Page 12 of Ash and Poison

Jimmy laughed. “That’s a teddy bear, you idiot.”

“Jimmy! What did I tell you?”

“Sorry, Doctor Sharma. Sorry, Sarah.”

“How about you, Asher? Do you want to tell us something about your best friend?” I asked with a cheerful smile in his direction, and his lips went flat. I saw the flash of rage in his eyes. The spill of darkness.

“Isn’t it boring, staying quiet all the time? Come on, I’m dying to hear your voice. I know you can talk.” His nostrils flared, and my heart raced in response when he stood up from the chair with a growl.

Now that I knew his trauma was only a cover story, I wasn’t afraid to push him, to break him. He pushed me first.

“No,” he spat out, his voice sharp as a blade, as he stood, towering over me. His fists clenched at his sides, his eyes flashing with barely contained fury.

I leaned back in my chair and offered him a smile. “Oh, what’s this? Are you throwing a temper tantrum now? How very mature of you,” I whispered, and his eyes went into slits.

One of the orderlies, Leo, moved and stopped when I shook my head.

Asher’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might hurl his chair across the room.

“Sit down, Asher.”

His lip curled. “Or what? You’ll lecture me some more?” For someone who had never spoken to me in the four months we had known each other, he certainly filled it all up in two days.

He froze for a fraction of a second, his shoulders rising and falling with shallow breaths. I could see the war raging in his eyes—pride battling restraint, fury battling logic.

I arched an eyebrow. “Are you done grandstanding, or should I let you keep stomping around a bit? Maybe throw in a dramatic exit for good measure?”

He growled. Like a chained animal. He was. But he couldn’t break character now.

“Fuck you.”

“Sit. Down. Or I’ll make you sit.” I pointed to the orderlies just behind the door, waiting for my cue.

Shoulders stiff, he lowered himself back into the chair.

“There. Was that so hard?” I asked, lacing my tone with mock sweetness.

“Don’t push me,” he muttered, glaring at me.

“Push you? Oh, Asher, if I were pushing you, you’d know it.”

4

ECHOES OF THE PAST

DIYA

“Now that Asher has finished with his theatrics…” I said in my sweetest voice, looking around the room. They all looked entranced. Asher’s body went stiff. “Let’s move on. Anyone else? Millie?”

Millie shook her head, her fingers tightening around her pencil.

When the session was over, I made my way back to my office, well aware that Asher was following me. He walked in with me before I could close the door. My heart faltered for a moment before I steadied my breathing. He could indeed hurt me, but I was capable of retaliating if necessary.

“Need something, Maddox?” He tugged at his hair with a grunt. “You don’t have a one-on-one with me today. Want to talk? But you don’t like talking, do you?”

He bared his teeth. He knew I was goading him, but he didn’t know how much I knew. He wouldn’t simply show me his cards without knowing what I was holding.

I sat behind my desk and motioned him to the brown leather chair. “Take a seat.”