Page 53 of Scars Run Deep

I shrugged. “I’m not really good with it. But I’ve seen you fight and this seems right up your alley. You could do a lot of damage with this. I was actually thinking about it during our battle with those Heretics. You could’ve put down many more in quick succession if you’d had something like this.”

He spun it in his hand, performing a parrying move and some fluid attacks. “You’re right about that.” He collapsed it, then wrapped his arm around me. “Thanks, Princess.”

“You gave me that awesome Taser and the blade, just acting in kind.”

He pulled back. “Hold up… your texts with Kill… are there two surprises?”

I chuckled. “You’re really perceptive.”

He squeezed me to him. “And you thought it was just Asher, huh?”

“He’s a whole lot of something.”

He laughed. “He is that, yeah.” Releasing me, he headed for the door. “Let’s head out.”

“Yeah, we’re running behind now. Asher’s not gonna be pleased having things off schedule.”

“He’s actually out right now.”

“In town?”

“No. Off-territory.”

“Why? Has something happened?”

“No. He would’ve brought me along as backup otherwise.” He muttered with a noticeable edge, “Instead of Bryce who’s there with him now.”

“That’s true. So you don’t think it has anything to do with the mission then? Or the Heretics?”

“He promised transparency.”

Well, promising was one thing. Actually living up to that was another. Especially with Asher.

“Right,” I murmured.

“He’s probably just doing what we are, picking up a surprise for this dinner.”

I could see how much Jonah wanted to believe that.

To believe that’s all it was, that it really was that simple. That honest and pure.

So, I just smiled and nodded as he led me out of the house and back to his muscle car parked in the driveway.

But inside, I wasn’t so sure that was the case.

The timing was suspect, for one thing.

We were right at the end of our chilling time, wherein we’d get down to business after clearing our heads, and Asher healing up a bit more.

“We’re in this together.”

Those were his words.

His vow to us.

They’d marked a change in the dictatorial way he’d approached things before.

They’d made us a team.

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