He pushes Asher’s shoulder before giving Maggie one last kiss. As they disappear inside, Maggie turns to study me.
“Staring isn’t polite,” I tell her.
“I don’t get why you are so mean to him. He saved your life,” she says.
“You don’t have to get it. It’s for his own good. He was a cop, for Christ’s sake. When did we start trusting the law?”
“You say that like you grew up in this world. Not all cops are bad,” she reminds me.
Not that I need the reminder. Asher isn’t bad at all. It’s why I need him to leave.
“It doesn’t matter. My life has taught me never to trust a rat.”
Without another word, I stand, leaving her on the porch as I take the path along the edge of the clubhouse.
I wish I could let everything go and move on, but it doesn’t seem in the cards for me.
It doesn’t mean Asher is destined for the same fate.
ASHER
I hate leaving Aspen on the porch with those soulful eyes searching for something. I want to give her whatever she needs. She isn’t ready for that, though.
I’ll bide my time.
I know she says she wants me to leave, but I see the way she looks at me. She needs me as much as I need her.
“What was that about?” Panther asks me point-blank.
“She is fighting her own mind. She wants to hate me, but at the same time, she seeks me out for comfort,” I admit.
He nods. “You need to figure it out because if she wants you gone, you will be gone. Understood?”
“If I ever believe she truly wants me gone, you won’t have to do a thing. Even if I am a full-fledged member, I would leave without hesitation. She is my priority. I told you that.”
“Just making sure nothing has changed.”
It’s been three months since we rescued Aspen from Ragged Anarchy. She has been attending therapy since Panther brought her home, but it doesn’t seem to be helping. She seems to still be stuck back in the clubhouse instead of moving forward.
When I first approached Panther about prospecting, he was unsure, but I made it clear that even if I never made it into the club, I was here for Aspen. I wanted to do what I could to help her heal.
Since she refuses to talk to anyone about what she went through, he brought it to a vote, supporting my position. That’s how I ended up being an ex-cop legitimately prospecting for one of the MCs I was hired to take down.
That life is in the past now. As I follow Panther into the meeting room they call the church, I look at the other brothers. I believed in my mission as an agent with the FBI, but I was limited in how I could help people. We had red tape and laws that prevented me from doing a lot.
Aspen changed it all for me. She was innocent. She is who I was meant to be protecting, but my bosses told me her life was collateral damage in the bigger picture. They wanted to take Ragged Anarchy down by any means.
I did what I could to protect Aspen and keep my bosses at bay. It worked for a while. Adlet had a hard-on for Maggie, so he wouldn’t let anyone have fun until he had his.
Then something changed. I didn’t know it at the time, but Adlet had confronted Maggie and didn’t like what the outcome was. He planned to take it out on Aspen.
I should have left it alone. I should have stayed out of it.
Instead, I lit a match and set fire to my career for the blonde-haired, green-eyed beauty with a feisty side she tried so hard to hide. I gave it all up for her, and I would do it again. I am doing it again.
She doesn’t realize that she became my purpose that night. I will do whatever I can to keep her safe.
“Glad to see everyone here. We came from a meeting with his former employer. Seems no one knows where Adlet has disappeared to. Prospect, tell them what you told me,” Panther says, starting the meeting.
