54. Asher

I was halfway to Lennox when I got a call from Aunt Carla. She sounded worried and a little annoyed.

“You haven’t spoken to Harvey since you stormed out of my house, have you?”

“No,” I spit into the speakerphone, wishing I hadn’t answered. My stupid brain went to autopilot, and I answered without thinking. I should hang up.

“Well, he told me he was going to see you today, and I can’t reach him. Can you please get him to call me when he gets to your place?”

“Why is he coming to see me?” I bark, then pull to the side of the road and do a quick U-turn. Looks like I’ll be getting blood on the floor at Hockey House, then.

Aunt Carla sighs. “Look, Asher, he’s really cut up about what you’re accusing him of. I don’t think you’ve taken into consideration how awful this has been for all of us. You can’t just go throwing around accusations like this. It’s very damaging.”

“So is raping someone!”

She goes quiet for a second, and then her voice trembles as she responds to me. “My son would never do that.”

“Oh yeah, well, I’ve just seen security footage of him leading my girlfriend into a room, so we now know it was him at the party and she did get it right.”

“Security footage?” Her voice goes light and wispy.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know how he is with women. I’m sure this isn’t the first accusation that’s been thrown at him.”

“None of them have stuck.” Aunt Carla gives herself away. “He’s just gotten into a bad habit of spending time with girls who want to take him down when he doesn’t return their affections.”

“Oh, you are so full of shit. How can you be so blind about him?”

“He’s my son. And he’s a good man!” Her voice cracks, and I feel the sadness wash through me.

“Yeah, I used to think so too.”

“He wants to make this right with you. It’s all just a big misunderstanding, I’m telling you. Give him a chance and listen to his side. Please.”

I grit my teeth, making it hard to spit out the words. “There will be no explanation good enough for what he did to Lani.”

“Please, Asher. I know he wants to talk to you. Don’t give in to your raging emotions. Just take a breath and give him a chance. And after that, can you get him to call me, please? I’ve left a message on his voicemail and texted him twice. I need him here for a family dinner tonight. We’ve got some potential clients who need charming, and he’s always so good at that. They’ve got a daughter just a bit younger than you guys, and I know she’ll love him. It could be?—”

“You are so fucking delusional!” I shout, hanging up before I have to hear any more of this shit.

Pressing the gas, I speed back to Hockey House and hope Aunt Carla’s right. If Harvey’s waiting for me on the doorstep, I can haul him inside and give him a piece of my fist. Or better yet, I can do it on the lawn so we don’t get blood on the walls.

Anger continues to rage through me like a toxic poison, and I make it back to Hockey House in record time.

The front door is open, which confuses me a little, but then I spot Baxter’s car in the driveway.

I pull in behind it and am surprised to see Baxter’s door pop open.

He lumbers out of the car, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

“What are you doing home?” I jump out of my truck. “And why is the door open?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “Rachel was here when I left. Maybe she’s airing out the place.” He lopes up beside me. “And I’m home because I forgot my charger and my dying laptop can’t even go an hour on battery anymore.”

We walk across the front lawn, and as we reach the door, I hear a woman shout, “You can’t scare me anymore! Now step back!”

“That’s Lani,” I whisper, jerking for the door and racing inside.

Just as I round the corner, I take in the scene—Rachel is standing there holding a squirming Fezzik, darting worried looks at my girlfriend, who has never looked so pissed off. She’s shouting up at a guy in front of her and—oh fuck! That’s Harvey!

“My parents have the best lawyers in Denver, you little bitch! You think some security footage is going to stick? You wanted me that night!”

I stifle a roar as I go to step forward and end this fucker, but Baxter snags my jacket before I can move.

Holding up his phone, he shows me he’s recording, so against every instinct in my body, I play it smart and stay where I am.

But if he lays one fucking finger on her…

Rachel spots us over Harvey’s shoulder and I can see her instantly relax, but my cousin is too busy ranting to even notice her relief.

“I may have gone willingly into that room, but I told you to stop, and I know you heard me, because you said, ‘I’m not done with you yet.’”

My insides surge, and I can taste the acid in my throat. She didn’t tell me that part.

“You can’t prove that.” Harvey snickers. “Face it, you wanted me to fuck you. You were begging for it.”

He goads her, and I look to Baxter. Can I kill him now? I silently ask him, but he holds up his finger.

“So I did what you wanted.” Harvey’s tone is smug. Arrogant. So fucking punchable. I want to lodge my fist down his throat!

“You’re so full of shit,” Lani spits, and I can see her struggling to keep it together. This can’t go on much longer. I don’t care if Baxter’s getting gold, I can’t watch Harvey treating my woman this way.

“Girls never really know what they want, so I take charge and give them what they need. Your tight little ass deserved a good fucking, so I plowed you like the pro I am. If you want to call that rape, then you go right ahead, but bringing charges against me will turn into a living nightmare for you. Nothing sticks to me. I’m Teflon, baby.”

Lani’s eyes spark with determination, and I swear I’ve never loved her more. “I don’t give a shit what you think you are. I’m not afraid to fight you on this. I will stand against you for as long as I have to. I’ll do it for myself and all the other women you’ve violated. I’ll do it for all the women who have yet to meet you.”

A growl rumbles in his throat. “You fucking bitch! You wanted it!”

“I told you to stop!”

“You didn’t mean it!” Harvey thunders, oblivious to the thick pulse of shock that follows in the wake of his confession.

Lani lets out a soft gasp. “You admit it.”

“I’m not admitting shit.”

“But you just did.” Lani’s surprise is morphing into a triumphant smile, but it doesn’t have time to form, as Harvey lets out a lethal growl and reaches for her throat.

“Now,” Baxter snarls, and I release the roar that’s been building inside me, lunging at my cousin with the full force of my rage.

Snatching his jacket, I pull him back, spinning him around and throwing him to the floor. He lands with a shocked “Oomph!” while Lani lets out a shaky breath, like she was keeping it together just long enough for me to step in.

Fezzik starts barking, and Rachel struggles to hold him while I check Lani’s face.

She nods at me, resting her hand on her neck. “I’m fine.”

As soon as I know she’ll be okay, I turn back to my cousin, grabbing his shirt and hauling him to his feet.

“Let’s go,” I bark, yanking him out the door with a herculean strength that is born from pure, uncut fury.