The words are harsh.
The next second, all hell has broken loose. They are moving before I can take in what is happening. All I can see are fists flying, thrusting me into the past.
I feel like I am trapped in my own personal circle of hell that I cannot escape. I don’t know how I am in this situation.
Asher is fighting for me once again. Only this time, the stakes are much higher.
I cared about him before and didn’t want him to die for my own selfish reasons. Now, the thought that he might not make it is devastating. It has my heart threatening to pound out of my chest.
Monster was on drugs when Asher fought him. He was strong because he couldn’t feel pain, but he was sloppy because his mind wasn’t clear.
Adlet isn’t on drugs, and he is fighting to win.
I gasp as Adlet throws a punch, barely grazing Asher’s shoulder.
“It’s okay. He’s going to be okay,” Ashley whispers to me.
I want to believe her, but she hasn’t been here before. I have.
I can tell that Asher is evenly matched with Adlet. This is a battle of wills. Who will last longer? Who will tire out first?
Asher is different this time. Last time, he was fighting to maim. He knew he couldn’t kill the VP of the Ragged Anarchy. It would have been his death warrant. Besides that, he was still a cop. He still had things holding them back.
All of that is gone now.
He is fighting to kill. I can see it in the way he aims for Adlet’s kidneys. I am praying to whoever is listening that he can make it.
“Aspen. Aspen.” Maggie tugs my arm.
“Both of you shut up,” Caterpillar hisses at them, shoving a gun in her back.
I ignore Maggie, staring at the fight. I can’t look away.
Part of me is stuck in the past, watching him fight Monster, while the other part is in the present, watching the same thing unfold, only this time the consequences are dire.
I don’t want to live a life without Asher.
“Aspen, damn it,” Maggie hisses, grabbing my chin to turn my head.
I stare into her eyes, my own glassy.
“I know you are freaking the fuck out right now, but snap out of it.”
I blink twice before I nod.
She gives me a pointed look before looking over her shoulder.
Caterpillar is only half paying attention to us. He is paying more attention to the fight in front of us. I glance back at Maggie, who looks at Calloway and Talon.
Calloway gives a signal of some sort. Maggie understands him. She goes from my sweet best friend to a badass as she throws her head back to smash Caterpillar in the nose.
He curses as she grabs me and Ashley and pulls us away and into Eagle, Yak, and Trout’s waiting arms.
“Let me go,” I growl, trying to get back to Asher.
I don’t want to be far away from him, not when his life is on the line. Eagle scoops me up, not letting me go, as Yak disarms Caterpillar.
I can’t even focus on that, though. All I can see is Asher getting hit by Adlet. Each one is like a hit to myself. It takes my breath away.
