Chapter 97
Enough! Enough is enough! Ashley continued to scream in her head as she paced about her room. She was tired of being quiet and watching everyone else stay quiet as though they did not know what had happened.
Just as she told Kenji, the alpha had certainly bitten off more than he could chew and only made Jojo suffer the ultimate consequences of it. It was not a fair dismissal. If it had been, Jojo would have been asked to say goodbye and vacate the premises with all her belongings. Instead, they were throwing her things out, like her being there was taboo.
What could she do? She knew she could not stay silent. She also knew that she could not challenge the authorities to bring Jojo back. It was not in her place, and the one man she had expected to help was nothing but a puppet, dancing to the alpha's tunes.
As she fell on her bed, frustrated, a thought lit up in her mind like a light bulb. She looked around the room and smiled to herself. Yes! There was nothing she could do on her own, but she was sure that if she worked together with the girls, they could do something, even if it was just going to see Jojo.
She picked up her phone and found their iMessage group. She clicked on it and began to type her message.
"Meeting in my room in ten minutes, please treat it as urgent, because it is." She typed and pressed send.
In less than twenty seconds, Zelda sent the first reply.
"Got it."
Hadley replied next.
"Will be there."
Brandy followed next.
"Will be there."
She waited for Zita's message, and it never came.
In ten minutes, just like she had asked, her three friends were seated on her bed, all around her. They had all gotten arrived earlier than expected and it delighted Ashley.
She sat up and cleared her throat to speak when she was certain she had each girl's attention all to herself.
"First of all, I'll love to thank you all for coming. It was on such short notice and I did not think that any of you would show up." She stared, with a soft smile on her face.
Brandy scoffed, even though a smile was hidden in her dark eyes. Zelda chuckled and rolled her eyes while Hadley spoke up.
"To be fair, I'm only here because I thought you were pregnant."
"Or sick."
"Even dying."
Ashley blinked twice at the girls, her jaw dropped in shock. She was unaware of what to say and her relief heightened when the girls burst out laughing.
"Heavens! We were only playing, Ash. By the goddess! You needed to see the look on your face!" " Hadley cut in, the rest of the girls laughed along with her, but Ashley rolled her eyes in mock annoyance.
"Ha! Ha! Very funny. But really, we need to see Jojo. We have been silent about it, but I know that we all know something isn't right. Jojo was not just our friend, she was our colleague. We need to see her and we need to see her tonight. Just to
let her know we love and support her. I'm sure we all know she needs us now, we were like family, and we still are." Ashley spoke from the depth of her heart and with all the love she had in her soul. She had missed Jojo dearly, and she knew that the girls had too.
Zelda heaved a long sigh, while Brandy and Hadley only nodded in agreement.
"You're right, Ash. But how can we see her today? We are the ones to handle the stage today."
"And tomorrow, and even the next. How are we going to leave with all that workload on us?" Hadley chipped in.
Ashley seemed thoughtful for a while. They were right, there was no way all of them would be allowed to leave. Unless they all worked together.
Her eyes lit up with excitement as she sat up, leaning her back against the headboard.
"It won't be hard. All we have to do is tell Bentley to let us leave, we would tell her what we need to do and our reasons for doing so."
"Bentley?! Do you want to play with Bentley's money? She'll kick us out of her club before we can create jackshit!" Zelda cried out loud. Once again, she was correct. But, Ashley knew just how to gain her team's trust. "Then she's going to have to kick us all out. What do you say, guys?"
She searched their eyes one after the other. While hoping and praying for a positive response from them all. It took a few seconds, but their countenance relaxed and they all smiled, confident and reassured. "Fine. Shouldn't we call Jojo?" Zelda spoke up, a broad smile on her face.
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Ashley sighed with relief, smiling as she did so.
"Yes, yes of course."
She picked up her phone and dialed Jojo's number. Her friend picked up after the first ring. Ashley's eyes sparkled with excitement as she exchanged knowing glances with all the girls. "Ash?" The voice at the other end of the phone filled her heart with joy, the immense happiness was beginning to melt it.
"Jo! How are you, Jo? Before you say anything, I need to see you, like today. I need to know where you are because it is important I do so, and please, do not say no."
"Uhmm, okay. I... I am at Smith's diner, somewhere in the city. Ash, is everything okay? I hope nothing's wrong?" Jojo's voice sounded uncertain and troubled, Ashley chuckled. "It's nothing serious. I would get to you right away."
"You're coming alone, right? Please make sure you come alone." Jojo pleaded over the phone, and although she could understand why Ashley was going to make sure all the girls saw her. "Jojo, I am not the only one who wishes to see you." Ashley started. She took a long look at all the faces in the room before she continued.
"We are all here, Jo. And we love you. We all wish to see you. Every one of us, except... you know who."
Jojo chuckled at the other end of the line.
"Alright, alright, fine. Later tonight?"
Ashley nodded.
"Later tonight."
Lake:
*****
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I had a feeling I was going to spend the night in the casino with the amount of work on my desk. It did not help when Neil knocked on the door of my office, causing my eyes to leave my screen for the hundredth time in one minute. He stepped in immediately and did not bother to close the door behind him.
"Greetings, alpha."
I leaned out of my chair while nodding my head gently.
I slowly caressed the stress-induced creases on my forehead as I stared at him.
"Please, please do not tell me you are here to report another kidnap." I found myself speaking. My fatigue had finally gotten its own voice, one that now preceded mine.
"Not at all, sir. I'm only here to deliver a message from Bentley. She said the girls insist on visiting Jojo Wyatt tonight. She tried to stop them, but they were all stubborn and adamant." He replied.
The pounding in my head seized immediately, shock dug its sharp claws into my chest before I had the chance to speak. The shock dissolved almost immediately, leaving behind the ever familiar stinging pain in my chest.
I clutched the right side of my chest with my left hand. I saw Neil move toward me.
"Are you alright, alpha. Are you sure I shouldn't get the family doctor?"
I cleared my throat to stop myself from whining in pain.
"No, no, there's no need for that. I'll see the doctor at City Hospital, he seems to know what he is doing. Just follow the girls, make sure they are not up to anything... odd." I replied, dismissing him with a wave of my hand. "Yes. Of course." Neil bowed, before he turned to leave.
As I watched him dash out of my door, a million thoughts rushed through my mind.
I wanted to know where Jojo was. I did not want to admit it, but I did feel the urge to regret my decision most times. Keeping her far away from me was doing me more harm than good.
River had retreated back to his shell; I could barely feel him nowadays. Something seemed to drain life out of me all the time. It sometimes felt like I was ill.
Maybe I should not have fired her. But how was I to think straight when looking at her every day? How would I have been able to keep my hands to myself?
I needed to know where she was, how she was. Maybe, just maybe, the goddess would put my mind to rest after that.