Page 20 of Infinite
“It’s not what either of us wants.”
“I didn’t want any of this!” Aaron bellows.
Mark takes another step. “Neither do we, but we’re not going to let you hurt Quinn.”
“And I’m not going to let you hurt him either. I won’t let you destroy him like you destroyedme!”
The two of them don’t flinch, but anyone would be a fool to think that didn’t hurt.
Jackson moves to the right. “Then we’re all in agreement that this needs to end. We all know you’re not a cold-hearted killer. Whatever this is it has to do with what we all talked about a few months ago.”
When Aaron laughs, so much anger fills the room that I would cower if I were less of a man.
Then Liam steps through the door. “It’s me you’re angry at, isn’t it?”
Something in Aaron shifts. I can’t explain it, but his entire demeanor changes when he sees him.
Liam starts again. “You see it as if I’ve taken everything from you.”
“No.”
“No? Because that’s what you told your friend out there. That your best friend took your life when you died.”
My heart is pounding, and I can taste the mixed emotions in the room. This is a disaster waiting to happen. Aaron left his gun on the ground by the tray of food over to the right. If I could grab it, I could shoot him in the leg. As pissed off as I am that I’m here, the truth is that I don’t want to see him dead. I want to get to Ashton.
Now that I’ve allowed myself to think of her, my impatience grows. I look over to the left, hoping Mark will catch my gaze. He starts talking. “We all know that Liam didn’t take anything. You’ve suffered horribly, and we don’t want to see you hurt more.”
“Which is why my three best friends have guns pointed at me? Go ahead . . . I dare you to shoot me. You can’t fucking do it.”
Liam moves closer, he releases his hold on the gun, one hand going up in the air as the other, holding the gun lowers. “I’m not going to shoot you,” he says with a calm voice. “I can’t do it. You’re right.”
I move again, closer now to the gun, but my energy is waning. I’m fucking tired. I’ve been through hell in these last God only knows how many days. There’s practically nothing left inside me. The will to fight is there, but that’s only for her.
Then everything flashes in a second. “Well, I can.” Aaron reaches behind him, revealing a gun in his belt, and I lunge for the gun on the floor as the sound of a bullet exiting the chamber echoes through the room.
8
Ashton
“What was that? Gunshots?” I scream and move to head into the warehouse. Two sets of arms wrap around my shoulders, stopping me.
“Ashton, stop,” Ben commands. “You can’t go in there. Not only because we have no idea what is going on but also because it would be dangerous and a distraction.”
I start to tremble. I had to beg, plead, promise the moon to even get to come here, but I won Jackson and Mark over. There was not a chance in hell I wasn’t going, and I think they knew that. If he’s hurt, I need to see to him. If he’s dead, I want to know. If he’s fine, I have to touch his face, his heart, and then break it.
Charlie pulls me toward the car. “Come on, let’s sit and wait.”
“How can you be so calm? Your husband is in there!”
She nods. “Yes, and I trust him. He’s smart, and he’s good at what he does.”
I wish I could be so confident. My nerves are frayed, and I still have so much more to wade through. When Quinn is out and safe, I’ll have to tell him everything. I can’t run into his arms, kissing his lips, and be grateful he’s alive. I can barely walk, and thanks to my outburst, I’m in pain again.
My head is filled with so many possibilities that it starts to ache. “I’m scared,” I admit.
Not only of whatever is happening but also of what’s to come.
Charlie’s eyes go from the door back to me. “I can’t imagine what you’re feeling, Ashton, but I hope you hear me when I say that you’ve been through a trauma, just like Quinn has. We often forget that and try to be strong and act as though these situations haven’t shaped us in some way, but they do. They change us. Don’t let it take over, though. You’re both going to need each other.”
