Trent
THE ABRUPT RINGINGof the phone jarred my sleep-addled brain, shattering images of Ashrika’s smile and forcing me awake with a jolt. I grabbed the device and squinted at the time before answering, “yeah?”
“Trent, it’s Zayne.”
“What the fuck, it’s 2.00 a.m.” I grunted then realized he’d only call if there was a problem. I sat up.
“Are you in the city?”
“Yes.”
“I need you to go to Rika, now.” There was an urgency to his tone that had me vaulting off the bed and stripping hastily.
“What’s up?” I stuck the phone between my neck and ear as I pulled on a pair of jeans.
“It’s the storm,” he replied the same time as lightning cut across the sky and a crash of thunder vibrated the windows. “The morning Rika woke from her coma, the city was plagued by an electrical storm. It just heightened her fear of waking to the unknown and she’s developed a phobia since.”
I was already walking through the door when I asked, “Why aren’t you going to her?”
He took a moment to answer. “I told you, I’d help you. The club scene wasn’t the ideal opportunity, but it got you nearer to her, didn’t it?” I paused midstride and stared at the phone, wondering if he had any idea that I’d kissed his wife—technically my wife too, twice. “Trent?”
“I’m here.” I hooked up the phone to the hands-free facility and started the car. Another couple of seconds and I was maneuvering the Lambo toward the docks, the heavy rain making visibility impossible. “Speaking of the club, is there something you’re not telling me?” I asked, squinting through the rapid swish of the windshield wipers.
“Do you want to go to Rika or not?” Zayne’s impatience filtered through the car, squashing my need to find out his angle.
I pulled in a deep breath. “Thanks. I appreciate the help.”
“Whether you’re her husband or not, just remember, Trent, there are limits to what I will allow her to go through.” He cut the call before I could respond.
While anger fired up the blood coursing through my veins, I was grateful he’d taken the time to call me. Still, I had no idea why a tiny niggle warned me there was more behind the man’s evasiveness. Maybe I was just being paranoid because he’d been in her life for so long. I should consider myself lucky. How many husbands would be so obliging?
The thought of her fears being so mundane yet so real, so stark, she’d begged for him to go to her, tightened the noose around my heart that had slipped into place since discovering she was alive. There was only so much I could do to prevent that noose from squeezing the life out of me. I needed Zayne. For the moment and until I could get a little more than a kiss out of Ash. And if tonight went well, the prospect of a permanent relationship looked promising. Not even Zayne’s hard words a couple of seconds ago, could douse the optimism flowing through me.
Several painstaking minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. Realizing I hadn’t brought an umbrella with me, I pulled up the collar of my leather jacket, opened the door and after grabbing a duffel bag from the trunk, sprinted toward the restaurant entrance. The persistent rumble of thunder drowned my thumping on the door. I walked around back and pounded on the door there.
When I got no answer, I stood back, shielded my eyes against the rain and searched the windows above the restaurant “Ashrika!” I yelled, hoping she’d hear me above the roar.
The door opened a minute later. I barely glimpsed the relief on her face before she crashed into my arms, her hold a death-grip around my waist. Stunned it took a moment before I realized the extent of her fear. “The nightmare happened again.” Her body shook as she cried into my chest, muffling her words. Circling her waist, I held her tight before caressing her hair in gentle strokes while oblivious to the pissing rain around us.
“It’s okay, sweetheart, I’m here.”
