The Sidekick

Chapter Fifty-Six

Asher

The bar is slow when I walk in. A quarter of the tables are filled, and the dance floor is empty despite the loud music.

Instead of walking to the counter, I try to go into the back hallway myself. I know where Tera is, and I want to see her now.

Getting that picture was a gut punch in the middle of a bad day. Everything turned around in a second as soon as I opened it. The blush on her cheeks. Her impish grin. The bun and the darkened marks on her neck proudly displayed. This woman is going to kill me one hard-on at a time.

I’m almost in the hallway, eager to get there and not paying attention when a woman slides into my path with a concerned expression.

“Can I help you?” She asks sweetly.

I don’t give her a facial reaction, but inside, I’m cursing her. It’s the woman from last night that was hanging around the office. Does she not remember me?

“I’m here to see Tera,” I tell her calmly.

“You know where she is?” Her face becomes concerned, and she glances around warily.

I arch a brow, already done with the dramatics.

“Yeah,” I reply blandly.

She seems surprised. “She really is your girlfriend, then?”

I told her that yesterday.

“I… I don’t know how to tell you this,” she places a hand on my bare arm and leans into my personal space. The normal skin-crawling reaction I get from being touched kicks in, and I have to pretend it’s fine. All I really want to do is fling her hand off me and push her out of my way.

“I think she’s in the back with Max right now. I, um, think they’re… you know. Busy.”

Really. She has permission to do whatever she wants to Max.

“And Trevor is back there too.”

Hmm. I’m not so pleased by that news. Without a buffer, he could be doing whatever he wants to Tera. Yeah, the letters have given me a heads-up that he’s going to do right by her. I still want to keep an eye on him, though. She also doesn’t have permission to play with Trevor yet.

My eyes flick to the closed door farther away from me. The music is too loud for me to hear anything going on.

“I’m so sorry,” she rubs her hand across my bicep, underneath the loose sleeve of my shirt.

“Right.” She’s a pretty good actress, but I’m not buying this. I want her hand off of me.

“I don’t think you should go back there,” she continues with her sympathetic pout. “I’m just trying to help you out.”

I think my complete lack of reaction is starting to make her uncomfortable. If anything is going on back there, which I doubt, I need to have a conversation with all three of them.

“I want to confirm it,” I tell her flatly.

“Don’t do that,” she wraps her arms around me in a hug I didn’t ask for. “You don’t need to see.”

I’m glaring down at the top of her head when the side door opens, and Tera appears. We’re in plain view of her. Because, of course, we are.

Her feet freeze as her eyes go wide.

This looks bad. I know it. We haven’t known each other long enough to have a foundation for this. I have a woman hanging all over me right in front of her. It doesn’t matter that I’m not reciprocating. Any of my sisters would turn and walk away, napalming this bridge before it could become sturdy. I would applaud them for it the whole way.

My angel doesn’t do that.

She walks up behind the woman and clears her throat delicately.

“Sal? It isn’t your break.” The sweet words have the bite of a shark at the end, which surprises me.

The woman turns with a sharp gasp that sounds overly dramatic. Once her back is to me, she presses her body into mine. I grimace in disgust, trying to back away.

“In case you missed it? Asher doesn’t want you touching him,” she says next. Then, her brows lower ominously, surprising me even further. “You might want to go outside and help Emily. I think she’s still knocked out.”

“What are you talking about?” Sal asks with a weak laugh. “Stop trying to distract your way out of this.”

My angel lets out a tired sigh and crosses her arms with an eye roll. “Get on with it.”

Why is her cheek red?

I push the woman out of my way and stalk closer to take a look.

“Did someone hit you, angel?” My tone lowers dangerously as I see red. Who the fuck put their hands on her?

“Yeah,” she winces, her nose scrunching in a way that I shouldn’t find adorable, but I do. “She got knocked out for it.”

I blink in surprise, my building anger halting in its tracks. Did she knock someone out? I can’t picture it.

“Can we just go into the office? I think I’m full up on drama tonight,” she pouts.

“Of course,” I say automatically, following her in a daze. What the fuck just happened?

“You’re ok with her fucking other guys behind your back?” Sal calls behind us. She’s loud enough to be heard clearly over the music.

Tera lets out a frustrated huff, her hands slapping her thighs.

I slide my arm around her waist, drawing her close. She leans her head against my chest, her shoulders relaxing at my touch. The tension of the day wipes out of me with her simple acceptance of the gesture. I kiss the top of her head, already wanting to go home and have my own time with her.

Max yanks the door open before we get there and leans out with an enraged look on his face. He takes two steps out and gets out of the way to let us go inside. Trevor is standing from his desk with a dark look that embodies the rage I felt seeing Tera’s cheek.

When he sees her, he hesitates.

A shrill beeping sounds out, startling Tera.

“I forgot,” she says to him apologetically. She pulls out her phone and stops a timer. “I made it back in time, though.”

The feeble finish to the sentence makes Trevor relax, and he retakes his seat.

“You got all your phone calls done?” He asks with a wary tone I don’t like.

“It turned out to be just one,” she gives him a happy smile.

“Did this woman attack you while you were on the phone?” I try to stay calm while I speak. Trevor’s rage comes back with a vengeance.

“What the fuck?” Max slams the door shut and locks it behind him. “Someone attacked you?”

“It’s not a big deal,” she looks at me pleadingly.

My lips flatten in anger. She’s trying to brush this under the rug. She’s not getting away with it.

“Seiza.” I walk past her to Trevor’s desk.

“U-Uh,” Max stutters.

I turn to find her on her knees with her hands on her thighs. She’s looking up at me in confusion.

I pull out one of the chairs, turning it to face her, and sit down. When I brace my elbows on my knees and lean forward, she starts to look worried.

“I want to negotiate a new rule.”

“Ok?” She watches me warily.

“What the fuck?” Max mutters weakly and falls back onto the couch. He tries to be discreet about adjusting himself in his pants.

“No one has the right to hurt you. If something like this happens, we need to know immediately. It might not be a big deal to you, but it’s a very big deal to us. Am I right?” I look back at Trevor for his opinion.

“Yes,” he says in a grim tone.

“Yeah, bebé. We can’t protect you if we don’t know what’s going on,” Max adds.

“So,” I lean back and try to be relaxed in the chair. “The new rule is when someone hurts you, you tell us. Can you agree to that?”

“I guess so,” she frowns as her eyes fall to the floor.

Not good enough.

“Would you be upset if someone hit Max?”

“Of course,” she scoffs.

“What’s the difference?” I ask patiently.

Her eyes meet mine with surprise. Now she’s getting it. I can see the idea that we care about her enough to care about what happens to her form. It’s sad and satisfying at the same time.

“There isn’t one,” her shoulders sag as the thought sinks in and makes a space for itself.

“Is this rule a go?” I give her a soft smile.

She returns it with a beaming grin that lights me up. “It’s a go.”

“Good. Now come here. I’ve missed you.”

I expect her to stand and walk to me. I’m pleasantly surprised when she doesn’t.

Instead, she crawls to me with a gentle smile. Her eyes never leave mine, like I’m the only thing she can see. All my blood rushes south so quickly that I get lightheaded.

My angel. Fuck.

She isn’t showy about it. This isn’t an act or a tease. This is just for me. Something to soothe that ragged piece inside me that only she seems to be able to reach. How did she know I needed this?

She sits on her heels again when she reaches my feet. Her hands are on her thighs. She doesn’t grasp at me and force a touch I might not want. I wonder if she realizes she’s the only one that could.

Max has his elbows resting on his knees as he watches her. His cheeks are darker, and he licks his lower lip. She isn’t paying attention to him. I’m surprised that he isn’t trying to get it from her.

“Who hit you and why?” I ask.

“Emily. She doesn’t want me touching Max or Trevor. She said they aren’t mine.” She seems surprised that the answer came out so easily. Instead of stiffening up like I’m expecting, her shoulders relax, and she gives me a relieved smile.

I turn to Max, who’s frowning over the revelation, then Trevor. He’s practically on fire with rage. They both stay quiet, not protesting my lead in this. A feral part of me relaxes at the easy acceptance of her response to me.

I return my thoughtful gaze to Tera. “And Sal? What was her role?”

“To tell you I was having sex with them in here and comfort you when it upset you.” Her pretty face becomes a mini-scowl that pleases me. Feeling possessive angel? Good. I was a little worried about how casually she took Sal touching me. When will I learn that she will never do what I expect?

Now, the question that’s burning inside me.

“Did you knock her out?”

Max gives me a mocking look. He seems disappointed in me. I can’t wait for him to hear whatever this is.

“No. South did.”

I lean back in surprise. “South? Your old roommate?”

“Yeah,” Tera’s eyes drop from mine for the first time. The heavy sorrow drenching her voice makes me scowl.

“Who is South?” Max asks with a frown.

“My friend,” Tera’s voice wavers, and she clears her throat. “She said she’s visiting me, but I know it’s a lie. She’s mad because I finally told her about my breakdown.”

“Some friend,” Max mutters darkly.

Tera looks at him and shakes her head. “She’s upset because I didn’t call her for help. I didn’t tell her until yesterday. I’ve been hiding it from her. She doesn’t get to see that I’m ok, you know. She lives halfway across the US. We have phone calls. That means she got off the phone with me and got on a flight straight here.”

Max is surprised by the stern lecture. This is someone who has Tera’s staunch loyalty. If he doesn’t respect it, there’s going to be problems.

“You haven’t spoken about quite a few things, babygirl,” Trevor says darkly. “Give us a chance to catch up to Asher.”

Her defensive stance falls into submission quickly.

I turn back to Trevor with a dark scowl.

His jaw is tight as he stares back. “Tera has been talking about a few things from her past. Things I didn’t know about.”

Max looks thoughtful for a moment and then begins to frown. “How come I’ve never heard about your friend before?”

Trevor’s lips flatten out as his stare intensifies on mine. He’s catching up to the fact that Tera isn’t really as happy as she used to act. This is the real Tera, not the polished version. Just like his unpolished version, some work needs to be done to help.

“I didn’t want anyone to judge,” she mutters faintly.

“Judge what, angel?” I return my attention to her bowed head.

“South. My life before. Everybody judges us both. I hate it.”

“If you’re expecting me to cut ties with you, forget it,” Max snaps. How is he the one that gets it so fast? How did he know that’s what she was anticipating? Bracing for?

Tera doesn’t answer him.

Trevor’s chair creaks as he leans back, the tense silence broken.

“How about this?” He begins in a cautious tone, thinking about his words before he speaks again. “When a topic comes up, we talk through it without holding back. An adjustment to the last rule that includes all of us. No judgment, just us understanding each other’s point of view. We don’t have to agree but seeing it through another person’s eyes helps sometimes. Does that seem fair to everyone?”

“What if the topic is too painful, and you can’t talk about it?”

I look down to find Tera’s eyes on me with concern.

She isn’t worried about herself. She’s worried about me.

The idea staggers me, my heart giving a heavy lurch in my chest.

Her eyes go to Trevor next. He told her his secret, and she wants him safe, too. She wants to make sure we aren’t required to talk about things we’d rather leave in the past. Maybe she hopes that for herself as well, but I doubt that’s her main focus right now. We are. We always will be.

I’m in love with her.

The thought breaks the last tether I had to sanity as I know it and reshapes me. It isn’t comfortable, but I embrace it with open arms. If I don’t, who will put her first? Who will watch out for her while she’s on her quest to save us?

“Within reason,” Max spreads his hands and gives a tight smile to the rest of us. “We don’t have to dear diary our way through life. It’s more about not being afraid to open up to each other when it’s needed. Like, I don’t understand why I would judge South. I don’t know her, why would I?”

“Because she doesn’t behave like a normal person,” Tera says with a sigh. “She’s been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, and everyone thinks that’s it. She’s going to go out and destroy the whole world. That isn’t all she is. We worked hard together to help her maintain a normal lifestyle. She has bans and the payback rule.”

Max’s eyes widen while my face pales.

“A sociopath? And you lived with her for how long?” He asks in a choked voice.

“Years. She helped me gain confidence in myself. To stop being afraid and turn things around,” her voice strains with unshed tears. “Southie took me out dancing every weekend for months until I got on the dance floor. She made me see that being me wasn’t horrible.”

“South was a buffer,” I mutter. “A real friend. She’s here to make sure you know you aren’t alone, no matter how upset she is.”

“Yes,” she sighs heavily, giving me a grateful look.

“Is she in the bar?” Max asks eagerly. How we went from paranoid fear to acceptance in the span of a few sentences baffles me, but here we are.

“No,” Tera wipes her eyes with a sniffle. “I asked her to protect Shade for me. She left right away.”

“How is that a good idea?” Max says in a horrified mutter.

“She’s on a no-contact ban, so he’ll never know,” Tera tells him dismally. “He’s too upset to try and figure her out right now, and I don’t want them killing each other.”

“Is that a real concern?” Max’s voice rises with tension.

Tera shrugs, and his jaw drops. His eyes meet mine as he shakes his head.

“You trust her with our son,” I shrug and smirk back at him, unconcerned with his worry. “That’s all I need to know.”

“The fuck?” He mouths to me, getting pissed.

“Thank you, Asher.” Tera sags with relief.

She never has to know that if it comes down to it, I’ll be backing South in that fight. Shade’s a dick. If her sociopath friend can bring him to heel, I’m all for it.

“Your son?” Trevor asks in disbelief.

“We’ve been calling him that to make him mad,” Tera giggles. “You should see his face when we say it.”

“His summer camp time isn’t as fun as I’d hoped,” I glance at her in concern.

She nods quickly. “He called me. I called his boss to beg him to let him leave, but he told me no. I have to get proof that they’re mistreating him, and he won’t consider the cheating as a play. Shade is supposed to be too macho to care about stuff like that.”

“You called Andi’s dad?” Max winces.

“Yeah,” she looks at him curiously. “He’s the boss. Who else would I talk to?”

“Oh, babygirl,” Trevor sighs and shakes his head.

“What? Did I mess up? Mr. Matthias said he’s going to send them out of town for a while to give him a break.”

They both give her wide eyes of surprise.

“What am I missing here?” I ask.

“He’s a mafia don,” Max says with an eye twitch. “And her oldest bestie is a sociopath.”

“No, he isn’t,” Tera huffs in frustration. “Even if he was, he’s still Andi’s dad. Just because he can be mean doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a hug sometimes.”

I give up. I’m going to start assuming everyone Tera knows is a closet serial killer from now on. Between this, South, and Shade, I’m throwing in the towel.

“Are we still on for what we discussed earlier, angel?” I change the subject abruptly just to get away from the insanity ready to suck me in.

She gives me a blank look followed by blushing cheeks as she realizes what I’m talking about. Her teeth worry at her lower lip.

“Stop,” I say softly, and she straightens, stopping before she chews herself raw. Good to know we’re still in sync.

“There’s no rush,” I remind her calmly.

She takes a fortifying breath and nods with determination. “We’re a go.”

My lips turn up in a menacing smile that she can’t see. Trevor does, and his eyes narrow on it.