Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ASHER
Dragging myself away from Hannah is always hard, but today it felt almost impossible.
The shadows of doubt that have crept into her pretty green eyes since last night make me think she’s getting ready to run, but she doesn’t realize she’ll have two pissed-off Doms chasing her if she does.
The delicate situation we’ve woven for ourselves is becoming more and more difficult to navigate, and we’re now at the stage where we might have to take Hannah’s choice away, something I’ve been dreading since it first became an option.
She’s spent her whole life being underestimated and belittled, having her life written for her when all she ever wanted was to be loved, and I hate the idea that we’re going to do the same thing her family has.
Rowan drops into the seat across from me, his desk littered with documents that likely need attention, but he’s ignoring them.
The man needs an assistant, but he’s too stubborn to hire one, especially because the last one spent all her time pawing all over him instead of making his life easier.
He looks just as exhausted as I feel, dark circles making him seem older than he is.
“You look like shit,” I say.
“Thanks, son.” He glares across the solid wood. “Some of us didn’t get to hold our girl through the night.”
I sigh. He’s right. I’m being an asshole. The last few months have been hard for him, seeing me be close to her when he’s the one who’s gone to the ends of the earth to make sure she was safe these past five years.
“How is she?”
“Wary,” I reply. “Her instincts are begging her to run, and I’m worried if we don’t make our move soon, she’s going to do just that.”
He brushes a hand down his face. “It’s too soon.”
“Is it, though?”
“Yes,” he snaps. “If we move too quickly, we’ll just push her away.”
“Jeffrey is going to start insisting on dates soon, and then what are we going to do?”
“He already has.”
“He what?” I shout, my heart stuttering in my chest. “When the fuck did he do that?”
“Not long after you left her place. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got someone tailing you because you were barely on the next block when it came through.”
“Are you tracking her calls and texts again?” I ask incredulously.
“Yep.”
“You’re kind of fucked up, you know that?”
“Yep.”
I shake my head, but the humor that normally accompanies the gentle ribbing is missing. Rowan has worked hard to keep some of his more stalkerish tendencies on a tight leash, but his need to take care of Hannah makes it hard for him to relinquish complete control.
“Tell me about the date.”
“She told him she was seeing someone and things were getting serious, so she wasn’t interested in meeting whoever Jeffrey has lined up.”
“And I’m assuming he didn’t accept that no means no?”
“You’d be right about that. He said that it was her duty as part of the family to marry someone that he deems appropriate.”
I roll my eyes. This motherfucker is walking on thin ice with this bullshit. “Which member of the asshole brigade does he want her to meet?”
“Trent Bradley.”
I groan and drop my head back against the chair. While not the worst person on the list of prospective husbands, he’s a misogynist piece of shit who isn’t worthy of breathing the same air as Hannah, let alone marrying her. “What did she say when he pulled the family first bullshit?”
He hesitates for a second, his eyes holding mine while he decides how to deliver whatever he has to say that won’t end in me tearing apart his office. “That she would think about it.”
I shove myself out of my seat, the solid piece of wood hitting the ground with a loud crash. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”
I stalk across the room before pacing back again, desperately trying to pull myself together. There’s a reason I was such a good fighter, and it’s because I can channel my anger in a way few have been able to master. But when it comes to Hannah? Everything is different.
“Asher, it’s going to be okay. We won’t let it go too far.”
“You don’t know that. You have no idea what that fucker has planned. For all we know, she’s going to show up to the date, and it’ll be a wedding.” Just the thought of Hannah walking down the aisle and Rowan or myself not being at the other end has tension bleeding into every muscle.
“We won’t let that happen. I promise.”
“Don’t make me promises you can’t keep,” I growl. “You didn’t see her last night. She was so fucking upset. What if Trent puts on a pretty show and makes her feel wanted just to beat her into submission once he has a ring on her finger?”
Like I said, the guy isn’t the worst of the bunch, but when you’re going up against human traffickers, it’s pretty easy to seem like an okay guy.
Rowan steps in front of me mid-pace and grasps my shoulders, holding me steady as he levels me with a stare.
“Ash, I need you to calm down. We knew this was coming. We knew he would guilt her, and we knew she would buckle because that’s what he’s conditioned her to do.
But we have a plan, and we will not allow her to be hurt or forced into a marriage she doesn’t want. ”
I drag in an unsteady breath and force the blinding panic down.
“Our girl is loyal to a fault, you know that. And in this case, it’s both a blessing and a curse. Her obligation to her grandfather is to meet Trent, but her loyalty to you will mean it goes no further than that.”
I nod, but the anxiety beating behind my ribs makes it hard to breathe.
What if we got this close just to lose her?
What if everything we’ve done in the last five years was for nothing?
What if, after everything is said and done, she chooses someone else?
“I’m going to the gym,” I grind out. “I need to spar.”
“Don’t kill any of our fighters. We need them for the fight next week, and Kovu will be pissed if we don’t deliver.”
I clench my jaw but nod. I don’t make it a habit to kill anyone that makes us money, but right now my bloodlust is stronger than it’s ever been.