Chapter 38 Aiden
By the time I made it out front, Evie was gone and so was my car.
The pack had followed me out, clustering behind me without a word.
Finally Hero stepped forward. “What did you do to piss her off this time?”
I shot him a look out of the corner of my eye, hoping he understood I wasn’t going to talk about it right now.
He stayed silent, rooted beside me, waiting as everyone else walked back inside, all of them chalking it up to Evie’s attitude.
The world fell silent around us, but I knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long.
“So, what did you do this time?” Hero asked.
“Pissed her off, what else is new?”
“Nothing with that part, but you staring at her leaving all pathetic is new. Normally, you let her go or run after her like you’re going to kill her.”
“Maybe I’m giving her a head start this time,” I said, realizing for the first time I didn’t even know where to start looking. She wouldn’t have gone home, and I knew she would want to go somewhere comfortable to stew in anger.
“Doubt it, there’s a little panic in your tone. A bit of desperation you don’t normally have.”
“All right, fuck off Hero, and stop psychoanalyzing me. Evie’s pulling her same shit and I . . .” my words trailed off, not even able to come up with a lie.
Evie wasn’t pulling any shit—I was.
All she wanted was to tell everyone we were together.
I rubbed at my chest, a dull ache starting there.
Were we even together? It’s not like we talked about it, and we weren’t exactly in a normal situation.
“Don’t even yell at me, go yell at her,” Hero said. “Evie’s a damn handful, but if there’s one person who can calm her down, it’s you. And don’t even give me any of the bullshit you give Rook, obviously you two are messing around or something, and you somehow fucked it up.”
My mouth dropped open when I turned to him. “Why would you think that?”
“Because I’m not stupid and I watch things. Don’t even insult me by pretending I haven’t noticed you pining after her the entire time I’ve known you. And don’t insult me further by pretending you two haven’t started something the past few months.”
One side of my mouth quirked up. “Technically, we didn’t start anything months ago. She blackmailed me and I crumbled under the pressure.”
“Excuse me?”
“Yeah, it’s pathetic. She literally gave me the smallest opening and I went for it immediately.”
“God, I love that woman,” he said, making me freeze. “Oh relax, lover boy, I can love a woman and not want to put my dick in her. I respect the hustle, though. But that explains even less why you are still standing here.”
“I told you, I don’t even know where she went.”
“And she went in your car, dumbass. You can track your own car.” He shook his head as I pulled out my phone. “Love really does make people stupid. I don’t understand why people do it.”
The app loaded and I cursed the moment I saw where my car was parked.
“Fucking asshole,” I mumbled, and Hero looked over my shoulder.
“Oh shit,” he said. “What are you going to do about that? You can’t exactly kill the guy.”
“And why the fuck not?”
“Because it would destroy our business, obviously,” Hero said, the words almost a question.
“You know what? I’ve been worried about ruining everything for weeks. I suddenly don’t give a shit.”
Hero laughed, never taking anything seriously. “Well, I’m sure we will find a way to rebuild. You better hurry. She’s probably already getting up to his penthouse by now.”
I spun, racing back inside and pulling my bike out, not bothering to answer any questions as I peeled out.
Heading right to Asher’s place and right to Evie.
While Valeport was at least a twenty-minute drive, I made it in ten. I parked the bike without a thought of how I made it there, my body on autopilot.
Asher already knew I was there.
I had zero doubts he had watched me pull up and stomp my way to his private elevator with a stupid grin on his face.
The doors opened and I stepped inside the penthouse. The entire place oozed money from the velvet walls to the marble floors. Asher liked money and he liked to show it off even more—nothing stopped him from flaunting what he had.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror along his hallway, and all I could think was how rough I looked compared to this place.
My dark-blond hair was a mess, blood and tattoos coated my arms. My shirt was dirty from working all day and the edge to my face looked like I was here to commit murder.
Part of me wanted to.
“Evie,” I yelled, my voice carrying down the hall toward the main living room.
She didn’t say anything, but I knew exactly where she was hiding.
I gripped the edge of the couch as I leaned over to find Evie lying there, scowling up at me.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“I came to get away from you and everyone who would ask me what’s wrong when I can’t tell them anything. Your turn.”
“Well, I came because you ran, and when you run, I lose my fucking mind.”
Her eyes softened for a second before the hardened stare was back. I reached down to brush her hair back, splaying it across the pillow.
“Why did you run away?” I asked quietly.
She sat up, the rage flaring back to life. “I did exactly what I’m supposed to do, right? Psycho Evie comes out to ruin things and—”
“Don’t even act like this is something new I call you. You have always been—and always will be—my psycho girl.”
“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t used as an insult. And sure maybe you could use it as an insult when I was the annoying younger sister of your best friend, but that’s not what I am now.” She shook her head, her eyebrows furrowing again. “That’s not even the point. That’s not what I’m mad about.”
I dropped to my knees, resting my arms over the back of the couch. Before I could say anything, Asher stepped out.
“Sorry, am I interrupting something in my own home?” he asked, the calm, deep tone sounding rich and unbothered.
It made me look around, taking in my surroundings and taking in Asher. He belonged here, he created this world around him, not the other way around—which only made it more clear that I didn’t belong here.
And that maybe Evie did.
“No,” Evie said. “You aren’t. Are you ready to start the movie?”
I knew life could flash before your eyes in a wreck—I’ve experienced it myself. What I didn’t know was it could happen on a normal Friday in the middle of Asher’s living room.
The thought that I could leave Evie here and she could maybe live out her life, like this, with Asher. That she could live here, and be his, and fall in love with him.
My stomach rolled, a nervousness settling into my bones.
There was no way in hell I was losing Evie to Asher when I finally had a chance at her for myself.
“Like fuck are you sitting cuddled up with him to watch a movie.” I nearly jumped over the couch to her, but kept my composure enough to walk around. “We are leaving, Evie. We need to talk.”
I leaned down, close enough I could smell the hint of vanilla on her. “You are not staying with him tonight. I will drag you out of here kicking and screaming.”
“Like he would let you.”
“If there’s one thing Asher is not allowed to do, it’s tell me how to handle you.”
“Handle me? Am I a dog now?”
“I feel like I’ve walked into the middle of a lovers’ quarrel,” Asher said, not even looking up from his phone.
“You did,” I said, except Evie spoke at the same time.
“You didn’t,” she said.
“Yes he fucking did. To be more accurate, Evie brought the lovers’ quarrel to your front door and now I’m taking it back to our place. Our place, because we fucking live together.”
Evie rolled her eyes hard. “You say that as if we haven’t lived together for years without anything happening between us.”
“Well, things have happened now and we need to talk, so are you coming with me or am I dragging you out?”
“I’d like to see you try,” she said. “Asher wouldn’t let that happen.”
I didn’t even look at him, my eyes glued to Evie.
“Asher, if you so much as stand up to stop me, I will fucking kill you. I don’t give a fuck who you are.”
I could see his reflection in one of the far mirrors, his hands up in the air.
“Don’t mind me. I’m more interested in how far you can piss Evie off before she kills you.”
Evie grinned, but I took the opening, dropping my shoulder down and leaning it into her stomach to pick her up. I was taking Evie home with me whether she liked it or not.