Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

HARPER

W e should have stayed in the car. Somehow, I don’t think we made progress between us at all.

Asher has shut down—he hasn’t spoken to me since we got back into the vehicle. His knuckles are white against the steering wheel because of how hard he’s clutching it.

I try to process everything that just happened. Let’s start with that kiss. I could feel him holding back. That kiss wasn’t the same as the way he’d kissed me before. He tried to make me feel comfortable, and honestly, it was soft and intimate, albeit slightly awkward, because there was a moment I flashed. That’s what I’m calling it because my mind keeps forcing me back into those rooms I was held in.

His name was Calvin. The drugs were wearing off and I heard someone call him that. They told him to have fun with me, that he had me for a day and he said he couldn’t wait to play with me again. I recognized his voice, his face. He was one of the guys that grabbed me, one of the guys that raped me the first day and now I was alone with him.

He pushed me against the wall of what I think was a basement. His hands pinned me, and he forced a kiss on me. He told me to make it feel real because if I didn’t, he would cut me. I never did. I fought for every second I was with him. I wasn’t going to play into his sick fantasy—I’d rather be dead. And as Ash kissed me, I flashed back into that room. I fought through it, reminded myself the man kissing me wasn’t him. Asher’s words repeated in my head over and over. I’m safe. And then I was back with him in that moment.

I wanted him to kiss me because I didn’t want to be afraid my entire life. I knew with Ash he wouldn’t let it go too far; I’m not anywhere near ready. Still, the more I’m with him and see this side of him again, the more I know he does have feelings for me. I don’t think it’s the way I would want but he does feel something. That kiss proved it. He’s just scared to let me in—he’s scared that I’ll leave once I see who he truly is, but I know him, I know his heart. I don’t know how far his feelings go. Maybe it’s just about protecting me more than anything but it’s nice to know after everything he does truly care.

“We’re here.” He opens the car door, leaning over and keying in a code on a panel beside us. The large metal gate opens, and I immediately notice the camera at the top of it. In fact, there are five I can see. He closes the door and begins to drive down a winding path, the large iron gate closing behind us. “We own all the houses in this community. There’s seven in total. We’ve had the big three renovated. One for each of us. Each house is alarmed—there’s forty-six cameras along the property line and others outside the houses. You’ll be safe here, Harper—we all will. They’re registered under a corporation subsidiary under another subsidiary Chase’s father owns. No one will look that deep and they’re under aliases.”

“Oh.”

“We can get settled in the house before we see everyone. There’s already new clothes waiting for you and there’s food stocked. Devin set us up.”

“Devin?”

“One of the Twisted Brothers.”

“You know them?” I ask, shocked.

He laughs. “Their reputation is worse than they actually are and they like it that way.”

He pulls up to a house opening the car door. He walks around opening my door, “Thanks.” Who knew Ash was a gentleman.

He slams the door shut a little awkwardly, grabbing a couple of things from the trunk and offering me his hand, which I take. I guess it feels normal now for both of us.

The house is gorgeous, I mean my parents aren’t exactly poor, but this is next level. Who knew Chase’s family was this well-off. He sure doesn’t act it, and neither did Nate. Does. Neither does Nate. I keep forgetting he’s alive. When you spend so long grieving someone, it’s hard to think about them in the present tense.

“What’s wrong?”

He notices me pausing. His thumb caresses the back of my hand.

“Will I get to see Nate again?”

“Yes, but I don’t think for a while. He can’t risk the guys he’s with seeing him leave.”

“Oh, why is he still there?”

“Let’s eat and then I’ll tell you more. You haven’t eaten anything today because you skipped breakfast. I want you to get back into eating normally again.”

I roll my eyes. The more I’m with him, the more surprised I get.

“I wasn’t hungry this morning, that’s all.”

“I know, babe, but I’m not letting you go any further today till you’ve eaten. I’m sure you’re hungry now.”

I go to say something, but then, on cue like magic, my stomach rumbles. Well, I don’t know if I would call it that—it growled loudly like a lion.

Asher smirks, “You were saying.”

“Shut it, you. Just feed me so we can talk,” I say lightly.

He laughs in response, walking us into the kitchen. He grabs two sodas from the fridge, tossing me one. “What do you fancy?”

You , my mind whispers.

“Nothing too heavy.”

He nods, pulling assorted items out of the fridge, explaining that Jax got here early and stocked us up and in no time at all, he’s made a fairly large Caesar salad for us.

We sit at the large dining table next to each other. This table has so many chairs that if we sat on either side, we would be shouting at each other.

“So, can we talk as we eat?” I ask.

He stuffs a fork filled with romaine into his mouth, grinning at me.

“Sure,” he says, opening his mouth.

“You’re so gross.”

He swallows his food. “Yep, you’ve only just realized that?”

I laugh, “Talk.”

“Take a bite first.”

I roll my eyes, stab my fork into a piece of chicken and romaine, and eat it. “Happy?”

“Very. Okay, where to start?”

“Start at the hospital. He died, right? Brooke saw him die.”

He shakes his head. “No, she heard the machine code, and they called the time of death. She left after that. Chase went crazy and pushed the doctor out of the way. The nutter used the defibrillator on him, and it worked. The docs gave up too early. You and Jax had already tried to follow Brooke back to the house while this happened. Jax didn’t know when he was with you that night. We told him two days later what really happened. We told Nate everything, what had happened that night and why. I told him about my sister, and he asked if you and Brooke were in trouble now.”

“You told him yes?”

He nods.

I’m in shock; it sounds like some dumb plot from a movie, yet this is my life.

“He agreed to go undercover. He, like us, wanted to find the guy in charge of it all so we could take them out and you guys would be safe.”

“Wait, what about the police? They thought he had died.”

“They did. We know a guy—he brought in a drug to stop Nate’s heart. He knew the risk. They called it again and he revived Nate moments after. We then changed some of the paperwork and got him out. We made the morgue think he had been cremated by accident, which wasn’t the best thing for Nate’s mom. That destroyed her, but it was the only way we could think of to make his body disappear.”

“There was a coffin, though, at the funeral.”

“Nate’s parents didn’t want to tell anyone.”

This is madness, I swear.

“So, then what?”

“We know a lot of people, Harper, one of them creates fake identities. While Nate healed here, we got that sorted. When he felt he was strong enough, we found a way to get him in. It was only a low-level job, but we hoped he might be able to climb his way up.”

“And he did?”

“He did. He met with the head of it all. His name is Deacon and…”

I drop my fork on the plate, and it clatters to the table. My breath picks up and I can’t breathe. Deacon. His eyes haunt me. I’ve dreamed of him every night—his image is burned into my eyelids, so every time I close my eyes, I see him.

Asher jumps up, “Baby, what is it?”

I pull my hand away as he grabs it. My vision is going dark and my heart races. They need to stop; they need to stop all of this. They have no idea. No idea what’s coming. They can’t fight him, they can’t.

“You're safe, Harper, you’re with me, baby. Breathe, you’re going to pass out if you don’t slow your breathing.”

They’re all going to die.

And with that thought, all I see is black.