Page 117 of Panther's Magpie
PANTHER
I wish I could solve all of Maggie’s issues, but the one she has with Aspen isn’t my place. I hate it, but I have to follow my own advice.
Aspen needs space.
So when I find her outside the outer building we keep people we want to interrogate in, I’m surprised.
“What are you doing out here? Maggie has been staring at the hall all morning, so you had to have snuck out the window,” I call out to her.
She straightens away from the door. I frown when I realize she was trying to pick the lock.
“I want to see Asher.”
I snort. “Not happening.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “You fucked my best friend while I was being tortured, and you can’t give me this?”
“Aspen, don’t start. You know I did everything in my fucking power to save you. In fact, Asher could have helped sooner, but he kept you there longer, so why do you want to see him?”
“Asher saved my life. I want to be sure you are treating him well, the same way he did for me,” she admits.
I sigh. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. You know if I could take your pain away, I would. I would do anything for you. You’re my little sister.”
“Break up with Maggie then and send her away.”
My heart hurts.
I love my sister, but fuck her.
“I won’t do that, and you don’t really want me to. I know you are possessive over me in some weird sister way, but you don’t need to be. I can be your brother and be with Maggie at the same time. She will still be your best friend. I will still be your brother. It doesn’t change our love for you. I love her, but not the same way I love you. One doesn’t take away from the other. You get that, right?”
She pouts, tears filling her eyes. “I know, but it still hurts. I feel like you all expect me to be the person I was, but I can’t. I don’t know how to be. I feel like a caged animal. I have nightmares, and I don’t know how to handle it.”
I take a step toward her, but she waves me off. “Please don’t, Calloway. I can’t take the coddling right now. I’m doing my best to hold it together and figure out where to go from here, and I can’t do that and deal with my feelings for you and Maggie.”
I want to hold her in my arms and tell her everything is going to be okay, but I can’t. I can’t promise that because right now the danger isn’t physical. It’s in her head.
“All right,” I tell her.
“You want to help me?” she asks after a moment.
I nod.
“Let me see him. Please.”
I relent going to the door. I knock twice. It opens, revealing Hawk on the other side.
“Go take a break,” I tell him.
He frowns as he sees Aspen, but does as I ask.
We step inside the building, the smell of copper and must filling the space. I’m used to the smell, but I find myself studying Aspen’s reaction. She doesn’t have one, making me wonder if she was held somewhere similar at some point.
When Asher comes into view, her stone-cold face melts as she starts to cry, running toward him.
“Asher, are you okay? Are they treating you well?” she asks.
“Shh.” He coughs. “You shouldn’t be here.”
