Page 78 of One Little Mistake
“Wh—” My question is cut off as he shoves his bed across the room. He pushes it right up next to mine, then climbs in and pulls me into his chest.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I wasn’t thinking when I told you about Ash. I should have known. I …”
“Is he okay?” Easton yells as his knees buckle beneath him. I know instantly something isn’t right. “How did it happen? They all survived? I’m coming home.”
“Beast? Wh-What is it?” I already know it’s going to be bad.
When he raises his gaze to mine, my heart shatters for him. Then, as tears flow freely down his face, I run to him.
“Ash,” he barely chokes out in between sobs. “Th-They were taken.”
Now my heart stops. Knowing what Ashton does for work, ‘taken’ doesn’t usually end well.
“H-He, Seth, and Loki. Th-They hurt him.” As he crumbles to the ground, his words become garbled.
“No.” I’m fighting the flashbacks trying to appear before my eyes. I was ‘taken’ not that long ago, and Ashton is the one who found me.Please, God, please let him be alive.
“Th-They tortured him. H-He’s in surgery now, but the doctors say he’ll never be the same. My … My Preston said a surgeon is flying in from California to work on his f-face. Oh, God, Lex. Why Ash? Why him? N-Not him.”
He cries harder than I have ever seen someone cry. With anyone else, this would make me uncomfortable. I’m not the friend you turn to for comfort. But with Easton? With Easton, I don’t feel like I could be anywhere else. He’s starting to feel like home.
I need to be strong for him.Come on, Lexi, you can do this. Be there for him.
“East? Can you get up? I’ll go book us flights. I have no idea when we’ll be able to get tickets, but if we drive to B-B-Boston, they run every hour.”
The idea of returning to Boston has sweat forming on my lower back, but I will do it for Ash. I’ll do it for Easton.
He shakes his head, which has fallen into my lap. “H-He won’t see anyone. Mom said to stay with you until she has more information.”
Unsure of what else to do, I scoot back against the wall and take Easton with me. With his head resting in my lap, I stroke his hair. My ass goes numb, but a bulldozer couldn’t tear me away from him.
At some point, GG found us on the floor. Without a word, she ushered us to bed, where she brought tea and my Ambien.
Over the next few days, we learn the details of Ashton’s condition. His injuries will heal, but he’ll always carry a scar on his face. His emotional scars will be harder to survive.
Ashton is the one who found me in the house where Miles was holding me while Loki and Seth executed my evacuation. I owe those three men my life, and this is a reminder of just how close I was to life and death. Hearing the events of Ashton’s attack has triggered old memories that only want to come out in my sleep.
“No, Beast. This is not your fault. I need to be stronger than this. Iamstronger than this. I have to be otherwise … otherwise, Miles wins.”
Easton’s arms wrap tighter around me, and safely in his arms, I drift back to sleep. I’ll worry tomorrow about what this means.
Over the next two weeks, we check in with the Westbrooks multiple times a day. We speak to Ash, but he only grunts in response. The monsters who attacked him damaged his vocal cords, and his voice is unlikely to recover.
“I’m scared for Ashton,” I finally admit one morning over coffee. “I see the same darkness in him, but his is all-consuming.”
GG sighs, then stares at me with sad eyes. “This was not in my plan for him. He has a long, painful road ahead of him. You might be the only one who can relate to that, Locket. Someday, he’s going to need your strength,” GG whispers as she kisses my forehead.
“Lexi?” Easton bellows from downstairs.
“Jesus Christ. I don’t think he’ll be happy until he has a tracker on me,” I mutter, making GG laugh.
“Grumpy’s worried about you, Locket. There’s a lot of shit out of control in his life right now. You’re the one thing he can keep safe, so he’s hovering.”
“More like smothering. Seriously, I can’t freaking pee without him knocking on the door six times.”
GG only smiles in response.
“There you are,” East says happily. Pulling up a chair, he practically sits on top of me.
