Page 48 of Shattered

Edgar: It sounds like she’s safe for now at least, she said Asher is keeping a close eye on her today.

Turner: Asher is the problem!

The messages end there, but I can see someone else is typing, and I pass the phone to Neela before I can see it. I don’t want to read anymore.

“I thought you should know,” she says.

“Thank you.” I had no idea Asher damaged Turner’s car. It must be why he came by to see me yesterday.

“You know Turner’s only doing this because he cares about you, right?” Neela says carefully.

“He’s acting like he can force me to make the decisions he wants me to. I told him I handled the Asher situation, but he won’t drop it.”

“I know, and I have to agree, if he pulled something like this on me, I’d be livid. It’s why I wanted you to know.”

“I appreciate it. And don’t worry, I won’t mention that you showed me the messages.”

“I’m not worried about that. But I have to admit, I’m a little worried about you too. Who are these guys who came by this morning? Someone they know?”

“Yeah. I guess they’re dangerous guys. But with the security systems, I think we’ll all feel a little safer.”

“Are they worried these guys will come after them? Or you?” Neela asks nervously.

“I don’t think so. I think they’re just being overly cautious… They’re the ones who hurt Asher’s leg. They took a baseball bat to him.”

“Holy fuck, are you serious!?”

“Asher slept with one of their wives. He definitely had something coming, but I don’t think a shattered femur is comparable to an affair…”

“Is his leg gonna get better?”

“No idea. I’ve told you just about everything I know. If you haven’t noticed, he’s not a big talker.”

“No. But you don’t seem so angry with him today, either.”

I shrug. “I don’t know… I was at his place when the guys came by, and Asher gave me a knife and made me hide in the upstairs bathroom.”

“So he protected you like he should have.”

She’s not wrong, but it felt like more than that. I’d swear he was scared for my safety if I didn’t know any better.

With nothing more to say, Neela grabs the sketchpad on the counter and opens it to my page of drawings, eyeing them up with interest.

“Am I still invited to Marina’s birthday party tomorrow?” I ask.

She smiles, not taking her eyes off the page. “Of course you are. Just stay out of Koa, okay? Don’t piss off Turner more than he already is.”

“I promise.”

Her eyes narrow with interest on my sketchpad. I drew three pages, a mountain landscape, some butterflies, and an intricate tree with cherry blossoms.

“Is this Bane’s or Asher’s?” she asks. “I love this tree. I want it.”

“Don’t get too excited, it’s mine.”

“No, really,” she says.

I pause in confusion. “It’s really mine.”

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