Mia had finally settled. Madison watched her in silence as she cried. She felt like she'd shed more tears in the last few months than she had in her entire life.
It wasn't that she hated Jase, she was no longer angry at him. Their spat had spiralled out of control, but her head was a mess and the argument had been creeping up on them for a long time. Part of her was glad it had happened. She saw now maybe they were relying on him too much and the pressure was astronomical, it wasn't only Madison and Mia that needed him to hold things together.
Sam wouldn't know what to do without him, Kieran, as sweet as he was, was kind of hopeless, and everyone else - it seemed - had turned on him. When a barmaid had the balls to do what she did, it spoke volumes about how few people they could trust. He didn't get half as much credit as he deserved. The things he did were bound to weigh down on him, it was human nature and Jase grew more and more human by the day. Madison tried not to compare him to how he used to be, knowing she'd changed as well and sometimes it wasn't for the better. They were all doing their best.
She inhaled for four seconds, closing her eyes and letting her lungs inflate before pushing the air back out. In the next few weeks, maybe sooner, Benny and Tommy would be dealt with and they would all be free to live the ordinary, boring lives they all dreamed of.
An hour after Jase had left, Madison picked up her phone to send him a text. Her dad was gone forever and she'd never get the chance to tell him she loved him again. She wouldn't take the same risk with Jase, no matter what note they left the night on.
*
"I can't believe it," Janine said. Jase polished off his brandy.
"I couldn't either but Mia has no reason to know her name otherwise," he mumbled.
"But why Sasha? I didn't even realise she knew Benny," Sam said. Jase shrugged limply. It was pointless trying to fathom the why's and how's. Some things, no matter how hard they were to digest, just were.
"She must have. He'd been to the club a few times, they were bound to have crossed paths and who's to say Benny didn't know she's Ramon's daughter?" They sat in silence, letting the information sink in. Jase hated to admit it, but this betrayal stung more than Adam or Tommy or Benny. He expected them to behave with vindictiveness, it was the business they were in; they were the dogs that ate the dogs. But Sasha? He'd been good to her.
At least now, there was no one around that could cross them. Their circle was smaller than it had ever been and those that knew anything worth knowing were either dead, in line for backfire, or in the house with Jase. He dragged his hands down his face, huffing a sigh of exhaustion. "Either way, it doesn't matter. My only concern now," he scoffed, shaking his head, "my only concern period, is Madison."
Janine smiled at him sympathetically, reaching across the table to give his forearm a reassuring rub.
"You've been for hell of a ride together, you were bound to explode at each other at some point," she said, referring to their argument. Jase hummed, unconvinced but grateful for her attempt. It had been easier in the house at times, back when he held all the power and Madison would only speak up when she could afford to risk it. Now, he had to face her on a level playing field and he didn't particularly like the home-truths that were coming out. Worst of all, he knew he didn't have a leg to stand on.
He was going to set things straight. He was going to be the man she needed him to be again, tonight.
His phone buzzed on the table, Madison's name flashing up on the screen with her message.
I love you, I'm sorry.
His fingers hovered over the letters for a moment before tapping out his response.
I love you too. Don't be. You're right about everything. As per.
He returned his phone to his pocket, checking the clock on the wall for the time. It had just gone half nine.
"I best get going," he announced, getting to his feet.
"Let me know if you need anything," Sam said, not bothering to see him out.
"Will do," Jase called from the front door as he zipped his jacket and stepped out into the night.
*
Sasha hummed to herself as she opened the front door of her cosy two bedroom house. Her cat meowed his greeting, wrapping himself around her shins as she stepped in.
"Mind out, Patch. I'll feed you in a second, let me get in," she grumbled, eager to close the door and keep the warmth in. After dropping her bag on the little pine table at the bottom of her stairs and hanging her jacket, she walked out into her kitchen, flicking the light on and jumping out of her skin at the sight of her unexpected visitor. "Jase?" she stammered, her eyes flickered about the room, looking for any chance of escape, no doubt. But the gun beside his hand on her dining table assured her she wouldn't get far. "What are you doing here?" she asked as if she didn't already know. It was a desperate attempt that wouldn't fly. Jase wasn't stupid.
"Sit down," he ordered, kicking a chair out towards her. The air left Sasha's lungs as she lowered herself into it, trying to keep the quiver in her hands under control.
"A call would have been nice," she joked in a weak attempt to mitigate some of the tension stifling the space between them. Jase stared back at her, his expression was passive. There was no telling what he was thinking but Sasha could only hope he would offer her the same opportunity he had given her dad. She'd convinced herself he would. That's why she'd done it, she figured he would take into account her loyalties to him over the years and her intentions to ensure Mia's safety whilst she was in Benny's care. Sitting across from him now, unreadable and indifferent, she realised she may have made a far bigger mistake than she'd cared to consider.
"Why'd you do it?" he asked, cutting to the chase. He didn't feel like beating around the bush with Sasha, she knew how the night would end and frankly, he didn't have the energy. He wanted to get back to Madison as soon as he could. If it was a man, he would drag the night out, really make him feel the depth of his callousness as he had with Greg. Tonight would be different.
Sasha's shoulders drooped as she cast her eyes to the floor.
"Mickey had Ramon killed. He was my dad, Jase. When I turned up on his doorstep, he welcomed me in with open arms, there was never a time where he made me feel like a burden or a leech and he didn't have to do any of that. He didn't know me, my mum had been a bit of fun for him, but he did that. He looked after me the second he found out who I was and Mickey killed him." She snapped her fingers from dramatic effect. "Just like that. And for what? Because of something you did. You're the one that kidnapped Madison, not my dad, but he paid the price and you're out there playing happy families." She looked at him now, her eyes filmed with tears.
Jase turned to the window. It was pitch black outside. She'd come back from her best friend, Tina's house. That's where she went every Wednesday when her shift ended at seven. He knew this because they had conversations. Maybe they hadn't considered each other friends but he'd thought there was a mutual respect between them. He shunned the uncomfortable surge of sympathy, frowning, almost frustrated with himself for having them in the first place.
"Did you know she was my daughter?" He looked back at her. Sasha dropped her head, avoiding eye contact. "Did you?" he repeated, louder this time, demanding an answer. Sasha gave a barely perceptible nod, sealing her fate.
"I only agreed to do it to get back at Mickey and make sure she was safe. Those boys have never been around a kid and I couldn't let Mia-"
"Don't you dare say her fucking name," Jase growled. Sasha retreated further into herself.
"She stayed here. Benny uses and I couldn't stand the thought of either of them changing her nappies. Jase, it was nothing personal-"
He clenched his jaw, shaking his head and scoffing sourly.
"Funny, you're not the first person to tell me that. 'It's nothing personal'," he mocked. "As if I wouldn't take someone threatening Madison or taking my daughter fucking personally."
The tears ceased at the rim of her eyes, a strange calmness enveloping her. It was no use trying to get him to understand, or expecting mercy. When all was said and done, she'd assisted in the kidnapping of an innocent child in a bid to get revenge. She had known the risk she was taking.
"You're going to kill me, aren't you?" she asked flatly, the indignation she'd felt just moments ago fizzling out.
Jase sat back in the chair, his own anger fading too. He rubbed the stubble along his jawline, grazing his palm like sandpaper.
"Drink your drink, you're going to need it." He nodded to the half glass of whiskey closest to her on the table. He had his own, it was the only alcohol in the house other than white wine and he wasn't a fan of the stuff. Sasha tried her best to moisten her lips, only now realising how dry her mouth as she reached for the glass. "Every day I trust fewer and fewer people. I'm disappointed you turned out to be one of them. You should have known no good would come from this, Sasha." Jase stood up, leaving the kitchen as she knocked back the whiskey in a desperate gulp to calm the anxiety over whatever it was he had planned for her.
The front door opened and closed. Sasha waited for a moment, confused. Did he want her to follow him. A minute passed. Two minutes. Three. When he didn't return after ten, her muscles relaxed of their own accord. Yet her heart sped up. When she began to feel short of breath, it dawned on her that he hadn't expected her to follow at all. The stabbing pain started in her right side at first, under her lung, behind her ribcage. A fire ensued through her liver, her intestines curled tighter around herself and all her nerves lit up. Sasha tried to stand but her legs had ceased to work and she flopped to the floor like a doll, gasping in ragged breaths as her respiratory system shut down.
Patch, her cat, laid on her back, undeterred by her twitching leg and the rattle emanating from her lips. Unable to get comfortable due to all of her flinching, he jumped off, nudging her with his head and meowing, demanding his dying owner feed him.
Jase had visited Karl on his way to Sasha's to see if he had any of those pills Mickey had taken.