Page 17 of Midnight Whispers

“Get your shit together, man.” I stalk over to my vehicle, get inside, and peel out of the parking lot.

I drive around with all the windows down, hoping to clear my head, but it doesn’t help. Visions of Cin swim in front of me, superimposed over the road in front of me. Knowing nothing is going to help satisfy me except maybe coming into my fist with her name on my lips, I return to Midnight Manor.

A minute after I drive past the iron gates, my phone buzzes with a text from Asher. I hit the button on the screen of my car to have Bluetooth read it to me over the speakers.

“Come to my office. Now.”

I roll my eyes, knowing he likely instructed security to tell him when I was back on the property. What the hell could this be about? I’ve been slacking where work is concerned because I’ve been watching Cin, but Asher doesn’t know that. And if he does, he probably chalks it up to me calling off the wedding and the picture of Maude with another man.

I park my car and pocket the keys, blowing out a breath as I approach the doors of the manor, giving a quick glance at the gargoyles on top. They’ve given me the creeps since I was a kid.

I make my way to the west wing, where Asher’s office is located, and when I arrive, he and Sid are there. Asher’s dressed casually in lounge pants and a T-shirt, so he’s obviously been spending the night with Anabelle, but Sid’s still in a suit—no surprise. He probably sleeps in the damn thing.

“What’s this about?” I step over to the living area in his office where they’re both seated.

“Have a seat, kid,” Sid says.

I clench my jaw to keep from lashing out at the moniker. He only uses it because he knows I’ve hated it since we were young. It’s not as though I’m decades younger than either of them.

Instead of telling Sid where to shove it, I sit in the chair off to the side. “There, I’m sitting. Where’s Kol? Usually these ambushes involve all three of you.”

“Don’t know,” Asher says. “Probably has his hands full with Rapsody, if I had to guess. He didn’t answer my texts.”

“Well, let’s get this over with.” I wave toward myself.

Asher heaves out a sigh, and Sid leans back into the couch, crossing his legs and splaying one arm out across the back cushions.

“Something concerning has been brought to my attention.” Asher lets his statement hang there as if he’s expecting me to fill in the blank.

I look between him and Sid. “Enough with the fucking suspense. Just say it.” I narrow my eyes, knowing that whatever is going to come out of his mouth, I’m not going to like.

“Are you stalking someone again?” It’s easy to see why Sid’s the lawyer in the family—he’s always so direct.

“Why would you think that?” My question probably raises a red flag.

“It’s true then?” Asher arches an eyebrow.

“I’m not stalking anyone.” I stand from the chair.

“This is how it started last time,” Asher says and stands, too. Sid follows suit. “Something tragic happened in your life and instead of dealing with it, you fixated on?—”

“I know how it all went down, okay? I don’t need a play-by-play from you.”

Sid steps forward and places a hand on my shoulder. “We’re just concerned, that’s all. We want to make sure you’re not too messed up in the head after what happened with Maude.”

I push his hand off my shoulder. “That’s rich coming from you.”

Sid narrows his dark eyes, and I see a glimpse of what lies under the calm and collected façade.

“Enough,” Asher snaps. “If you’re not stalking someone, where have you been going when you leave here?”

“I didn’t realize I had to sign myself out.” I cross my arms.

“What were you doing parked downtown? You never go downtown. None of us do,” Sid says.

“Don’t treat me like you’re cross-examining me on the stand, asshole.”

“Answer the question,” he says.

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