Chapter 74

ASHER

Maddison keeps her word and joins me and my family for breakfast in the kitchen. Ebony, however, remains in bed, and Addison is mysteriously absent. Maddison’s cheeks are flushed, a telltale sign of her recent arousal, and I can’t help but smirk as I enjoy my toast, a content purr rumbling in my throat.

I can’t help but wonder what my parents make of her rosy cheeks. Do they suspect she’s embarrassed to be sitting there in my mother’s silk pajama set?

Regardless of their thoughts, we eat in relative silence, trying our best to ignore Zach showering Mama with kisses. Maddison doesn’t swoon, though. Instead, her eyes soften as she watches my parents’ display of affection.

Mama eventually announces she has housework to do, which I suspect is her excuse to sneak off with Zach for some private time. I find myself wondering how they manage to keep their relationship so fresh and passionate after all these years.

~Could I be like that when I’m old and gray?~ Is this something that happens to everyone, or are my parents the exception?

“So,” I start, once Zach has disappeared barely five minutes after Mama. ~I knew it…~

“Maddison has agreed to help us,” I reveal to Callum and Tyler.

“Wonderful,” Tyler responds, smiling gently at Maddison, grateful for her willingness to help despite the weight of responsibility she feels.

This is classic Tyler, always humble, even in the smallest of decisions.

“Good. We need all the information you have. Meetings, deliveries, paperwork if you can get it… Names. Anything you have will help,” Callum states.

His words seem to hit her like bullets. Her body jerks back slightly, as if physically recoiling from his words.

She’s terrified, and he’s going about this all wrong.

“Dad,” I warn.

Our eyes lock, and he tries to assert his dominance. He wants me to back off and let him take control—to bulldoze his way through this situation with Maddison to get whatever he thinks he needs.

“Just tell them what you’re comfortable telling them,” I advise firmly, my warning clearly directed at my father.

“Them?” she questions, her eyes begging for an escape.

“It’ll be me and the officer in charge of the case,” Callum informs her.

I can see her fight-or-flight response kicking in. The urge to bolt from the kitchen island and disappear forever is written all over her face.

But she stands her ground, nodding her agreement despite the voice inside her screaming for her to run. In that moment, I realize I admire her more than any other woman I’ve ever met.

Maddison is a fighter. A resilient vixen who navigates the obstacles life throws at her.

“Good. Well, I’ll be needing to head out and meet the detective. He’ll be here any moment, and I’ll debrief him with everything I know. I’ll have to admit to your involvement. Get clearance for you to be part of the team,” he says to me. “Anyway, meet us out in my office at your earliest convenience. M’kay?”

I nod at Callum, rolling my eyes at his unnecessary formality. He needs to be gentle, like he is with Mama. Maybe then Maddison would be more willing to cooperate.

Maddison needs that gentleness, and maybe that’s why my offer to give her something in return worked to our mutual benefit. She’s clearly starved for the intimacy her body craves, and I’m more than willing to provide that in exchange for her help in freeing her and any other girls under Fennick’s control.

I pour water into glasses for both of us, silently encouraging her to drink.

“What you’ve agreed to is really brave, Maddison. Don’t push yourself too far. Allow yourself room to breathe, and know you will always have an advocate in the four of us—Asher and his siblings too. Whatever you need, we will accommodate it,” Tyler says warmly.

His words are far more comforting than Callum’s, which seems to surprise Maddison. His gentle, fatherly demeanor is something she’s clearly not used to, and it makes me wonder what her upbringing was like.

She’s made it clear her home life wasn’t ideal, but part of me wants to dig deeper—to uncover the wrongs done to her so I can right them and help her heal.

I shouldn’t feel this way; I’ve never been this possessive over a girl in my life. Sure, my sisters and Mama are the exceptions, but that’s a given. I’ve always been taught that it’s our duty as men to protect our women, and they’ve always been my top priority, along with Atty.

Could that be it? Is my protective instinct toward these girls because I’ve chosen to protect them, because I see them as mine?

That would make sense. I can relate to that.

I busy myself in the kitchen, gathering Ebony’s favorite snacks, preparing a tray to ensure she eats something. The tray is loaded with all sorts of stuff—fresh fruits and vegetables, cookies, candy. You name it, I’ve got it.

Tyler gives me a puzzled look as I put everything together. I leave Maddison in his capable hands so I can deliver the tray to Ebony.

When I knock on the door, Ebony is in bed, the covers pulled up to her neck. She doesn’t make a sound, and there’s no invitation to enter Tilly’s room, but I do anyway.

I approach her quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed. Up close, she appears clammy, her skin glistening with sweat. I can’t help myself; I reach out to touch her forehead, just like Mama would do.

“You’re burning up,” I say.

She doesn’t respond, just keeps her eyes on me, unblinking as she absorbs my words.

“I brought you some snacks—fruit, veggies…some of them,” I pick up the fruit puree sweets, turning the packet in my hand. “Are questionable.”

Again, she ignores me, her gaze only shifting to the tray I place on the bedside table before returning to me. She looks like a lost kitten, her eyes wide with a mix of sadness, anger, anguish, and upset.

“Did I upset you yesterday?” I ask, recalling the small kiss I gave her on Boux.

I really shouldn’t have; she’s so young—so innocent. But it felt right in the moment, that strange pull I feel toward her guiding my actions.

I guess that’s what’s happening now, the same reason why I prepared a selection of food for her to pick at. I want to take care of her. All of them, really.

“Anyway,” I clear my throat, a wave of anxiety washing over me. “Maddison’s going to be speaking to my father today. We’ll get you and the others home soon. I promise.”

I leave the tray and her, heading toward the bedroom door, determined not to look back. But she speaks when I least expect it, causing me to turn back to her.

“The cravings have been bad all night. It’s like a voice whispering to me from every dark corner of the room. It’s begging me to steal anything I find here in the house.

It wants me to beg your parents for drugs, to ransack the whole house to find anything that might give me a buzz… I can’t control it, Asher. I feel unsafe in my own mind.”

Her words shatter me.

A deep resonance settles in my stomach.

I’ve been there.

So many times, I tried to quit drugs, and each time I was ensnared by what I call the devil’s trap.

I completely understand where she’s coming from; I know from personal experience what that feels like. But I also know that those cravings are proof she’s gone through detoxing.

That she’s just on the other side of being an active user, stepping into sobriety and the challenges that come with staying sober.

“Will you talk to my father? He’s a great listener, and he’s kind of been in the same place you have.”

“Which one?” she asks timidly.

“Tyler. He’s in the kitchen with Maddison. He won’t bite. In fact, out of the three, he’s the most gentle.”

She looks at the bedcovers for a brief moment, then at me.

Nodding, she gets out of bed, walking to my side cautiously.

I turn to leave, but she pulls me into a deep hug.

“Thank you,” she says, and I hear every unspoken word.

~Thank you for saving me.~

~Thank you for being the stand-up guy.~

~Thank you for making me detox.~

~Thank you for being different from those men.~

And in that one hug, I feel as if I’m healing inside.