Max ordered, glaring at Dane, which shocked him into motion.

For the next twenty minutes, they scoured the house, but Ashlynn knew it was a waste of time. She knew where he’d gone, and she wished like hell he would’ve talked to her first. He’d been so upset—rightfully so—but if he went after Moroso himself…

God, she didn’t want to think about what might happen to him.

“I tried calling his phone,” Leyton said when they met up in Max’s kitchen. “Went right to voice mail. I left him a message. Told him to call me.”

“Shit,” Ashlynn huffed. “Why would he do this?”

It wasn’t until Leyton pulled her into his arms that she realized she was shaking. He had to be thinking she was crazy. She didn’t act like this, didn’t freak out when something didn’t go the way she’d thought it would. But this was Jase. One of the men she loved, one of the men she wanted to…

No, she wasn’t going to think about that now. She couldn’t.

“We’ll find him,” Leyton assured her.

Peering up into Leyton’s handsome face, she took a deep breath. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

Pressing his lips to her forehead, Leyton pulled her into him, and she knew then that he was just as worried about Jase as she was.

Now, they just needed to find him.

Before it was too late.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Sitting around wasn’t working for him.

Jase knew that Ashlynn was going to be pissed when she found out he’d slipped out, but he hadn’t been able to sit around and wait for them to come up with a plan. He’d seen how well that had fucking worked, because while everyone had been sitting around waiting for Moroso to make a move, Aidan had been beaten and then Derrick and Sal had been killed.

Nope, time for talking, plotting, planning … that was now officially over.

He’d hardly slept, wasn’t even sure he’d be able to until he avenged his brother’s death. Once Leyton had climbed out of bed, rather than toss and turn, Jase had settled on holding Ashlynn while she slept, watching her, wishing like hell things were different. They’d finally found their place in the world, or so he’d thought, only to have this shit happen.

Although he loved Ashlynn and Leyton, something he would never be able to deny, Jase knew he’d never be able to give them what they needed with this now hanging over him. His brother had died.

Fucking died!

And they’d expected him to sleep while Moroso did whatever the fuck he did? No way.

He didn’t blame Leyton or Ashlynn or Max for what had happened. He simply wasn’t going to waste another fucking second waiting for Moroso to stumble into their laps.

His phone chirped, signaling a voice mail. He’d purposely forced the calls to voice mail, not wanting to talk to anyone. The only person he wanted to talk to was his mother. And that was due to the fact she was the one who needed to claim Derrick’s body so Jase could see to a proper burial for him. It wasn’t like Jase could waltz down to the morgue and do it. They’d probably arrest him as soon as he showed his face.

But he couldn’t even focus on that until he took care of Moroso, sent him to hell, where he belonged.

When his phone chirped again, he knew he needed to check it, to see if it was Ashlynn or Leyton, let them know that he was okay but that he wouldn’t be back until he took care of Moroso.