Burned Duet: Asher & Elodie: Fast Burn & Deep Burn (Easton Family Duet Boxsets Book 4)

by Abigail Davies

  “Thanks,” I murmured to him, and pushed into my car, turned the engine on, and drove out of the home I’d known for so long. I had no idea where I was going to stay, no idea where I was going to go, but I still had to do my shift at work. I thought I’d needed the money before, but now it was essential. I had enough to feed me for two days and for gas for the week, but even that was going to be a push at this stage.

  I’d need to pick up extra shifts, which meant I couldn’t practice my routine for the next competition as much as I wanted to, but I was determined to make it work. Determined to get myself on my own two feet and live the life I wanted to, whether it took a month or a year.

  My shaking hands gripped the steering wheel harder as I made a left into the lot of the strip club, and I could see it was already packed. Relief washed through me because a packed place meant more money.

  I pulled up into my usual spot, turned the engine off, and looked back at all of my things on the back seat of my car. My entire life was in this vehicle. Everything I owned. Everything I had. It was all in this tiny space, and yet I still had a small smile on my face. It didn’t make sense why I was happy not to have a place to live, but I was out of there. I was away from my mom.

  My cell beeped with my alarm, and I switched it off, then pushed out of my car. Today was the day the rest of my life started. They said things came in threes, and so far, I’d only had two—Knox and my mom. I only hoped the third wouldn’t be as bad because I wasn’t sure I could take much more.

  Chapter Eleven

  ASHER

  “How’s this?” Maverick asked, holding up the small drawing of a spade with a funky A in the middle. I’d surprised him when he’d come into the shop today and told him he’d be tattooing me. He’d practiced on pigskins and himself plenty, but it was time he had a real human client he worked on.

  “Looks good,” I told him as I sat on the client bed. “Set your things up, and we’ll get started.”

  He nodded and rushed around to get the station ready, all with a huge grin on his face. Jez was on the other side of the studio, prepping his own client, and Lara was sitting at the front desk, working on a drawing. Both of them had known I was going to surprise Maverick when he came in, and they’d watched eagerly as I told him. We all remembered the first time we tattooed a client. The memory was etched in each of our minds, impossible to scrub. It was also probably the worst tattoos we’d done. Shaky lines and shit shading, but it would always be our first.

  “Ready,” Maverick announced as he put some black gloves on. “Where are you having it?”

  I pointed at a small space on my forearm. “Fit it in there.”

  “Okay.” He placed the paper with the drawing on over my arm to check for sizing and nodded to himself. “Should be good.” He stepped back and stared at the paper, my arm, and then my face. I waited for what he was going to say, but I could tell he’d blanked.

  “Stencil,” I informed him, and he shook his head as if he’d been in a daze.

  “Right.” He laughed nervously and walked to the front of the shop near Lara, made the stencil, then came back.

  “You need to change your gloves now.” He pulled his gloves off, replaced them, then grabbed the alcohol solution and a razor. He’d watched me do this hundreds of times, and I knew as soon as he was in the zone, he’d be fine. He only had to get his nerves under control.

  Once the stencil was on, he pulled back and asked, “Is that okay?”

  I glanced down at it, liking the way it fit in with my other tattoos. “Yep.”

  “Cool.” Maverick sat on the rolling stool and set his machine up, as well as his inks, and finally, he started to tattoo the spade. The burn of the needle didn’t bother me at all, but I kept a keen eye on his lines as he went around the edge of the stencil line and wiped the ink away as he went. He started off a little shaky, but by the time he’d completed the entire outline, he was more confident.

  “Oh shit, you getting tatted?” a new voice asked, and I whipped my head around. I hadn’t heard anyone come in the shop, but I’d been so consumed with watching Maverick that I hadn’t been paying attention to what was around me.

  “Jesus, Jax. You scared the shit out of me.” My heart pounded in my chest, and I was glad Maverick hadn’t had the needle to my skin because I had no doubt it would have made him jump too.

  “Soz, bro.” He sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Maverick started shading. “Can’t remember the last time I saw you getting a tat.”

  “That’s because I give them more.” I turned away from Jax and watched the needle. “Bit darker toward the edges,” I told Maverick. “You want to make the whitespace of the A where you’re not tattooing pop, and to do that, you need a higher contrast between the inked parts.”

  “Got it,” Maverick replied, dipping the needle into the ink again and then pressing it against my skin. He was in the zone, concentrating as hard as he could.

  Both Jax and I stayed silent as Maverick continued, and when Jez had finished his client, he joined in watching him too. Then finally, after an hour, Maverick downed his machine and wiped where he’d tattooed, applying petroleum jelly to keep it hydrated.

  “Well done,” I told him, turning my arm left and right to look at all angles. His shading would probably need to be gone over more, but for a first tattoo, it was pretty fuckin’ great.

  “Nice,” Jez commented, and took a step back. He planted his hands on his hips and looked at me, his eyes swirling. He continued to stare at me while not saying a word, and I could tell he wanted to say something.

  “You good?” I asked, holding my arm out for Maverick to wrap it up.

  “Yeah.” He huffed out a breath and ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up. “Just wondered if you’d heard how that girl is from last week?”

  My stomach dipped at his words, and I opened my mouth, about to give him some bullshit answer because there was no way we could talk about it here. I’d spent the rest of Saturday at my parents’ house, and so had Leo, although he’d messaged with Elodie for most of that. And then yesterday, I worked in my backyard to keep my mind occupied. But now it was Monday, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Elodie had gone to school today. I’d told Leo to message me if there were any problems, but my cell hadn’t gone off, and they were about to be let out for the day.

  “What girl?” Jax asked, and I silently cursed myself for not distracting Jez quicker.

  “Oh man, you should have seen it,” Jez started, and widened his stance. “This guy was beating the crap outta a girl over by the dance studio. Got her real good.” His cheeks reddened, a sure sign he was angry. “I chased after the bastard, but he jumped in his car before I got the chance to grab him.”

  “Holy shit.” Jax slid off the client bed and stood, and I couldn’t bring myself to say or do anything. I was stumped, not knowing what to do or how to react. Jax knew Elodie more than I did at this point, and if he found out I’d known what happened and hadn’t told him—

  “Yep.” Lara joined in, and I whipped my head around, not realizing she’d joined us. “Kid can’t be more than eighteen. Her face was a damn mess.” Lara glanced at me and then back at Jax and Jez. “She dances for Aleste. She has some weird cool name…Effie?” My nostrils flared, and my skin went hot as Lara clicked her fingers and pointed. “Elodie! That’s her name.”

  “Elodie?” Jax whispered, and I could feel his stare burning a hole through the side of my face. Luckily, Maverick finished wrapping up my arm so I could get the hell away from them all.

  “Clean the station up,” I told Maverick, and moved toward the front of the shop, but footsteps followed me, heavy footsteps which could only be Jax’s.

  “Asher?” he asked, but I didn’t turn to face him. It wasn’t my place to explain it to him. “Are they talking about who I think they’re talking about? 'Cause I only know one person named Elodie, and I’m sure as shit she dances at Aleste’s studio.”

  “Not my place, bro,”
I told him, rifling through some papers under the desk. It really wasn’t my place to explain it to him, but there was no way he was going to let this go, and even though I’d promised Elodie I wouldn’t tell anyone, I wasn’t sure I could keep it a secret from Jax at this point.

  “The fuck it isn’t!” He slammed his palm on the wooden surface, and the shop went silent. “Explain.” I flicked my gaze to his and saw the raging fire burning behind his eyes. “Now.”

  I dipped my head back and blew out a breath. Deep down, I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep this from Jax. He was my brother, the man I trusted with my life, but this wasn’t mine to tell him. But I also knew Elodie wouldn’t tell him. She’d keep it to herself, and she’d push through, because that was the kind of person she was.

  “I was tattooing a client, and when she left, she ran back in to tell us someone was beating a girl up.” My pulse thrummed in my ears as I kept deathly still, my focus only on Jax. “We all ran out there, and we found Elodie’s boyfriend on top of her, punching her in the face—”

  “Motherfucker!” Jax pounded his fist on the desk and spun around. He stormed out of the shop, and I didn’t second-guess chasing after him. There was no way I was letting him leave when he was like this.

  “Jax!” I followed him to his bike, but he was throwing his leg over it before I could get to him. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Jax. Will you just stop!”

  “What?” He placed his helmet on his head and did the strap up under his chin. “You’ve been sitting on this for a week and didn’t think to goddamn tell me? She’s eighteen, Asher. She don’t got anyone but me and Al.”

  I wanted to tell him that wasn’t true because she had me too, but I couldn’t voice it. I couldn’t explain why I felt the way I did. We’d kissed once—once—but it was the kind of kiss you never forgot. The kind of kiss that branded your soul. “I fixed her up and gave her my number. And Leo has been messaging her too—”

  “Leo? How the hell does she know Leo?”

  “They go to high school together.” I blew out a tired breath. “They’re friends.”

  Jax was silent for a beat, and then his shoulders drooped. “She was at work last night. She didn’t say a word to me.”

  “Didn’t think she would.” I pushed my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “She asked me not to tell anyone.”

  “Figures.” He leaned back a little on his seat. “She always did want to handle things on her own. You know I offered to help her get her own place before I moved off the trailer park, but she refused.” He ran his palm over his face, his frustration evident. “She wanted to stay with her druggie mom and look after her. It’s fucked up. She shouldn’t be doing that shit, bro.”

  “She shouldn’t,” I agreed, and I was kicking myself for not knocking on her trailer door when I’d taken her car back. If I would have seen her mom high, there was no way I would have left there without her. No way in hell. “Is that why she works for you, then? To help her mom?”

  “Yeah.” He chuckled, but it was a sad kind of chuckle. “She needed to make money—good money—and she could dance. You think I like that she takes her clothes off to earn money?” I didn’t get a chance to answer because he continued, “Hell to the no, but she’s independent and a goddamn pain in my ass.”

  “I see that,” I commented, because I already felt that way about her. “Where you going?”

  “To her trailer,” Jax whipped out.

  “Why don’t you wait? Calm down. You’ll see her again for work this week, right?”

  Jax narrowed his eyes at me, and I could tell he was trying to work out why I was saying that, but I wouldn’t admit to him that I didn’t want him running to her and demanding answers, telling her he’d heard it from me. I hadn’t broken my promise. I hadn’t told him. Everyone else had.

  “You’re right.” He huffed out a breath. “But you hear anything else, or if she comes to you, you fuckin’ call me asap. Got it?”

  “Got it.” I clipped my head in a nod as he turned his engine on, and within seconds he was pulling out into the road, leaving the echo of the roar of his bike behind. And he never did tell me why he came here in the first place.

  My gaze drifted over to Aleste’s studio, and I could see her teaching some students through the window, but it was the spot where Elodie had been lying on her back while taking hit after hit that I focused on. She’d been helpless, but she’d shown a strength I’d never seen before, and all it wanted to make me do was go to her. Make me want to hold her in my arms.

  Fuck.

  I yanked my cell out and shot off a message before I chickened out. I couldn’t stand here wondering and waiting for secondhand information from Leo. I had to know for myself, I had to check.

  ELODIE

  My cell vibrated in my pocket as I walked out of the school’s main doors. I’d hid in the girls' bathroom once the last bell of the day rang out, hoping not to run into anyone as I left. I’d waited for forty minutes, sure I’d be clear to leave. The entire day had been full of whispers and sneers from every student apart from Leo, but it didn’t bother me. It was the feel of Knox’s stare whenever I saw him that got to me. I was pretty sure he wouldn’t do anything here in front of all the students, but I’d been certain he wouldn’t hurt me in public, and I’d been wrong.

  So, I didn’t take any risks. I waited, and now I was only a few feet from my car, also known as the place where I slept.

  Asher: Hey. Just checkin’ in to see how you are.

  I bit down on my bottom lip, debating whether to reply or not. If I did, I was afraid it would mean something, but if I didn’t, it would be rude. I’d already not answered his first message, so I had to answer this one, right? I was overthinking the entire thing, but it was because he knew everything. He knew I was a high school student who stripped. He knew I’d let my boyfriend hit me. And we’d kissed. Well, he’d kissed Lotus, but I was Lotus.

  My fingers drifted to my lips, and I shivered as I remembered the way his lips had felt against mine. Remembered the way his hand had felt as he touched me. He’d seared me with his touch, and since that moment, nothing had been the same. Some invisible source had pushed me to stick up for myself, to own who I was. To not take any more shit.

  Asher had done that. He’d unknowingly given me the energy to fight when I’d been down. He’d done that, no one else, so it was only right I replied to his message. Was I really debating whether I would answer him or not? I shook my head and let my thoughts drift away as I wrote him a message.

  Elodie: Hey. I’m good. Leaving school now.

  Asher: Thought you got let out nearly an hour ago?

  My eyes widened at his instant reply, and I made a small yelp. Damn. Had he been watching his cell for my reply? What did that mean? Did he really want to know I was okay? Was it because I was friends with his nephew or because he knew I was close with Jax and Al? Or maybe he only wanted to talk to me.

  Elodie: Yeah. I stayed behind until everyone was gone.

  I was being honest. Well, as honest as I could be. I knew he’d be able to read between the lines, though. I pressed the side button on my cell to lock it and halted next to my car as I fished my keys out. And just as I’d put the key in the lock, a voice said, “Hiding from me?”

  My heart hammered in my chest, and I didn’t think as I ripped my door open, dived inside my car, and locked my door. I stared through the window, seeing Knox standing there with a smirk on his face. He liked that I was scared. He lived for it.

  “Leave me alone,” I told him, my voice shaky and hoarse.

  “No can do.” He leaned closer to the window, his face inches from mine, and only separated by glass. “You can run and hide all you want, babe. But you should know by now I like the chase.” It was a statement, but also a threat. A threat I knew wasn’t empty. A threat he’d collect on. “It turns me on.” He leered at me, his gaze snapping down to my chest as he licked his lips, and I shivered. My skin crawled as he glared at me, and I couldn’t
mask how I was feeling—how he made me feel.

  My cell vibrated in my hand, but I couldn’t look away from Knox as he stared at me, promising whatever we had wasn’t over. He’d hurt me, but it didn’t mean I had the upper hand. He always had that. He was always the one who controlled everything. I may have gotten away from him, but I wasn’t sure it would stay like that, not if he had his way.

  “Leave me alone,” I repeated, this time my voice a little stronger. His response was to wink, stand to his full height, and then saunter away. Just like that, he was gone, but I knew it wasn’t the end. Knox didn’t give up that easily.

  I didn’t move my gaze off my side mirror as I watched him walk across the lot and to his car. I hadn’t even checked to see who was still parked here when I’d walked out the doors. I’d waited that long in the bathroom, and I’d failed at the last hurdle. I always seemed to fail at the last hurdle.

  My breaths came in pants as he started up his car, and with a honk of his horn, he left the lot and me behind. For now.

  Asher: Message me when you get home so I know you’re safe.

  My thumb typed a reply as I tried to gather myself. I wanted to tell him I was already home because I was in my car, but instead, I made it seem like nothing. I made myself sound easy-breezy when I was never that way.

  Elodie: Sure :)

  The added emoji made me come across light-hearted, but in reality, I was hanging on by a thread. I wasn’t sure where to go from here or how to act. All I knew was I needed to expose some of the emotions I felt, and there was only one place I could do that—the dance studio.

  I started my engine, reversed out of the space, and headed toward Aleste’s studio. I didn’t have a shift tonight, so I could fill my time practicing for the next competition in seven weeks, and let out all of my anger and frustration.