“Whoa, what the fuck,” Yak mutters next to me.
All the women turn and face me.
Aspen frowns, but it’s my sister whom I stare down.
“Surprise,” she says weakly as she stands, ringing her hands together.
“I asked you a question, Ash. What are you doing here?” I ask harshly.
“Asher,” Aspen yells, but I ignore her.
“I wanted to see you.” My sister shrugs.
I run a hand down my face as I try to smother my anger.
What the hell was she thinking? She knows better than to come to places like this. She knows I come to her, and that’s it. I don’t want her mixed up in this life. I never have.
Shit, I bet my parents are rolling over in their graves right now.
“Hi, I’m Ashley. This one’s sister.” Ashley introduces herself to Yak.
“I’m Yak, his best friend.”
“Not my best friend,” I mutter.
“He’s in denial,” Yak tells her, making her giggle, which only makes me more pissed off.
I open my eyes and stare at the two women in front of me.
“I need someone to explain to me what’s going on,” I tell them.
Aspen crosses her arms over her chest and frowns. “Your sister wanted to surprise you, so I went and picked her up. I didn’t think it was a big deal. I’m sorry.”
Ashley rests a hand on Aspen’s arm. “You don’t need to apologize. You did nothing wrong.” My sister turns back to me. “It was my idea, and I told Aspen you wouldn’t have a problem with it.”
“You know the rules, Ash,” I grit out.
“That was before. You aren’t undercover anymore, so I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
“Of course it’s a big fucking deal. I’ve worked my ass off to protect you and keep you off everyone’s radar, and now you’ve walked into the lion’s den,” I snap.
Ashley scoffs. “Please, everyone here has been nothing but nice to me since I arrived. The only one being a dick here is you.”
“Tell me why. Explain it to me like I’m five,” I demand.
“What? Do you want to hear that I’m fucking lonely? Do you want to know that I cried happy tears when you told me you were leaving the FBI because it meant that I could see you more, only I don’t, and it pisses me off? I want to know you, Asher. I want to do shit together. I want to know your girlfriend and your friends. I want to be an active part of your life. I knew that you would never make the move yourself, so I would have to forceyour hand, and I won’t apologize for it. The only thing I regret is dragging Aspen into this.”
“It’s fine,” Aspen tells her quietly.
“It’s not, and we both know it,” my sister tells her adamantly.
I close my eyes as everything she said hits me.
I fucking hate that she’s felt alone, but at the same time, I understand. Shit, I’ve felt it myself. When I was under, I was a lone wolf. A man alone on an island with no one in sight. I just never thought she would feel the same way.
It doesn’t make what she did right, though. She should have talked to me about it first.
Aspen steps forward, and I instinctively wrap my arms around her.
