“Here,” Lola announced, and Asher held his arm out, coming back with a pair of leggings. “I’ll wait downstairs for you.”
I closed my eyes as she moved away from us and closed the door behind her. She’d shut us in here, and now I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay in this safe space forever, but I couldn’t. I had to leave at some point, I just wished it didn’t have to happen yet. I opened my mouth, wanting to ask Asher if we could just stay here a little longer, but then closed it again. Weakness threatened to take over, but I couldn’t let it, not if I wanted to survive.
“I, erm…” Asher cleared his throat. “Want me to help you get dressed?” I nodded, too afraid to admit it aloud. “Sit down, and I’ll grab one of my T-shirts.” I opened my eyes as his hand drifted away from mine, but I didn’t take my gaze off him or move a single inch as he moved toward a closet in his room and pulled out a dark-blue T-shirt. It looked like an old high school jersey. “Lift your arms,” he commanded as he moved back toward me, and I did as he said, keeping the towel around my chest and covering the majority of my body.
He slipped the T-shirt over my head, and I pushed my arms through the openings. He pulled it down as far as it would go, and it came to just above my knees. He knelt down in front of me, holding the leggings out, ready for me to step into, so I adhered to his silent command and pushed my feet into them. He pulled them up, halting when he got to my thighs, then I took over. Finally, I removed the towel from under my clothing and stood there, wondering what we would do next.
“Ready?” he asked, and I wasn’t sure. Was I ready? I hadn’t been outside in days, and just the thought of going out there had my stomach churning and my—
“You’ll be okay, I promise.” His thumb and finger gripped my chin as he tilted my head back to face him. “I’m right beside you. Nothing will happen.”
I pulled in a deep breath, feeling the burn at the back of my throat. Asher was here, by my side, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to me. But what about when he wasn’t by my side? What happened when we were at the lake house? Where was the lake house? I had all of these questions, but I couldn’t voice them. I couldn’t bring myself to ask. Deep down, I knew I didn’t have to worry about what was going to transpire from here. Asher was taking me away—taking us away—to heal. To work through everything. To become stronger again. And I just had to trust what he was doing.
I blinked.
I did trust him. I trusted him more than I’d ever trusted anyone.
“I’m ready,” I croaked out, not waiting for him as I placed my hand back into his. I pushed my shoulders back, trying to shove my worries to the side. I had to do this. I had to overcome the fear consuming me.
We made it to the bottom of the stairs, the front door was right there, only a couple of feet away. But my body was frozen—I was frozen.
The door flung open, and I squealed, jumping behind Asher, knowing he would shield me from whoever it—
“Oh, sorry.” Lola laughed and placed her hand over her chest. “I was just putting some food essentials in your car.”
I peeked around Asher, seeing the outdoors behind her. The wind whipped into the house, causing some of my hair to drift over my face. It was still damp, but I didn’t care how it would dry.
“I made you a packed lunch for the ride there.” Lola’s gaze veered to mine, and she smiled. “Think Band-Aid. Rip it off.” She pushed her own shoulders back and stepped to the side. “Don’t think about it. Don’t think about anything but the next step you take. One after the other until you’re in Asher’s car.” She nodded, encouraging me. “That’s all you need to do. Walk to the car, and that’s it.”
Asher looked down at me, his brow raised in silent question. And I knew then Lola was right. If I stood there thinking about it, I’d never do it. I just needed to take a step, and then another one. I squeezed Asher’s hand as we moved to the driveway, and my gaze flicked over the houses on the street and each car that drove past. I was so worried about what was around me that I didn’t even realize I’d made it to the car until Asher opened the door.
I let out a breath I’d been holding and dove into the car. He closed the door after me, rushed around to the driver’s seat, and within seconds we were reversing down the driveway. Lola held her hand in the air, waving at us, and I tried to wave back, but I knew it looked half-assed. My body was shutting down, my eyes heavy, but I needed to stay alert. At least until we were out of the area and far enough away.
“It’ll only take a couple of hours to get there,” Asher said, leaning back in his seat as he halted at a red light. He turned his head to face me and laid his hand on the center console. “And once we’re there, we don’t have to worry about anything or anyone.” His lips curved into a smile, and no matter how much I wanted to mirror him, I couldn’t get my lips to move.
“Okay,” I breathed out. “I…” I bit down on my bottom lip, stopping myself from asking anything. Maybe I was doing the wrong thing? Maybe I should have stayed in town where the police could get ahold of me. They’d said they’d keep in touch after I’d given them my statement, but I hadn’t heard from them since, and—
“My cell! I left my cell at—”
“I picked it up.” Asher plucked my cell out of one of the cup holders, then handed it to me. “It’s dead, but I have a charger here.” He pointed to a cord and then turned back to face the road as the light turned green.
I moved my arm forward, hating how much my hands were shaking. I was trying to ignore the windows surrounding us and the fact we were about to drive past my high school. It was Wednesday morning, so everyone would be in class, but it didn’t matter to my nerves. If I saw Knox hanging around—
I frowned, trying to remember what the police had last told me. Knox had been taken to the hospital and wasn’t conscious. Was he still in the hospital? Was he—
“I can hear your mind spinning over there.”
“What?” I blinked several times and plugged the cord into the bottom of my cell.
“You’re thinkin’ about something.” Asher glanced at me, then back at the road as we whizzed right by my school. “You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”
“I…” The breath caught in my throat, and I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t care if Knox ever woke up again, but I knew that wouldn’t be good for Asher. I wasn’t even sure what was happening with his case. Had they charged him? Would what happened to me help his case? Or would it not matter? “What happens now?” I clasped my hands on my lap, staring down at them. “With my case? With…your case?”
There was a beat of silence, and then he said, “I’m not sure, sweetheart.”
I heard him shuffling in his seat, and I glanced up. The city-type roads had turned into country roads, trees surrounding us on both sides, and just being on a road I’d never been on before relaxed me a little. I was finding my strength again. At least, that was how it felt.
“Dad said they’d arrest Knox once he was awake and interview him. He reckons they’ll charge him because of the amount of evidence, and then it’ll go from there.”
“Will he go to jail?” I asked, my voice small. Maybe if he was in jail, it would be easier to come to terms with what happened. Maybe I wouldn’t have to stay away as long. Maybe I could go home and—
“I doubt it,” Asher ground out, his entire tone changing. “You know his dad is a judge, right?”
My stomach bottomed out. I did know that. I also knew there was no way he’d let his son spend a night in jail, which meant he’d be free, at least for a while. How could that happen in this day and age? How could a person who had been so violent be allowed back out on to the streets as if he’d never done anything? But when you had connections, you didn’t have to pay like everyone else did.
“So, he’ll be out, then? Back at school?”
“Not for a while.” I moved my attention to Asher’s face, seeing the smirk pull at his lips. “I made sure of that.”
Violence wasn�
�t the answer. It was never the answer. But I couldn’t help feeling grateful for what Asher had done. “So, what about you?” I swallowed at the lump forming in my throat. The thought of Asher not being here was unthinkable. “What happens to you?”
“I’ve got court in six months.” He moved his arm across the center console and gripped both of my hands in his. “You don’t need to worry about that, though. I have a secure call with my lawyer next week. Until then”—he turned to face me, his brown eyes glowing—“let’s forget about the future. Let’s just enjoy the lake house and each other.”
“Okay,” I whispered. “I can pretend—”
“No.” He gripped my hands harder, drumming his point home. “Not pretend. We’re not going to act like nothing happened to you. I know what it’s like to push things so far back. It pops up when you least expect it. It haunts you.” He shook his head as he slowed down to take a long corner on the country road. “We’re going to deal with it one day at a time. We’re going to get stronger.”
“Stronger,” I echoed, feeling the nerves in my stomach start to lessen. “I like the sound of that.”
“Good.” Asher slowed down as a few shops came into view. “We’re nearly there.”
“Already?” I frowned and darted my gaze to the time on his dash. “How did two hours go by so fast?”
He shrugged and winked. “Time flies when you’re with me.”
I shook my head, feeling my lips lifting for the first time in days. Maybe being alone with Asher would be good for me. Maybe working through what happened instead of pretending it didn’t would be even better for me.
“Here it is,” Asher announced, taking a turn up a long driveway. The sound of gravel crunched under the tires, and the heavy trees made way for a wooden house—a large wooden house. I’d only ever seen places like this on the TV.
“This is the lake house?” I asked, my eyes wide. “It looks more like a mansion.”
Asher turned the engine off. “Yep.” He pushed out of the car and walked around to my door, then pulled it open. “Let me give you the tour.”
I didn’t hesitate to put my hand in his and let him lead me inside. The front door opened up into a wide hallway with a set of stairs right in front of us. He opened a door on the right and told me it was the living room. The dark oak wood gave character to the house, but it was the wall of glass doors that I drifted toward. You could see the lake from them, the pristine calm water calling to part of my soul. A boat was attached to a wooden dock, and I wondered if we’d go out on it. I’d never been on a lake before.
“It’s…beautiful.”
“It is,” Asher agreed, coming up behind me. His palm drifted over my shoulder and down to my elbow. “And it’s all ours for as long as we need it.”
I stared out of the glass and didn’t move my gaze off the dock, already able to see myself sitting out there with Asher beside me. And I knew then that this was the right thing for me—for us. We needed time. Time away from everyone. Time to just be Asher and me.
Time to just…be.
ASHER
The heaviness of the equipment strapped to me had beads of sweat rolling down my cheek. No one ever told you how heavy a Marine’s uniform was, but it was the gun I held in my hands that weighed the most. The damage one gun caused could be catastrophic, so I knew only to place my finger on the trigger if I was fully prepared for the outcome. I didn’t take it lightly—I never took it lightly.
The heat of the day had slowly waned into a cool night, but that didn’t mean it felt anything but scorching hot. The wind whipped through the partly open windows of the Humvee, and I relished in the sensation as it flowed over my skin, giving a tiny bit of relief.
“Room is secure,” Jax informed from opposite me. I’d heard the update over my comms, but nodded at him anyway. The command center was our only eyes, and we were now only a minute away from entering the hostage situation we’d been called in to help with.
My leg bounced the closer we got, and once we were far enough away that we couldn’t be seen entering, we all jumped out of the vehicle in our usual formation. The sky was a mixture of red and orange as the sun set, promising another heat-intensive day tomorrow.
I took my place second in the formation, and Jax held his hand in a closed fist in front of me. It was only seconds, then he booted the door open, and I rushed inside with my gun raised. Shouts ricocheted around the brick-built room as I concentrated my attention on the man and woman in front of me. I narrowed my eyes, trying to take in all of his features, but I was distracted by the woman he held. She squirmed, trying to get away from him, but he held on tighter.
“Asher,” she called. It was a voice I knew, but I couldn’t quite place it. “Help me, Asher.”
“He can’t help you now,” a rough voice said from behind her, and I stared back at him. “He’ll never be able to help you.” He smirked at me, and my blood boiled. My finger shook over the trigger. “Can’t you see he’s broken too?”
“Please, Asher. Please!”
My heart raced in my chest, so fast I thought it would push its way out of me any second. The voice was becoming clearer and clearer, and then it hit me—hit me so hard I stumbled to the right. “Elodie?” What was she doing here? Why was she in—
The room faded out. The brick turned into painted walls, and the concrete floor turned to carpet. A carpet with a red stain. A bloodstain. What the hell was happening? Where was I? What was—
“Asher!”
I flung my head up, my eyes widening as I watched Knox rip Elodie’s clothes, baring her to him—to me. His fingers scraped across her stomach, leaving behind trails of blood.
“No! Stop!”
“Asher?” A hand clasped my shoulder, and I jumped, my own hand flinging out to capture whoever was touching me. “Asher, it’s me, Elodie.” Sweat dripped down my forehead, my breaths were coming quick and fast, and it took me several seconds to concentrate on Elodie’s face.
“Elodie,” I breathed out. I loosened my grip on her, but I didn’t let go completely. I tried to put all the pieces together as fast as I could and took in the room around me. Shelves from floor to ceiling were on the far wall, and there was a bed in the middle of the room. The same bed I’d slept in every time we stayed at the lake house.
We were at the lake house.
Elodie was safe.
It was just a dream—just a dream.
“Sorry.” I cleared my throat and shuffled to the edge of the chair I must have fallen asleep in.
“It’s okay,” Elodie replied and moved back to sit on the bed. The early morning sun was starting to push its way through the gaps in the blind, and my head pounded. “You were calling my name and…” She trailed off, leaving her words hanging in the air.
I scrubbed my hand over my face, trying to wake myself up completely. It wasn’t like I could tell her what my dream was. She had enough on her plate to deal with, so I wouldn’t add my shit to it too. My two worlds had collided in my brain, and I had no idea how to deal with any of it. Elodie wasn’t the only one who needed a break from the world—so did I.
“Asher?” I pulled in a breath and turned to face Elodie. Her navy-blue eyes shone with worry, and I hated seeing the look on her face. It was almost as bad as when the pain pushed through on her features. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” I stood and stretched my arms over my head, trying to push out the soreness in my muscles. I’d had no intention of sleeping anywhere but near Elodie, and although we’d slept in the same bed at my mom and dad’s house, I didn’t want to push it here. I wanted her to feel safe around me, so I’d opted for the chair, no matter how many times she’d said she was fine on her own. I wanted to be close by in case she needed me.
Yet, it had been me who had a nightmare.
“You don’t look it,” Elodie commented, but I didn’t reply. I didn’t have an answer for her because I wasn’t willing to open up that part of myself to her. I couldn’t tell her about all
the bad things that had happened in my life. I couldn’t explain to her what I’d witnessed as a Marine and what haunted me every night.
Instead of telling her all of that, I moved around the room and to my bag so I could get some fresh clothes out. “I thought we could take a walk around town today.” I pulled out a pair of shorts and T-shirt, knowing from the way the sun was already shining that it would be a warm day.
“Asher.”
“It’s a small place, and everybody knows everybody.” I grabbed Elodie’s bag and placed it at the end of the bed. “We can stock up on food while we’re there. Maybe even get some things to put on the grill.”
“Asher.”
“I’ll go and shower in my mom and dad’s room, so you can shower in here.” I moved away from the bed, skirting Elodie’s gaze, but I hadn’t even moved three steps before her hand wrapped around my wrist. I stared down at it, her fingers not able to meet. Her touch meant more to me than I’d realized. It ignited a fire within, but it also threatened to douse the flames.
“Asher,” she repeated, this time with less patience. “Are you seriously about to walk away from me right now?” I opened my mouth, but she didn’t give me the chance to reply. “After everything that’s happened, you’re just going to act like it was nothing that you shouted my name several times while having a nightmare?”
“It was nothing,” I croaked out, feeling my muscles lock. I’d never had to explain my thoughts to anyone, and although I was desperate to confide in Elodie, I couldn’t. I couldn’t do that to her, not with what she was dealing with.
“Bullshit,” she spat, and I turned to face her with a raised brow. Gone was the Elodie who had been scared to walk out of my mom’s house to get into the car. In her place was the Elodie I’d first met. The Elodie who didn’t put up with shit. That was the Elodie I wanted to see, but I was afraid it’d only be a glimmer. A small fragment of light in the darkness. “What happened?”
Deep Burn: (Asher & Elodie: Easton Family Saga) (Burned Duet Book 2) Page 8