Page 64 of Casualties

Why were they there?How would they have even gained access to the club?

My inner thoughts are taking over.I'm trying to piece the puzzle together, but I need more information.

The dress slides down her body with ease, and I eye her up and down to check for injuries again.A bruise, shaped like a handprint, marks the front of her neck.Looking further, she has smaller bruises on her hip and legs.I turn her around so I can slip my t-shirt over her head.

Her eyes find mine, and we stand frozen in place, not making a sound.I lift my hand to tuck the hair in her face behind her ear, but stop.I want her to know I'm her safe place.I bring my hand down, but she grabs it with both hands and cups it to her face.The two of us are having an entire conversation without words.She's letting me know my closeness is okay.

“Ace?Can we go to bed?I’m really sleepy.”She covers her mouth as a large yawn escapes.

“Yeah princess, we can go to bed.”I kiss her forehead and pull her toward the stairs, letting her lead once we get to them.I don’t want to assume she's sleeping in my room.

I don’t want to lose Morgan, but I refuse to lose her again.Fuck, I didn’t have her to begin with, but I could have.If I had figured my shit out three months ago, she wouldn’t be in this mess.She would have been with me, spending Christmas together with our families.Yeah, Morgan would have hated it and hated me, but I need to stop putting him above her.She needs to know I choose her, and from now on, I’m putting her first.

Thank fuck she walks to my room and opens the door.I would understand if she needed to sleep alone in her brother’s room, but I was praying she would choose mine.

She crawls into the bed, tucking herself under my blanket.I unbutton my shirt and let it fall to the floor, then unbutton my slacks, letting them drop as well.I stand on my side of the bed in a pair of black briefs.She eyes my body up and down, but as I lift the covers, her eyes snap up to my face.I curl up next to her, pulling her body close to mine.

“We don't have to talk tonight, but I will need to know what happened, Ains.”

"Mhmm," is all I get before her breathing gets heavy.She's asleep, and it's not long before I fall asleep, too.

THIRTY-FIVE

AINSLEY

The aroma of fresh coffee wafts to my nose, waking me out of one of the hardest sleeps of my life.I'd like to pretend last night was all a twisted nightmare, but I know that's not the case.How could I be so stupid?Ace and Morgan warned me.I'm not sure they were warning me about something this traumatic, but I should have listened to them, regardless.Maybe if I had, this wouldn't have happened.

Ace's room is still shrouded in darkness, easing the tension from my pounding head.Next to the steaming cup of coffee are a couple painkillers and a glass of water.I take the pills, chasing them with a large gulp.I lay back down, waiting for the headache to subside, when the bedroom door opens.

"Good morning, princess."He looks beautiful standing there in his briefs, carrying a tray of breakfast.

"Morning," I greet as he places the tray on the bed.He cooked bacon, and made me avocado toast just the way I like it.He lays down next to me, propped up on one elbow.

“I need you to tell me what happened, baby,” he says after I’ve taken several bites.

Last night went terribly wrong, and I know I still haven’t processed any of it.The way Jackson almost…I can’t even say the words.I know he's been acting differently lately, but that was a whole other level of crazy.I can't wrap my head around why he would bring me to that place.I've been making him wait, I know that, but I didn’t feel ready.Did he really think bringing me to a sex club was the push I needed?

I thank my lucky stars I didn’t waste that part of me on him.He turned out to be such a disappointment.

The red flags were there, and I refused to acknowledge them.The hard part is that he wasn’t always like this.A lot of the reason I was drawn to him was because he was so sweet and attentive.Was that a ruse to get me into bed?I would like to think I’m not a horrible judge of character, but after last night, it tracks.

Ace watches me slip into my thoughts—Jackson, the weird sex club, then the cops.I know I need to tell him, but the words are hard to find.How do you tell the one person you wish you could be with that the one you chose over him ended up hurting you?

I make a small cough to clear my throat, then proceed to tell him the night’s events.He listens to me intently, and rubs my arm as I get upset.He tries to hide the anger I know he's struggling with.If I didn’t plead for him to take me home, he might have killed Jackson.The fury in his eyes told me everything.

He doesn’t give me an “I told you so.”I went through enough last night, hearing how sadly mistaken I was to give Jackson Davis any of my time won't help.

Jackson's cries pound in my head.He was on the floor crying when Ace stormed in.I know I would’ve gotten out based on the severity of his injury, but Ace being there was the comfort I needed.I needed a familiar face to feel safe again.I've never felt so alone and scared.

When Ace recognizes I’m done recounting what happened, he reaches his hand to my face and cups my cheek.

“How could I be so stupid?I knew he was turning into someone else entirely, but I chose to look past it.I wanted him to be good for me.I needed him to be,” I say honestly.

“Ains, how could you have known this would happen?He laid the charm on thick.I should have pushed further to intervene, but knew you needed space from me.I thought I was doing the right thing.”He’s disappointed in himself, and that makes two of us.I'm disappointed I didn’t break up with Jackson sooner.

“If you pushed more, I would have continued to do the complete opposite.This isn’t on you, it’s on me.”My lips pull up in a soft smile to ease his regrets.Then a thought pops into my head, and I’m surprised I didn’t think to ask sooner.

“Ace…Why were you at that club?”He stares down at the bedding covering us, picking invisible lint.I'm not having it, enough of the half-truths.If I can tell him everything, so can he.

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