We slip into silence, and fear slithers inside me. Last night was a disaster, and the insanity of it is bleeding into today. I don’t know what to do, how to help. I woke in the hospital after the crash and as soon as I was cleared, a fleet of security arrived to bring us here.
Asher has hardly spoken to me since the accident. He was out of bed at dawn and since then he’s been on the phone almost nonstop with Chief Olsen, security, his brothers, and who knows who else. He’s completely contained and stoic. It’s scaring me. He’s not spiraling into anxiety like he normally does. He’s cold and caged and so distant he hardly seems human.
I’ve never seen Asher like this, and I’m not sure what to do or how to help him.
I stand and move over to him. I sit on his lap and force him to look at me as I run my fingers through his hair.
“We should have just stayed in last night,” I joke, smirking at him. “It would have saved us a lot of hassle.”
He gives me an unamused look. “I can’t argue there. If I had listened to you and gone back to our penthouse, we wouldn’t have been chased after the event. However, the eight cars of men that showed up there might have overpowered the building’s security, so we may have been attacked in our own home.”
“All that matters is that we made it out safe.”
Asher lets out a long sigh. “This time.”
“And we’re safe here?” This estate is like a fortress, but with such large grounds, I wonder if people could sneak in if they really wanted to.
“We’re as safe as we can be.”
“That doesn’t sound reassuring.”
“It’s not.”
“What do we do now?”
“We get you safe.”
“What does that mean?”
Asher blinks and forces a smile that I know he means to be reassuring. “Let’s not worry about that just now. Let’s eat, and I’ll show you around the house.”
I know there’s so much more he’s not saying, but with Asher, I can’t force it out of him. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.
“Okay.”
Asher takes me by the hand and leads me to the dining room. The house is so old there isn’t a traditional kitchen and dining area. The main kitchen is in the basement as is a separate room where only the staff would have worked, and Asher’s family would have eaten only in a vast formal dining room. But Asher points out that forty years ago, a remodel allowed for a smaller dining area and kitchen to be installed on the mainfloor, and that’s where Asher usually eats when he’s here, unless his family is with him.
The house is a mix of dark, almost black, wood and cream stone and tiling. There are ornate patterns in the stone floors, luxurious trim around the windows and doorways, and large windows that provide breathtaking views of the grounds and the ocean. Every inch of the mansion is a master class in luxury, beauty, and wealth. It almost takes my breath away as I admire it.
“This home is incredible,” I say, as we exit the massive, two-storied library on the first floor.
“Thank you. It was built in the 1850s by my great-great-grandfather, and it’s been in our family ever since. It’s always passed down to the oldest male heir of the Langford family.”
“Has there always been a male heir?”
“Surprisingly, yes. I don’t know what it is about our genes, but most of our family members are male. My mother wanted a girl so badly and ended up with three boys. Each generation, there are usually only two to three girls in total. My cousin Celeste is the only girl in our age range. But then, my grandparents only had two sons, an heir and a spare, so the options were limited. My father’s second cousin had six kids before they finally got a girl.”
“Five boys? That sounds like a mini circus.”
“It was. They’re all younger than I am. The girl is only, like, twelve years old now; she was at the luncheon over Memorial Day. No one else tried that many times to get a girl, most give up after two or three unruly Langford boys.”
I laugh. “I don’t blame them. I still say your mother deserves a medal for raising the three of you.”
“I agree.”
“Mr. Langford?” the housekeeper says, walking toward us. “Breakfast is served in the small dining room.”
“Thank you, Darla.”
