He smirks, looking down at her like he’s just as revolted, before leaning down next to her head. His tongue darts out of his mouth and drags up her cheek, coating her face in spit as she tries to pull her face away. Darkness coats his features when she all but retches, and his smirk only grows when he brings his lips to her temple.
“Woof,” he growls.
“Zeke! Get off of her!”
I whip around at the sound of Ashia’s voice. She’s standing at the top of the hill with her arms crossed, clearly pissed off at the situation. The look alone makes my spine tingle. Her steps are forceful as she storms down towards us, both angry and absolute. I’m not sure if she’s more upset at us or Victoria, and the thought worries me.
“If the Society is really keeping tabs on her, we need to get her inside,” she points out. Zeke stands and jerks Victoria up, still holding her hands behind her back in arrest. Ashia walks up to her and puts her face only a couple of inches from hers in one dominant move, not caring that Victoria stands a few inches taller than her. “Are we going to have any more problems?” she seethes.
“As long as he gets my sister, there is no problem,” Victoria retorts hatefully, and they lock gazes in a heated war. The rest of us just stare. That’s all wecando. If what the guys told me about their past interactions is true, then I can’t get in the middle of it. I won’t belittle my wife’s authority in front of another woman.
Victoria looks away first, thankfully—giving into Ashia’s supremacy.
“Now get inside and eat. Your sister is going to need you healthy and clear-headed,” Ashia commands. “Damien is not going to justify his timeline or apologize for working past whatyouhelped put him through! Ijuststarted to get him back! He’s just nowtrulyrecovering! You remember that before you start running your mouth about your current situation. I understand you want your sister back, and we all desperately want that little girl to be safe, but you'll have to excuse my selfishness long enough to get over yourself!”
Ashia relentlessly screams at her, starting to shake with anger. I step up to pull her away, but she holds her hand out to me, silently telling me to stay away. As much as I hate it, I comply.
“We are not animals!” she continues, cutting her eyes to her brother, before setting them on Victoria again. “You're not chained up or being held captive. We’re not torturing you or causing you any type of pain! If you want to take your chances on the street withboththe Society and your father looking for you, then you do that! But what you’renotgoing to do is judge my husband on his lack of urgency! He has a handle on whatyouneed even though he was half dead a month ago! So, get a hold of yourself and get the fuck inside before I make my brother drag you!”
Victoria is shaking now too, clearly distraught. Her hands are in fists by her sides and her jaw is clenched. The pain in her eyes shines with unshed tears, but after a few seconds, she does as my wife says and storms back towards the house.
While Zeke follows her movements, watching her like a hawk, I’m locked onto Ashia. Her bottom lip quivers and her breaths pick up, tearing my heart to shreds. My stomach flips when she sucks her lip between her teeth and huffs, then again when she turns around to follow Victoria inside. I snatch her hand before she can get too far, needing to fix this somehow, but she doesn’t turn towards me. She stares at the ground with watery eyes, unable to look at me. My heart plummets to my feet.
“You guys get inside and eat before it gets cold,” she whispers and pulls back, walking away from me without looking back.Each step she takes feels like a stab to the chest, knowing how badly I’ve messed up these past few weeks.
“God damn it…” I lace my hands behind my head and pace, each breath getting heavier with every step. I just wanted that normalcy back, even if it was just a taste. We were always going to tell her the plan; I just wanted to ease her into it. Now it’s all blown to shit.
“It’s going to be okay, D.” Zeke slaps the back of my shoulder and pushes me forward. “Come on. Let’s fix this shit.”
Chapter 19
Ashia
‘Are You With Me?’ - nilu
I storm back into the house, fighting back tears as the pounding in my head gets worse. There’s no way I heard him right. How does Damien go from wanting to board up the house to planning a rescue mission across the country? And the guys? They would plan all of this and keep me out of the loop? This isn’t some run-of-the-mill mission. He isn’t going across town to stop some drug dealers. He’s talking about going over three thousand miles away from home!
Victoria stands by the stairs, sulking, and I can feel her eyes on me as I stomp past her. I understand. Of course I get it. A four-year-old girl’s life is hanging in the balance, and only God knows what will happen when time runs out. They gave Victoria ten days to give herself up. It’s been six. Iknowwe need to do this quickly. I just didn’t think I’d be left in the dark again after everything that’s happened.
And what about us? What about Damien’s health and sanity? Why does it have to behim? I can’t help but aggressively fill the dinner plates, setting Victoria’s down on the counter a little too harshly. My pulse continues to race along with the thoughts in my head, heating my body despite the cool temperature outside. The baby starts moving again, and while it’s not uncomfortable, the wave-like movements don’t really help with the light-headedness.
I smell him before I feel him. His natural musk hits me as I take a deep breath in, and I hate myself for sinking into him the moment his arms wrap around me, his chest pressing to my back. I know it’s wrong to feel so selfish, but I want to demand that he never leaves again. He should stay right here, with his arms locked around me forever. I'm just now starting to get him back. What happens if something goes wrong? What if he gets hurt, or something triggers him and it sets him back?
I can't lose him again.
“Take a deep breath, baby,” he whispers in my ear as his grip tightens around me. His hand traces circles around my belly, trying to calm me down, but I don't let it. The thoughts keep racing through my mind, making it impossible. “Ashia…”
“I don’t want to do this right now.” I attempt to go back to making the plates, but Damien takes a small step back, dragging me with him.
“Let’s just talk? Please…” he pleads, breaking my heart.
“There’s nothing to talk about, Damien.” I have to swallow the tightness in my throat, knowing I'm about to cry. “You decided that you’re doing this tomorrow night. Well, tonight really, since it’s two in the morning now. So, it’s done. I heard what Carter said, I know the plan, and that’s it. Now, we're going to eat, and then I'm going to bed.” I try to push him away, but he doesn’t let me. His grasp only tightens, holding me so close that I can feel his racing heart against my back.
“Ashia…” His tone turns sharp. “We are going to talk about this. Baby, please…”
I turn and face him with tears in my eyes, hating the agony in his. The room spins a little as I move, but I don't back down. Panic is swirling all around me, and I can't stand how shaky I'm becoming.
“The time to have this talk would’ve beenbeforea plane was booked. I know you've been in a different head space, and have been through unspeakable, horrible things, but we're a team. Yes, you and the men, but me and you, too,” my voice squeaks.
