Page 62 of Tico

Chapter 30

Tico

Mychestwarmsather words and fuck if they don’t settle right into my bones. My black heart beats a bit faster for this woman who has quickly become so important in my world.

Ember roughly shoves Ashley as she stands. I stand as well and when Ember comes to my side, I wrap my arm around her waist, kissing her temple.

“And I see you,” I tell her before kissing her again.

Then my hands start to move, checking her body for injuries.

Ember’s hand reaches up, cupping my cheek and stopping my frantic search. “I’m okay, Diego,” she whispers.

The use of my real name cuts through the rage that had been building in me. I exhale shakily as I press my forehead against hers.

“Thank fuck.”

Ashley cackles as she pushes up so that she’s sitting. “I must have gotten in a good one. You say he’s your man, but you don’t even know his name. It’s Tico, not Diego, you dumb fucking bitch.”

I turn, looking at Ashley. She can’t be for real…can she? I look around and I’m not the only one thinking that line of thought.

“Wow, you really are a dumb fucking bitch,” Daemon mutters as he rubs a hand over his face in disbelief.

Ashley sneers at Daemon as she gets up, cradling her injured wrist.

“These are our road names, bitch,” Daemon says as he points to his own road name patch. “Only our Ol’ Ladies, women, and families have the right to use our real names.”

A look I can’t decipher crosses Ashley’s face as she looks over at Ember and me. Hurt? Confusion? Disbelief maybe? Then it’s gone just as quickly. Ashley shifts and I step forward slightly so that I’m partially in front of Ember, protecting her. I know she can handle herself, but I don’t want Ashley to try and start another fight.

“You’re done, Ashley, and you’re fucking lucky you’re a woman otherwise I would have been the one beating your ass. You’re also fucking fortunate that Ember didn’t treat this like a real match.”

Ashley’s face twists as she glares at Ember but then she smirks as she looks back at me. “You can’t kick me out of my home; I have a contract. Same for the circuit.”

I return her smirk and reach into my pocket. Pulling out my phone, I wiggle it. “You may have contracts, Ashley, but we are exercising our full rights by terminating it for cause.”

Ashley’s face pales as a panicked look crosses her face, but a second later, it’s gone, replaced by a fake innocence. “What cause? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

I wiggle my phone again. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Did you really think we wouldn’t catch you stealing from our safe the other night?”

Angry murmurs break out amongstmis hermanos(my brothers) and the tension in the room thickens. Ashley takes a step back as she looks around, searching for a lifeline. Her gaze settles on her brother, Bandit, but even he’s looking at her in pure anger.

“You fucking stole from them?” he yells at her as he steps forward.

Mis hermanos(My brothers) step aside so he can get through.

“Are you seriously that fucking dense? I’ve been telling you for months to stop chasing Tico, and after the other day, I told you again while also reminding you about their code. But then you fucking come here, push yourself onto him anyway and then attack his Ol’ Lady? You’ve been around this club for years, Ashley. You’ve seen how they are with Sofia. You know how protective they are of their women and Ol’ Ladies. And then you go and fucking attack one just because you’re jealous Tico didn’t pick you? And on top of all of that, you go and fucking steal from them?!”

Ashley stares at him like she’s seeing a stranger, which is pretty damn accurate. Bandit has always stepped in whenever Ashley got into trouble in the past. He covered for her as much as possible and bailed her out time and time again. Their mom left when both of them were little and a few years ago, their dad diedof a stroke. Bandit’s the only family she really has left. But with how he’s responding to all this, even he might sever ties with her.

He’s breathing hard as he stares down at Ashley and then he looks over his shoulder at me. “I want to see the proof.”

I unlock my phone and connect it to the TV. I play last week’s clubhouse clip first—the timestamp showing that it’s around three in the morning. On the video, you can see one of the hallways from the upper floors where our bedrooms are. Ashley slips out of one of the rooms and in her hand, you can see a set of keys plain as day. She silently walks down the hall, heads downstairs and out into the night. The video switches to the cameras at our gates and a moment later, Ashley’s car pulls up to the gate.

“I’m just heading out for some more condoms and a few other things,”she coyly tells the Prospect, Ricky.“I’ll only be a few minutes and then I’ll be back.”

Ricky opens the gate and then twenty minutes later, he lets her back in. The cameras follow her as she makes her way back into the clubhouse and quietly sneaks back into the same room.

Corvus straightens as the video ends and he turns on her. “What the fuck? You fucking stole my keys?” He turns to me, panic in his eyes. “I swear, Prez. I never knew she stole them.”