Page 82 of Power of Shadow

Damn it! I knew it was going to be a bad day!

I realize something else. It’s the final nail in the coffin of my bitter mood.

My father promised to destroy everything that is precious to me. Today, I almost made it easy for him.

Chapter 18

Ashley

It’s Saturday afternoon, a few days after the fiasco at the lake house.

Three days. That’s exactly how much time Ryker gave me to decompress after the recent events. Not that he knew I needed that time to gather my thoughts. Ignoring him and his phone calls bored him, and on the third day, he showed up at my door.

I can’t believe I was so close to my father, and he slipped away from me again.

That one moment, his stare is burned into my memory. He saw me, I’m sure of it. And I’m also sure that his little brother—my dearest uncle David—passed on my message. My father knows I’m coming for him.

Everything’s getting so damn complicated. Being Ryker’s partner gives me control over his actions, and I had to accept his offer. Otherwise, if he got to Charles Baker before me... we know how that would end.

There’s another reason I had to accept his offer. One that absolutely no one knows about.

It was no accident that I met Ryker.

He fell straight into my trap and ended up exactly where I wanted him.

On the other hand, Ryker is gradually getting under my skin. He’s in my thoughts and fantasies. I can’t control it. And that scares me like hell.

How would he react if he knew the whole truth? Would he kill me on the spot? Would he torture me?

Why is this secret bothering me? Why do I have this internal struggle?

I shouldn’t bother me. Business is business. And yet...

Something has melted inside me over the last few days. The surrounding wall is juddering, its base threatening to give way.

My original desire to prove to myself and others that I’m the best has faded. Even more, somewhere along the way, I completely stopped caring about it. Ryker Elliot turned my world upside down.

And now I’m standing in front of the mirror thinking about him, trying to look divine for him.

“Knock, knock. Can I come in?” Zoe chirps, already in my bedroom. I make a mental note to talk to her about it again.

I wrinkle my nose and look at myself once more.

“My God. You look...” She continues to babble, but my thoughts are elsewhere.

Asking me to go to a charity ball while he’s pleasuring me is unfair. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I’d just turned him down earlier.

You don’t ask a woman those kinds of questions when she’s having an orgasm. It’s only natural that she’ll scream “yes” then.

That’s how I find myself here, in such a sneaky way. Wearing a knee-length pastel blue dress, I feel light. The luxurious chiffon hugs me in all the right places. The top is tied at the neck. The evening promises to be warm, so I’m not worried about the lack of sleeves.

“...like a Disney princess. Ryker’s knees will go weak as soon as he sees you. By the way, your knight is waiting for you in the living room.”

Zoe’s words set me in motion. I turn to her, put my hands on my hips, and give her a stern look.

“Since when have you been a fan of Ryker? A few days ago, you wanted to scratch everyone’s eyes out. Rightfully so, I might add, for how they treated you the other night.”

“I’m not stupid, Ash, you know? I see a lot of things even if I don’t say. I don’t have to be a fan of his, but I see how he challenges you as the Jackal, and I notice the smile on your face when you get a text from him. That guy does what no one else has done.” Her eyes glisten. “You’re coming alive. You’re finally blossoming. I’m grateful for that. Happiness is finally painting your days.”