Chapter 36
Asher
Sleep well, little warrior
I feel her absence before I look up to where she was sitting to find her no longer there. Where could she have gone? And why didn’t she say goodbye? A flash of blonde hair crosses my path, and I internally curse.
“What the fuck do you want, Giselle?”
“What does she have that I don’t?” I’m surprised at the vulnerability in her tone. When I look up, she genuinely looks upset.
“She’s everything to me. She has been since I was seventeen. She’s kind, and loving, and she’s funny as hell. She’s adventurous and courageous, and I love her.”
Giselle is eerily quiet, so when I give her my full attention, she nervously fiddles with her fingers and chews on her bottom lip.
“Spit it out, Giselle.”
“I said some things to Bri, and she ran off.” She may look guilty, but my blood is boiling.
“What did you say to her?”
“I said she’s the reason Max was in the hospital and that it won’t be long until she screws you over. I…I’m sorry.” Giselle is full-on crying now.
“Goddamn it, Giselle. You just have to exploit everyone’s insecurities, don’t you? Why are you like this? With an ugly heart like yours, it’s no surprise you’re always alone!” I shout at her, not giving a shit about the looks I’m getting from our customers.
“Ash—” Gage tries to soothe the tension, but my murderous look shuts him up real quick.
“I-I—” she stutters with a panicked look on her face.
This time when Gage intervenes, I let him. “Asher, man, step back. Take care of your girl and I’ll take care of everything else.”
Just that second, my phone rings and Bri’s name flashes across my screen.
“Bear?”
“Asher…” The fear in her voice has my blood freezing. My mind wanders with endless possibilities.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you?”
“I-I…Can you come get me?” Shit, she’s having a panic attack. She’s having a panic attack and I’m not there.
“Send me your location. I’m on my way.”
“O-Okay. I-I can’t do this.” Shit.
“Hold on, baby, I’m coming for you. I love you, I’ll be there soon.” I reluctantly hang up, but I need to call an Uber so I can drive her home. Something tells me she won’t be able to do much in the state she’s in.
My phone pings with her location. “Fuck,” I curse while slamming my hand against the bar.
“What’s up?” Gage asks.
“She’s at the same intersection where the accident happened and she’s fucking panicking. Goddamn it. I should have checked on her throughout the night. I should have—” I’m stopped mid-sentence by Giselle.
“I’ll take you.” She’s settling her tab with Gage while gathering her things.
“No. You’ve done enough. I hope you’re fucking happy with what you’ve done. Go find someone else’s life to ruin.”
“I—” Giselle starts, but I’m already moving past her, phone in hand pulling up the Uber app.
Five minutes away. Fuck. I’m coming, bear.
I’ll be there soon. I’m pacing the parking lot looking like a madman when a midnight blue sedan pulls up.
A quick glance at the license plate confirms it’s my ride.
I’m jumping in the car, and after three failed attempts to get my seatbelt on, I’m finally buckled in.
“I will triple your tip if you step on it.”
It’s dark outside, so I can’t really see the driver’s profile, but their eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror.
They must see the urgency in my expression, because they nod curtly before stepping on it.
It’s only a five minute drive, but it feels like hours.
I have the driver drop me off at the gas station near the intersection.
He’s barely pulling to a stop before I’m out of the car and running, eager to get my arms around her.
I’m out of breath, but I don’t give a fuck.
I’m knocking on her window, and when she jumps, I jump.
Her eyes are bloodshot, and she looks like she’s seconds away from crumbling to the ground.
People honk at me, but I don’t care. I aggressively wave at them, telling them to go around us. My focus is on my girl, frozen in her seat.
“Can you unlock the door, sweetheart?” She looks like a zombie, but her hand moves to unlock the door.
The second I hear the clicking sound, I’m opening the door and flicking the hazards on.
I pull her into my arms, her body soft against mine as I sit with her in my lap, rocking her in the driver's seat as sobs wrack her body.
She clings to me like a koala, my fingers tangled in her wild mane in a desperate attempt to ground the both of us.
“I got you. I’m here and you’re safe. You’re okay.”
“T-Thank you for coming.”
“You call, I come. Always. Let it out, baby. You can cry on my shoulder.” That’s all it takes for her to break down all over again.
Bri’s crying so hard that she chokes on her sobs.
Her body vibrates with emotion, and I just let her cry.
We don’t talk about what happened. We don’t need to; she’ll talk about it when she’s ready.
I press a kiss to her temple and squeeze her tighter against my chest. I rock her in my arms while murmuring in her ear, “I love you. And you’re safe now.”
“Can you t-take me h-home?” Bri’s voice sounds so small that I have to bury the rage down.
“Of course, go ahead and crawl over to the passenger seat. I’ll drive you home.”
“H-How did you get here?”
“I ordered an Uber immediately after we got off the phone. I had them step on it so I could get to you.”
“Y-You did?”
“Of course I did. You needed me, so I came. Best seventy-five bucks I’ve spent.”
Bri’s eyes widen in shock at the astronomical amount. I cup her face in my hands, wiping away any tears that fall before leaning in to kiss her forehead. “Let’s not worry about that now. Let’s get you home and in bed.”
“Okay.” Bri climbs over to the passenger seat, and I buckle her in. She reaches for my hand, and I interlock our fingers together. The light turns green, and I look both ways before driving through the intersection.
Bri is passed out by the time we pull into her driveway, so I’m carrying her through the house bridal style. As I’m tucking her in bed, she whispers something that I wasn’t expecting her to say after everything.
“I-I know I-I said I wanted to talk to Max, but I-I’m n-not r-ready y-yet,” Bri stammers before turning over, and then she’s out like a light. My little warrior just went through a scary experience, and now she wants to tackle a difficult conversation with her brother.
“You’re stronger than you know, bear. We’ll do it when you’re ready.” I lean down, pressing a kiss to her temple before whispering in her ear, “I love you, baby. Sleep well, little warrior.” I turn off the lights before slipping in behind her. Her strength is a beautiful thing.