Page 84 of Ashes

“Fucking lunatic,” Church snarled. “You have one fucking chance to make sure everything goes OK. If something happens to Sirena, if she’s hurt, I’ll kill you. I fucking swear I will. And my brother… If Stitches gets fucked-up because we put some faith in you—”

“The gallows I go so that I can swing below,” Asylum said in a sing-song voice. “I get it. I caught on the first time you thought about burying me beneath a new hot tub. We haven’t forgotten.”

Church let out a sigh. “Just. . . fucking go back to your room, you nut job. And keep my family safe.”

“Surely not all your family? Your father. . . we should bury him with the bones beneath Sully’s office too. Yes?”

“Yes,” Church said fiercely.

Asylum’s eyes lit up. “We won’t kill him right away.”

“No,” Church murmured. “Not right away. He has sins to pay for.”

Asylum’s lips quirked up at one corner. “Perfect. Foreplay.”

Fucking nut. I couldn’t take any more of his riddles. I felt like I’d fallen into Wonderland whenever I had to speak to him. He’d already pissed me off enough for one night. Getting out of there before I lost my mind to him was important. He was good at getting into people’s heads. I’d give him that one. I felt like I needed a psych evaluation after spending the last thirty minutes with him.

“Asher needs air. I’m making him a little. . .mad,” Asylum said with a laugh, offering me a wink. “I’ll go. Don’t take the path back. They’re watching it. Not smart enough or brave enough to go through the trees.”

He ambled past us and paused when he reached the door.

“Halloween. The party. Send me an invite. You never invite me to that.”

And with that, he left us.

Sin stared at the doorway, and Church turned to me.

“Are we crazy for giving him the benefit of the doubt?” I asked.

“We’re crazy for a lot of reasons, but I don’t think that’s one of them. I think we’re just out of options,” he said.

“We should’ve asked the Cheshire fuck who helped him get Sirena into the coffin with him. Once we know that, we can tie up that loose end and punish the asshole who did this to all of us. Stitches wouldn’t be slicing his fucking face off, and Sirena wouldn’t be catatonic and with that weird prick,” I said fiercely.

“One step at a time,” Church murmured, his mind seeming far away.

Sin reached down and picked up the lantern before speaking, “Let’s stop thinking about who helped him and start thinking about what we’re going to do to the fucks who are hurting Stitches and siren. Those are our enemies.” He turned out the lantern, his voice wavering.

He was right. We needed to get a game plan because if we were trusting Asylum’s process, the time would come when we’d need to act.

I gripped my lighter tightly.

I’d incinerate anyone who hurt my heaven and Stitches. Without a doubt, I would.

STICHES

Ididn’t feel like myself.

My head felt full and fuzzy. Even the world looked hazy as the wards held my arms and led me down the hall. My body didn’t want to move, so I shuffled, stumbling every now and then.

I didn’t know where we were going or why, but I prayed it wasn’t to the place that had hurt me. I didn’t want to hurt anymore.

“Might just want to kill yourself,” one of the wards said softly as we stopped outside a massive wooden door.

“I tried,” I mumbled. “I’m immortal.”

“Too bad for you,” he said as the other ward pushed the door open and hauled me inside.

Red. Everywhere.

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