Chapter 32 Ashton
ASHTON
The air inside the estate was thick with a sense of unease, a heaviness that seemed to cling to everything.
I stood in the foyer, eyes distant as I stared at the floor, my mind spiraling.
Lilith’s presence behind me felt like a constant itch, her questions nagging at me as she trailed in my wake, her voice unsettling in its unnerving calm.
“Why the long face, Ash?” Lilith’s voice was sweet, too sweet for someone so twisted. “You’ve been all over the place since the call. Something’s got you spooked.”
I didn’t answer immediately. The words from the reports still echoed in my mind like a cursed chant.
Bentley James—Bentley fucking James—had been the one responsible for the brutal murders of Dove’s parents.
The same man who had stalked her relentlessly, obsessed with her in a way that made my blood run cold.
I couldn’t shake the image of her parents’ bodies, lifeless, gory.
The memory of those words in the report haunted me.
Bentley James had been obsessed with Dove.
The thought alone made my chest tighten with a suffocating fury.
My fingers dug into the edges of the table in front of me, knuckles white with the pressure.
I had failed her. I let her go, thinking the worst was behind us.
But now Bentley’s escape loomed like a shadow, and all the rage I had buried deep inside surged forward, threatening to overtake me.
Lilith, still unperturbed, stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with dark amusement. “You seem tense, Ash. Is it because of Dove? Or is it because you’re starting to see the bigger picture now? You always were a control freak.”
My head snapped toward her. “Don’t,” I warned, my voice low and strained.
But Lilith wasn’t finished. She leaned in, her lips curling into a sadistic smile. “You always have to be the hero, don’t you? You had to protect her, but you couldn’t even keep her safe.”
My eyes burned with barely contained fury. I could feel the primal urge to lash out, to strike her down, to shut her up. My whole life had been about control, and Lilith—this woman—was determined to rip that away from me.
“Shut up, Lilith,” I growled. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You want to play with her, break her down, but she’s mine. I won’t let anyone near her. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
Lilith’s laugh was sickeningly sweet, but the edge was sharp. “You really think you can protect her, Ash? You’re just as broken as the rest of us. Maybe that’s why you like her so much. She’s your perfect match.”
“Don’t.” My teeth gritted together, the storm inside me building to a frenzy.
“Or what?” Lilith’s smile deepened as she stepped forward, toying with the tension, daring me to snap. “You’ll hurt me like you hurt everyone else who gets in your way? Maybe you’ll hurt her again, too. Maybe that’s what she needs—more punishment. I wonder if she’ll like it this time.”
Before I could respond, before I could break her apart with words or fists, my phone rang.
The sound broke through the storm of my thoughts like a lightning strike, and I reached for it, almost slamming my finger against the screen. I didn’t recognize the number, but I answered anyway, the same dread that had clung to me for weeks tightening its grip on my chest.
“Christina?” I rasped, but the voice on the other end was frantic.
“Ashton!” Christina’s voice was panicked, breathless. “You need to get here. Now.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. The panic in her voice, the way she struggled to get the words out—something was wrong. “Christina, what’s happened? What’s going on?”
The silence that followed sent a chill through me.
And then she spoke again, her words tumbling out in a rush, panic threading every syllable.
“Ashton… It’s Dove. The house—the house is trashed.
Everything is—everything’s ruined… It’s cold.
It’s like someone was here. And… and… she’s gone.
Ashton, please, I—I don’t know what happened, but I think someone took her. I—I’m scared.”
My world tilted. My pulse thundered in my ears, my vision narrowing.
I could barely comprehend what she was saying, but I didn’t need to hear the details.
Dove was gone. Gone. And the only thing that mattered in that moment was finding her.
The name Bentley James flashed in my mind like a violent, haunting reminder of everything I had failed to protect.
“What?” The word was ripped from my throat, guttural, raw.
My eyes darted toward the door, as if expecting to see her standing there, smiling, teasing me like she always did. But nothing. Just emptiness. The mansion, cold and silent, felt like it was closing in on me.
Christina’s frantic voice continued on the phone, but my mind was already elsewhere, spiraling.
The rage surged up in me, mingling with fear, and every bit of doubt and regret I had buried began to eat me alive.
I should have known—I should have never let her go.
Never. But now, the only thing that mattered was finding her, bringing her back before she fell victim to the madness that haunted both of our lives.
“You—you—” my hands trembled, the phone slipping from my grip. It fell to the ground with a dull thud, and I didn’t care. I was already moving, already past Lilith, already at the door.
“Dove,” I muttered under my breath, the sound of her name like a prayer, a plea, a promise. My heart pounded as I rushed toward the motorcycle, my thoughts consumed by the only thing that mattered now. “I’m coming for you, little bird. I’ll kill anyone who tries to stop me.”
As the engine roared to life, the cold air slapped against my face like a reality check. I sped out of the estate, leaving everything behind. My hands gripped the handlebars with a desperation that made my entire body shake.
Someone had taken Dove. And I wasn’t going to stop until I found her, no matter who I had to burn to the ground to get her back.
The motorcycle screeched to a halt outside Dove’s apartment, the roar of the engine dying into a quiet hum.
My heart was hammering in my chest, the air around me thick with fear, guilt, and a seething anger that threatened to consume me whole.
I didn’t know why I had come here first. Maybe it was because my gut told me it was where I needed to be, or maybe it was the sheer panic of not knowing where else to look.
The building loomed in front of me, worn and weathered, its brick facade as tired as the surrounding city.
Hollow Hills was too quiet, too perfect, like some idyllic dream, yet the cracks beneath the surface always seemed to deepen when things went wrong.
And right now, everything was wrong. Dove was gone, and I had no fucking clue where to start.
I rushed up the stairs, my boots clanging against the metal with each frantic step.
When I pushed open the door to Dove’s apartment, the first thing that hit me was the cold.
The place felt empty, like it had been abandoned, but it was still hers.
Her scent still lingered faintly in the air, a mix of vanilla and something soft and familiar.
But that wasn’t what caught my attention.
It was Christina.
She was sitting on the floor by the couch, her knees pulled to her chest, her face hidden in her hands as her body shook with sobs. Her hair was wild, eyes red-rimmed and swollen, like someone who had been crying for hours. She didn’t even look up when I entered.
“Christina,” my voice was tight, barely a whisper, but it was enough to get her attention.
She looked up, eyes full of frantic terror, her lips trembling as if she had no words left to say.
The sight of her, so broken and helpless, only pushed the fury inside me deeper.
My stomach churned with helplessness. I hated seeing her like this.
I hated that I hadn’t been there for Dove, hadn’t protected her, and now her best friend was crumpled in despair, the weight of it all settling in the silence between us.
“What happened?” my voice cracked as I dropped to my knees beside her. My hands hovered near her but never quite touched, unsure of what comfort I could offer.
“I don’t know,” she sobs. “I got back. The apartment was empty, everything was a mess…and…Dove was gone.”
My eyes narrowed, scanning the room as my mind went into overdrive.
My heart pounded as I took in every detail—the overturned furniture, the broken glass on the floor, the way the curtains had been torn from their rods.
Whoever had come in here, they hadn’t just been here to take Dove—they had been sending a message. But what? What was the point of this?
I stood, my hands fisting at my sides as I walked across the room, eyes darting everywhere. I checked under the couch cushions, the kitchen cabinets, anything that could hold a clue. But nothing. The apartment felt… wrong. Empty. Like something was missing, and it wasn’t just Dove.
The silence pressed against me, thick and oppressive, every second dragging on longer than the last. My thoughts were a blur of chaos, and I couldn’t make sense of it.
There had to be a reason why this was happening, why Dove had been taken, but my mind kept coming back to Bentley James.
Had he come back for her? Had he found her?
No, my inner voice screamed, and I shoved the thought away. I wouldn’t let it be him. Not Bentley. I couldn’t let that monster be the one to take Dove from me. I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her again.
“Christina, do you have any idea where she could be?” I asked, my voice growing desperate. My fingers clenched as I tried to think of a place—any place—where Dove could be.
Christina wiped her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know where she went, but I… I don’t think she left on her own, Ashton. She wouldn’t have done that. Not without saying something.”
A creak of the floorboards broke through my thoughts, the sound of footsteps approaching from the hallway.
My breath caught, my body going rigid, every muscle in my body tensing.
I was still on high alert, my instincts telling me something was wrong.
My gaze shot to the door as it slowly creaked open.
And there she was.
Lilith.
She stepped inside, a playful smirk tugging at her lips, her eyes flicking over the room like she was assessing the damage.
She wore that same unnerving calmness, the one that made my blood run cold.
But her presence, the way she walked in here like she belonged, only added to the disquiet crawling up his spine.
My jaw tightened. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Lilith stopped a few feet away, her lips curling into a smile. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, Ash,” she said, her voice syrupy sweet. “You didn’t think I’d let you have all the fun, did you? I know you’re desperate, but I’m not so easily dismissed. And you’re in over your head now, aren’t you?”
I stared at her, my gaze hardening. “What the hell are you talking about? Why do you keep following me? Why are you so obsessed with this?”
She tilted her head to the side, her dark eyes glinting with something unreadable.
“I’m not following you,” she said, her voice quiet now.
“I’m just… fascinated by the drama unfolding.
It’s a lot more interesting than sitting around, waiting for the next big thing to happen.
Besides, if you’re looking for your little pet,”—she purred the words like they were some sick, twisted game—“I could be of help. I’m not heartless, you know. ”
“You’re not heartless?” I scoffed, fury building in my chest. “You’re a psychopath, Lilith. You’ve always been. You don’t care about Dove, about anyone. So why the hell are you here?”
Lilith’s smile only widened, the edges of it taking on an almost manic edge.
“I never said I cared, Ash. But there’s something about this—something about her—that makes it all so deliciously intriguing.
” She shrugged nonchalantly. “Don’t think too hard about it.
It’s just… fun. And I think you could use a little excitement.
Things have been so boring without you.”
My hands clenched into fists, my mind still racing, but Lilith’s words cut through my thoughts like a blade. I wasn’t sure whether to strangle her or laugh. I knew she didn’t have any answers, knew she was just toying with me, but that didn’t stop the sick feeling creeping up my throat.
Before I could say anything, Christina broke the silence, her voice shaking. “Ashton… what’s going on? Is she helping or not?”
I didn’t answer her, my gaze fixed on Lilith, my jaw clenched tight. There were too many questions and not enough answers. But one thing was certain. Dove was out there, and I was going to find her, no matter who I had to break to do it. Even if it meant playing Lilith’s twisted little game.