by Ward, Alice
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Asher kissed my forehead and set off for the house. I settled in on the sturdy stool and stared out at the horizon for a few minutes before picking up a brush. I was full of so many ugly emotions, the only colors I could see in my mind were red and black. I poured puddles of the colors onto a paper plate and attacked the canvas. I let the paint fly without thought, working solely from emotions. My rage flowed out in bold streaks of red and thick blobs of darkness. I added purple to the plate and snaked thin lines across the canvas. I painted until I felt better and then I kept going. When I finally looked up, the sun shone down from the middle of the sky.
I drank a bottle of water and studied the painting for a few minutes before pulling out my phone and snapping a picture. I text it to Kennedy, who called almost immediately.
“Are you okay?” she demanded before I could say hello.
“I feel better than I have in weeks,” I assured her. “I take it you don’t like the painting?”
“That thing scared the shit out of me,” she confessed. “All of those shadows and faces… it’s haunting. It’s really, really good. But it’s haunting.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Asher surprised me with all my art stuff this morning. I picked up the brush and this just came out. It was cathartic.”
“I’m glad you feel better. I’ve been so worried about you. I can’t believe Luis Chavez is out of jail. I’ll feel so much better tomorrow when we’re all together. How’s Asher holding up?”
“He’s putting on a brave face, but I know he’s terrified. He worked on his speech most of last night. I bet he’s been at it all day. He’s really nervous about how everyone’s going to take the news. And we’re both a little spooked by this whole FBI file business. Have you been able to find out anything about that?”
“We have people looking into it, but I haven’t heard anything yet. But it didn’t really surprise me to learn he had one.”
“It didn’t?”
“Of course not. I probably have one. I know Jackson and Jack do. Money draws attention, Lauren. From everyone, especially the government. I doubt the FBI was looking for anything specific. They’re probably just keeping tabs on him.”
“I hope so. When I saw the file, my first thought was that Rachel might be setting him up for something.”
“There’s nothing in the file to suggest they think he’s committed any crimes,” she assured me again. “But just to be sure, I did call one of my contacts at the SEC. She hasn’t called me back yet, but she promised to poke around and see if Asher’s on their radar. Rachel was in the perfect position to set him up for fraud or embezzlement charges.”
“She was in the perfect position to screw us in every way possible. You know I’m not a hateful person.” I blew out a breath and stood up to pace back and forth under my little tent. “But when I see the pain on Asher’s face, the guilt he feels over everything that’s happened, I hate that woman. If I ever get my hands on her—”
“You will do nothing of the sort,” Kennedy interrupted, her voice firm. “Rachel’s crazy, Lauren. In all likelihood, she could kill you without breaking a sweat or batting an eye. That’s why we’re doing all of this by the book and letting the authorities handle it.”
“I know,” I agreed with a sigh.
“Sorry I had to use my lawyer voice. But I can’t stress the importance of this.”
“Believe me, I understand. You sound as wound up as I felt this morning, Kennedy.”
“I don’t like being this far away from you with everything that’s going on. Now that we know Luis has been released, I’m not going to rest well until we’re under the same roof. You’re my best friend, Lauren. If anything happens to you…” She cleared her throat. “I can’t even think about it.”
“I saw my parents yesterday. It wasn’t pretty.” I told her about the vague explanations I’d given Mom and Dad and how guilty I felt for running away the moment Asher texted.
“That must have been terrible.”
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. If I thought there was a chance in hell that they’d join us at your place, I’d have told them everything. But they’d never leave the bed and breakfast. If I told them, they’d just worry. Asher promised to put very discreet guards on them in case the Chavez family tries anything. Claire was going to check on them, but now she’s coming with us. I hope that’s okay?”
“It’s more than okay. The more the merrier,” she insisted. “Are you still planning to leave straight from the press conference?”
“Yes. In fact, I should probably go inside and start packing. I just can’t bear the thought of going back in there with so many people crawling around. I’ve seen enough men with guns this weekend to last a lifetime.”
“So I guess you don’t want to go skeet shooting once we get to the estate? I thought it might be a good way to blow off some steam.”
I laughed. And wow, it felt good to laugh. “If you paint Rachel’s face on the clay, I’ll blast every one you sling.”
***
We ate a late lunch on the terrace and then Asher and I started packing. As the day progressed, his mood darkened and his body tensed. I knew he was dreading the next day, but I had no idea how to help him. When he and Parker sat down in the office to go over his speech, I slipped into the kitchen with Claire.
“I think it’s safe to say you should start a catering company,” I told her with a smile. “You’ve been amazing this weekend. I overheard two of the guards talking about how much they looked forward to coming to work because of all the delicious treats. I think one of them has a little crush on the chef.”
Claire rolled her eyes and smiled. “A man is the last thing I need right now. But I’m glad everyone’s enjoying the food. I overdid it a little with the grocery order, but I’m planning to cook everything before we leave. If nothing else, the guards can take it home. I just don’t want anything to go to waste.”
“I don’t know how to thank you for doing all of this. Not just the cooking, but packing up and leaving at a moment’s notice. I feel horrible that you and Kennedy were dragged into this.”
“It’s not your fault,” she reminded me. “I’m happy to go with you. I’d have worried myself to death with you gone. And I really have been happy to feed everyone. It makes me feel like I’m doing something useful.”
“I wish I felt that way,” I confessed. “Asher is so on edge. His entire world is going to change tomorrow and there’s nothing I can do to make him feel better.”
She touched my hand. “He knows you’re on his side, Lauren. That’s the most important thing anyone could be doing right now. And Asher’s tough. Look at everything he’s survived and everything he’s accomplished in spite of it.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “This isn’t the first hard thing Asher’s had to deal with. And I know how to make him feel better. Want to help?”
“Absolutely.”
Claire and I spent the next hour setting up a romantic campground on Asher’s favorite spot of land. We blew up an air mattress, covered it with sleeping bags, and stacked wood in the fire pit. I arranged lanterns in the tree branches while Claire went back to the house to fill a picnic basket. When the space was perfect, I joined her. When Asher and Parker finally emerged from the office, I took his hand and led him outside.
“Where are we going?” he asked, his shoulders still tense.
“We’re running away,” I explained. “You need a break even more than I did. And I’m going to make sure you get one.”
“Lauren, we have things to take care of,” he argued, turning back to the house.
I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back to me, staring into his eyes.
“You are my most important thing to take care of,” I told him. “Your speech is finished. Our things are packed. We have nothing to do but wait for tomorrow to come. And if you wait in that house, you’re going to crack. So we’re going camping.�
�
A smile flickered across Asher’s face and a slight twinkle lit his eyes. “Camping?”
“Camping. It’s all set up. We’re going to have a picnic dinner and sleep under the stars. We don’t know how long we’ll be away from here. We should spend our last night in your favorite place.”
Asher started walking toward the forest. “I can’t believe you thought of this.”
“You’re not the only one who can pull a surprise out of their hat,” I teased.
We walked arm in arm to the campsite and Asher pulled me onto the air mattress. I laid my head on his shoulder and we stared up at the sky, watching in silence as the wind blew clouds into different shapes. After a few minutes, I felt Asher’s muscles finally relax beside me.
“Claire reminded me of something this afternoon,” I said, lightly stroking his neck.
“Oh yeah, what’s that?”
“This isn’t the first hard thing you’ve been through.”
He exhaled and shook his head. “No, it isn’t.”
“And you did a pretty fantastic job of surviving the other shit.”
“Did I? Sometimes I’m not so sure.”
“Look at this place, Asher. Look at the life you built. You had every odd stacked against you. And you triumphed over all of them, all by yourself. When Claire reminded me of that, I realized that we’re going to get through this and come out better on the other side.”
He looked so hopeful, my heart squeezed in my chest. “You really think so?”
“I know so,” I insisted. “I know that you’re worried about what people will think of you when you admit the truth. But it’s not like you shot a boy scout in cold blood. You stopped a man who was trying to kill you, a man who’d killed at least two other people already. If they made a movie about it, you’d be a hero. I don’t think anyone’s going to judge you for taking a drug dealing murderer off the street.”
“Still, people are going to know that I took a life.”
“People are going to know you did what you had to. Anyone would hope they could do the same.”
“They’re also going to know where I came from,” he pointed out. “They’re going to know about my dad and where he is.”
“Does that bother you?”
Asher shook his head. “Not really. I’m not ashamed of him. But that’s what people will assume once they know I lied about who I am. That bothers me.”
“Have you thought about visiting your dad once all of this is over? You’d be able to, since you won’t have to hide anymore.”
“The thought has crossed my mind,” he confessed. “But I’m not sure it’s the best idea. I don’t know what we’d say to each other.”
“You could start with hello and see what happens from there,” I suggested.
Asher rolled onto his side and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll think about it once we’ve dealt with everything else. A prison reunion isn’t exactly high on my priority list at the moment. Besides, I’d much rather hang out with your parents and show your dad how to dominate the games.”
“I think he’s going to love it once he gets started. I can just see him now, showing off for all the guests. But after yesterday, it may take them a little time to warm up to you,” I warned. “It’ll probably take them time to warm back up to me.”
“We’ll make it up to them,” he promised. “And that will be a priority.”
“Let’s stop thinking about everything we’re going to do when this nightmare is over and focus on this moment,” I suggested. “We can’t change the past. We can’t control the future. But we can claim right now for ourselves and spend it however we want.”
Asher smiled at me and raised an eyebrow. “Are there any guards nearby?”
I gave him a devilish grin and shook my head. “I took care of that.”
“Then I know exactly how I want to spend right now,” he told me. He crawled on top of me, pulling my shirt over my head.
“I want to touch you, and taste you, and make you feel as safe and amazing as you make me feel,” he said, covering my neck with wet, urgent kisses. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Lauren. I don’t know how I survived before we met. You say I’m strong, but you’re the one who’s kept us stable. I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” I replied, covering his face with long, slow kisses. Our lips found each other and our tongues danced in rhythm with our racing hearts. Asher lifted my back from the mattress and unhooked my bra, tossing it into the grass. He licked and teased my belly before sliding down my leggings and panties. He unbuttoned his shirt and added it to the pile, and then wiggled out of his cargo shorts. He collapsed on top of me, his lips falling to my breasts as his hand moved between my legs.
My pussy was wet and aching for him. Asher bit down hard on my nipple and slid two fingers inside me. I cried out, arching my back off the mattress and my body into his touch. He slid his tongue up my neck and to my earlobe while his fingers probed deeper and his thumb circled my clit.
“Oh, Asher,” I moaned, turning my lips to his neck. I cradled his head in my hands and kissed a path to his earlobe. His fingers stroked my G-spot and I clenched my legs around his hand.
I reached down and found his rigid cock. He took in a sharp breath of air as I gave it a long, firm stroke. He stroked me back harder and my entire body shuddered with release.
“I want you,” I begged him, the waves of my orgasm still washing over me. “Right now… please.”
Asher positioned himself between my legs and drove his cock inside me. I gushed, the second orgasm so close to the first I couldn’t tell where one started and the other began. Asher rocked into me harder, spurred by my ecstasy.
“Oh God, Lauren,” he groaned as I bucked beneath him.
“Your cock feels so amazing,” I moaned, wrapping my arms around his chest. I pulled the full weight of him down on top of me, desperate to have him as close as possible. He slowed his hips and covered my mouth with his.
“I feel like I’m crushing you,” he said, lifting himself with his elbows.
“Roll over,” I exhaled through heavy breaths.
I’d never felt so full, so on fire with passion. Asher rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him. I planted my feet on the air mattress, rising and falling on his cock as he took my breasts in his mouth again. He pinched my nipple between his lips and I felt a third wave build deep inside me.
“Oh my God, I’m going to come again,” I warned.
Asher gripped my hips and thrust upward. “Come with me, baby,” he groaned.
I opened my eyes and watched his roll back in his head. His hot seed exploded inside me, joined quickly by the juices of my release. My legs went numb and I felt my body waver. Asher wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest.
“That gets more amazing every time we do it,” he observed after we’d recovered.
“It certainly does,” I agreed with a grin. I sat up and tossed him his shorts.
“I worked up an appetite. Why don’t we eat and then see if we can outdo ourselves again?”
CHAPTER 6
“Baby? Baby, wake up.” Asher shook me gently by the shoulder and I stirred on the air mattress. Thick dew covered the top of our sleeping bag and the sky was still dark, save a bright orange streak across the horizon.
“What is it?” I asked with a yawn. I stretched my arms over my head and stared up into Asher’s animated eyes.
“I thought of something. I dreamt of it, actually. If Rachel and Luis really are working together, I know exactly where they’re working from,” he announced.
I wiggled out of the sleeping bag and reached for my shoes. “What do you mean you know where they are?”
“The family has a cabin out in the middle of nowhere between here and LA. Luis used to take me fishing there when I snuck away from my foster homes. No one else ever used the place. It’s beyond rustic, no heat and air or indoor plumbing. They only kept the place for tax reasons. It’s the perfect
place to go when you don’t want to be found. And I know Rachel knows about it. Come on. If we hurry, we can be there in an hour.”
“Hold on, Ash. We can’t just drive up on the place. It’s great that you thought of the cabin. But we need to call the police. They can handle it from here.”
He shook his head and set off for the house. I stomped along behind him, begging him to see reason.
“You’re not thinking this through,” I insisted.
“No. For the first time since Cynthia Goins walked into my life, I’m finally thinking clearly. So many things make sense, Lauren. I can’t believe how obvious it is. I have to face them myself. I need to look the bitch in the eyes and let her know that I finally know exactly what she’s done.”
“You need to slow down and explain what you’re talking about.”
“We don’t have time. I’ll explain on the way.”
“You aren’t making any sense, Asher. And we’re supposed to meet with the board in a few hours, remember? I’m going to wake Parker.”
I had no idea what Asher had dreamed, but I was certain that he’d lost his mind. I rushed for the front door and heard the garage open behind me.
“Parker isn’t going to talk me out of this and I’ll be gone before you make it to the office. If you’re coming with me, get in the truck. If you aren’t, I’ll call you when it’s over,” Asher warned.
It went against every instinct I had, but I turned and joined him in the truck. I buckled my seatbelt and turned to him with a frown. “Start talking.”
“Okay, I’m going to have to backtrack a little. I’m still working some of this out in my head. I told you that when I first suggested we go to the police, Rachel wanted nothing to do with it.”
“Right, because she was still strung out. And turning the family in to the cops meant losing her fix.”
Asher barreled down the mountain and turned onto the highway.
“Exactly. And she changed her mind when she overheard Carlos tell Miguel that she needed to be dealt with. Or so I thought. That’s one thing that never made sense to me. Miguel was a dumbass, always running at the mouth. But Carlos was sharp as a tack. And he outranked Miguel. If he wanted Rachel dealt with, he would have just done it.”
