Chapter 18 #2
“Yeah, I know.” I press my lips to hers, not wasting another moment to kiss her. As my arms snake around her, she grips the back of my neck with her hand, pulling me even closer. When we pull apart, it’s not for long. Because I’m a needy bastard, I nudge my face into hers, making her giggle.
I’ve been dying to hear that genuine amusement.
She’s not trying to cover up some form of sadness with an empty joke or masking pain with humor.
We’re just us right now. We’re existing in a world that we’ve made for ourselves and soaking it in.
This is what we should’ve done. I should have taken every moment and held on to it as closely as I am right now.
A small thud startles us both, drawing our attention to the living room windows.
My heart instantly races, and I pull Ashia against me, shielding her from the glass view.
Everyone else’s gaze is locked outside as well.
So, at least there’s some comfort in knowing that I’m not hearing something that isn’t there, but that ease vanishes in an instant.
A small figure with dark curly hair stands from the grass and bolts down the hill, racing towards the gate.
“Is that Victoria?” I ask, already releasing Ashia and moving in that direction.
“That little bitch!” Zeke screams and takes off, sprinting out of the front door before the rest of us can even register what’s happening.
Alex, Carter, and I race after them, almost afraid of what he’ll do to her.
Zeke’s hatred towards her has never been a secret, but my own anger starts to resurface.
Why would she be sneaking out? We’ve made sure she’s taken care of, given her space and any necessities, and we’ve had plenty of open conversations. So why the hell is she running?!
Zeke reaches her before I can even step onto the front lawn, tackling her like a damn linebacker and sending them both tumbling down the bottom half of the hill. He lands on top of her and straddles her back, pinning her to the ground with a forceful hand behind her neck.
“And where the fuck do you think you’re going, little demon?” He pins her hands behind her back, holding them together with one hand while pushing her head into the ground with the other. Carter, Alex, and I finally reach them, standing over them to watch the struggle.
“Fuck you!” she shrieks at him and thrashes, trying to wiggle her way out. She looks like a dying fish under his weight and clearly doesn’t stand a chance, but she continues to jerk and buck regardless.
“What the hell, Victoria?! We had a deal!” I yell.
“Yeah, and you haven’t done shit!”
Zeke pushes his face towards her ear and jerks her head up, proving that he’s in control.
“You're going to need him in his right mind to get your sister! We needed a plan!”
“Bullshit!” She flings her head to the side in an attempt to hurt him, but he yanks her head back even further, stopping her before forcing her head into the grass once again.
“You just want to use me to get to my father! I told you, I don’t care what happens to him!
I just need my sister back and you're not doing a God damn thing!”
“And what are you going to do? If you give yourself up, do you really think they’ll just let her go? It’s not that simple!” I scream back at her and turn to Carter, knowing that I won’t be able to keep myself as calm I need to. “Tell Victoria the job.”
“We have images and surveillance of the house in Seattle, along with confirmation that it’s Elizabeth’s current residence.
Danielle is there conducting the observation and mapping security’s patterns before our arrival tomorrow night.
The jet is scheduled to leave at eight o’clock, and is already being prepared. ”
“I was going to discuss it with you after I had discussed it with my wife!” I turn back to her and meet her angry gaze.
“All you had to do was fucking ask!” Her eyes thin into slits, like she’s not sure she believes me.
After a few moments and deep breaths full of dirt, she cuts her eyes back at Zeke before looking up at me.
“Can you call off your dog now?” She grimaces, disgusted by his close proximity.
He smirks, looking down at her like he’s just as revolted, before leaning down next to her head.
His tongue darts out of his mouth and drags up her cheek, coating her face in spit as she tries to pull her face away.
Darkness coats his features when she all but retches, and his smirk only grows when he brings his lips to her temple.
“Woof,” he growls.
“Zeke! Get off of her!”
I whip around at the sound of Ashia’s voice.
She’s standing at the top of the hill with her arms crossed, clearly pissed off at the situation.
The look alone makes my spine tingle. Her steps are forceful as she storms down towards us, both angry and absolute.
I’m not sure if she’s more upset at us or Victoria, and the thought worries me.
“If the Society is really keeping tabs on her, we need to get her inside,” she points out.
Zeke stands and jerks Victoria up, still holding her hands behind her back in arrest. Ashia walks up to her and puts her face only a couple of inches from hers in one dominant move, not caring that Victoria stands a few inches taller than her.
“Are we going to have any more problems?” she seethes.
“As long as he gets my sister, there is no problem,” Victoria retorts hatefully, and they lock gazes in a heated war.
The rest of us just stare. That’s all we can do.
If what the guys told me about their past interactions is true, then I can’t get in the middle of it.
I won’t belittle my wife’s authority in front of another woman.
Victoria looks away first, thankfully—giving into Ashia’s supremacy.
“Now get inside and eat. Your sister is going to need you healthy and clear-headed,” Ashia commands.
“Damien is not going to justify his timeline or apologize for working past what you helped put him through! I just started to get him back! He’s just now truly recovering!
You remember that before you start running your mouth about your current situation.
I understand you want your sister back, and we all desperately want that little girl to be safe, but you'll have to excuse my selfishness long enough to get over yourself!”
Ashia relentlessly screams at her, starting to shake with anger. I step up to pull her away, but she holds her hand out to me, silently telling me to stay away. As much as I hate it, I comply.
“We are not animals!” she continues, cutting her eyes to her brother, before setting them on Victoria again.
“You're not chained up or being held captive. We’re not torturing you or causing you any type of pain! If you want to take your chances on the street with both the Society and your father looking for you, then you do that! But what you’re not going to do is judge my husband on his lack of urgency!
He has a handle on what you need even though he was half dead a month ago!
So, get a hold of yourself and get the fuck inside before I make my brother drag you! ”
Victoria is shaking now too, clearly distraught. Her hands are in fists by her sides and her jaw is clenched. The pain in her eyes shines with unshed tears, but after a few seconds, she does as my wife says and storms back towards the house.
While Zeke follows her movements, watching her like a hawk, I’m locked onto Ashia.
Her bottom lip quivers and her breaths pick up, tearing my heart to shreds.
My stomach flips when she sucks her lip between her teeth and huffs, then again when she turns around to follow Victoria inside.
I snatch her hand before she can get too far, needing to fix this somehow, but she doesn’t turn towards me.
She stares at the ground with watery eyes, unable to look at me. My heart plummets to my feet.
“You guys get inside and eat before it gets cold,” she whispers and pulls back, walking away from me without looking back. Each step she takes feels like a stab to the chest, knowing how badly I’ve messed up these past few weeks.
“God damn it…” I lace my hands behind my head and pace, each breath getting heavier with every step. I just wanted that normalcy back, even if it was just a taste. We were always going to tell her the plan; I just wanted to ease her into it. Now it’s all blown to shit.
“It’s going to be okay, D.” Zeke slaps the back of my shoulder and pushes me forward. “Come on. Let’s fix this shit.”