My CEO 195

195 Back Against The Wall (Judy)

Something's wrong. Winona is nervous. Jayden isn't answering my calls, which isn't unusual these days, but this time it feels different. He's slipping away from me, and it's driving me crazy.

Then there's Steve, the bastard who just won't stay hidden. He contacted me yesterday, demanding money-no, demanding a fortune. He's threatening to spill everything if he doesn't get what he wants. The setup with Winona, the lies with Ashlyn, everything

He's got all the dirt, and he's not afraid to use it.

I've been in this game long enough to know when someone needs to be dealt with permanently. I even told Steve as much, made it clear that if he kept pushing, he'd end up regretting it.

But the slimy bastard didn't even flinch. Instead, he laughed and told me to go ahead, that everything was already set up to go to the authorities if anything happened to him.

And worse, he claimed Gus knows about the threat too.

That threw me. If Gus knows, it means he's keeping secrets from me. But Gus doesn't know that I know, and that's something I can use. For now, though, I need to focus on containing this situation before it spirals out of control.

We pull up to the facility where Ashlyn's being held, my mind racing. The last few texts I sent to the burner phone I left with her have gone unanswered, and that's not like Ashlyn.

She's been my little pawn, always eager to report back on anything I needed to know. Do anything in the hope of Jayden loving her. But now?

Silence. And I hate silence. It means someone else is pulling the strings, and I don't like being out of the loop. I invented this fucking loop.

As I walk through the front doors, I flash my ID at the officer manning the front desk as usual, giving my best concerned-mother smile. "I'm here to see Ashlyn," I say, trying to keep my tone light.

"She's not expecting me but it's almost visiting hours isn't it?" I flash a wad of cash hidden in my purse as an incentive.

He glances at his screen, looking bored, then back at me. Then he opens the drawer and takes out some papers and hands them to me. "These are for you."

and read

A no-contact order? What the hell? My mind spins, trying to piece together

"There must be some mistake. I'm Ashlyn's mother-in-law. Her

her voice firm. "No mistake. There's a no-contact order in

to see her."

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Back Against The

see him jotting down the time and details of the papers being

you're no longer on

dead wrong. I can get to

smile, trying to maintain my composure.

further, ma'am," he says, his tone clipped. "Have a nice

holding back my anger.

of the facility. I'm seething inside

must be something big going on. Something I'm not aware of. I will be finding out but first, I'm doing what I should have done a

Ashlyn out of

anyway and my back is against the wall. I need to

desperation, I pull out my phone and text the number

contact order? That won't

But nothing happens. The silence is suffocating, and I feel the panic

okay?"

fucking no contact order on me." He's going to find out anyway, I may as well

just as I'm about to lose it, my

will be one against you for me, Winona,

me. Jayden did this. My own son. He's cutting me out of his

he do this to me? After everything I've done

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