Page 1 of Revenge

Prologue

Asher

I’m light on the balls of my feet as I bob and weave. My knuckles slam against the bag until they’re sore. I feel every punch through my bones. Sweat drips out of every pore, but this is the best therapy after a long shift.

“Hook, uppercut, jab!” Eddie shouts from the side of the mat. “Focus, Detective Savage.” His salt and pepper hair is slicked back. Everything about my partner is immaculate and in its place, from his perfectly ironed suit down to his pristine dress shoes. We couldn’t be more opposite, but it works.

I ignore him and keep punching until the burning of my lungs becomes unbearable. Once I’ve exhausted myself, I rip off my gloves and grab some water. I swish it around inside my mouth a few times before swallowing.

“Here you go.” Eddie hands me a towel.

“Thanks, man.” I run it over my short, dark hair and the back of my neck.

“You need to bulk up. You’re too lean.” He slaps my arm and laughs. He’s been telling me the same shit since we became partners a year ago.

“Wise ass.” My mouth twitches as I unwrap my hands and shove the material in my bag.

Eddie leans back against the wall, crossing his feet at the ankles, and watches my every move. “You find out any more on that case you were looking into?”

“I found a few things. I’ll do some more digging tomorrow and hack into their records. Benny is not smart enough to pull this off on his own and I doubt there’s that much money in auto repairs. I know Diego’s behind this. It has his stench written all over it.” I toss back some more water before glancing up at the clock and jump to my feet. “Shit! Is that the time? I promised Lauren I’d be home early tonight.”

“Take it from me, son. An ‘I’m sorry’ gift goes a long way with that.” A corner of his mouth lifts.

“Thanks, but I’m not sure a gift will help put together the crib that I promised to build tonight.” I’m scrambling to put my shit away and zip up the gym bag. If I don’t get my ass in gear, I might be spending several nights on the couch.

“Enjoy your sleep while you can. Once that baby comes, neither of you will again.” Eddie winks and tosses back his coffee. When I say nothing, he keeps going. “My youngest is twenty-three, away at college, and we still don’t. She’s gonna be the death of me, that one.” He shakes his head and sighs.

“Thanks for the wisdom, old man.” I slap him on the arm and head out with my gym bag over my shoulder.

“Funny fucker. Forty-four ain’t old.” He snickers behind me.

“Luckily, I’ve got twenty years before I find that out.” Without looking back, I wave a hand at him and head to my car. “Later.”

The drive is short and quiet. After I pull into our driveway, I grab my gym bag and the flowers I bought on the way home. Lilies are Lauren’s favorites and always make her soften for me. Grinning like a fool, I head up our front walk.

The smile on my face dies when I find our front door busted off its hinges.

“Lauren?” Glass shatters. “Lauren!” I throw my bag and the flowers aside before rushing inside.

“Asher!” Her blood-curdling screams are like shards of glass against my heart. “Help!”

I race up the stairs two at a time and find a figure on top of my wife, punching her with gloved hands. A ski mask covers his face and he’s dressed from head to toe in black.

“No!” Red consumes me. I don’t think. I react. My body slams into him, tackling him to the ground. We roll around the floor and start throwing punches, but we manage to dodge each other. Whoever he is, he knows how to fight. During the struggle, I’m able to get one hand free and reach up to open a drawer from the nightstand next to the bed. I barely get my spare gun out before he nails me in the side. The gun falls to the floor and he uses this to his advantage. He’s able to flip me onto my back, straddle my chest, and wrap his hands around my throat. All I can make out are his black eyes through the holes of his mask. My fingers are able to grip onto the cotton material and pull it off, but it’s dark and I can’t make out much of his face other than a jagged scar below his left eye.

The distraction is enough for me to loosen his hold, but before I can gain the upper hand, pain explodes at the back of my head. My vision swims as I fall to the side and struggle to focus. A pair of black military boots is the only thing I see before they kick me in the face, while the other person in the room takes my gun off the floor and tosses it to the man with the scar.

“Enough! Finish the bitch already so we can get out of here.” The voice is low and muffled, but I know I’ve heard it somewhere before.

“What about him? He said no witnesses.”

“Leave him. Boss has plans.”

My hands shake as I struggle to pull myself up. I push with everything I have, but it’s not enough. They buckle under the strain of my weight and I’m knocked back down. No matter how hard I try I can’t reach her. The room swims in and out of focus behind a veil of blood, but her cries are all I can hear.

“No, please!” Lauren screams as a single gunshot rings out. Her shallow breaths fill the room like a knife in my heart, until everything goes silent and the darkness swallows me.

I’m not sure how long I’m out when I’m shaken awake and hear a familiar voice. “Asher? Can you hear me?”

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