Page 73 of Asher Black (The Five Syndicates)
I can’t help it.
He doesn’t mean it like that.
But what if he does?
You’re not actually his.
He just told me I am.
This isn’t real.
It feels so damn real to me.
I release a shaky breath. “You can’t just say stuff like that.”
“I can’t?” There’s amusement in his eyes.
“It’s confusing.”
Like when you go out of your way to help me with school.
And slip into bed with me because I’m having a nightmare.
And step in front of a bullet for me.
And defend me against Minka.
And whisper in my ear that you’ll do anything for the ones you love.
His eyes drop to my lips, and he opens his mouth to say something, but something in my face makes him stop. Instead, he nods and takes a step back from me. Asher leads me downstairs, where his security team is waiting.
They’re going over the plan again, so I leave them alone, entering the kitchen for a bottle of water. I don’t need a recap. My part of the plan is pretty simple anyways. I just have to stay here with Asher, Xavier and a few other guards while Caroline and Damien go out in public, pretending to be us.
I remember my conversation with Asher earlier.
“It’s a Cold Charlie. You put your helmet on the end of your sniper rifle. Someone takes a shot, and you flush them out. Then, you take the shot. It’s a Cold Charlie.”
“American Sniper? That’s just a movie, Asher.”
“And a book, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”
We’re trying to draw out any more shooters, so we know which one of us they’re targeting. If Caroline and Damien stay realistically close but far enough apart that a shot will hit the intended target, we’ll know who they’re after.
Asher has a private detective tracking down who hired the shooter. So, until he figures that out, the best we can do is figure out which one of us is the intended target. And apparently, the quickest way to do that is to lure the shooters out.
Asher’s team has already made a route for our doppelgangers to take. Most of Asher’s guards will be following them discreetly, hoping to capture the new shooters. Meanwhile, three guards will stay in the security room with me along with Xavier and Asher’s personal guard. We’ll monitor the situation from there, using live high definition footage from the miniature body cameras attached on all the guards, Damien and Caroline.
When I approach Asher, he reaches behind him and sticks a finger in my belt loop, tugging until I’m beside him. It’s an intimate gesture, but it’s not an unexpected one. Since the shooting a few days ago, we’ve been more aware of each other.
Even though I have Xavier, Asher has barely left my side. He even went to lecture with me a few times this week. Whenever we went, Asher always dressed in black jogger sweats and a black hoodie to keep a low profile. We would sit in the dark back corners of the class, hidden from view, while I’d try and fail to pay attention to the professors.
To be fair, Asher in a suit is sexy as sin, but Asher in sweats and a hoodie? I’m more likely to go to Heaven than find a man hotter than him.
“We’re still waiting on hair and makeup,” Asher tells me.
I eye the group, noting that there’s a rooster person missing. “Where’s Monica?”
“This is need to know. Only security personnel and my family know.”
