Page 167 of Scars Run Deep

He wasn’t done with me.

The feeling’s mutual, fucker.

Not today, though.

That chance had been shot to hell.

In my current state, I didn’t have unlimited energy left. Every moment that went by where I was exerting more was zapping it away, the sedative and the beating I’d taken threatening to take me down.

“Let’s go,” I told Aurora, and then I was leading her back down the corridor in the direction of the auction.

We rushed through and I took in Caleb’s team most definitely having the upper hand against the Infidels present. The buyers were panicking and trying to escape, but Caleb’s team put them down, then cuffed them before they could make it through any of the emergency stairwell exits available that led up to the main floor and would’ve been their way out.

I led Aurora to a secluded area between the makeshift bar they’d set up and a large column.

I hurriedly shrugged off my suit jacket and secured it around her.

I did up the buttons—or tried to—my hands were shaking, fumbling, and they were drenched in blood.

“Asher—”

“I’m fine.”

“That can’t possibly be true. And how you overpowered him when you were beaten like that is beyond me.”

“Years of practice with converting pain into an asset. I would’ve managed it sooner if it hadn’t been for the fucking sedative he injected into my veins.” I reached out and cupped her face. “Are you okay?”

She swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

“Aurora, what he did—”

“He didn’t get far thanks to you. That’s all that matters.”

“I’m so fucking sorry he touched you at all. I made you a promise.” I shook my head. “I’m so sorry.”

“That’s not the promise I’m upset about you failing to keep. That couldn’t be helped. You had no control over it, they blindsided all of us. But the other promise? Yeah, you had control over that, you could’ve kept it.”

“What are you—”

“You were working with my dad all this time, weren’t you?”

I started.

“Weren’t you?” she pushed.

“We’ve been in contact.”

Emotion welled in her eyes, cutting at me something fierce. “Why? Why would you do this? You broke your promise.”

“Aurora, I needed—”

“You broke my trust.”

“That’s not—he wanted this. Your father manipulated me into a no-win position.”

She scoffed. “You’re really blaming this on him? Saying you, the fucking puppet master, was actually manipulated? Come on.”

“It’s not about blame. It’s about the truth.”

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