Page 137 of Outside The Wire

My jaw dropped at her words. She couldn’t be thinking?—

“Aren’t you going back with Patrick?” Noelle cut in, taking the words right out of my mouth.

“Actually, I was thinking about hanging around here. I mean, I literally have no home. And Asher is the only family I have. Even if we’re not together, I still care about him.”

I slowly turned my head to face Patrick, who was looking anywhere but at me.

“And now it’s like I have a sister.”

“A what?” I said just as she wrapped her arms around me, swallowing me in a hug. My eyes were wide as she crushed me to her. I was staring at Noelle, pleading with my eyes for her to help me. There was no way I could deal with this woman sticking around. Ex-wife or not, this was not a situation I was preparedto deal with. I patted her back as nicely as I could and stepped out of her grasp, wondering what the hell I was going to do now.

“I know it’s asking a lot,” she said, taking my hand in hers. Her voice turned quiet as she dropped her eyes. “After all this time, I shouldn’t be surprised that he moved on. And…I’m trying really hard to be okay with this.”

“So…that was fake, right?” I asked, not believing for a second that she actually wanted to hug me.

“No,” she laughed. “That was a real hug. Maybe forced,” she added. She glanced over at the others. “Can we talk in private for a moment?”

That had a big red flashing no sign over her head, but how was I supposed to tell her that? “Sure. We can go to my office.”

I felt like I was walking to my death the whole way. My heart was pounding and my palms were sweating. Was this what it was like for Anne Boleyn when Henry VIII sent her to the Tower of London to have her head chopped off? I wasn’t sure why that particular bit of history came to mind. Maybe it was the knife I saw out of the corner of my eye on the counter in the kitchen. Or maybe it was the British accent I had spoken in last night when trying to entertain myself. Maybe I was just going insane.

I turned and closed the door, smiling at Jade as I shot Noelle one last look, praying it wasn’t the last time I saw her.

Walking as casually as I could to my desk chair, I motioned for her to take a seat where Noelle usually plopped down. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

She smiled at me sadly, like she was about to tell me some tragic story. I’d heard enough of those to last a lifetime. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear anything else. If this was her way of trying to get me out of the way, it wouldn’t work. I’d already heard Asher’s side of this.

“Asher was…he was my whole world and he saved me. I know he would never admit this to anyone, especially me or you, buthe did everything he could for me. I was lost long before he came along, and the hope he gave me, the way he took care of me, that was something no one had ever done for me. I know he thinks he failed me, but it was me who failed him.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked curiously.

“I want you to know the kind of man Asher is.”

I stiffened at her words. I didn’t need her to come in here and tell me who Asher was. I’d seen his heart and I’d heard him tell me about his lowest, darkest moments.

“I know Asher.”

“You’ve never seen him the way I have. We went through something together that no one could ever understand. Not that I would want you to,” she said quickly. “Please don’t take this the wrong way. I don’t mean to imply that you can’t handle his life, only that you may be a little naive about what it’s like to live in the world we did. Violence was an everyday occurrence. I can’t tell you how many times we were almost killed, that Asher had to carry me to safety or I had to keep him in bed because he was full of bullet holes.”

Wow, she was getting in every dig she could.

“Men like Asher can never fully walk away from the danger. It’s something they live for. He may like this life for now, but eventually, he’ll miss the excitement and the danger. He’ll want to return to his old life. I just want you to be prepared for that. Because when he does, you’ll have to steel yourself every time he leaves the house, every time you see him holster his gun, knowing he may not come back alive.”

If she was trying to frighten me, she was doing a damn good job. But I was stronger than she thought. I knew Asher, and I was well aware of the fact that he liked his life the way it was. I pushed to my feet, letting her know that whatever this was, it was over.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She smiled politely at me. “I hope we can be friends. I’m really glad I got to finally meet you. I can see why Asher fell in love with you.”

I ground my teeth together as she walked out the door. I really hated her, and I hated myself for that because I knew at one time she meant the whole world to Asher. She hadn’t been like this before—I was sure of that. Asher would have seen through all the bullshit. So, the fact that what happened to her morphed her into this made me sad for her. She deserved better. Just not with Asher.

Patrick gave me the side-eye as he held the door open for Jade. I got the distinct impression that he wasn’t aware of Jade’s intentions before he came here today, and now he was regretting it. Well, I was pretty sure he’d be getting an earful from Asher by the end of the day.

“So, she threw down the gauntlet,” Noelle said, coming to stand beside me.

“In not so many words. She made it perfectly clear that she doesn’t think I can handle Asher.”

“I wish she would just go away,” she snapped. “I really hate that woman.”

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