If it weren’t for me, Joel wouldn’t be dead, and my other staff wouldn’t have been injured or had to endure such a traumatic event.
“Oh my God,” I whisper into the empty space as it all sinks in.
Another attempt on my life was made today, but the assassins, who were clearly not that good at what they do, didn’t care what collateral damage there was. They were street thugs at best, and they used their stolen weapons to shoot up my salon… to shoot my staff members.
“Oh my God.” I sob this time, sliding to the floor of the shower as another sob comes, and another.
Cries rack my body, making me jerk with each one as the reality of today settles into my bones.
The shower door opens, and through the blur of my tears, Irecognise Asher’s feet, his ankles, and his calves as he steps inside, closing the glass door behind him.
“Lil,” he whispers, sliding to the floor with me before lifting me in his arms, cradling me to his chest. “I don’t know how to help you.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and give him a squeeze, unable to say any words, but needing him to know that this, what he’s doing right now, is what I need.
I cry into his neck for a long time, and he holds me close, pressing his lips to the top of my head, and telling me that he’s got me.
When I finally run out of tears, I press my lips to his ear and whisper softly, because speaking the words too loud will make telling him the truth more real.
“It’s my fault.”
“No.” He shakes his head, trying to pull me back to look at me, but I tighten my arms around his neck. “Don’t say that, Lily. It was a random drive-by shooting. Nothing could’ve prepared you for that.”
I shake my head. “No. You don’t get it,” I whisper. “It really is my fault. Someone wants me dead.”
This time, my attempt at keeping my arms locked around his neck fails, and he forces me back to meet his dark gaze.
“What did you say?”
“There’s…”
Shit. Can I really tell him?
“There’s what?” he asks, his brows nearly meeting in the middle as he frowns at me.
“There’s… ahitout on me,” I admit. “Someone has been trying to kill me.”
The way his eyes flare, like a storm is brewing in them as he looks down at me, makes my heart seize.
He studies me for a moment, water dripping down from his hair, his eyes darting between mine as he thinks over something.
“It wasn’t a mugging the other night, was it?”
When I shake my head, he curses.
“Fuck, Lily. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you will ask questions I can’t answer,” I admit, and again, he studies me.
“What’s going on?”
I shake my head. “You should leave. It’s not safe to be around me.”
He scoffs. “Like fuck. I’m not going anywhere.”
Swallowing back the lump forming, I clear my throat. “Do you know how to use a gun?”
A smirk tugs at his lips. “I do.”
