Page 81 of Ash

CHAPTER 36

ASH

THURSDAY NIGHT/FRIDAY - THE LAB ATTACK

I’d never slept at the Crematorium before, thankfully, because it was bloody uncomfortable on the concrete floor. It didn’t help matters that Glowacki’s men were creeped out by the whole idea of sleeping here, and their constant grumbling had kept the rest of us awake. Only when Glowacki finally lost his temper and told them to “shut up and stop being such pussies!” did they stop their incessant complaints.

I’d woken at dawn after just a few hours of sleep, and I was stiff, sore all over, and moody as hell. After several coffees and a long shower, I’d finally perked up and was feeling my usual self.

I couldn’t say the same for Glowacki’s men. Although they hadn’t said anything else after being told to shut up during the night, their body language showed their continued unease. Some people were just superstitious, I guessed.

Glowacki didn’t seem to be bothered by being here, nor did his son Daniel either. Or maybe they were. It was hard to tell with those two. Both were adept at hiding their emotions. Daniel, even more so than his dad. Daniel rarely showed any emotion at all. To be able to hide his feelings so well, I knew there had to be a story there. I wondered if I would ever find out what it was. Maybe it was best not to, I mused as I watched him sitting quietly by himself. I had enough issues of my own to deal with.

As the day dragged slowly by, I felt myself becoming more and more anxious. However, the impending attacks weren’t the reason my stomach was churning. It was the fact that Gracie wasn’t beside me and wouldn’t be with me until it was all over. I missed her.

I needed everyone at the Estate to remain safe, especially Gracie. I didn’t know how I would cope if anything happened to her. She had become my everything in such a short time, and I couldn’t imagine life without her now.

I had wanted to call her so badly last night but had restrained myself. I was concerned that if we talked, she might be upset or worried, and I’d end up heading back to the Estate to be with her instead of sticking to my part of the plan here. I wanted to be with her, but for her safety and the safety of my family, I needed to stick to Miki’s plan. I needed to play out my role like everyone else, stay focused, and get back to her in one piece.

Instead, I simply sent her a goodnight text, so she knew I was thinking of her.

The rest of the time, when I wasn’t going over the plan again and again with the other guys, I was daydreaming about my Little Miss Hot Mess, replaying every intimate encounter we’d had in our short time together.

I did the same today. I managed to get through until the evening before I contacted Gracie. It had been a difficult task, but I was proud of how long I held out. I’d finally relented around eight thirty pm when I knew it was too late for me to do something stupid like try to head back home before the attacks commenced.

I’d texted her again. I missed her too much and needed the connection, but I hadn’t wanted to hear her voice because if I had, I would definitely have done something stupid.

We spent the next half hour or so sending raunchy messages to each other.

It was fun.

I had sent the odd sex-laden text to women in the past but never done what could be considered sexting until now. I’d never felt inclined to do so with other women. However, with Gracie, I found that it was incredibly enjoyable.

Although it made me horny as hell, it was a good way to pass the time. Gracie seemed to thoroughly enjoy it if her responses were anything to go by. It helped keep our minds off what lay ahead.

However, it was now time to focus again.

I read her last text before turning my phone to silent.

Gracie

Be careful!

Count on it, sweetheart!I replied in my head.

I might not have been too careful at times in the past, but with Gracie in my life, I vowed to myself that I damn well would be from now on as I checked my weapons and readied myself for the battle ahead.

We were all wearing vests and night vision goggles, and I was glad. It might be early July, but the sun had already set and being the UK, the cloud cover was blocking out much of the moonlight. Without any streetlights out here in the countryside, it was pitch black at this time of night.

We watched via the hidden security cameras used by our RomCore firm as the van containing our drug shipment drove along the private access roadway between the C and the farm. A short while later, the vehicles carrying our enemies followed, and we waited until the last vehicle had passed, then crept out behind them.

We took a shortcut through the grounds and soon caught up with them. They were moving slowly with their lights out to keep from being detected until the last minute. They obviously didn’t know about our cameras or that we were aware of their plan.

All that boded well for us. Although the number of vehicles was a concern, It seemed that there were more Malia Boys than we knew existed here tonight. From my approximation, they outnumbered us by about two to one with weapons and night vision goggles on a par with our own. That level of equipment was highly unusual for them. I guessed the bigwig funding them was sparing no expense.

Nevertheless, we still had the element of surprise and a number of traps set up, which I expected would help even the odds out a bit.

Indeed, they did help. We managed to plough through a good number of the bastards before they knew what had hit them. Our timing was perfect, too, and with each of the teams in position, we quickly surrounded them, trapping them. Everything was going according to Miki’s plan, and we hadn’t lost any of our own guys or Glowacki’s yet.