Page 28 of Silent as Sin
I caught her wrist before she could slide lower. “No.”
Her eyes widened, surprise flickering before she masked it with a sultry curve of her lips. She leaned in close, her perfume choking the air between us. “Come on, Ash. Don’t be like that. I’ve missed you. Let’s catch up.”
I stepped back, planting space between us. My voice stayed even, but my jaw locked tight enough to crack teeth. “I’m not interested, Roxy.”
Her laugh came harsh, brittle at the edges. “You don’t mean that.” She reached again, bolder, fingers aimed for my belt like she thought I’d let her. “You’ve missed me. I can tell.”
I caught her hand again, harder this time, my grip a warning. My voice cut through the room like steel. “Listen close, Roxy. We were never more than a good time, and I never made it seem like anything else.Again—I’m not interested. You understand me?”
The noise in the room thinned, whispers catching like sparks in dry grass. Brothers turned half an ear, women glanced away but not far. Everyone wanted to see how far I’d push it.
Roxy froze, her smile cracking like glass under pressure. For a heartbeat, her temper flared raw in her eyes—bitter, ugly, all the venom she tried to hide. Then she pasted the grin back on, tossed her hair, and laughed like it was nothing.
But the line of her jaw told the truth. She wasn’t laughing inside.
And I didn’t give a damn.
Because the only thing burning in my chest wasn’t her.
It was Wren, gone from the couch, slipping away while I was stuck putting out fires that never should’ve lit in the first place.
Roxy’s laugh rang again, too high, too hollow. She thought she was still in control, thought the grin could cover the crack I’d just carved through her pride.
My eyes cut across the room one more time, hunting shadows, before I turned to leave. But the thought hit hard and mean, rooting me in place.
I turned back to Roxy. “What did you say to her?”
Her smile faltered. “What?”
“Wren.” The name snapped from me sharper than I meant, the whole room catching it. “She was here when I went into the back. Now she’s gone. You walk in, and suddenly she’s not. Did you say something to her?”
Silence rippled out, heavy as a storm rolling in.
Roxy’s eyes narrowed, heat flashing. “So that’s what this is? You’re worried about her?” She laughed, bitter and loud, tossing her hair back like the sound could cover the fury breaking through her mask. “You’re kidding, right?”
My jaw clenched until my teeth ached. “Answer the question.”
Her smile sharpened, cold as glass. “Didn’t have to say a word. She took one look at me and knew she couldn’t measure up. She’s nothing but a broken little mute, the pity flavor of the week.”
That did it. Fury surged, hot and blinding. I stepped in close, crowding her space until she had to tilt her chin high to meet my eyes. “You don’t get to talk about her that way. Not to me. Not to anyone. She’s here because she belongs here with me, under my patch. You want to hang around, scratch your itch with some of the other men? Fine. But you don’t go near her. Not once. Not ever. You hearing me?”
The anger in her eyes burned hotter, but she pasted the smile back on, lips curving like she could still play the game. “Sure, Ashen. Whatever you say.”
But I saw the promise buried in her glare as she turned away.
She wasn’t done.
And I didn’t care. Right now, all I cared about was finding Wren.
***
ROXY’S PERFUME STILLclung to my shirt, thick and sweet, and I scrubbed a hand down my face like I could wipe it away. Didn’t matter how hard I tried, the scent stuck, reminding me of her nails on my chest, her voice purring in my ear.
I’d shut her down hard, made damn sure she heard me, but women like Roxy never went quietly. You had to cut them clean, leave nothing but finality.
Didn’t matter. She was nothing to me.
The only woman I wanted was Wren. I’d never believed in that instant-shit Warden used to talk about when he met Elara. Thought he was full of it. But there I was, staring at this womanwho hadn’t even spoken, and I fucking knew. She was mine, same way Elara was his. No logic. Just truth.
