Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ASHER

A s I sit there and watch the ashes dance in the air, I feel a wave of relief. I loved my sister, and for too long, I’ve spent all my thoughts on her lifeless body in that tub, thinking of her final few days and how alone and broken she must have felt. Watching Harper the last couple of days and the emotional rollercoaster she has been going through made me realize it’s time now to remember Ellie for who she was before they crushed her soul.

I spend the next hour talking to Harper about Ellie in front of her gravestone, sharing some of our good memories, the ones I want to keep alive.

“I snorted chocolate pudding out of my nose for days because of her. My parents were so mad.”

“I always wanted a younger sibling so I could torment them like that. Do you still speak to your parents?”

I sigh because there’s just so much there. “Sometimes, I haven’t seen them in over a year, though. Every time I see them, they show me off like a trophy, dress me up in a tux, and I’m sworn to be on my best behavior. It’s draining, to say the least. They told their friends I’m a doctor.” I roll my eyes. She raises her eyebrow before bursting out laughing.

“Doctor Asher, yeah? Sounds kinda kinky…”

“That’s going to be a fantasy of yours now, me walking through the house in nothing but a lab coat.”

“Erm, definitely not.” She laughs, and for the first time, I see tears of laughter, not tears of sadness or pain.

“Thank you for coming with me today, for letting me talk about her.” I smile genuinely, I thought it would be hard, sad even, but it’s been so much more than I could have ever hoped for and that’s because she was with me.

“Nothing to thank me for, I mean that.”

Her stomach rumbles loudly and I grin.

“We should get going, I need to feed you again clearly.”

She pouts, “You make it seem like I’m always eating…”

“The opposite, Angel, you don’t eat enough. From tomorrow, I’m expecting three meals a day plus snacks.”

She smiles at me a little sadly before turning to the gravestone. She runs her fingers along the top of the stone as she stands up.

“It was nice to meet you, Ellie, and I promise I’ll look after him.” She smiles before looking down at me. “I’m gonna head to the car. I’ll give you a few minutes to say goodbye.”

“You gonna be okay?”

She nods, “I’ll be fine.”

I hand her the keys, “Lock the doors.”

She starts walking away and I watch her get into the car, the lights flashing, telling me she did as I asked. I look back at the gravestone.

“I told you she was beautiful. She’s gone through something, Els, similar to what you went through. But even now, with those marks and bruises on her, her light shines through. I think you would really like her.”

The breeze kicks up a little, picking up the autumn leaves around me and I take that as a sign.

“I know now I was too young to help you, but I promise I’ll help her. I don’t think I’ll be able to visit for a while, it’s not safe for us to go anywhere familiar. Els, look out for us, okay? We need it right now.”

The breeze lightly moves the leaves around us again and I know we have our own guardian angel looking down on us while I help my angel on the ground get her payback. I stand up, lightly kissing the top of the tombstone and it feels warm to the touch, not as cold as it usually does.

“See you soon, sis.” I smile before making my way back to the car. I knock on the window, and she jumps before opening the car door.

“You’re too stealthy.”

I laugh. “Sorry, I’ll try to be heavier-footed, maybe wave my arms around as I walk.”

“I’d appreciate that.” She grins.

“So, what do you want to eat?” I start the ignition up and the car roars to life.

“You pick tonight.”

“I’ll cook when we get in then.”

I drive us back to the house and as we pull up, Harper pauses when I get out of the car.

“Everything okay?”

She nods, but her gaze says differently. I slip back into the car, closing the door again.

“You can talk to me, Harper.”

“We’re going after one of them soon, aren’t we?”

“I don’t know yet, Jax has identified a couple of the guys that were in that room when you…”

“Were raped. You can say it, Ash, I was raped.”

Her words make bile rise up in my throat. I hate it. I hate that she went through that.

“Yeah…” I reach out, running my fingers over a strand of her hair. “We’re going to find them all, Harper. Every single one. They will never be able to hurt you again.”

She nods slowly, looking into my eyes. “I know, Ash, let’s just go inside, let’s try and forget it all tonight. I just want one normal night before what’s to come. Will you help me try to forget?”

I smile at her—her strength astounds me. “One normal night coming up.”

She opens the car door, and I follow suit. I wrap my arm around her, pulling her close to me as we walk up the path and into the house.