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We arrive back at Oceanside a few minutes past eleven, four long hours after we left the farmhouse. I’m tired and fucking cranky and I’m certain that most of the tossers are watching us from their rooms. Fucking bunch of curtain twitchers. I scowl the whole time we offload, purposely avoiding conversation with any of my boys and only schooling my features into a more reasonable state when Cal hands me my overnight bag.
“You okay?” he asks me.
“No, I’m not,” I bite out, my gaze lifting to the window of Monk’s room. Empty now that the bastard has kidnapped my best friend. Cal nods tightly, following my gaze.
“Asia, are you coming?” Sonny asks, drawing my attention back to him. Camden has already entered the building. Ford too. Eastern hovers nearby.
“Yeah,” I mutter, following him into the annex.
When we hit the stairs, Eastern grabs my hand, holding me back. Sonny reaches the door to our floor then he turns to see where we are, frowning when he notices how agitated I look.
“Asia?”
“I just need a minute with her, okay?” Eastern asks, not letting me go.
Sonny looks at me, waiting. “It’s fine, Sonny. See you in the morning.”
A muscle ticks in his jaw. “See you then,” he responds tightly. He doesn’t smile like he usually does, and I have to swallow down the urge to call him back. We’ve not spoken a word to one another since Louisa sent him away from the kitchen this afternoon and though it’s only been a short amount of time, it feels a lot longer. I already miss the easy way we are with each other.
“Come here, Asia,” Eastern says the second the door clicks shut on the landing above us. He holds me close, pressing his cool lips against my cheek. I stiffen in his arms, not because I don’t want his attention or affection, but because I’m desperate for it.
Despite that, I pull away and step out of his arms.
“I can’t right now,” I respond quietly before turning on my feet and taking the stairs two at a time. If I let him love me like he did this morning, I might never want to leave his arms again.
* * *
Rat-a-tat-tat.
True to his word Ford knocks on my door a few minutes past midnight, just an hour after we arrived back at Oceanside. Sighing, I decide that keeping Ford waiting is probably a mistake, so I swing my legs over the side of my bed and open the door. He walks in without an invitation.
“You ready?” he asks me, leaning against the wardrobe as he looks me up and down, his eyebrow cocking at what I’m wearing.
“That depends on what I’m supposed to be ready for?” I retort, folding my arms across my chest.
“Nothing you can’t handle,” he answers cryptically.
Pulling on my black beany hat, I zip up my cerise fleece-lined hoody over my tight orange tank and slip my DM’s over my black leggings then follow Ford. When we reach the door leading to the carpark, Cal steps out of his room and stops us.
“Be back before dawn. Don’t make me come looking for you. Got it?” he warns.
“Got it,” Ford responds, resting his hand on my lower back, his fingers curling into my hoody, sensing my need to bolt. I feel skittish, out of sorts. I have the sudden urge to run and never fucking come back.
“You’ve got the mobile phone I gave you in case there’s an emergency?” Cal asks Ford.
“Yeah.”
“Okay, good. I’m going out on a limb here tonight. You’ve been given a little more freedom given your predicament.”
“And you think that’s wise because?” I can’t help but ask.
“Because I’m fully aware that keeping you guys on a short leash will make the situation worse. The rest of these kids here need some boundaries but I’m trusting you both not to fuck this up. Besides, you’re not going alone.”
“What?!” Ford exclaims. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”
Behind us, Frank steps out of his room. I scowl.
“Frank will follow you to the Tower, he’ll stand guard whilst you do what you need to do. It’s this or nothing,” Cal says, daring Ford to object.
