Page 51 of Property of Azrael

“The fuck you don’t.”

“Is this my club president talking or my brother?” he retorts.

“Does it matter?”

“It might.” He shrugs. “My brother is less of an asshole.”

I plop down next to him, feeling the bitter anger wafting off of him. “What’s going on, Ash?”

“It was a mistake picking her up. The minute you put her on the back of your bike, you changed. This entire trip was supposed to be about the club, and instead of leaving her ass back in Houston, there she sits in your spot at the head of the table.”

“Is that what this is about? That I ruined our guys’ trip by bringing her along? Look, I asked you all about it before we left. None of you spoke up against it.”

Asher scoffs. “Because they will not go against you or your office. You’re the club president. You jump, and they ask how high. It’s always been that way.”

His voice is laced with resentment. When we formed the club, I’d offered for him to lead. Asher had always been the most levelheaded of us all. After what the Hellions did to Kennedy, I wanted him to have the final say in what we did. With him as president, the call would be his, but he refused, opting instead for me to lead the group. He hesitantly accepted his VP patch when that was offered to him.

“You had your chance to take my place, Asher. The office was yours, and you were the one who refused. If you have some buyer’s remorse, I can’t change that now. I won’t step down because you decided you want it after all these years.”

“You know it’s more than that,” he hisses.

“Then what is the problem? This is your chance to air out your grievances with no consequences. I’m sorry if having Hallie here pisses you off, but I like this girl, and she seems to feel the same way. I want to see where this road takes us.”

Asher shakes his head before glancing over at me. Dark circles ringing his eyes in this light. The hues of his blue eyes were dark, like the storm raging inside of him. “You, of all people, know what happens when we get close to someone. No strings attached, remember?”

“I didn’t mean for this to happen, Ash. I didn’t mean to fall for her, but I did.”

“Yeah, I didn’t either, but look where we are now with that. I’m still here, and she’s not. Hallie is going to end up right next to her if you don’t end this now. You need to send her home.”

My muscles tense with the simmering rage inside, pushing to the surface. It’s one thing to have concerns about Hallie, but it’s another to bark orders at me.

“We had a close call, Asher. We took care of it.”

“Did you? I don’t remember you getting your hands dirty, but the rest of us did. All you did was issue orders and watch from the sidelines.”

My simmering rage turns into a rolling boil. If my brother wants a fucking fight, he’s about to get one.

“You wanted the kill, so I let you have it. I thought maybe it would help you find some semblance of peace, to take back a part of you that’s been missing for a long fucking time.”

Suddenly, Asher’s on his feet, his fists balled at his sides. “I’m never going to get it back. I died when she fucking did!” he screams down at me, his chest heaving with anger. “I died when those fucking bastards left her on our doorstep like a fucking gift. I can’t just flip a switch and forget what happened. Kennedy is dead because you decided not to join them.”

I shove up from the sand and get right in his face. “Don’t you think I know that? I have to live every single day knowing what that decision cost us. It not only cost us her, but you as well,” I snarl back at him. “Kennedy died, Asher. She’s not coming back, no matter how much we want her to. We have to live with the guilt.”

“Don’t you think me, of all people, know that, Az? I wake up every day knowing it was our choices that got her killed. Knowing that her side of the bed will always be cold, and that I’ll never see her smile or laugh again, because of me.” Asher chokes back a sob. “She’s gone, and she’s taken every good part of me with her.” I try to put my arm around him, but he jerks away. “I don’t need your sympathy.”

I step back, giving him space. He raises his head and screams up to the sky. A guttural sound, full of agony, grief, and anger, escaping his body all at once.

“If she stays here, Azrael, they’ll hurt her, too. Keeping her is a mistake. You need to let her go. It’s for how own good that she forgets about us.”

“I can’t,” I admit to him. “I love her, Ash.” The realization hits hard. I love her. I think I’ve loved her for a few days now, but hadn’t wanted to accept it. We’ve known each other for less than a week. It’s too soon to admit that the thought of her going home scares the fuck out of me.

“Does Hallie even know about Kennedy? Does she know what happens when you’re with one of us?”

I hesitate in answering him. Hallie had asked about the tattoo on my chest, but I chose not to elaborate on the details, afraid that if she knew what had happened, she’d leave. The fear that I still feel now, even over a thousand miles away from the Hellions.

“You need to tell her, or I will.” His threat is apparent. “Kennedy didn’t get that choice, so at least let Hallie have one. If you love her like you say you do, she needs to know the whole truth.”

How do you tell the woman you love, that that same love could get her killed?

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