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    As Briar nced at the menu, her nose twitched–she caught a faint whiff of blooding from Ashton. ‘Who could have needed him for a personal interrogation?‘ she wondered.

    She scanned Ashton before quickly focusing on his sleeve, where the fabric appeared slightly darker than the rest. Anyone could see that the dark patch was blood.

    Ashton noticed her gaze, a flicker of frustration dancing in his eyes. He nearly reached out to ruffle Briar’s hair but caught himself in time. “I’ll change first. You all can order; I’ll be right back.”

    “Sure thing.” Hamish chuckled. ‘Was that necessary? Briar isn’t fragile, who would panic over blood,‘ he thought.

    As Briar watched Ashton rush away, a smile crept onto her lips. “Hamish, you all muste here frequently, right?” she asked. ‘They even keep spare clothes ready,‘ she thought.

    Hamish raised his hands in feigned innocence. “Hey, this isn’t my doing today. If you’re curious, ask him yourself. He won’t hide anything from you.” Hamish was quick to dissociate himself from the situation. He certainly hadn’t brought Briar here tonight to subject her to this kind of bloody, violent scene.

    Hamish merely shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t say anything. Briar, please don’t give me that look.”

    Briar didn’t believe them. They could talk their way out of any situation, but she wasn’t in a hurry. As Hamish had

    mentioned, she could ask Ashton herself. After all, Ashton had promised he would never lie to her.

    She tapped all her favorite dishes on the iPad, submitted the order, then handed it over. “Anything else you guys

    want?”

    Hamish waved his hand. “I’m good with whatever. You guys go ahead and order.”

    Briar just stared at him, speechless. ‘What a guy,‘ she thought.

    About ten minutester, Ashton returned, having changed his ck shirt for a in white one–likely ast–minute

    find from the club. ‘That must have been a hassle for him,‘ Briar thought.

    Ashton must have taken a quick shower–his hair was still damp and slicked back. Only after ensuring he didn’t

    have any odd smells did he finally take a seat next to Briar.

    “Ashton, who did iyou /iguys nab?” Briar asked, her hand still in Ashton’s as he toyed with her fingers. She went straight for it, smiling as she asked.

    Ashton shot a nce at Hamish, who quickly raised his hands. “Hey, don’t look at me. I didn’t say a word–they

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    figured it out on their own.”

    “Some guy who slipped back into Dasmieca from overseas. Connor chased him all the way here,” Ashton replied. Since the man was already in custody, he saw no reason to hide it.

    “Oh, got it,” Briar nodded, not pushing any further.

    Butn was even more intrigued. “Mr. Wade, who on earth is this guy? How did he manage to slip past Connor?” he asked. ‘Connor is practically unbeatable when ites to international borders. Who could be skilled enough to evade him?‘ he thought.

    Ashton smiled atn. “You may have heard of him; his name is Zayne Hemsley, a professor of cell biology.”

    Briar’s heart raced. ‘Zayne Hemsley? That name sounds familiar. Last name Hemsley, too? A professor of medicine? And he’s from overseas? Could he be rted to Sawyer?‘ Briar’s instincts were often spot–on; she quickly identified the crucial detail.

    “Nope, he’s still alive–barely,” Ashton replied. “What, you wanna have a go at him yourself?”

    If Connor had traced Zayne back to Dasmieca, it was clear that Zayne was no ordinary person. However,n was already hands off and had no intention of getting drawn back into that underworld business.

    As they talked, the dishes they had ordered began to arrive one after another. Just like that, the topic shifted, and they returned to enjoying their meal and chatting casually. Even Connor made an appearance. “Well, well, looks like I arrived just in time. I’m starving too.”

    By the end of the meal, Briar turned to Hamish. “Hamish, didn’t you say you were gonna show me something fun? That is what you call fun?”

    Hamish justughed. “Briar, don’t be in such a rush. The real show alwayses at the end!”

    Ashton chuckled at that, and Briar sidled up to him, lowering her voice, “Ashton,e on, tell me what it is.”

    Her soft, sugary voice was right in his ear, and she was being extra adorable–his heart just turned to mush. “If I

    spill it now, there won’t be any surprise left. Are you sure you wanna know?”

    Briar paused for a second, then nodded. “Yeah, tell me!”

    Ashton leaned closer. “Hamish’s people heard that there’s going to be an arms deal tonight in the hills behind our club. He’s nning to pull a heist on the crooks–basically, rob the robbers.”

    Hamish sighed and shook his head. “Ashton, Briar is just acting a little cute, and you spill all the secrets,” he said.

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    ‘He’s whipped. No doubt he’ll turn out to be a doting, henpecked husband in the future,‘ Hamish thought.

    Briar shot Hamish a look. “An arms deal right on your turf? These guys are gutsy!”

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    Connor replied nonchntly, “Yeah, they’re just trying to hide in in sight, thinking we wouldn’t catch on.”

    Briar looked at Hamish. “Hamish, wouldn’t Ashton be a better fit for this type of job? Whye to us for a ‘rob the

    robbers‘ gig? What do you need us for?”

    Hamish spread his hands. “I wanted to ask Ashton, but he said this kind of small–time hustle isn’t worth his

    attention. So, instead of letting outsiders profit, I thought I’d bring you along and we could make some quick

    money together. What do you think? Are you in or not?”

    Briar andn answered in perfect sync, “Of course we’re in!” Only a fool would turn down easy money–especially when it practicallynded in theirp.

    “Alright then, let’s wait. Once the deal is done, we’ll go our separate ways. You all grab the cash, and I’ll take the

    weapons. Does that sound good?” Hamish grinned mischievously, like a fox with a belly full of tricks.

    Briar shot Ashton a quick look. He nodded in approval, so she replied, “Alright.” Briar thought, ‘Honestly, weapons probably go for more.‘

    They waited until 10:30 PM, when word finally came from Hamish’s crew–the deal was done, and it was time to

    move. Without hesitation, Briar grabbedn and took off. When easy cash surfaced in the dead of night, there was

    no time to waste.

    Ashton and Connor followed behind, and these two money–driven individuals amused Connor. “Is Miss Jennings truly that desperate for cash?” he asked.

    Ashton watched Briar practically bouncing with excitement and said with a helpless smile, “Yeah, looks like it.”

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