He didn’t answer.
Scowling, I reached over and flipped the radio on to detract from the wired tension in the car. Flicking through the CD’s in his car, I popped the Imagine Dragons album in and relaxed against the seat. Asher flicked me a glance but didn’t acknowledge me besides that.
I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, the car was rolling to a stop. Yawning, I wiped the last dredges of sleep from my eyes and took in our surroundings. A large homely yet sophisticated cabin loomed, on the brink of rows upon rows of trees. There was a clearing in front of the cabin, a place where the trees had been cut away and only dirt remained. The cabin itself was lovely, with a few steps leading to a comfortable porch. It was like a mini-home, and despite the circumstances, I took a liking to it.
“We used to come here every year. I haven’t seen this place since my father got arrested,” Asher spoke softly, striding ahead to climb the steps and unlock the oak door. Hesitantly, and with a measure of trepidation, I followed him, passing the threshold into the cabin.
It was even nicer on the inside. The floors and steps were carpeted, with stairs to my right leading to the next floor. There was a long couch, an armchair, and a loveseat in a pretty shade of blue. A fireplace faced the couch, directly under the mounted flat-screen TV and a large portrait hung on the walls. On closer inspection, it was a portrait of Asher’s family. His Mom stood to the side, and she looked different from the last time I’d seen her…happy. And sober.
Asher’s father stood to the left of her, and it was disarming how much he looked like Asher. Same dark locks of hair, the intensity in their eyes, and the chiseled bone structure that would rival any Abercrombie model’s.
A tiny Asher stood between them. My breath caught at how adorable he looked. His dark hair was still tousled around an angelic round face, and big cobalt eyes peered up at the camera almost shyly. He had a dimple in his right cheek, and he was clutching his Mom’s hand tightly.
Asher was watching me look at the portrait. After a few more minutes, he gave a deep sigh and pulled out a glass. The clinking of ice cubes as he sloshed liquid in the glass drew my attention to him. “I’d give you some, but you’re kind of a lightweight,” he smirked, noticing my gaze.
Anger replaced the calm provided by the cabin. “Why did you bring me here? To get drunk?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Ha! This isn’t getting drunk. This is trying not to smash my head against your wall of stubborn-ass denial,” he muttered, tossing the contents of the glass down his throat.
He turned towards me but averted his gaze almost immediately, a muscle in his jaw pulsing. “Okay, you can’t be wearing that if we’re going to talk.”
I rubbed the fabric of the scandalous dress between two fingers. “Oh, you mean this?” I queried with feigned innocence. He pinched the bridge of his nose, resolutely focusing on the wall behind me. “I think I’d like to remain in it, thank you very much. You don’t dictate what I can or cannot wear.”
Asher’s gaze snapped to mine, and before I knew what was happening, he stalked over to me and put his hands on my hips, lifting me onto the bar counter so I was eye level with him. He put his hand on the nape of my neck, tugging my face closer, and glowered. “This is not me dictating what you can or cannot wear, angel. This is me trying to be a gentleman and not kiss you stupid because of how damn sexy you look right now. Got it? Change. Please.”
My mouth had gone dry, and I had no doubt I was staring at him like a thunderstruck moron. Asher backed away. “My Mom’s almost your size. Second bedroom to the right, you’ll find clothes in the wardrobe.”
He poured himself another drink, muttering under his breath.
Well, then. Guess I couldn’t argue with his logic. Smoothing my dress, I hopped off the counter and hurried upstairs. It wasn’t hard to find the room in the narrow hall of bedrooms. The room was spacious and had a woman’s touch to it in the littered vanity and soft colors of the bed and plush carpet. The wardrobe was ‘locked’ but it opened after I jimmied the worn door a few times. Half the closet held men’s clothes, and the other half held outrageously posh women’s clothing. It took me ten minutes of digging to uncover something moderately casual in the wardrobe. Shimmying out of the dress, I dressed in pressed designer jeans and a knit green sweater. Asher’s mom was certainly into the fancy and the expensive.
By the time I returned downstairs, Asher was lying back on the recliner, his hands folded over his flat stomach. His eyes flicked towards me when I descended, and he straightened. He ran a hand through his tousled dark locks and gestured for me to sit on the couch opposite him.
Reluctantly, I agreed. I hadn’t forgotten the purpose of this trip, or my tumultuous emotions. Sometime while we were driving here, I must have calmed a bit, because I didn’t feel the rash craziness from this morning.
Asher rubbed his jaw nervously, and I couldn’t help but appreciate how delicious he looked. My insecurity nipped at me again, and honestly, was it unjustified after what he’d done with Brenda?
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop it,” Asher snapped. “You have this frustrating habit of putting words in my mouth.”
Groaning, I massaged my temples. “What do you want from me, Asher? I don’t see the point of this trip.”
“Brenda’s Dad is a lawyer.”
My head whipped towards him. “Don’t. Say. Her. Name.”
Asher scowled, the arrogant jerk. “We agreed you’ll be doing the listening. Which means no speaking and letting me finish.”
My only response was a glare, but that was because I was too interested to see where he was going with this.
“As I was saying, Brenda’s Dad is a lawyer, and a powerful one at that. It’s how she was able to dig up the information on you. But what you don’t know is he’s my father’s attorney.”
It was impossible to forget how Brenda had shoved her father’s status in my face when she relayed all the dirt she’d gathered on me the day we’d brawled. But this I wasn’t expecting.
“It’s how we met, and why she was under the delusion we were dating for so long. After my father was arrested, I was at their house often. Her Dad knows his stuff when it comes to the business my father was involved in.”
This was all very intriguing, but I didn’t understand how it was relevant to what I’d seen. I told him as much, and he rolled his eyes. “You’ve got the patience of a two year old.”
It was really hard not to sulk and prove his point.
Any amusement dropped from his face as he talked. “I went to see him when I found out about your deal with Trevor. I was frantic for any way to get you out of this mess without a backlash. Brenda was there, and she was eavesdropping, per usual.” He ground his teeth together. “And she pretended to feel sympathetic, which I now know was her making me even angrier with you. I told her I’d be missing school for the rest of the week, and to cover for me with the office, and I left.”
I crossed my ankles and tried to unclench my fists. As much as I’d demanded the truth, my nerves kept interfering the closer we got to it.
“After you came to see me and we fought, I wanted to call you so badly, or go see you. But I figured you were mad at me and I’d screw it up even more if I didn’t give you some space. I was planning on seeing you the next day,” Asher said, his cobalt eyes intent on my face. I wasn’t sure what he saw there, but it spurred him to continue.
“She’d called me that day, told me she had papers her father wanted me to see. I went to shower, because I wasn’t expecting her for hours. When I came out, she was there practically naked, and she tackled me to the bed. You walked in a few seconds later. She must have timed everything, from your arrival to her entrance.”
The text I’d gotten in the car, telling me to come to Asher’s house…it must have been Brenda. She had probably waited until she saw my car pull up and ran inside the house.
At this point, Asher got up and knelt in front of me, taking my hands in his. The feel of h
is skin on mine instantly soothed my frayed nerves and sent my pulse racing. He caressed my palm with his thumb and locked my gaze with his sincere one.
“I never touched her, angel. You don’t know how much it tore me apart, not being able to reach you and knowing you thought I’d betrayed you that way. God, it was driving me crazy. And then when Dana…” he sucked in a shaky breath.
When Dana compared him to Jared. I remembered the look of acute pain on his face and felt a spark of anger at my best friend, even though I knew she was only protecting me.
“I don’t want Brenda. You’re the only one I want. You’re my angel, full of innocence and kindness and love. You call me up on my bullshit and don’t take any of my crap. You’re beautiful, honest, and way too good for me. Tell me you believe me.” He squeezed my hands tightly and kissed the fingertips, skewing my already muddled thoughts.
A thousand doubts plagued my mind. The usual assortment of insecurity and paranoia. I’d seen Asher and Brenda together. They made a gorgeous couple from the outside. But from the inside…from the inside I knew Asher wasn’t a liar. He wasn’t a cheater. If he wanted to end our relationship, he’d do it outright. No pussyfooting around.
Oh, who was I kidding? I believed him. Brenda Curtis was vindictive enough to do everything he’d just described, and better yet, I knew Asher. Something in my gut had told me there was something off, but my ever present insecurities had had a field day.
My heart swelled, and I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. He really thought that highly of me?
Not giving myself time to fret and analyze, I untangled his hands from mine and placed them on either sides of his face, the hopeful look on his face almost unraveling me.
“I believe you,” I whispered, pressing my lips against his. I felt his smile against my lips and then his arms wound tightly around my waist, pressing me to his chest. He kissed my nose before exhaling deeply.
“You scared the shit out of me, angel. I thought I’d lost you,” he murmured desolately.
“And go through the trouble of finding a new dance partner this close to the NDT? I think not,” I teased, the swelling relief at knowing the truth leaving me feeling like I was on Cloud Nine.
“Speaking of-why didn’t you compete in the National Dance Tournament earlier? I looked you up; you were –are- a phenomenal dancer, and you had a great chance of winning,” Asher inquired, trailing his lips across my cheek.
Did he expect me to have any coherent thought when he was doing that?
“By the time I was eligible to compete, my life had changed too drastically. Dancing was the last thing on my mind,” I mumbled.
Asher’s eyebrows drew together. “No, it wasn’t. The jackass wouldn’t let you compete.”
I shrugged a shoulder.
Asher opened his mouth to say something but stopped. His entire countenance changed, becoming alert and tense at once. “Did you hear that?” he murmured quietly, releasing me.
He reached for a drawer under the bar counter while I cocked my head, listening. The soft purr of the engine was barely there, a hush I wouldn’t have picked out if I wasn’t actively listening. What did it mean? Was someone here?
Asher walked over to me briskly and folded a sleek black gun in my hand. He wrapped my fingers around it before I could protest. “You might need it,” he said.
He handed me a small switchblade, which I pocketed. He had two guns holsters at his belt, and he made his way to the front door. Fear and anxiety edged out any reservations I had, and I grabbed Asher’s arm. “Listen, if there’s someone out there…remember what I said at the club? I’ve taken many different offensive and defensive classes, from Krav Maga to Tae Kwan Doe. So don’t waste time worrying about me.”
Asher peered at me curiously, but before he could reply, the distinct sound of a car door slamming drew our attention. “Just in case, stay behind me,” he murmured and opened the door, a hand on the gun at his waist.
My heartbeat kicked into gear, and my nails dung into my palm as I looked over Asher’s shoulder and saw our intruders.
At least seven men stood at the edge of the clearing, guns pointed at the house. In their center, wearing a relaxed smile, was a disfigured man I’d hoped to never encounter again.
Viktor Derevko smiled at Asher.
“Will you leave me and my friends waiting out here, Grayson? It is most impolite,” Derevko said with an arched brow. He noticed me peeking and his smile grew wider. “Why, if it isn’t my new friend! Ivy Robello, have you come to join the fun?”
Asher stiffened and started walking out of the cabin. When I made to follow him, he sent me a shot me a warning look that I ignored. Like hell I was throwing him to the wolves.
We stopped at the bottom of the steps leading to the porch, leaving the small expanse of the clearing between us. Derevko waved at his men lazily, and the guns were slowly lowered from us. “Tell me,” he said casually. “Did you really think the deal with Garibaldi would work? It was sweet of your girlfriend to try, but she shouldn’t have interfered. I’ll give Garibaldi this much, though.”
He waited, and I knew the next words out of his mouth wouldn’t be good.
“He and his men fought to the very end. I found no satisfaction in killing them, but they were an…example, to put it simply. I can’t have others thinking they can one-up me, and Trevor Garibaldi had overstepped his boundaries in promising you amnesty in exchange for her,” he nodded his head at me.
“And now, I’m here to collect,” he finished with a malicious smile.
Trevor…he’d killed Trevor? Sure, I was no fan of the man, but I hadn’t wanted him to die.
And now he wanted Asher.
Over my dead body!
I had never used all of the skills I’d learned during my training. Brenda had gotten a small taste, and the Plastics that defended her. I could help Asher, as long as he didn’t let himself be distracted by me.
“Collect what? This business was between you and my father. I stepped up to the plate to protect my family, but it doesn’t mean I’m beholden to you in any way,” Asher’s voice had taken on a darker, stonier tone.
Derevko released a laugh that seemed to echo around the clearing. “Your father was a fool. But you…you have potential. It would be a shame to kill you, but I won’t hesitate if you force my hand.”
“I will never work for you,” Asher swore.
A shadow passed over Derevko’s otherwise jovial face, and a chill swept down the length of my spine.
“What a waste,” Derevko sighed. “Such potential.”
Before I knew what was happening, Asher had run forward, and gunshots were firing around the clearing. I glimpsed Derevko slipping into the trees, disappearing from the battle.
It didn’t take long for the men to abandon their guns. The clearing was too small to shoot accurately, and they were in danger of shooting one of their own. When I spotted Asher fighting, I ran towards him, but one of Derevko’s men stopped me.
Grabbing my arm, he wrenched me back, but I was prepared. I used the momentum from his pull to twist, nailing him in the side with my foot. He hissed in surprise and released me. Taking advantage of the slip, I slammed my knee in his gut. He doubled over, and I slammed my fist against the base of his head, where I knew a pressure point lay.
The guy was out for the count.
Asher was gaping at me, but he only had a few seconds before he was fighting off two guys. His panic as three other guys came towards me was unmistakable. I considered using the switchblade in my pocket, but no. I’d never been good during weapon’s training. Before they could cage me in, I sprinted towards the man in the center and jumped on him.
He reared back with surprise as my legs wound around his stomach. The perfect opportunity to perform the least expected offensive move. I pressed a finger at the base of his throat, under his Adam’s apple, at the same time smashed the curve of my foot into his crotch.
As the guy crumpled to the floor in a wave of pai
n and disorientation, I used my crouch on the floor to sweep the legs of the two men out from under them. They were prepared for me this time though, and one of them punched me in the eye, knocking my head against the ground. The other was scrambling for his gun, so I launched myself at him, using my elbow to hit him in the face.
“You bitch!” he hissed, shoving me to the floor. The other took the opportunity to kick me in the ribs. I ignored the burning pain in my chest and grabbed his leg, twisting him to the ground. At this point, the other man had found the gun and was pointing it straight at me, but I had the gun Asher had given me in my pocket too.
“Drop the gun, or I’ll shoot him,” I threatened evenly, my gun pressed against the man’s temple.
“You’re bluffing,” Gunman narrowed his eyes.
“Am I?”
“Honey, I don’t care one way or another if you shoot him. I have a job to finish.”
The man in my hold gasped, and I shook my head in pity. Gunman shrugged at his companion, too busy blustering to realize I’d moved the gun slightly. He could have been warned, but the man in my hold didn’t so much as twitch.
I shot Gunman in the thigh.
He went down with a scream of agony, his gun falling to the ground. I released the other man, who scrambled away on all fours. “I’m done here,” he said, and disappeared behind the trees.
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” Gunman snarled, grasping his bloody thigh.
“You keep telling yourself that,” I smirked, and made sure he was watching when I twisted in the air, landing a solid kick to his face, and knocked him unconscious.
With immediate threats out of the way, my attention traveled to Asher. He was fighting three burly men, two lay at his feet. I started to make my way over to him when an arm wound around my throat tightly, cutting off my air supply. I choked, clawing at the arm, and it loosened a little. That’s when I felt the unmistakable feel of a blade against my throat.
“Best not to move, love. I don’t want to hurt you,” a familiar voice murmured in my hair, their breath tickling my cheek.
Jared.
The Bad Boy's Dance Page 27
