Page 92 of Leave Me Broken

“That better be all it is, Pearson. If Payson tells me you touch her like that POS, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

Ash slaps a hand to the doorway, trying to gain his balance. He eyes me in the mirror as I brush my tongue, ignoring Jet and his threat completely. “You told him about Fred?”

I cringe and spit. “He killed my mom.”

“We think,” Jet adds.

I roll my eyes and toss my toothbrush in the trash next to the sink before turning and leaning against it. “No, we know. He told me he would one day. I didn’t believe him because he said a lot of things . . .” Guilt hits me like a fucking truck. Jet and Ash move closer to me, one scowling at the other. Ash rubs the back of my head and Jet places a firm hand on my shoulder.

“I really need you to come in and make a statement against him.”

The thought of making everything public has me eyeing the toilet all over again. “I don’t want anyone knowing what he did to me.”

“Jailbird . . .” Ash mutters softly.

“People knowing or not knowing won’t change what happened to you. But it might keep it from happening to someone else. I’m sorry it happened to you, and trust me, he will pay for it but we need to make a case, and I can’t do that without you.”

I look up to Ash’s dilated stormy eyes, even through the alcohol I can tell he agrees with him. I look to my uncle. He glares at Ash, then meets my eyes.

“Fine. But only because he killed my mother while I still hated her.”

He dips his chin. “I know you are gone next week, but the sooner we can get you in, the better. Can we meet tomorrow? The station will be dead. I will meet you there. One p.m. work?”

I roll my lips between my teeth and nod. “Sure. One p.m.”

Seemingly happy I agreed, he lifts his hand and drags it down his face. “Okay, I have some work to do. But I will see you tomorrow.”

There’s a second I wonder if he will hug me. Then he does. It’s a weird and awkward side hug but he’s out the door before either of us can comment on it.

Ash closes the door behind him, then he pins me against the sink and drops his head onto my shoulder. “I’m sorry, babygirl.”

“It’s okay,” I tell him because there’s nothing else to say. It’s not okay, we both know it’s not. Fred killed my mom.

He killed her like he said he would. “Then we can be together.” I suck in a sharp breath. Ash pulls away, frowns, and grabs my face. His limbs are still heavy, and I know he’s way too drunk to deal with this right now.

“Fred told me he would kill my mom one day . . .” I swallow to calm my breathing. “He also told me when he did, we could be together.”

Ash sucks in his own breath. He clamps his hands on my shoulder and squeezes. “He won’t come near you. I can promise you that. I might be drunk right now but alcohol, drugs, none of it could keep me from protecting you.”

I step into his arms, ignoring the smell of a distillery on his neck, and wrap my arms around his waist. “I’m scared,” I admit. I wish I wasn’t but for so long I believed he couldn’t hurt me. He wouldn’t. I was too out of reach but knowing what he did to my mom . . . it doesn’t seem so impossible anymore.

Ash kisses the top of my head. I sink further into his arms, loving how good they feel wrapped around me. “No one will hurt a single hair on your head as long as I’m around, babygirl. I promise. Stay the night with me. Stay every night with me.”

“You know I’m staying at Janelle’s. Her mom is already suspicious of us; if I don’t come down for breakfast tomorrow morning, she will know what’s up.”

“Say you’re staying with Parker.”

Ew. “No.”

He groans. “Fine, but I want your location. At all times.”

That’ll make me feel safer, so I agree. Neither of us have our phones on us but we agree to set it up before we separate.

Ash sends me to find Luca and Parker while he takes a piss, stating that he is ready to go. Finding Luca is easy. All I had to do was listen for his obnoxious voice. I found him chatting away with a group of parents who seem just as liquored as him and Ash. Ash seems a little better now, like seeing me cry sobered him some, but I have no doubts his head will hurt in the morning.

I drag Luca with me so I don’t lose him while looking for Parker. Janelle bounces over and hooks her arm around my free one. “What are we doing?”

“Looking for Parker,” I tell her. She’s barefaced and blotchy instead of a full face of makeup like she was wearing the last time I saw her. She holds my stare but shakes her head, telling me not right now. Then she pauses, probably seeing my blotchiness too. I splashed my face several times with cold water, but I can still feel how swollen my eyes are. I shake my head too. She hooks our pinkies and we each kiss our hands as a promise to spill later.

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