Page 37 of Banshee
We had been here for three days. Three long, quiet, motherfucking days. She wouldn’t talk to me. She didn’t answer my questions when I asked her if she needed anything. Refused to say good night when she locked herself in her room.
I couldn’t go on like this.
The sudden knock on the door, filling the air, felt like a gunshot. Aspen jumped, causing Diesel to bark. I opened the door and found Haizley and Gunner.
“Come on in.” I swung the door wide, allowing them both to enter.
“Hey, Aspen, how are you?”
She shrugged, still silent.
I shook my head. “She’s giving me the silent treatment.”
“How long?” Haizley asked, her head swiveling between Aspen and me.
“Three days.” Aspen narrowed her eyes at me, but she refused to speak.
“Let’s take a walk, Banshee.” Gunner shoved me out the front door, and I walked down the steps and away from the house.
“How long have you known it was her?”
“Since the day you brought her to the clubhouse,” I answered honestly.
“King is pissed you didn’t say something.”
“Well, King should have known who she was.”
Gunner shrugged. “She looks different.”
I stopped and turned to stare at him. “Her hair is darker.”
“She also had some reconstructive surgery.”
I turned my head to the side, wondering if he was lying. “How do you know that?”
“Nav got ahold of her hospital records. The damage was extensive, and she needed surgery. Sypher confirmed that Aspen had agreed to have her features changed slightly before she came here. Facial recognition doesn’t match enough for a positive ID.”
I looked back at the cabin. “That doesn’t make sense; she looks exactly the same.”
“She doesn’t, brother. They used the same program that Pippen tweaked to get an ID for Missy’s stalker. The one that used only his eyes.”
Aside from her hair, the only other difference I’d noticed was her eye color. I assumed she wore colored contacts. Why would she change the way she looked?
Why does it matter if she looks the same to you?
I turned back toward the cabin, and Gunner grabbed my arm.
“Where are you going?”
“To talk to her.”
Gunner shook his head and turned me in the opposite direction. “Let Haizley talk to her.” His hand on the back of my neck propelled me forward. I wasn’t small at six foot two inches, but Gunner was a fucking giant.
“Why’d you say no?”
“What?”
“When Kronos offered his daughter, why’d you say no?”
