Page 1 of Dirty Deadly & Mine
CHAPTER 1
LILY - 2 YEARS EARLIER - ENGLAND
Tyres squeal as I slam on the brakes, my car skidding before it stops, and I shove the gear into park, hurrying to get out. Frantically, I scan the scene, and my heart lurches.
Shit. This is bad.
“Asher!” I call as I run across the cobblestone road, sirens echoing in the distance as Asher pummels his mother’s scumbag boyfriend over and over on the sparse front lawn of his house. “Stop!”
“Mum! Hurry!” Ronan or Jude scream in a panic from somewhere off to the side.
I don’t know which of my twin sons that was, but it doesn’t matter right now, because their best mate, and the kid I’ve practically raised over the last eight years or more, is one swing away from killing Monty.
“Asher!” I scream, finally getting his attention as I leap over the upturned rubbish bin, his fist stopping mid-swing before his head darts in my direction.
The rage twisting his face makes him look older than his eighteen years as he heaves with raw fury. His normally light brown eyes are dark, nearly blown, and I stagger a little at the sight.
He doesn’t look like a child right now.
He looks like a man. A very terrifying man.
“Stop!” I demand, rushing closer, knowing he won’t hurt me.
Straightening as much as his tense muscles will allow, his lip curls as he shakes his head.
“She nearly died!” He stabs a finger down at Monty, who is practically lifeless on the grass by his feet. “That poison he peddles made her fucking overdose! AGAIN! If I hadn’t dropped by, she’d be dead right now!”
Sirens blare loudly behind me, tyres skidding from more than one vehicle, and I know everything is about to get worse.
Shit. There’s no getting him out of this.
Turning, I watch as police pile out of the three cars. Their guns are raised in an instant, pointing in our direction.
“Put it down!” one bobby yells, as I spin, wide eyed to see Asher has picked up a fucking crowbar.
“Asher, no!” I plead as his wild eyes meet mine.
“I can’t let him live. He’s been using her for over a year now, cutting his fucking drugs on the kitchen table. He treats her like shit. Fucking beats her. Probably rapes her.” He grits his teeth, dragging his gaze down to Monty, still lifeless on the ground. “Killing him will be worth the punishment.”
“Put the weapon down or we’ll shoot!” an officer bellows, and a chill ripples up my spine.
Shit. They really will shoot him. I don’t care that I might catch a bullet in the process, I just care that he’s safe. Alive.
Quickly glancing over my shoulder, I see each officer stepping closer, their guns trained on Asher. On me.
“Mum! Help him!”
My eyes dart to my sons to see Jude crying, my beautiful seventeen-year-old boy terrified for his best mate.
Shit. I can’t let this happen. I don’t want my boys to witness their friend getting shot. Killed.
“Stop!” I cry out, lifting my hands as I turn to face the police officers. “Don’t hurt him. Please,” I beg, shaking my head frantically. “Just wait a minute.”
“Ma’am, step away and let us do our job!” a bobby barks, but I shake my head, my hands trembling as I hold them up in a silent plea.
I feel so far out of my depth right now considering the thingsI do in the dead of night. Things that would terrify the meanest of men, yet right now, I’m nothing but a scared mum, desperate to keep safe the boy she thinks of as a son.
“Please, just wait. He’ll put it down,” I plead, before glancing over my shoulder to Asher. “Won't you?”
