Page 46

“I'll deny everything.”

“Keegan?”

I pointed at him. “I know where you live.”

“You really don’t, because I’m moving.”

It should have been nothing more than another joke, one more ridiculous threat tossed back and forth between us, and under any other circumstances, I probably would've answered with something equally stupid.

But Ash changed.

It wasn't dramatic. His smile didn't disappear completely and he didn't suddenly pull away, but something behind his eyes closed, subtle enough that I might've missed it if I hadn't spent so much time lately watching him for exactly those small shifts.

“You’re moving?”

He hesitated.

That was all it took.

The warmth from a second ago vanished, replaced by the same uneasy prickle I'd felt every time his father came up, and the hair rose along the back of my neck.

“Ash?”

His phone buzzed again before he could answer.

This time it was still lying on the coffee table between us, close enough that the screen lit the space between our knees.

I didn't mean to read it. I wasn't trying to invade his privacy, and I would've looked away if I'd had even a second to think about it, but my eyes caught the first line before I could stop them.

DAD

Then underneath it:

Your captain seems very protective of you.

Ash snatched the phone up.

For one terrible second, neither of us spoke as the warmth that had filled the room disappeared as though someone had opened a door to winter.

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“He saw you at the arena. That's all.”

I didn't believe him, and judging by the way he refused to meet my eyes, he didn't expect me to.

“Ash, your father just sent you a message about me being protective of you. Is he watching us?”

“No. Max, please.”

That stopped me more effectively than shouting would have.

Ash had gone pale, and there was nothing defensive or irritated about his expression now. He was scared.

I remembered the tunnel and the way his body had locked up at the sound of his own name, and I knew with sudden, absolute certainty that whatever was happening was bigger than an estranged father looking for attention.

I also knew that if I pushed now, Ash would leave.

Maybe not just the apartment.