Page 104 of Double the Redemption

Was it normal for a woman to go days with little to no sleep and now look like a small gremlin? Complete with hair standing on end, even though it’s in some kind of haphazard messy bun, a ripped T-shirt, and a pair of leggings with holes in the knees. Her eyes were wild, almost manic, as she studied everything in front of her.

She’d claimed a small space in the living room where the wall was bare, and lined it with more sheets, writing all over them in different colors.

He wanted to slip back out of the apartment and run to his room in the clubhouse before he tackled this crisis. First, though, he had to figure out where the hell Asher was.

He opened his mouth to ask Naomi himself, but she blurted out, “Yes! Yes! That’s possible. Paper, I need more paper.” Spinning, she scanned the room. She took him in but quickly dismissed him. Then she snatched a paper off the ground, skimmed it, and rolled her eyes. “Idiot. He would never go there. That’s far too obvious.” Turning, she grabbed a red pen, then scratched things out and wrote new notes, using the wall as a backer.

Okay, this might just be beyond him. First, Asher, then he’d figure out what the hell to do.

He eased out of the apartment and called out to Vulture, who peered over the edge of the roof across the road with a grin on his face. “You finally came home to see the madness for yourself, huh?”

“I was only gone for eight hours,” Ink shouted, brows lifted.

“She started that not long after you left. To be fair, she’s been doing it for the last three days, but she must have had some kind of breakthrough because she’s always cleaned it all up before you got home or Asher needed her.”

“Or a fucking psychotic break,” he muttered to himself. “Where is Asher?” he called back.

“The twins came and got him to take them to their house. They wanted to show him their rooms. They said they’d bring him back in time for bed.”

Ink glanced at his watch. He had a couple of hours. God, he hoped that was enough time, or it was going to be a rough night.

“Alright, thanks.” Steeling himself, he walked back into the apartment and ignored Vulture’s laughter following him.

He walked to the kitchen and set his things down on the counter, including the file folder of paperwork he needed Naomi to look over tonight. Though, in this state, he wasn’t sure that would happen.

“Baby girl, what the hell are you doing?” he asked, careful to keep his tone light.

“I’m trying to find that fucker, Diego,” she stated, looking back at the wall. “And what are you doing home so early? Didn’t you have to work late tonight?”

“No, that was last night. Babe, I’m not trying to be a dick, but what the fuck is going on? Why are you trying to find Diego? I thought you were avoiding him.”

“I can’t avoid him forever, and he’s gone underground. Underground is dangerous. Underground means he can find me on his own, and I’m not going to let that happen. The Feds have been looking for him, but he’s nowhere I suggest or tell them. Glitch has been sending them every option, but nothing. He’s a ghost. A fucking deadly ghost that’s waiting to strike and possess.”

The word possess made him want to point out that she wasn’t far off, but he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to find out if she knew how to kill a man with a pen.

“Baby, you’re going a bit overboard, I think. Why don’t you take a break? I can make us dinner, or we can go over to the clubhouse. I heard it was Royal’s turn to cook today, and she always makes good stuff.”

He needed to get her the hell out of here before she truly descended into madness. She was in the middle of her period, but he didn’t think the blood loss would affect her this much.

Was this what the guys experienced every month? Fuck, he might not survive.

She looked at him like he’d lost his mind—ironic to him, really—and snapped, “I’m not going anywhere until I figure this out. He’s not going to stop, and neither am I. I’m going to find him, Ink, and the Feds are going to get him, and then I can breathe. Then I can relax. Only then.” She spun back to the wall, glaring at it like she could mean mug it into spilling the secrets that were apparently hiding inside.

Sighing, he really wanted to call in backup, but that would make him look like a pussy. He had to deal with this himself.

And try not to lose his mind in the process. He really should have been paying more attention when his brothers were dealing with their Old Ladies’ mood swings.

He strode forward, determined. “Naomi, you need to stop. You’re driving yourself crazy. And besides, don’t they say that fresh air, food, and taking a break are a good way to figure out problems?”

He was spitting out bullshit to see what stuck, but it sounded plausible enough.

“I don’t need anything. I had crackers earlier. Did you know they come in ranch flavor now? Or something like that. I don’t know. I ate enough to keep moving. Wait, ranch! Fuck, how the fuck could I forget about the ranch. The fucking ranch!!!”

The screech was at a level all dogs within a ten-mile radius probably heard it.

Jesus Christ. He was not prepared for this.

“Baby, stop,” he barked, pouring some steel in his tone.