Page 53 of Burn It Down

“Time to get to work,” Caleb said, tucking his laptop into his side, then coming to me.

His eyes widened, though, and he pulled up short, staring in a mixture of shock and wonder behind me.

I spun, startled as shit to see Ash standing there, his weary eyes shifting between the three of us

“There’s no need,” he told us, his voice noticeably hoarse.

“How’s that, son?” Aaron asked carefully.

“I know where he is.”

10

~Asher~

It wasn’t familiar territory to me.

Being treated with kid gloves.

It just didn’t happen.

I was the man everybody looked to, the leader they all depended on.

To fix their problems.

To carry us through the fires of Hell and out the other side.

I controlled.

I dominated.

I fucking well obliterated.

I kept everyone’s heads above water.

But now they thought I needed that to keep from drowning.

They’d been very careful not to venture into pity, working the angle of concern and worry instead, because they knew I wouldn’t take well to that.

Still, it was hard to swallow, regardless.

It spoke to weakness, something I absolutely abhorred.

Unfortunately, I was currently compromised.

So, not only had they possessed a point, but they also had the ability to enforce their will for me to stand down and take it easy.

They’d forbidden me from getting into what I knew about Aurora’s uncle, to pursuing that lead and briefing them on the situation.

Forbidden. Me.

I’d basically had an escort back to my room, wherein it had been made very clear to me in no uncertain terms that it had been far too early for me to be up and about, and that I needed to rest. No stress. No plotting. No planning and strategizing. Basically, no getting back into it and falling straight into my normal role of leader at fucking rocket speed.

Caleb had warned me of the specific dangers that could befall me from a medical standpoint if I didn’t listen to reason, if I didn’t humor them at the very least.

Aaron had even stood guard outside the door until I’d actually fallen asleep, just to ensure it. He knew me all too well.

Only Killian had offered any sort of protest to their plans, because of his desperation to have Aurora back with us. Knowing now that I had valuable intel that could aid with his plan to accomplish that by going through her uncle, it had been difficult for him to allow that to be delayed.

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