“You’re welcome. But, Mr. Langford?”
“It’s Asher. No formalities here.”
“Asher? Please take care of her. Whatever is going on, do what you must to protect her from it. We can’t lose Ella. She’s family.”
I swallow thickly. “She’s my family now, too.”
“Good. I’ve been worried about her since the two of you started dating. Forgive me, but your reputation wasn’t something that gave me a lot of comfort. I’ve been expecting you to leave her heartbroken, and with the spotlight she’s now in . . .”
“That won’t happen. I swear it. I know my past isn’t anything to be proud of, but it’s most definitely behind me. Ella is my future.”
“Then your future should be a bright one. And I guess that means we’ll be seeing more of each other.”
I’m surprised at how much the thought pleases me. “I’d like that.”
Alec smiles. “Me, too.”
He leaves the room, and I feel just a little bit lighter. I haven’t had a friend outside of my brothers in years. Too many men in my social circle just aren’t worth spending time with, and I’ve lost contact with most of my friends from my school years.
The thought of befriending my girlfriend’s friend’s boyfriend almost makes me laugh. It’s something so mundane to normal people, but it’s almost exciting to me. It’s not something I can typically do. I have to guard myself, always. I can never trust that someone wants to be close to me to be close tome. They want the mirage of who and what they think I am. Not me as a person. But maybe that can be different with Alec. I don’t know Zahra well, but what I do know of her from Ella leads me to think that she wouldn’t have stayed in a relationship with someone for so many years if he wasn’t a good man.
I put the thoughts of friendship aside and strip down and get in bed beside Ella. I pull her sleeping body into mine and rest her head on my chest. It’s how she usually lays before we go to sleep, and I’ve grown used to it to the point where I have a hard time falling asleep if I don’t have that with her. She’s my anchor, my lifeline, and the most important thing in my world. She’s the reason my cold heart that was so set on a lifetime of solitude found a reason to beat. She’s the reason the very axis of my life has shifted, because a life without her at the center of it isn’t a life worth living. Every smile, every laugh, every word that leaves her mouth is a gift I’m unworthy of. And yet I can’t stop myself from taking them. From coveting every part of her—mind, body, and soul.
My hand shakes as I brush it over her hair, tucking it behind her ear. Everything that happened today and this evening is almost a blur, it’s so surreal. And the fact that it all centered around hurting Ella guts me.
“I’ll fix this,” I whisper to her. “I promise.”
31
ASHER
Blood drips from my hands. I wipe them on a towel Declan hands me, his split knuckles mirroring mine. Alan sits slumped in a chair, his head hanging low, lulling in his unconscious state. My last right hook to his face was a little more than he was able to withstand, and at this point, I don’t know if it’s worth bringing him back around. He’s given me fuck all for information, but with what a whimpering pussy he is, I’m starting to believe it’s because he doesn’t have it. All he’s told me is that Janet is out for my blood, and she has allies on the board.
As if I didn’t already know that.
“We can’t get rid of Janet easily or quickly. She holds too much sway,” Declan murmurs, almost to himself.
“No. I’ll let her hang on for a bit. But I need to know who else she has in her pockets before she’s gone. I want all the rats off my board, and I can’t do that if I don’t know who they all are. But I’ll start with Alan. He’s not leaving this room alive.”
Declan shifts, surprised by my words. “And how are we going to frame this?”
“I’m going to take Ella’s advice. She said we needed to creategossip and scandal for Sergei so that when he falls, there is a pattern of behavior to explain it away. If his fall from grace doesn’t come out of left field, people are less likely to ask questions and look for answers. So, it looks like Sergei is going to be the prime suspect for Alan’s murder.”
Declan flashes a sinister smile. “Your girl is brilliant, but you know that already. So, what’s Sergei’s motive?”
“Revenge. Alan also has a useless son who likes to party. He obviously supplied Dimitri with the drugs that caused the overdose.”
I pull out my Glock and put a bullet through Alan’s chest. Anyone who hurts or threatens Ella in any way no longer gets to breathe. And Alan is the first to go.
I turn to Declan. “I’m heading back home to check on my girl. You and Sterling make that story happen. Spread it far and wide.”
“Will do.”
I’m barely backin my penthouse before the doorbell rings. I groan. I wanted some time to check on Ella without an audience, but it looks like that isn’t going to happen. Ella’s mother has been beside herself, and she and Lucy flew in to check on Ella.
Before I can even make it to the front door, Lucy barges through, having been let in by security.
“You have some explaining to do, Langford,” she sneers. “Where is Ella?”
