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Damon’s gaze held Asher’s before zeroing in on Remy. She searched for any sign that he was some guy out to steal away her inheritance. She didn’t see anything but the warm man that she’d planned on sharing a life with. Maybe that’s where she’d gone wrong. She never really loved Damon, not like she had loved Asher. But love lied and hurt, and Damon had been a solid in her life. He had made her happy. He was sweet and gentle and affectionate. He didn’t hurt her ever. They never fought or disagreed. Hell, he was perfect. Until, of course, he wasn’t. And maybe that should have been a red flag. When was any person perfect?
As much as anger boiled beneath her skin, her heart shattered as she stared at Damon. She still had a hard time believing he could do this to her. All the memories they shared, the long walks in the park, the dinners over candlelight, the nights snuggled up watching movies together rushed through her mind, reminding her that none of those would ever happen again. And…and this was a big and…he was only there for her inheritance.
Emotion tickled her throat, and tears threatened to rise, when Damon finally broke the silence. “Can we talk alone?” he asked.
“Not a chance in hell,” Asher stated firmly.
Remy caught Damon’s glare, figuring Asher’s probably looked the same. Then she cleared the emotion from her throat and spoke up for herself. “Yes, we can talk alone,” she said directly to Asher.
He frowned. Deeply. “Remy.”
“Asher.” She held her ground.
He finally let out a long sigh, his lips pressed into a thin line. “I’ll be right outside.” His gaze turned hard as he set his stare on Damon. “The warning remains.”
Again, Damon snorted.
Remy watched Asher leave before turning back to Damon, finding him staring intently. “What do you have to say to me that you couldn’t say with Asher here?”
Damon’s expression softened as he leaned forward, reaching his hands out to her across the metal table. “You owe me nothing, I get that. But I’ve got something at your house and I need you to do a favor for me.”
She parted her lips to respond, then they shut with an audible pop. Of all the things she expected Damon to say, that was certainly not it. Her vision suddenly went cloudy, adrenaline rushing through her body, and any sadness she’d felt a moment ago was suddenly ripped away and replaced by red-hot rage. Anger that no longer boiled beneath the surface of her flesh rose, cutting through all those good memories they shared. “You cannot be fucking serious.”
Damon cringed. “Remy, I—”
He couldn’t finish that statement. Her fists tightened and she shot up and slugged him in the nose. Hard. His head
flew back, and blood started dripping.
The door slammed open and Asher rushed in, grabbing Remy by the waist just as she lunged forward to claw out Damon’s eyeballs.
Boone shot toward Damon, grabbing his arm. “Move and you’ll regret it.”
Her vision tunneled on the man she had planned to spend her life with. “Of all the things you could have said to me. ‘Hey, Remy, I’m a psychopath and have problems, but I’m sorry for using you to get your money.’ Or maybe ‘Don’t worry, it’s not you, it’s me.’” Her hands shook and she gritted her teeth as she went on. “Even, ‘I’m a total asshole, but whatever.’ You could have said anything, but the first thing you do is ask for a favor.” She struggled against Asher’s tight hold, desperately clawing to get her hands around Damon’s neck. “I’m going to fucking kill you,” she yelled at the bastard who’d tried to swindle all the money her nana worked so hard to have.
Behind her, Rhett laughed. “I’m so happy I stayed for this.”
Boone had a bloodied Damon back in handcuffs.
Asher finally managed to get her out the door and kicked it shut. Her blood felt like it was boiling, pumping too fast through her veins. Her fists were clenched, ready to hit anything to make herself feel better.
But then suddenly as she met Asher’s gaze, she realized she was in his arms. Those emerald eyes held hers, intensity rushing through them. Now her heart rate spiked for another reason entirely. Asher lowered one hand to her hip, pinning her to the wall in a move that seemed more for pleasure than a need to keep her from attacking anyone. Her hand was moving without her say-so up his strong biceps, her lips parting.
“You’ve punched one guy today,” Rhett said, voice well amused, as he’d obviously opened the door and neither of them noticed. “Probably shouldn’t make out in the hallway too.”
At that, she realized what she was doing and stepped back. Sweet Jesus. What was wrong with her?
Maybe she was having a total breakdown.
“I’d say you succeeded.”
She glanced up, finding all the intensity gone from Asher’s eyes, his solid front back in place. “At what?”
He grinned. “Giving the town something to talk about.”
Chapter 4
After a good twenty minutes of having an icepack on her hand, Remy left Asher at the police station while he finalized paperwork on having Damon transferred to the larger jail in the neighboring town of Whitby Falls. She didn’t ask questions after that. What she did do was walk the few blocks back down Main Street and entered Kinsley’s jazz club, Whiskey Blues, needing her best friend. From the bar’s original flagstone walls and restored burgundy velvet chairs to the gold accents, Kinsley had turned this once dingy dive bar into pure class. Four large crystal chandeliers gave the space a warm, inviting feel, and round tables surrounded the black shiny stage, where bands performed, but this morning, the stage was empty, and the bar was quiet. Kinsley always opened early in the day, as she thought a bar needed to be open in case someone desperately needed a drink. Her tell-it-like-it-is attitude seemed to make her part therapist, part bartender for most of Stoney Creek’s townsfolk.
