Page 140 of Ash and Poison

“Oh, wow. Thanks for the reassurance,” I said, crossing my arms.

She laughed. “I actually really like you, Asher. And she does too, but she’ll ask you to run when this is over. Don’t.”

“I’m too far gone to run,” I said with a sigh, studying her face. “The more I look at you, the more I miss Riley.” And Vincent. It was strange to miss that asshole, but I did.

“Diya said you found Riley…”

I nodded.

“She was in the woods—her feet torn up, her dress in tatters. There were long lines on her skin like she’d cut herself with a knife. The rope around her neck was digging into her skin until…” I closed my eyes. No matter how much I wanted to forget, I never could. “I should’ve gone to her sooner. She must have hated me for leaving her behind. Just like how you blame Declan.”

Her jaw tightened. “It’s not the same. You didn’t know what she was going through. Dex did,” she said. “You’re not him, Asher.”

“Thanks, you know, for everything,” I said.

She gave me a small smile. “Of course. Now come on. Let’s go check in on our mess of a friend.”

She opened the door, and Jimmy looked up, eyes unfocused.

“Hey Jimmy,” Layne said, and he shrunk back, eyes glazed, and wide. “Even drugged, his instincts are good,” Layne said, looking around, before plunging the syringe behind his ear. Jimmy whimpered.

Smiling, she turned to me.

“All done.”

Later that evening, when everyone had gone to bed, I sat in my room, waiting, staring at the clock. It moved like a fucking snail.

I missed her, her smile, her voice, the way her lips would tilt down whenever she got mad. She was angry when she left.

She made me want things I had never thought about. She made me want things I’d never let myself think about before. Something simple. Something that wasn’t full of chaos. And it scared me.

Ever since I found Riley’s body, my life has been driven by rage. It consumed me, shaped every choice I made, and left no room for anything else. But when I met Diya, something changed. The anger was still there, sharp and unforgiving, but it didn’t control me anymore.

With her, the darkness settled into a soft gray. The roar in my head became a whisper.

For the first time in years, I wanted something beyond revenge, something close to normal, whatever that meant for someone like me.

When the clock chimed one, I stood up and walked out, carefully following my usual path.

A few minutes later, I was standing outside Diya’s cottage. The light was on—she always left it on, for me.

My heart was a mess when I raised my hand to knock.

Before I could do it again, the door opened.

She stood there, her honey-brown eyes bright and eager.

“Asher,” she breathed, and then her smile withered. Her lips dipped into that familiar frown, and I wanted to fall to my knees and ask her to keep me. Forever.

“Did you find anything?” I asked.

“Nothing much,” she said quietly. “Jonah looked angry. He didn’t want to be there.”

I stepped inside and sank onto the couch. She followed, sitting close beside me.

I leaned closer instinctively, my head filled with the scent of her. She looked at me, eyes wide. Before I could say something, Layne walked out of the kitchen, balancing a tray in her hands.

“Here,” she said, setting the tray down. “Keep calm, drink chai, and then… plan murder.”