Page 52 of The Consequence of You
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CALLIE
What the actual fuck is happening? Asher Pennington. The boy who hated me from the minute we met almost eight years ago, just risked his life to… to what, exactly?Protect me?Things might have changed between us lately, but still, why the hell would he do that?
He can be reckless. I’ve seen it enough times, but as he said in the car last week, it’s a calculated risk. He doesn’t believe he’s truly in danger. But this, standing up to my brother, while he has a gun to his head is downright stupid.
Luca pressed it so hard into Asher’s temple, it left a circular red mark behind. I know Luca wouldn’t have followed through. Not in his own restaurant, where anyone could identify him, but Asher has no way ofknowing that. He saw I was upset and tried to protect me. And I can’t, for the life of me, understand why.
This thing between us isn’t serious. There are no feelings involved. We’re making each other feel good, but that’s all. I’m not even sure Asher has feelings. He’s certainly never had a long-term relationship in the time I’ve known him. Not that I paid much attention. But he’s always had the reputation of being a one and done kind of guy. And yet he saw I was upset, and he stepped in without a second thought about his own safety, and I have no idea what to do with that. It’s clear I’m not the only one surprised by his actions.
Luca puts his gun away and looks at Asher with quiet respect. In the circles he mixes in, my family’s reputation precedes him. Having someone stand up to him won’t be a common occurrence. Not sure my father would react in quite the same way if Asher had done what he just did. He’d see it as a lack of respect and wouldn’t stand for it. Apparently, Luca is more level-headed, more thoughtful, and I thank the lord for that.
Out of nowhere, the image of Asher being hurt comes into my mind, and my lunch threatens to make a reappearance. I grab the wine bottle in the centre of the table and tip it into my glass, golden liquid splashing over the rim and onto my fingers. I drink it in just a couple of large gulps and I’m about to refill it when Luca puts his hand on mine. I look up and see Luca and Asher are watching me with what can only be described as concern etched on their faces.
“What?”
“Are you okay?” They ask in unison, and my only response is to hiccup loudly as they eye each other, both sopissed off I can’t help but laugh despite the seriousness of the last few moments.
“Yes, I’m okay. Asher, you’re a crazy bastard.” He mouths something that looks suspiciously like ‘worth it’ to himself. I turn to my brother. “Luca, we have a lot to catch up on. Several years in fact, and I don’t want to do it here.”
My brother nods, and a brief but unmistakable shadow passes over his features, and I immediately feel bad. It’s my fault he spent the last four years abroad, not his.
The atmosphere in the restaurant is now strained and a clearly terrified waiter hovers near our table. Luca finally notices him and beckons him over.
“The couple in the corner. I will settle their bill. Tell them I am sorry for ruining their lunch and offer them a few vouchers for one of our other restaurants.”
The waiter nods and scuttles away. Luca takes my hand in his.
“I am sorry for overreacting and ruining our lunch too, sorellina.” He looks at Asher. “I trust you are okay to get my sister home?”
Asher nods and Luca strides into the back of the restaurant, leaving the two of us alone.
After a few seconds of silence, Asher stands and offers me his hand. I take it and he gently pulls me to standing. He brushes my bangs out of my eyes with surprising tenderness, and I feel a lump form in my throat. I swallow nervously.
He leans down, reaching behind me to get my coat from the back of my chair and, as he does, he stops, hovering near my ear. His soft breath tickles my cheek as he whispers,
“I don’t understand it any more than you do.”
His words make me freeze as he straightens up anddrapes my coat over my shoulders, threading my arms through carefully, as though he instinctively knows I’ve momentarily lost the use of my limbs. He deftly fastens the buttons, and I watch with fascination as he takes care of me, with a gentleness I’d never expect from him. Once he’s finished, he leads me out of the restaurant. We make it a few steps down the road before I come to my senses.
Stopping abruptly, I pull my hand from Asher’s. He stops and stands in front of me, shoving his hands in his pockets as though he knows what’s coming. Reaching to touch the red mark on his temple, I rub my finger over his warm skin, and he lets me.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“As I said in there, Calliope. I don’t understand it any more than you do. I just know I couldn’t stand seeing you upset.” I suck in a breath sharply. That’s not what I’m expecting him to say at all. We’re casual. Feelings aren’t involved. Except he isn’t the only one who is struggling with blurred lines, as all I can think about is Asher doing something stupid and ending up hurt.
“Fuck, Asher. You never think anything through. Do you have any idea what the men in my family are capable of? They’re dangerous.”
“Yes. And I don’t give a fuck. He upset you.”
God, he’s so damn infuriating. I don’t know all the details of Luca’s activities in Italy, and I know Papa is trying to legitimise his business, but I also know my family have killed men for less.
Panic rises in my chest. It’s not just today. Asher thinks nothing of risking his life to chase a thrill, or to protect a woman he doesn’t even care about. He’s infuriating, and I can't bear it.
My breathing quickens and I turn to him, clutching the lapels of his jacket.
“What if, for once in your goddamn life, you think about the consequences of your actions?” I all but scream in his face.
