He blew out a shaky breath, taking his free hand, he cradled my face. “I don’t blame you. It just hurts.” He wheezed through a laugh, his face contorting into pain from the action. “For what it’s worth…I’m sorry too.”
Something sharp jammed into the side of my neck before I could contemplate what he meant by that, and then everything went black.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Hunter
“How’s Collin?” I asked, striding into the room, and closing the door behind me. My gaze moved over to Aspen who was still passed out on Foster’s bed. Her breathing was even as she laid there, a peaceful look on her face which was ironic given the circumstances.
Foster ran his hands through his hair, his body coiled tight with tension. “He’s hurt pretty badly. Can’t even walk now. She got him good.” He glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping girl before returning his attention to me.
“She’s a fighter,” I agreed. “Saw a weakness in him and went for it.”
I still couldn’t believe this was real. When Collin mentioned seeing her at the hospital, I saw how desperately he wanted someone to believe him. Against my better judgment, I did just that. It still felt…insane to me that she was actually alive—that he'd been right.
Foster grunted, turning on his heels and making a beeline for his dresser. He reached into the top drawer and pulled out a pack of cigarettes along with a lighter. He plucked one out of thebox, placing it between his lips and then lit it before offering me the pack.
I didn’t hesitate. Tonight was an insane one for all of us. Lifting a cigarette to my lips, I lit it and handed it back to him. Inhaling deeply, the smoke burned my lungs before it expelled out into the open air.
“What are we going to do with her?” I asked, moving over to the chair in his room and sinking down. Fear gripped me in its clutches as I contemplated his answer. “You still want her dead?” I probed before he had the chance to respond to my first question.
He sighed, taking a long drag before the smoke bellowed from between his lips. “I don’t want to. It would fuck Collin up all over again, just when he was starting to get better.”
“Starting to get better?” I scoffed. “He let Rocky fucking obliterate him.”
“Yeah. I guess that’s true. If she wanted to snitch on us, she would have already done it. She’s definitely had the opportunity. I don’t think killing her is necessary.”
Relief bubbled up inside me. Thank God for that. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to go through that mess again. The pills and drugs helped some, but it was only a distraction that led me right back to square one when the come-down happened. Maybe I’d felt guilty because it was unwarranted. I’d been pissed at her for something so stupid and I treated her like shit over it. Then she was gone. Hell, even Raven would have survived had she not threatened to take her so-called evidence to the authorities. We couldn’t risk it. A part of me wondered if she ever had hard evidence in the first place, or if she was just trying to get us to admit to something she thought we did.
My mind flashed back to the club and a grin worked its way across my face. “I can’t believe you touched her.”
He grunted in response, his jaw tightening once more. “Me neither. I was pissed off and turned on at the same time. Makes for a deadly combination,” he admitted. “I’d still never put my dick anywhere near her though.”
“It was hot as fuck.” Watching her come undone at Foster’s hand of all people sent a thrill through me. He was probably the person she hated the most. Well…maybe it was a tie between him and Myles. They did have history after all, and he had been the one to kill Raven.
As if we summoned her, Aspen groaned from within the bed. It had been a few hours since the club now. I’d gone directly to my room to shower right after and popped some Xanax while scrolling through my phone for a while. Once my head was calm, I came here. My gaze cut to where she laid, her body tossing and turning beneath the sheets before her eyes snapped open.
I took one last pull of my cigarette before snuffing it out in the ashtray on the side table nearby. Another groan erupted from her as she clutched at her forehead, her eyebrows dipped in confusion. She still seemed out of it for now, but that wouldn’t last for long. Myles hadn’t given her a strong dose. Just enough to knock her out for a little bit so we could transport her without any problems.
She sat up abruptly, her eyes wide and alert as she took in her new surroundings. When her gaze landed on us, the horrific realization settled in. “No no no no no,” she repeated over and over again, climbing out of the bed. Her legs shook as she moved across the room wearing nothing but Foster’s T-shirt and her thong.
Foster stepped forward, cutting off any exit point she may have had. I watched with interest as her face morphed into one of pure rage. “Let me out of here right the fuck now,” she growled. When he didn’t budge, she raised her tiny fists and started hammer-hitting him in the chest and abdomen.
“Are you sure you want to piss me off right now?” he questioned in a dangerously low tone. Her fists didn’t relent, giving him the answer he wanted. Sighing, he placed his palm against her forehead and pushed, making her trip over her own feet and land right on her ass.
A bark of laughter ripped from my throat, amusement settling inside me. This seemed to piss her off even more, though, because she shot us each a scathing glare.
She stood and folded her arms over her chest. “Let me go,” she said again.
Foster leveled her with a hard look, annoyance flickering within his gaze. “You sure are ballsy for someone who’s supposed to be dead.” He arched an eyebrow before bringing his cigarette to his lips again.
Fear flashed across her face at his words, her eyes growing distant as if she was reliving something. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what that was. We went too far with her and now she was suffering because of it.
“What do you want from me?” she asked defeatedly—her voice small. “It doesn’t make sense to keep me around. I’ve been out of your hair, I haven’t gone to the police, why am I here?”
“Because we want you to be,” I spoke up, causing her gaze to slide to me. I didn’t know what Foster’s plan for her was, but for me, it wasn’t about hurting her anymore. There was so much guilt and so much regret clawing through me.
She scoffed, shaking her head. “Why?”