Page 27 of Asher Black (The Five Syndicates)
I can live my life normally and just nod my head if anyone asks me if we’re engaged. So, I make my decision, resolving to commit to Asher’s lie.
I give a fake admonishing gasp and say, “Asher! You were supposed to be keeping our engagement a secret, babe!” I playfully hit his chest with my free hand. Then, I lower my voice conspiratorially, turn towards the sneering man and say, “He wasn’t supposed to announce anything until I graduate. I wanted to spend my time at Wilton without any fanfare.” I hold up my left hand and wiggle my bare fingers. “Hence the lack of a ring.” I mimic a disappointed sigh. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag now.”
When one of the other men says, “Wow. Wilton? That’s very impressive, dear,” Asher loosens his grip on my hand and gives it a quick squeeze. I know it’s his way of conveying his approval. I turn to look at him, being sure to paste an adoring look across my face.
Damn, I’m a great actress.
My talents are lost on the sciences.
Asher leans in to kiss my temple. The kiss conceals the “thanks” he slips under his breath. I give a slight nod that I know only he will pick up and turn around to lean against him. He wraps his free arm across my body, and one of the girls lets out a long “awwww!” Meanwhile, I’m trying to conceal the way my heart is pounding out of my chest at his gentle touch.
I nod to the man that made the comment about Wilton and say, “Thank you. I’m very thankful to have gotten in. It’s truly a wonderful school.” And to make our fake engagement more believable, I gush, “You know, Asher actually went there, too.” I look up at him with fake googly eyes and say, “He snuck into two of my lectures today and ended up answering all of my stats professor’s questions! It was unbelievable.”
The sneering man’s face is red now. He looks irritated, which gives me the feeling that this charade is for him. And it seems to be working. He’s clearly pissed.
“I think we’ve seen enough,” he says. He turns to the rest of his group. “We have a lot to prepare for this upcoming week. I think I’m going to call it a night.”
The rest of the group give murmurs of agreements and leave after saying their goodbyes to Asher and me. When they are gone, Asher signals to one of his guards, who nods before pulling a device out of his sleeve.
It’s a long, flat stick, like the ones airport security uses to search for any metals. I watch in fascination as the guard waves the stick all around the VIP area, as if searching for something. A bug, probably.
The idea of those men placing a bug in here is disturbing. It makes me tense, and Asher squeezes me in response. It’s then that I realize I’m still in his arms. My face flushes. I step away from his body immediately and turn to face him.
He studies me as I study him.
“You know,” he begins, “you’re a really good liar. If I didn’t know better, I might have to reconsider believing you when you say you’re not a spy for one of the other families. Or a fed.”
He can’t afford to. That’s unspoken, but we both know it’s true. I can tell those men are important, and now they think we’re engaged. He needs me. And as long as he needs me, I’m safe in New York and can stay at Wilton. Because of this, I plan to ride the safety of this fake engagement out for as long as I can.
I’m silent for a moment before giving him a shrug. “I grew up in foster care. I learned how to lie when social services came around.”
It’s grim, but it’s my reality. Some of the foster families used to starve me or made it known that they only took me in for the monthly check, but those foster families are better than the ones that beat me.
The on
es that physically hurt me, and the families like Steve, are the most dangerous ones. You can always steal food and live with people that don’t care about you, but you can’t undo death. It’s just not possible. So, I trained myself to lie to social workers about my living conditions, and in return, I would be allowed to stay in the “better” homes.
Asher nods. There’s no pity in his eyes. Just understanding. “Then I made the right choice. You’ll be heading back with me tonight.”
“What?” Did I hear that right? “You want me to sleep at your place?”
He sighs, like it’s a nuisance to explain his thought process to me. “I doubt they’ll have eyes on you yet, but just in case, you will need to stay with me. There cannot be any doubt regarding the validity of this engagement.”
No way. I didn’t agree to that. I don’t agree to that. I thought that, at most, I would have to go to a few events, look pretty and smile a lot. But moving in with him? That’s asking for too much.
I take another step back, placing even more distance between us. “No. Absolutely not,” I say, crossing my arms.
The more time I spend with Asher, the more confident I feel about talking back. I like the newfound fearlessness in me, even if the reason for it is currently giving me a death glare.
He narrows his eyes. “Need I remind you that you owe me a favor of my choosing? You don’t get to say no, Lucy.” He turns to one of his guards and says, “Let her friend know that Lucy will be coming with me.”
I turn to the guard and say, “No. Let my friend know that I will not be coming with Mr. Black. Tell her to call the police if I do not come home tonight, for I will undoubtedly have been kidnapped.”
Asher growls when the guard doesn’t move. “Xavier, ignore her. Do as I say,” he barks, before forcibly dragging me into a hidden elevator, located behind one of the tinted glass panels.
I struggle against his hold, but it only brings me closer to him.
He laughs. “Keep doing that, sweetheart. It only makes this more enjoyable.”
