Page 123 of Ashley & the A-Listers

26. SCARS

DYLAN

Still damp from his shower after the movie night, Dylan tugged on a pair of boxers and padded the few feet over to his bed.

Ashley lay there, waiting for him, and he’d never tire of the sight.

She lifted the blankets for him to crawl under, and she snuggled close. It took him a moment to realize her hand was resting over his scar.

“You promised to tell me about these.” Her voice was quiet, the bond full of curiosity and worry.

“Of course,” he said. “You can ask me anything. It’s not… uh, it’s kind of a rough story. Heavy.”

“Tell me,” she said softly.

So he did.

“I work for a private company,” he began. “So anyone can hire us, though Wes is pretty picky.”

She nodded, her cheek smushed to his chest, and he curled his arm around her back, stroking her hair to give himself something to do with his hands. Her fingers brushed a pattern over the scar.

“We were hired by this woman, a beta.” He felt Ashley’s interest flare. “She worked for some big company, and was being harassed. I fit the compatibility test, so I was brought in to mitigate, to escort her to work and back.

“At first it was fine, and she was more embarrassed that I had to be there than anything. Kept telling me it wasn’t so serious.

“It was serious,” Dylan continued. “Death threats, stalking, the works. It got so bad that Gabi had to work from home, couldn’t leave.” The swell of Ashley’s empathy made his chest tight. He had to clear his throat before he continued. “Eventually, it all calmed down. We got comfortable.” Dylan shook his head. He shouldn't have trusted it.

“Gabi—Gabrielle wanted out of the house, understandably. She wanted food from a specific truck, one that was always parked on Maine. I thought: city center, it would be busy, we’d blend in. Since it had been so quiet, I… agreed. And I thought I was so careful.”

Lights. The flash of a blade. A shout. Darkness.

“I swear I checked if we were being followed, but there was nothing. I let my guard down for one fucking moment…”

Dylan’s lips flattened into a thin, unhappy line. He’d replayed the moment in his head a million times. If he’d been faster, if he’d seen the guy atall.

Ashley’s scent flared and the bitter bite of ginger, the soft touch of her hand on his side, kept him going.

“I didn’t see him. Took me out with a knife to the gut and killed Gabi. By the time I got my gun out, it was too late. She was dead before she hit the ground, according to the coroner.”

“Dylan… oh my god,” Ashley said, and sat up, a hand on his chest.

He scrubbed a hand down his face, fighting back the anxiety the memories always brought him. “I utterly failed. I was on desk duty while I healed, and they put me in therapy for a while.Then several months later, Cam came along, and Wes wanted to put his faith in me again, even though I didn’t deserve it.”

“Who was the guy? The one who did it.”

“Some fucker who wasn’t happy with the work she was doing. A stalker, I guess. She was a scientist. I didn’t really understand what she was working on. Too over my head.”

“Did you get him?”

“Yeah. I shot him,” Dylan answered. “He came out of nowhere, and he knew to get me first, so he must have been watching for a while. I don’t know how I didn’t see him.”

“You got him, though. That counts for something.”

Dylan swallowed. Not to the firm. Not to Gabi.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Is that why you’re so intense about Cameron?” she asked.

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