Page 123 of Pulse
Chapter 38
Ren
Six months later...
I sat in the passenger seat of Ash’s car, holding on for dear life. There were a lot of things that man was good at, but driving was not one of them. All I could do was hold on for dear life as he zoomed us through the streets of Melbourne, weaving in and out of traffic.
The heater was up full bore and my fingers were still curled into the sleeves of my hoodie. Melbourne’s winter was a wet and wild one this year. After such a scorcher of a summer, it was like having whiplash.
“Where the hell are you taking me?” I declared. “And do you have to go so fast?”
“I’m on the speed limit Spitfire,” he said with a laugh.
It was intoxicating seeing him so happy after all the shit we’d been through and I almost caved. “There’s at the speed limit then there’s ’the speed limit’.” I air quoted the last part and rolled my eyes.
“I love you,” he said with a grin.
“Luckily for you, I love you right back.”
The last six months had been the happiest we’d both been since the night we’d first met at Beat. We didn’t have this looming threat hanging over our heads and we finally had room to breathe and sort out our shit.
I’d been hanging out with Josie ever since my glamorous BFF had come back from Sydney and we’d been doing more and more things outside of Beat. That bit was me getting a life outside of fighting.
I’d introduced Josie to Violet, with Ash’s blessing on account of him being so overprotective, and they’d taken to each other instantly. It was good for his sister to have an extra person to support her and every time I saw her it felt like her spirit was becoming stronger, little by little. She was definitely a Fuller and Fuller’s were fighters through and through.
Ash parked the car on a side street, one wheel running over the gutter and crashing back onto the asphalt. “We’re here,” he declared. “Now, close your eyes.”
“Close my eyes?”
“Close ‘em Spitfire or you won’t get to see.” He jumped out of the car, rounded the front and opened my door. “Out!”
I slid from the car and stood on the footpath and glanced around as he locked the door. All I could see were high brick walls and a lot of nothing. Where the hell was he taking me?
“No peeking,” he said, stepping behind me and covering my eyes.
Yeah, I liked playful Ash a lot. He was currently acting like a five year old in a toy store and I was content to roll with whatever he had up his sleeve. This had to be good.
We needed some good to counteract all the crap that was The Underground.
As far as I knew, Hammer never fought again. No one had seen him since he was taken away from the cage on a stretcher and word had it that he was still eating through a straw.
I could still remember that night as vividly as ever. The moment I realized what Ash was planning to do, I almost clawed my way through three bouncers to get into that cage. Nobody was raising a finger to stop it, which also brought another truth driving home…. More than one person wanted Hammer dead. The biggest realization was if Ash didn’t win, then that fight was ending with Ash on the receiving end. Only one man was coming out of that cage alive.
Ash wasn’t a murderer. I knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he’d gone through with it. He’d tried twice, but both times something had stopped him. Only he would ever know the answer to that one, but I liked to think it was the goodness inside him. The love he had for his family.
Ash Fuller was never a beast. He just loved too much.
“Let it be known that I hate surprises,” I declared as he walked me forward, his hands covering my eyes.
“Have a little patience Spitfire,” Ash murmured in my ear. “You’re gunna love this.”
