AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh my God,” Hymn whispered. “How did I not sense it?”
“Sense what?” Asher asked, and I could practically picture the frown on his stupid face.
“That you’ve turned into a monster,” Hymn cried. “I don’t even know you anymore. I don’t want to know you anymore. Get the fuck out, Ash.”
“What?” he barked. “Stop talking like that, Hymn. Of course you know me. I’ve loved you since the moment I met you.”
“I thought I loved you too,” she said in a quavering voice. “But I don’t love this version of you. I can barely stand to be near you. Get out, Asher. Just being in the same room with you is making me sick.”
“Hymn—”
“No!” she shouted. “Do not touch me, asshole. You let some guy drug Cannon. And then you sat here and laughed about it, like it wasn’t anything unusual. Like it’s not a fucking crime! How many times have you watched him do it before? How many girls have you allowed him to take advantage of?”
“I’ve never—”
“How many times!” she screamed.
The others around me were watching me with raised brows. Mia opened her mouth, but I lifted my hand, cutting her off, needing to hear what my brother said.
“I don’t hang out with Smith,” he answered, but there was an evasiveness in his tone even I could hear.
“He lives in the same apartment building as you,” Hymn said in disbelief. “If you haven’t seen him dose anyone, that doesn’t mean you have never seen him with a drugged victim.”
“I don’t—”
“Do not lie to me, Asher! I can hear it in your voice.”
“Fine, whatever. I saw a few unsteady chicks with him on one or two occasions.”
“You knew they were drugged.” Her voice was full of horror. “You knew, and you did nothing. Fuck, you’re just as disgusting as he is.”
“No,” he rasped, finally realizing just how much he’d screwed up. “Hymn, I’m not like that.”
“Why else would you ask Smith to help you cause trouble?” she demanded, the tears evident from her tone. “You knew what he did to those girls, and you decided to get him to help you stop Piper’s wedding.”
“Yeah, okay. I knew about the drugs he had access to. It didn’t take much to convince him to help me. Smith doesn’t want Cannon to get married any more than I do. He said he felt like the band was becoming too soft. Before Jagger got married, their tours were wild. Girls everywhere. Partying every night. Now there’s nothing but preschool shows and tea parties and Cannon running after Piper like she will disappear if he doesn’t have his hands on her every spare second of the day.”
I’d heard enough. Putting my phone on speaker, I placed it quietly on the kitchen table and stood. Without a word to the others, I walked out of the room. Grabbing my set of keys to Cannon’s car, I picked up my purse and left.
The drive to Hymn’s apartment wasn’t long. She only lived a few blocks from us. Her place was on the first floor, and I walked right up to her door, using my key to let myself in. I heard Asher’s voice before I’d even stepped inside.
“Hymn, I’m not like Smith. I would never do anything to hurt a woman, especially not you. Please, baby, I’m begging you. Don’t do this.”
Nala was at the entrance to the living room, staying out of the way but alert and ready to act if her person needed assistance. I stroked the guide dog on the head then walked up behind my brother while he was still distracted. His entire focus was on Hymn, who was crying but holding her hands up like she was trying to fend him off.
A huge decorative wooden bowl was sitting on a table, and I picked it up. Walking up behind my brother, I lifted the heavy bowl over my head and slammed it down on his skull. He yelped in pain then went limp. His knees hit the floor first, and then he face-planted on the carpet between Hymn and me.
“What happened?” my friend cried. “Is he…dead?”
“No, but it wouldn’t have been anything he didn’t deserve if I had killed him,” I said calmly. Scrubbing a hand over my face, I wiped away my tears. The rage was still simmering just beneath the surface. My brother and I had been close growing up, but I never would have guessed he would turn into the person he was now. This was going to destroy our parents, but I had zero sympathy for him.
Walking over to the table beside the couch, I picked up Hymn’s phone from where she’d placed it facedown so I could listen in on her conversation with my brother. “Shaw? Mia? Trin?”
“We’re here, Piper,” Shaw answered, her voice tight.
“I made a bit of a mess. Asher probably needs medical attention.” He groaned in pain and started to lift his head. Cursing under his breath, he rolled onto his back while holding a hand to his head.
Eyes still closed, he whined, “Who hit me?”
