“My name is Asher Collins. Most people call me Ghost. The only people who call me Ash are my mom, my wife, and her sisters. Natalie, Helena’s sister, is my wife, and that makes Helena one of my sisters. That makes her my responsibility.” I have his attention. He gives me all of it.
I can sort of see why Lena likes this guy. Even though he thinks I’m about to fuck him over, he’s showing me respect. I continue, “I have a mother, three brothers, and nine sisters.” I pause to let that sink in before I reveal, “None of them are blood relatives.”
He looks confused. I don’t give him anymore about me. I’d rather tell him why I did what I did. “This isn’t my story to tell, but I know my wife won’t mind.” Leaning back in my chair, I look him in the eye. “You got siblings?”
He nods. “Yeah.”
I look to the ceiling. “Make you want to rip your fuckin’ hair out sometimes, right?”
He huffs out a quiet laugh. “Yeah. Sometimes.”
My eyes meet his. “But you’d do anything to keep ‘em safe, yeah?”
He’s quiet a moment before he reveals, “Fuck yeah.”
“You have no idea.” I look at him and shrug. “Or maybe you do. I don’t know you.” I start again, “You have no idea what it’s like to see the battered face of a loved one. More accurately, of the woman you love, knowing a man put his hands on her. I do. I saw bruises, a black eye, and handprints on my woman’s body, put there by the guy she was dating at the time. True, if he didn’t do what he did, I’d probably not have her right now, but I’d sacrifice everything to make sure she’d be safe from anything and anyone.”
James nods in agreement, and I realize I’m warming up to him.
“I’ve got a lot of sisters, but Helena…” I look towards the open door, my voice quiet. “Helena is special. So when I thought some asshole was taking advantage of her, I did what I needed to do. I will always do what I need to do to keep my girls safe. Understand?”
He utters, “Yeah, man. I get that. But I swear, it was nothing. She hugged me. I hugged her back. That was it.”
I huff out a laugh. “Hard to say no to her, ain’t it?”
A small smile tugs at his lips. “She’s something else.”
I smile at that. “She is, and that’s why I need to protect her. She’s got something good inside of her. Something trusting and pure. If I ever saw that broken, I’d fuckin’ kill the person who stole that from her.” Not allowing him to respond, I stand. “Listen, I know she’s not a kid, but she’s family. Time’s gonna come when she meets a guy and falls in love.” I tell him honestly, “I don’t know if I’m ready for that to happen, but I know I have to trust her to make her own decisions.”
I walk towards the door. He looks at me in confusion. “Wait. What does this mean?”
“It means your job is safe. And I’m sorry for calling you a jerkoff, even though you probably are a jerkoff. As long as you’re good to Lena, we’re okay.” I turn the nob, opening the door. I pause a moment and tell him seriously, “But if you hurt her, in any way, I will tie cement blocks to your legs and throw you in a river. Oh, and I’ll make it look like an accident.”
His face loses a bit of color. I smirk. “See ya around, boss.”
As I leave, I jerk my chin to Helena with a small smile. She smiles back and waves enthusiastically, not caring who sees.
Just another reason to love the dipshit.
***
Helena
The second Ash leaves, I make my way over to James’s office and knock gently. “Come in,” is called out, and I can hear relief sound out through his voice. That makes me happy. I smile and poke my head in. “Mind if I have a word?”
His eyes soften. “Sure, of course. Come on in.”
As I sit in the visitor chair, I wring my hands together. “I’m hoping you’re going to say you aren’t going to hand in that resignation letter today.”
He rubs at his naked scalp, looking sheepish. “No. Not today anyways.”
My shoulders slump in relief. “Thank God. James, I am so sorry. So sorry.”
He waves a hand out at me. “No, don’t be. I caused this, not you. And I understand why Asher did what he did. If it were my sister, I would’ve done it too. Maybe worse.”
I nod and bite my lip. “Does that mean…I mean…are we still friends?”
He looks into my eyes. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”
Dipping my chin to hide my smile, I breathe, “Cool.”
When I raise my head, he looks like he wants to say something, but he’s hesitating. I tell him honestly, “I would feel so much better if you’d just tell me what’s on your mind.”
He nods. “Okay, I just don’t want you to get offended or anything.” I raise my brows expectantly. He starts, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to hug or anything anymore.”
Quite frankly, I am a little offended. Or is that embarrassed? Maybe it’s shame. But I don’t let it show. “I agree. I’d hate for someone to cause problems like this again.” I shoot him a smile and stand. “I’m so glad things are back to normal.”
“Yeah, and you’ve only be here a week. I can only see good things for the future.” He deadpans, “Yippee.”
I laugh in relief more than anything. “Oh God, you’re an ass.”
We laugh together and I feel peace ease into my bones. I stand to leave when he says, “You know, we can still hang out and do things. I’ll be at The White Rabbit this Saturday again, so if you’re there, we can have drinks. I don’t want things to turn awkward.”
He didn’t have to say that, but he did. Not out of obligation, just ‘cause he wanted to. I smile. “I’d like that.”
Decision made, I will definitely be at The White Rabbit this Saturday.
Chapter Eighteen
Helena
My lunch break is an hour long. If I quicken my pace, I’ll be back in forty-five. Thank God for sneakers. I breathe deeply, exhale slowly, and speed-walk down the sidewalk in the sunshine. The city doesn’t smell too good, but I smile regardless, knowing I’ll be there soon. Panting a little, I slow when I reach the entrance. It’s busy, but I think I’ll make it back in time.
Five minutes pass, and finally, I reach the front of the line.