He scratches his index finger behind his ear. "I'm not telling them. Asher won't either. He knows that his job is gone if they find out he's in trouble."
"What happened?" I rest my smartphone on my lap. "Tell me what happened."
He moves to the left before lowering himself onto the edge of the stainless steel coffee table. He's sitting directly in front of me now. His knees brushing against my calf as he fidgets in place. "He was off when he came into the office this morning. He was late. He's never late."
"How late?" I ask not because it matters in the slightest. It's just habit for me. My logical mind needs to have every piece of available information in front of me in order for me to absorb it.
"He's always in before me." He slides his suit jacket off before tossing it onto the table. "I got in at nine and he wasn't there."
After he completed his therapy, Asher had jumped into his position working alongside his brothers with a ferocity that shocked everyone, including Caleb. He worked late and on weekends to keep the sales force motivated. He didn't trust himself to travel to the boutiques that were located outside Manhattan. He hired regional managers for that. I was impressed with his dedication. I was amazed by his desire to overcome his past so he could prove to his family that he was worthy of the trust they had placed in his potential.
"Rowan." Caleb taps my knee. "Just before noon I could hear him berating one of his assistants. Everyone in the office could hear it."
Asher isn't an aggressive person. I've seen him disappointed and even despondent at times and instead of acting on that, he'll retreat into himself. I've never been witness to who he transforms into when he's using heroine. I've never wanted to see that. It would steal away my memories of the boy who would push me on the swings when we were children or the guy who set me up with his best friend in high school.
I know the dark parts of him creep to the surface when he's pumping himself full of drugs. If he was berating his assistant, he wasn't himself. Asher is kind and soft spoken. His soul is quiet and giving.
"You had him arrested because he was yelling at someone?" I push my back into the chair. "You should have sent him home to cool off."
Caleb rubs his hand over his brow. "If that was all it was, I would have taken him home myself until he calmed down."
"There's more?" I ask, not wanting to sound as desperately eager for details as I am. "What else happened?"
"He was pushing things off of his desk," he says the words calmly. "His assistant was cowering in the corner. She was crying, Rowan. She was terrified of him."
It's futile for me to try and conjure up a mental picture of Asher in the middle of a fit of rage. "That doesn't sound like him."
He rests his hand on the edge of the chair I'm sitting in. "I've never seen him that way. I tried to calm him down but he wouldn't stop."
"So you called the police?" It sounds more accusatory than I intend. Caleb can't handle confrontation, which is one of the reasons why he flakes out on relationships. In the past I've heard the tortured and emotional ramblings of women he's dated after Caleb's gone silent on them. Instead of calling them to meet to end the relationship with grace and respect, he ignored them until they finally gave up on him. Considering the fact that more than a few of those women were also my friends, it pulled at the foundation of my friendship with Caleb. I'd railed on him about it enough that when he decided to end things with his last girlfriend, he found a shred of compassion and called her to wish her well before he told her he never wanted to see her again.
"He lunged at someone, Rowan." His voice is steady as he pushes the words out in a low tone. "He attacked one of the junior buyers who ran into the room. I had to step in."
"Were they hurt?" I cover my eyes with my hands. "Please tell me he didn't hurt anyone."
I feel his large hand race over my knee. "He wasn’t hurt. Asher pushed him onto the floor. I stepped in and wrestled him to the ground."
"That's when the police were called?"
"I needed help to control him." I sense the resignation in his tone. "We had to call them. I didn't want him to hurt anyone else or himself. It was obvious he had taken something or shot himself up before he came in. Christ, I had no choice. I did what needed to be done."
Chapter 3
"Where is he now?" I move forward hoping that Caleb takes the hint and retreats so I have the room I need to stand. "I should go see him."
"He'll be arraigned later today or tomorrow." He shifts back moving his body slightly. "You shouldn't go see him."
Caleb has never fully understood my friendship with his brother. When we were children our parents were next door neighbors. I can't remember a time when Gabriel, Caleb and Asher weren't a part of my life. My connection to each of the brothers is different but the common thread is the bond that we forged when we were children. We each went our own way as we journeyed into our teenage years, but my friendship with Asher has never wavered. Some might say he's like a brother to me but it's never felt that way to either of us. He's one of the people I value most on this earth. I'm protective of him. I feel that even more now knowing he's likely sitting at a police station somewhere in the city.
"Arraigned? Someone is pressing charges?" I pull myself to my feet before I skim my hands over my skirt, trying to smooth out the wrinkled fabric. "Did you get him a lawyer?"
"No." He's on his feet now too. "He'll figure it out."
I look up into his face. I want to see a brief flash of compassion or concern, but those things aren't a part of the landscape of his features. He's stoic and calm. It's unnerving to know that when I walked into this apartment earlier that he was talking to a woman casually about sex, or perhaps it's more appropriate to label it as what it is, casual sex. That shouldn’t surprise me. I know the number of intimate partners I've had is only a fraction of the number of women Caleb's been with. He's never propositioned me and at moments like this, I'm glad. I don't doubt that he'd be incredible in bed but what he may make up for there, he's definitely lacking within his heart.
"He'll figure it out on his own?" I rub my hand against his arm wanting him to clear a path so I can finally leave. "You can't be serious."
"I can't keep fixing his mistakes," he spits back at me. "I thought you of all people would understand that."
The words pull me back to the stairwell when he told me that I'd be the only person who would understand what he'd done. He's delusional if he thinks I'm going to pat him on the back for having his brother arrested. I doubt that he recognizes the consequences of what he's done and the lasting impact it will have on Asher's life.
"Why would I understand?" I turn towards him, tapping the toe of my shoe against the floor. "How the hell am I supposed to understand any of this?"
"You're the one who told Asher that life only gives him so many chances." His finger darts into the narrow space between us. "He doesn’t get another chance this time, Rowan."
I push my hair back over my shoulder. "I didn't mean having him thrown in jail, Caleb. You know that's not what I meant."
"You meant exactly that." His finger wavers precariously close to my nose. "Rehab obviously didn't work. Talking to him does nothing. Maybe getting arrested will give him the dose of reality he needs."
"Or maybe," I begin before I push my way past him. "Just maybe this will send him back into a tailspin."
"He was already in a tailspin." He reaches for my shoulder. "He'll work out a deal that will require that he goes back to rehab. This is actually a good thing, Rowan."
"It's not a good thing." I turn on my heel to walk away. "You know how scared I am that he'll overdose. You know why that terrifies me and yet you have him arrested."
He throws his head back with a heavy sigh. "He's not going to overdose. You're not seeing this clearly. I thought you wanted what was best for him."
I doubt that anything I say will push Caleb off the righteous throne he's built for himself in his mind. "I need to go. I have to take care of things."
"What things?" He steps in front of me, blocking my path. "Don't go down there and fix this for him."
Wincing at his words, I look up into his face. "He needs someone right now and Gabriel isn't here. If you're not going to help him, I will."
"Don't call Gabriel into this." He rakes his hand through his short, dark hair. "He needs to be focused in Milan right now. We'll lose valuable contacts if he rushes back here."
His attention is on the strength of the business and there's absolutely no reason for me to be surprised by that. I cast my gaze down to the floor. "I won't tell Gabriel until he's back."
"Go do what you want then," he says huskily as he swings his arm towards the apartment door. "I can't stop you from running to save him."
His words bite. They're the same words he threw at me when the man I lived with right after I graduated from college let me down. Caleb warned me that the relationship would end with my heart broken. He was right then. The difference now is that I know that Asher wants to fight his way through his addictions. He just needs someone to stand by his side and if Caleb won't do it, I will.
Chapter 4
"Where have you been?" Clive Parker, my boss, greets me the moment I step off of the elevator on the thirty-seventh floor of the Corteck building. I've worked side-by-side with Clive for the past three years since I graduated with a degree in business. I may have gotten the job initially because of Clive's friendship with my brother, but since then, I've proven over and over again that I am a valuable asset. I've steadily climbed up the ranks in the company and now I proudly wear the distinction of being one of the few twenty-five-year-old Chief Administrators working in the tech field.
"Hey," I say as I step out of the lift. Anyone else working at Corteck may absorb Clive's tone as brusque, but I know him better than that. "I had to go see a friend."
His eyes briefly scan my face before he pushes a file folder into my hands. "I need you to take a look at this before the end of the day."
I know what it is. It's the proposal that Clive had drawn up to purchase an up and coming tech development company that is based in Chicago. The man has an innate ability to recognize potential. I stick as close to him as I can because I want to soak up every bit of knowledge that he tosses in my direction. Instinctively I know that when he's made a decision, there's little I can do to change his mind, but I still feel a silent victory each time he asks for my opinion. "I'll look at it as soon as I'm in my office."
"Rowan," he says my name quietly, forcing me to turn to face him. "What friend did you go to see?"
Clive's interest in my personal life began the day I started working for him. I know that it's based on my older brother's concern for my well being. Miles was here at Corteck on my very first day, telling Clive that he expected him to take care of me. It was touching and misplaced considering the fact that for the past few years, I've been the one lending an ear, and a shoulder, to Miles.
"Was it Caleb Foster?" he pushes before I have a chance to weave an excuse that would pull his attention away from where I was earlier.
"Yes," I admit. "He needed to talk to me about something."
He rubs the fingers of his left hand over his right palm. "You're upset. I saw it when the elevator doors opened. What did he say to you?"
Clive knows about my mottled history with Caleb. He also knows that I stand by my friends, through thick and thin although right now I'm questioning whether my relationship with Caleb will survive this. "It doesn't matter. I should never have gone to see him in the middle of the day."
A small smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. "Caleb is notorious for calling you to his office for no good reason. Is that what happened today?"
I wish that was what had happened. I wish I could rewind my day to the moment when Caleb called me. I would have told him that I was too busy. Hearing him tell me that Asher was arrested has derailed me completely. I may look mildly frustrated to Clive but the truth is that I'm completely unhinged inside. I actually considered taking the subway to my apartment instead of coming back to work. I scrub my hand over the back of my neck, hoping that I'll find something to say that won't give away the fact that right now I can't even form the sounds to say Caleb's name audibly because I'm so completely pissed off at him.
"Look, Rowan, I get that it's not my business," he begins before he nods down the long corridor towards his private offices. "I know that Caleb can get under your skin. If you need to vent, you know where to find me."
I heave a sigh of relief as I manage a weak grin. "I need to work. Work helps me forget everything."
"Life isn't just about work." He taps me on the hand. "I used to think it was too until I met Lilly."
Lilly is Clive's wife. She's a fiery force to be reckoned with and when she briefly worked at Corteck I saw the barrier that Clive Parker had placed around him melt on the spot. He loves that woman with a fierce determination that I've never seen before. I'd never label myself jealous of the happiness that others have found but it's something I crave. I want a man to feel as desperately drawn to me as Clive does to Lilly.
"Rowan." Thankfully, the head of our security team, Jordan, rounds the corner and calls out my name. "I need to see you."
"There's life outside of these walls." Clive points to the tan painted walls that line the corridor. "Don't work late tonight or any night."
I laugh at the amusement in his tone. He knows that I rarely make it out of the building before seven or eight. "I'll leave when I'm done for the day."
"You'll leave at six today," he counters. "I know you have dinner plans tonight."
"Who told you that?" I purse my lips together and narrow my eyes. "Have you been spying on me?"
"Hardly." He can't contain a deep chuckle. "Ivy was in earlier dropping off Lilly's birthday gift. She told me you two have plans."
"My best friend has a big mouth." I roll my eyes before I settle my gaze on Jordan. "I need to get back to work. I'll stop by your office after I look over the proposal."
"Think about what I said, Rowan." He glances at Jordan as she walks towards us. "Don't bury yourself in your work. One day you'll regret it."
***
"I'm not keen on going to Dallas." I tap the pen in my hand against the edge of my desk. "I love Dallas but I have a heavy workload here. Do you think you can handle the trip alone?"
The bright smile that instantly takes over her beautiful face is all the answer I need. Jordan Ayala is the head of cyber security of Corteck. She's the go-to genius I frequently seek out whenever I have a question about any of the new developments our security team is working on. She's brilliant and when she's not dazzling everyone at the office with her mind, she's at home with her husband and five-year-old son.
"I'd love to spend part of the weekend there. Is there any possible way we can make it into a retreat for Ricky and me?"
I know the Clive Parker answer to that question would be that she should make the three day trip without her husband so she can focus on work. He'd want her to back in the office on Friday morning but I'm not Clive Parker. "I'll arrange for Ricky to travel with you. You'll leave on Tuesday morning and come back Sunday. Will your mom take care of Dalton?"
"She'd love it, Rowan." She's on her feet, unable to contain her excitement. "Ricky and I haven't had any time alone since he got back."
Her husband, Ricky, was stationed overseas with the military for eighteen months. I'd watched the spirit in her seep out through the worried grimace that was almost always on her face. He's been back for several months now but their relationship has shifted. She's confided in me that they've had to rediscover one another and with a busy pre-schooler underfoot and another baby on the way, their time alone together is typically reserved for the bedroom or infrequent dinners out when they can afford it.
"You go and have a good time." I motion towards the papers strewn over my desk. "All I need you to do is take those two meetings we talked about and we're good."
"You're the best, Rowan." She
leans down to wrap her arms around my neck. "You're an amazing friend. You never let me down."
I cling to her as she hugs me. I may be an amazing friend to her but she's not the friend I'm thinking about. I can't stop thinking about Caleb and Asher. I need to call my attorney before I do anything else. If I have to go down to the courthouse to personally bail Asher out, I'll do it. He needs me and if I let him down now, I may regret that decision for the rest of my life.
Chapter 5
"I don't understand what you mean," I try not to sound as utterly confused as I am. "That makes absolutely no sense. His brother told me that he was arrested this morning."
"The charges were dropped." She peers over the top of her reading glasses at me. "Technically he was never actually charged."
I'd called my family's go-to attorney, Devon Princeton, as soon as Jordan left my office. I'd explained the details of Asher's situation to her. Devon isn't a criminal defense attorney. The most notorious case she ever worked on was handling the preparation of my grandparents' wills and helping them decide if Miles or I was entitled to the crystal vase some elderly relative gave them at their wedding more than fifty-five years ago. She told me she'd call me back within a couple of hours, but I couldn't wait. I'd taken the subway uptown to her office hoping that I could garner the name of a criminal defense attorney from her so I could get Asher out of jail before the end of the day.
"The person who filed the charges, dropped them?" I'm not a lawyer but I do have a firm grasp on the basics. I can't claim that all of that is knowledge that I've gained through my time at Corteck. I have sat in a few meetings with our head legal counsel, Imogen Ford, when she was explaining corporate legal documents to me. She wouldn't have had a clue about what I could do to help Asher. I knew Devon would have some insight considering the fact that her son was arrested for marijuana possession outside of his high school just last fall.
Chance Page 2
