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

by Abigail Davies

  Lola’s lips curved up into the biggest smile as she dropped her cell onto the table. “You, Elodie, are perfect for my son.” She placed her hands on her chest. “Now go. Go and save my idiot son from himself.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  ASHER

  I adjusted my tie for what felt like the thousandth time, but no matter what I did, it still felt like it was strangling me. I was trapped in an invisible noose with no escape in sight. The courtroom was bigger—grander—than last time. The polished wooden bench the judge sat behind glistened where the sun hit it, as did the two tables ten feet away where the lawyers and I were. The room felt both cool and warm at the same time, or maybe that was just my body and my nerves.

  I was hyperaware of the people sitting in the first row behind me. I could almost feel the burn of their gazes in my back, but I didn’t turn, too afraid of what my reaction would be if I looked at them. Dad had suggested we all ride to the courthouse together and I’d snapped his offer up, knowing what the outcome was going to be today.

  Elodie had been relaxed the entire ride here, but I’d been on edge. Part of me wished I’d told her what was about to go down, but I knew I was doing the right thing. If she knew, then she’d have to face her nightmares all over again, and it’d all be because of me.

  The last few weeks I’d spent less time at home and more time at the shop. I was putting things in place for when I was gone, making sure Elodie would be taken care of while I was locked in a six-by-nine cell for god knew how many hours a day. My life was about to change dramatically, but she didn’t know that.

  I’d craved for each day to go by at a snail’s pace, but life never worked the way you wanted it to. Instead, time had whizzed by, and now I was here, about to agree to a plea deal and leave everything I’d built behind. I couldn’t describe how I felt, a weird combination of agitated and calm. My lawyer, on the other hand, looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. His files were stacked neatly in front of him, his posture straight and prepared. Today was just a formality, something he’d told me over and over again.

  “We’re here regarding case number 7937694,” the judge said, her voice carrying across the entire room. “I understand the commonwealth has prepared a plea deal.”

  The prosecuting lawyer stood from behind the other table. “We have, Your Honor.”

  “Terms?” the judge asked, staring down at something in front of her. My stomach rolled. It was all happening too fast. I’d thought I’d have been in here longer than this, but it was speeding ahead at a lightning pace.

  “The charge is assault with a suspended two-year sentence,” the lawyer replied. My head whipped around to face my lawyer, but his attention was focused ahead with a small smile on his face. What the fuck? “We have evidence surrounding the circumstances of the assault and believe this to be prevalent to the case.”

  The judge nodded as if she already knew this, and maybe she did, but I didn’t have a goddamn clue as to what was occurring around me. “Does the defense agree to these terms?”

  “We do, Your Honor,” Mr. Bennet stated as he stood.

  “Mr. Easton?” I blinked at the judge, not knowing what to do or say. How the hell had Mr. Bennet gotten the charges dropped down to assault? And a two-year suspended sentence? I was dreaming. I had to be dreaming.

  “Stand up,” Mr. Bennet whispered out of the side of his mouth.

  I did as I was told, trying my best to keep it together. Had they read the wrong case? Had they gotten their files mixed up? A thousand possibilities entered my mind, but not one of them made any sense. How had my charges been dropped from attempted murder down to assault without me even knowing?

  The judge cleared her throat. “Do you understand that by accepting this plea deal you’re waiving your right to an appeal?”

  “I…do,” I croaked out, feeling like I wasn’t in my own body.

  “Do you understand that if you get arrested at any time in the duration of your suspended sentence, you will have to serve out the entirety of your sentence in prison?”

  “I do, Your Honor.”

  “Okay, then. Counselors, you may sign the deal and hand it to me.”

  The judge leaned back in her seat as the prosecutor stepped toward our table. She slid the paper across to me, and I stared at it like it was a bomb about to explode. Were they trying to trick me? Was this really the original plea and they were playing some sick joke?

  “I’ve read over it and everything is up to scratch,” Mr. Bennet told me, handing me a pen. “Sign it.”

  “I don’t understand,” I croaked out. “How did this happen?”

  “I’ll explain when we’re out of here. Just sign the papers.”

  I swallowed past the lump in my throat and signed my name on each set of papers. My handwriting was shaky, not at all like it normally was, but my signature was there clear as day. Mr. Bennet gathered the papers and passed them to the judge, who took a quick glance at them, said something I couldn’t quite hear, then stood and walked out.

  I didn’t move an inch, sure this was too good to be true. People filed out of the courtroom, the sound of heels and dress shoes echoing through the vast space, but I couldn’t quite get my body to work. I was in shock. Completely flabbergasted at what had happened. I’d been preparing myself for months not to walk back out of this courthouse, preparing to only see Elodie and my family behind a screen and hear their voices through a phone piece.

  But none of that was going to happen now. And I still had no idea why.

  “Ready?” Mr. Bennet asked, placing his hand on my shoulder. I blinked out of my haze, and nodded, not sure I could get my voice to work. I followed him out of the now empty room and out into the hallway where my mom, dad, and Elodie waited.

  My gaze immediately landed on Elodie, and I halted in the doorway of the courtroom. It hit me like a freight train, and I felt stupid for not realizing before I’d signed the papers. “No,” I ground out. It was taking me a second to catch up with my own thoughts, but deep down I knew what had happened. Elodie had acted like today was just a normal day, because to her, it was. She didn’t know what I did, or at least, I thought she hadn’t.

  “Asher,” she murmured, stepping toward me. She could see the realization shadowed across my features, but I couldn’t talk to her right then. I’d only told two people the truth, and I’d demanded both of them to keep their mouths shut. They hadn’t listened.

  “Did you contact her?” I asked Mr. Bennet, my voice deep. I could feel my anger bubbling up to the surface.

  “I did not,” Mr. Bennet replied, turning to face me. He juggled several files under his arm along with his briefcase. “She came to me with your father.” I opened my mouth, but he didn’t give me the chance to say anything. “It’s a good job she did, Asher, because the assistant DA was determined to charge you with attempted murder.” He glanced over at my dad, then back to me. “He has ties with the boy’s father.”

  “I don’t care.” I clenched my hands by my sides. “I gave you strict instructions not to—”

  “You told me not to contact her.” He raised a brow. “You said nothing about what I should do if she came to me.”

  “You should have called me—”

  “Listen, Asher.” He huffed out a breath and stepped toward me. “I understand what you were trying to do, but it wasn’t the right call. They were trying to hang you out to dry. Don’t you get that?” I didn’t know what to say to that because it was true, and I knew it all along. But I didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on Elodie. She’d already been through enough. “I have to get to my next meeting,” Mr. Bennet said, taking a couple of steps back. “Enjoy your freedom and stay out of trouble.”

  His receding footsteps echoed in the otherwise quiet hallway, and I tried to push everything down and exude calm, but as my dad called my name, I couldn’t keep it inside any longer. I whipped my attention around to him, narrowing my eyes. “You told her?”

  “He didn’t,
” Elodie informed me, stepping forward. I didn’t want to tear my gaze away from my dad and the steely look he was giving me, but as Elodie stepped closer, I couldn’t resist. “I heard you talking about it.” She pursed her lips, a clear sign she wasn’t happy with me and the way I’d handled the entire situation. “You should have told me about it.” She tilted her head back so she could stare into my eyes. “All of this could have been avoided if you had just confided in me, Asher.”

  “I was pro—”

  “Protecting me. I know.” She rolled her eyes and grasped the lapels of my suit jacket and then pulled me closer. “But it works both ways.” She paused, waiting for her words to sink in. “You protected me more than anyone else ever has, but I can protect you too. It may not look the same as when you do it, but it’s for the same reasons.”

  I took a breath, not quite getting the full oxygen I needed. “I didn’t want you to have to go through it all again.” My fight was leaving me the longer she spoke.

  “It doesn’t matter how many times I have to go through it, Asher.” She lifted up onto her tiptoes. “With you by my side, I could slay a thousand dragons. We’re a team. A team who conquers our demons together.”

  I wrapped my arms around her waist, bringing her flush to me. I couldn’t stay mad any longer because she had a point. I’d tried to handle this alone, yet I’d told her time and time again that it was me and her against the world. I’d told her one thing but done the complete opposite. “You’re so damn sexy when you talk about dragons and demons.” She laughed, the sound a soft tinkle echoing through the halls of the courthouse. “But you didn’t need to do that for me.”

  “I know I didn’t need to.” She pushed her face closer to mine, her lips only centimeters away. “I wanted to.” Her tongue swiped over her bottom lip. “What’s it going to take to make you realize you’re not on your own anymore?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged, smirking down at her. “Maybe a kiss would be the starting point?”

  She huffed out a laugh but gave me exactly what I wanted. She sealed the deal with a kiss, a kiss I would never take for granted ever again.

  ELODIE

  Asher held my hand tighter than he ever had before as we drove away from the courthouse. The atmosphere in the car swirled, happiness surrounding all of us, and I suddenly felt a little bad for not telling him what I’d done beforehand. It had been weeks since I’d gone to Mr. Bennet’s office with Brody to make my statement, but I’d kept it a secret from Asher. Several times I’d nearly caved and told him what I did, but I didn’t want to give him the option of talking me out of what I’d done.

  So, we’d all known he was coming home with us today, which was why we’d planned a party for afterward. It was yet another thing we could cross off our list, and now there was just one final date. One final court appearance and then we could put all of this behind us.

  But I didn’t want to think about that, not right then. I wanted to bask in the way Asher’s fingers slipped between mine. I wanted to stare at the tattoos covering his body. I wanted to look into his eyes, knowing there were no secrets left between us.

  “You’re heading the wrong way,” Asher told his dad. We were crammed in the back seat of the Mustang his dad owned, but I kind of liked it. It was cozy.

  “We thought we could go back to our house for a little bit,” Lola said, turning in her seat to look at us. “That okay with you?” Her lips curved up, a telltale sign she was teasing him.

  “I dunno, Lola. Maybe we should ask his permission. We wouldn’t want him to get all red-faced like he did back at the courthouse,” Brody commented.

  Lola snorted. “He looked like a flamin’ hot Cheeto.”

  I pursed my lips to try and keep my laughter in because she wasn’t wrong. As soon as he’d walked out of the room and saw us standing there, realization had clearly set in. I’d never seen him look like he was about to explode before, and any other time, I would have been scared, but I knew Asher as well as I knew myself. He’d never have taken his anger out on me.

  “Ha, ha.” Asher shifted in his seat, his side pressing against mine. “You took me by surprise.”

  “I know.” Lola winked at me. “Not nice being kept in the dark is it, son?” She paused for a second. “Taught you a lesson, though, huh?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Asher glanced down at me, his dark-brown eyes holding me captive. “Can we not talk about it anymore? I just wanna go home, get this damn suit off and—” He cut himself off as Brody drove on to their street and toward their house. Cars lined outside, and the drive was packed with several more as well as a couple of motorcycles. “What the…”

  “Surprise!” Lola shouted, throwing her hands up in the air and nearly smacking Brody in the face.

  “Jesus, woman. Give a guy a warning.”

  Lola ignored him and clicked her belt off as Brody halted to a stop. “We thought you deserved a party.” She glanced over at me. “Both of you.”

  “A…party?” Asher let his head drop back. “You know I hate parties.”

  “I got red velvet cake,” Lola sang and opened the passenger door. “With cream cheese frosting.”

  The silence stretched and finally Asher groaned out, “Well…I suppose we can’t let the cake go to waste.” His hand slipped from mine and he squeezed between the front seat Lola had moved forward and the edge of the passenger door. It was a tight fit, but he managed it just fine. He wrapped his arm around Lola’s shoulder and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “You're welcome.” She stretched her arm around his waist and grinned up at him as they started to walk toward the front door, but I stayed exactly where I was, feeling a lump building in my throat.

  Today was meant to be a celebration, but I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. These people were Asher’s family, and without them, I wasn’t sure where I would be. Maybe I’d have escaped Knox, or maybe I would have still been tethered to him with no end point in sight.

  “You okay there, darlin’?”

  I jumped at the sound of Brody’s voice. “Shit, you scared me.” My heart pounded in my chest, and I placed my hand there, trying to calm it down.

  “Sorry.” He crouched down near the open driver’s door and held on to the seat he’d pushed forward so I could get out. “It’s a lot to take in,” he murmured. I frowned, not sure what he meant until he tilted his head toward the house. “They’re a bunch of crazies if you ask me, but they’ll stand by your side no matter what.”

  “I…I’ve never had that before.”

  Brody nodded. “I get that.” He blew out a breath and stared up at the gray sky. “I was raised like you were. Trailer park. Deadbeat parents.” He paused and cleared his throat, the painful expression on his face obvious for me to see, but only because I understood it. “I could have easily gone down a different route—in fact, I did for a while—but then I was thrown into training and surrounded by people who supported me.” He shrugged. “I didn’t get it. Why would people want to help me? Why would people want to stand at my back and fight with me instead of against me?”

  My breaths quickened the longer he talked because I felt exactly the same. I’d never had the support these people had, and now it was there, ready for the taking, but I was starting to wonder if it was too good to be true.

  “It took me years to accept the people around me. But even now I still have the inclination not to trust. It’s built within me, just like it is with you.” His stare met mine, a silent conversation only I could comprehend shining in his eyes. “But this…” He pointed toward the house where the front door was still open. “This is the real thing.”

  “I’m…I’m scared,” I whispered. “Scared the moment I get used to it that it’ll all be taken away from me.”

  Brody shuffled forward. “I don’t make promises often, Elodie, because when I do make them, I have to mean them one hundred percent. But I’m promising this to you: even if you and Asher call it quits—which I do
ubt will ever happen—you’ll always have a place in this family.”

  The thought of me not being with Asher had anxiety building up, but as Brody’s words sunk in, I relaxed a little. He understood where I’d come from. He understood the kind of life I’d led up until this point.

  “Now, what do you say we head inside and get a slice of that cake before Asher eats it all?”

  He held his hand out to help me from the car, and I didn’t hesitate to take it. I’d felt safe with Asher from the moment I’d met him, but I’d never for a second thought I’d gain a family from him too. They were here to support me, and if I were being honest, I was going to need their support more than ever when I had my day in court. Today felt like the prelude to the real event, a snapshot of how things were laid out, but I had no doubt it’d be entirely different too.

  “If it gets to be too much," Brody whispered as we entered the house, “you can escape to Asher’s room.”

  “Okay.”

  I stood at the edge of the living room, not recognizing most of the faces, but as soon as a leather cut flashed in the corner of my eye, my lips split into a smile. That was one person from my life before all of…this. The one person who’d witnessed me trying to crawl out of the hellhole that was the trailer park. He hadn’t spotted me yet, so I weaved through the crowd and tapped him on the shoulder.

  “What the…” He whipped his head to the right, then to the left, his gaze finally landing on me. “Well, shit, ain’t you a sight for sore eyes.” He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around me and squeeze, just like he always did. My feet lifted off the floor as he turned me around and plopped me inside the circle of people he was talking to. “I heard you fooled Asher.” He smirked at something over my head and a second later hands grasped my waist. Hands I knew. Hands I’d felt over every inch of my body.

  “You tryin’ to steal my girl, Jax?” Asher’s rough voice asked. My back met his chest and I dipped my head back, staring at him upside down. He looked down at me, placed a kiss on the tip of my nose, then moved his attention back to Jax.