Page 36 of Shattered

“Take all this shit down, and stay away from him. I mean it, Lila. The guy’s unstable, and I don’t trust him.”

“Well, thankfully, I don’t have to listen to you.”

Turner steels. “You do if you want to remain a member of Koa.”

“You cannot be serious,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“I’m dead serious. This guy is bad news, Lila.”

I could tell Turner about the sex tape, but I don’t know what he’d do about it. He’d get the situation under control, for sure, but Asher would either be in jail or dead.

But I don’t want that. I want to defeat Asher fair and square. I also don’t need Turner forcing my hand. He doesn’t control me or my life. So, without breaking a sweat, I unwind my key from my keychain. It’s the key that opens the door to Koa. Turner watches me with confusion as I remove it. He doesn’t take it when I offer it to him, so I stuff it in his pocket.

“Lila,” he warns. “I don’t trust you right now. You’re not yourself; you’re messing around with a dangerous man and lashing out at the people trying to help you.”

I throw my arms up in disbelief. “If you wanted to help me, you wouldn’t be kicking me out of Koa. You’re forcing my hand, and I’m not your puppet.”

When I try to shake him off again, he finally lets me go, and he doesn’t say a word as I steal my chairs off Asher’s deck and throw them on mine in a heap before stomping inside. Should I start locking them inside? If I want them to stop stealing them, yes.

Lock… As my hand lingers on the doorknob, staring at the lock, my mind practically short circuits.

I’m not an idiot, and he knows that. We both know what he meant when he told me to lock my door tonight. And while I should lock him out to piss him off…

I don’t.

Chapter 13

Asher

It’s around two in the morning when I head over. I slept for a while in my den so that I wouldn’t have to waste energy on the stairs.

When I reach for the door handle to Sunshine’s house, I don’t expect to find it locked. I smile when the handle turns for me, and I slip inside, locking it behind me. The considerate little cunt left a light on in her kitchen for her attacker. So sweet, so thoughtful.

I leave my shoes and socks at the door and tear off my shirt, leaving me in just some loose shorts.

I’m quiet as I move, leaning into my limp as much as I can while I’m alone. The stairs are dimly lit with light from the kitchen and another at the top of the stairs.

I know her bedroom’s upstairs, so I begin my climb. Thankfully, she has a sturdy double rail in place. The stairway is wide enough forthe rails to jut out from the wall, giving me ample room to brace it. It makes climbing the stairs easy, far more accessible than the narrow, rickety rail at my new place with not enough room to grab.

When I reach the top of the stairs, I tuck myself into a little corner by a closed door. It’s not her bedroom. Since I know what window she yelled at me out of, I know which door it is. I take a couple of minutes to breathe, rest, and listen. I haven’t heard a thing, so I know I haven’t woken her.

Yet.

When I’m ready, I open her bedroom door quietly. A fan provides the white noise for me to sneak in unnoticed. The curtain is open, and the side light in my driveway lights the room enough that I can see her. She’s fast asleep on her back, her head turned to the side, and her mouth hanging open. Her eyes are tightly shut. The blankets are pulled down to her waist.

This is the first time I’ve been able to take a good look at her without her fucking yelling at me. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve seen her at peace.

Sunshine’s not a woman I’d usually go for. The chicks I’ve fucked in the past were taller and sexier, with curves and tits and a juicy ass. Sunshine, by comparison, is short and angry, with no tits to be found, and a modest but cute ass, with some wider hips. And somehow, her body appeals to me like no one else has before.

Her head’s another fucking story.

Since she's fast asleep, I take the opportunity to piss her off some more. I head into her bathroom and flick on the light. Like the rest of the house, it’s a little more aged. The walls are covered in littlesunflower designs, including one that’s all fucked up. Her shower curtain is a sunflower field, and even her toothbrush is yellow.

I start by flipping her toilet seat up and hiding her toothbrush, which was sitting in a cup on the counter, on the top of the mounted cabinet on the wall. She’s too short to reach, so I know she won’t find it.

I take a quick shower and dry off using her towel hung over the rail. Once I'm finished, I leave it on the floor. I don't bother putting my clothes back on, since it’ll be much easier if I’m not holding her down.

Once I head in, I rip her blankets off and climb straight on top of her, clamping her mouth at the same time. Her eyes open frantically, and my hand muffles what would’ve been an ear-splitting scream. Her whole body tenses, trying to throw me off, but she doesn’t have a hope in hell. She’s so much smaller than me.

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