Page 73 of Ash and Poison

“I know you did it, you piece of crap. You tampered with the CCTV,” Vincent spat. His hand raised… and then stopped. I could see how much it took him to stop punching Asher again.

“How could he have done anything? This place is ancient and the cameras don’t—” I started. Vincent cut me off with a shake of his head.

“I told you, Diya. You don’t know a damn thing about him. He’s freaking mad,” Vincent said, glaring at Asher. “You think you’re untouchable because you’ve locked yourself in this shithole? You’re sick, alright, but therapy can’t cure you. Just you wait, Asher. I’ll drag your sorry ass from this place straight to county jail if it’s the last thing I do.”

“I’m scared, Doctor Sharma,” Asher said, voice weak. “I-I can’t bre-breathe.” He clawed at his throat, looking like he’d faint any moment from the pressure.

“Please, sheriff, you should leave. You can’t assault him like this.”

“Oh, fuck it,” Vincent grumbled. “I’m done.” Kicking the chair aside, he strolled out without another look at either of us, before slamming the door closed.

“That wasn’t professional,” Asher said with a grin.

“He won’t back off now,” I whispered, staring at the door still rattling from the force. “I know exactly how it feels to be under constant scrutiny. It’s… horrible.”

“Oh, he can’t do shit. I’m not losing any sleep over Vincent,” Asher said. “Sit down, Diya. You’re shaking.”

I took a deep breath.

“You should. He won’t let you out of his sight after this. You won’t have the freedom to stalk, hunt, or kill. He’ll be breathing down your neck until you feel like you have nowhere to run. After a few days, you’ll feel him even when he’s not around. You’ll feel his eyes through the dark, constantly watching you, warning you. He’ll go wherever you go, he’ll not rest until you go crazy and…” I rubbed my face, my fingers trembling as the air around me grew scarce.

“Vincent is not Detective Knight, Diya,” Asher said, grabbing my hand in his. “Take a deep breath. You’re here, and he won’t come anywhere near you.” He cupped my throat with a hand, softly rubbing the side with a thumb.

“Vincent might not be Knight, but he can still make your life a living hell,” I said, pushing his hand away from my throat. “How will you kill anyone with Vincent on your tail? He won’t let this go. He’ll station someone at the main gate just to keep an eye on you, and…”

“I don’t use the main gate, and I know every nook and cranny of this town. I was born here,” Asher said, softly tapping a finger against my palm.

“So was Vincent. He was your friend, and he knows how you think.”

“Exactly, and that’s why he’ll never catch me.” He smiled. “I have you now. My perfect alibi,” he said, rubbing his jaw with a wince. “Shit, that hurts like hell.”

I pulled my hand away, frowning at the darkening bruise on his jaw.

“Why does he hate you so much?” I asked. “You said you were friends. What happened?” I rubbed his jaw, and he flinched back. “Sorry. Wait.” I went to my drawer and grabbed the first aid kit.

He closed his eyes when I applied the ointment to the bruise.

“Riley was so close to her parents. They died when she was in high school. She started acting out, taking drugs, and he broke up with her the moment he realized she’d spoil his golden boy reputation.” Asher rubbed his forehead. “She needed him after her parents’ death, but he gave up. And I tried, but she needed him.” Asher wiped his face. “It was too much for me after a while and… I left too. I… we killed her.”

“I’m sorry.” I took his hand. He gave me a smile that was broken around the edges, and I wanted so badly to fix the broken parts of him.

“Just be careful, okay?”

“Are you scared for me, Diya Sharma?” he whispered, looking at me like he wanted me to care.

“Fuck no.”

“You’re lying. You are scared. For me, for my safety. These lines on your forehead… Why?” He ran his fingers, tracing my eyebrows.

“Because I’ve come this close to fucking you after months of dreaming about you, and I’d rather you not end up in jail before that happens,” I said with a grin, and he let out a sharp laugh.

“You can always arrange for a conjugal visit.” His voice was suggestive. “Or… we can make it happen right here, right now.” He hooked a finger into the neck of my sweater and tugged until my nose was pressed against his chin.

“Fuck you, Maddox,” I said. “Who the hell are you and what have you done with the grumpy one?”

He shrugged as he stood up. “I should probably go, right? Everyone will be wondering about all of this.”

“You should, and don’t go out tonight. Just stay in.” He didn’t answer. “Come on. Just for a few days.”