7 Scarlett #3
“I know, baby.” His voice is soft but dangerous underneath.
“Roman came and got me. Said you needed me more than Grant did.” I hear the faint amusement in his tone.
“He took a hell of a chewing from Grant over it too, so congratulations. You must be growing on him.” Despite everything, I let out the smallest laugh.
Asher presses a kiss to the top of my head before simply holding me quietly for a while. It’s honestly terrifying how quickly he’s become the only place that feels like home. After a few minutes I tilt my head back slightly to look at him.
“Roman mentioned something about a new plan.” His jaw tightens instantly.
“What does that mean? I thought Zariah was the new plan.”
“We thought she would be enough,” he admits. “Declan still thinks we should stick to the original operation as much as possible. He doesn’t want to disrupt your normal routine any more than we already have.”
“And you?”
His eyes darken immediately.
“I want a completely different plan.”
Something in his tone makes my stomach twist.
“I want to pull you from school,” he says bluntly. “Online classes. Private tutors. Whatever it takes.”
“Asher….”
“No.” His voice sharpens. “After what happened today, I’m not risking you in that place anymore. The school failed to protect you. Way more than they should have if you ask me.”
I stare at him quietly.
“Does the school know who you are now?” I finally ask. “I mean… after today, how are you just walking around free?” A slow breath leaves him.
“Yes and no.” That answer absolutely does not help.
“Asher.”
“The right people know,” he says carefully. “Grant made calls. Explained what happened.”
I study him closely. “And?”
“And when certain people heard what those assholes were doing to you…” His jaw flexes hard. “Let’s just say extreme force by the right person was excused under the circumstances.”
A chill runs through me.
“The right person?” I repeat softly. “What does that even mean?” For the first time since I met him, Asher hesitates.
“There are parts of my past that are classified, Red.”
I blink. “Classified?”
He gives me a tired half smile.
“The government occasionally asks me to handle situations they legally can’t attach themselves to.” The room suddenly feels colder.
“I’m sort of the middleman,” he says quietly. “The gray area between legal and necessary.”
I stare at him. He doesn’t sound proud of it. He sounds exhausted.
“What exactly did you do before this?” I whisper. His fingers slowly brush through my hair as his eyes lock onto mine.
“Things you’re better off not knowing.” He sighs.
Honestly, at this point, I don’t care. He has shown me more care in three days than anyone else has my entire life. Even Declan and Roman treat me better than my own family ever has.
“So, what exactly was Grant getting at?” I ask softly. “And can I at least have some say in this new plan?”
I tilt my head back to look up at him, immediately noticing the exhaustion written all over his face. Dark circles shadow his eyes, and tension pulls tight across his jaw. Guilt twists in my chest knowing all of this is because of me.
“Grant’s pissed,” Asher mutters. “Spent most of the time downstairs chewing my ass out. He thinks I’m screwing up.”
My stomach drops.
“He threatened to pull me off the assignment and send someone else if I didn’t get my shit together.”
“What?” I push myself up too fast and instantly regret it when pain shoots through my ribs. “No. Absolutely not.”
Asher tries to calm me down, but I’m already shaking my head.
“What happened isn’t your fault and he has to know that. Call him. I’ll talk to him myself.”
A small, amused smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.
“Red—”
“No, I’m serious,” I cut him off. “I’m technically the client here, right? Then I should get a say in who protects me, and I say you’re not going anywhere.”
Something shifts in his expression at that. Something softer.
“Easy there, Red,” he says quietly while pulling me back down against him. “I’m not going anywhere. Grant can try to make me leave all he wants, but it’s not happening.”
His hand slides slowly through my hair while he tugs the blankets higher around us.
“Declan and Roman already know that” he continues. “That’s why they’re downstairs now trying to figure out how to make all this work.”
I stare at him for a moment. This terrifying man who could probably kill someone with his bare hands without blinking somehow looks at me like I’m something worth protecting.
“What I need from you,” he says gently, “is to cooperate with us. “There’s no demand in his voice this time. Just concern and even a little hint of fear. Like the thought of losing me is destroying him.
“Okay,” I whisper finally. “I’ll do whatever I need to do.”
He pulls me tighter against his chest until I can hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my ear.
For the first time in a very long time… I know I am home and I am safe.
The exhaustion from the past few days mixed with the medication slowly drags me back under as I curl closer into him and let my eyes close.