Page 58 of Love & Power

We heard her words, but seeing her like this had rendered us all mute. Her breathing became more rapid as her hand began to shake. “I need someone to tell me where Ryker and Atty are right now,” Astin screamed.

Our queen was on the verge of shattering, and we knew words wouldn’t be enough. I slipped out of the bathroom and jogged back down the stairs. Just as I was about to round the corner to the next flight, Atticus and Ryker beat me to it, coming up the stairs.

“You two, get up there right the fuck now. She’s in the bathroom with Boykov, and it’s not good,” I explained quickly, my words kicking them both into high gear.

Back at the bathroom, I yanked Jace back. “Out of the way, guys. She needs to see them for herself.” Braxton and Liu stepped aside, letting the other two forward.

Slipping in behind them, it was clear something happened in the past two minutes as Astin was now practically holding her bodyguard down. “Oh, thank God you’re all here,” she sobbed, dropping her head to Ralph’s back, allowing her tears to take over.

“How cold is that water?” Atticus questioned in a low voice. “Do we know how long she’s been like this? Her feet are turning purple with how cold she is. We need to get her out of there.”

Shifting to sit on the side of the tub, Atticus pulled the shower head from Astin’s hand. Ryker hooked his hand under her arms and hoisted her out of the tub. Immediately, she started thrashing like a fucking crocodile, her wet feet slipping on the tile floor. When she almost crashed into the toilet, I scooped her up, knowing Ryker would have no chance with how tight the space was to get ahold of her.

“No, you have to keep the water on him,” Astin cried out, clawing at my chest. I winced as her nails dug in, sheer panic written all over her face, clearly not thinking straight.

Curling my body around her as much as I could, I rested my head against her, whispering into her ear, “Shh, baby girl, Atticus is taking over so we can get you out of these wet clothes.”

My words had her pausing for a moment, but then she was back trying to get free. Turning, I stepped around Ryker so she could clearly see that Atticus was indeed continuing to flush the wounds. It took her a minute but she stilled once her panic-driven mind saw the truth. Her skin was ice cold, and the water from her clothes was seeping into my own, making me wonder how she’d managed to withstand how cold it was.

“Twenty minutes or more,” Astin murmured. “No less, or it might not stop the chemical reaction.”

“I’ll do thirty just to be sure,” Atticus decided and began the timer on his watch. “Go, Asta, you’re shivering. The last thing we need right now is for you to get sick. I promise we will make sure Boykov is taken care of.”

“Okay,” she said, surrendering Boykov to his care. “I love you, Atty.”

“I love you too, Asta, more than anything in the world,” Atticus admitted, then his gaze met mine, and I nodded, knowing he was telling me to get her out of there.

Reassured by Atticus’s promise, Astin’s body went completely lax in my arms. Only her instinctive effort to keep warm had Astin shaking against my body. We needed to get her warm and fast. Out of all the bathrooms on our floor, her’s was the largest so that’s where I headed. Braxton was way ahead of me and had the water running.

“Make sure it’s not too hot… we don’t want to shock her,” I warned, setting her down on the padded stool someone had placed near the tub.

Braxton gave me a fuck-off look as he removed her necklace. “It’s lukewarm at the moment, but that’s why I only filled it halfway so we could add hotter water.”

None of us did well when Astin was in danger or hurt, and the one thing only a few of us could handle was when she cried. Seeing her look so helpless, even for a split second when she thought something had happened to Ryker or Atticus, had me shaken. I didn’t expect Astin to be heartless or void of emotions like I was—that would take away so many of the things I loved about her. It was simply the fact she hardly shows that side of herself, and when her control cracks like it just had, we knew how serious the situation had to be.

Slowly, Braxton peeled her wet dress off until we got to her hips. I slid my arms under hers and hoisted Astin up when she didn’t even try to stand on her own. “I’ve got you, baby girl. We’ll get you warm in no time.”

Once her dress was off, I set her back on the stool so I could strip out of my clothes, but Liu’s voice stopped me.

“Guys, let me sit with her,” Liu requested, standing there in only his boxers. “Please, let me do this.”

I finished pulling off my shirt since it was soaked through but stepped back from Astin. “Take care of her,” I said, gripping his shoulder in encouragement. “I’m gonna check on Atticus and Boykov, make sure they’re doing all right. Braxton, you stay here, just in case she needs something.”

With one more look at Astin’s blank expression, shivering as she sat there, I left the bathroom. The others were waiting in her bedroom, needing to stay close but not wanting to crowd her until she was more grounded. Staying true to my word, I headed down the hall to where Atticus was still helping Boykov. The giant man was now sitting in the tub, his back to Atticus.

“You good?” I asked, leaning in the doorway.

Atticus looked up. “Ten more minutes left. Do you think it was wrong of me to make the water slightly warmer? I was concerned he would develop issues if he became hypothermic.”

“I’m sure it’s fine. I would have done the same thing. While the cold water probably feels better on the raw skin, I’m not sure it makes it more effective,” I reasoned. “Did anyone send for the doc?”

“Yes, Gemma went to fetch him,” he answered. “How is she?”

Running a hand over my face, I tried to wipe away the image of her sitting there on that stool. “She’s cold and still a bit in shock. I’m sure, it will all be fine once our girl is warmed up, has some answers, and knows who to hold responsible for this.”

Atticus shifted his gaze back to Boykov’s back. “It won’t be fine for whoever is behind this. She won’t stop until they’re all dead.”

I’d heard all about what happened when Astin found out Braxton and Atticus had been attacked at that shady strip club. Our queen blew the fucking building up with a man inside hung by his balls. Whoever was behind this attack had their days numbered. One thing Astin would never tolerate was her people getting hurt, especially after she made a crystal-fucking-clear warning for all to see. There would be no second chances or mercy given to those who dared to ignore the writing on the wall.