Page 38 of Guitars and Cages

“What is this, the most popular alley in the city?”

He chuckled, and my head throbbed at the sound.

“Nope, the most popular alley in the city is on Fifth and Main. This one’s pretty tame in comparison. I mean, hell, we’re the only ones here. We could be vying for space with a trio of junkies and a whore trying to ply her trade.”

I groaned. “Even a blowjob doesn’t sound appealing right now.”

“Yeah, you’re messed up,” he said, and I had to agree, because in this moment there was little that didn’t hurt.

“Did Morgan call you?”

“Yeah, you’ve got him all freaked out right now, tryin’ to figure out what’s wrong with you. He called me just after you took off, said he couldn’t leave Rory to go after you. I was standing in the doorway of your apartment talking to him when Conner showed up. You have a real knack for pissing people off, you know.”

“Yeah, it’s one of the few things I’m good at.”

“You look like shit.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

He grabbed my wrist, lifting up the bad hand, and I hissed, because every movement brought a flash of pain. I knew it was broken, and a part of me was glad, while the other part was trying to figure out how the hell I was gonna ride the Harley through the pain.

“Oh, man, you need a hospital, Asher.”

“Not a chance in hell, Mark.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“What?”

“I’m telling you that you don’t have a choice.”

“Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“One of the few fucking friends you have, and I’ll be damned if I go off on tour only to get a phone call a week or a month in that tells me I gotta come home for your fuckin’ funeral.”

“So don’t come.”

“I’d punch you, but you’re messed up enough. You need help, Asher; you need to see a doctor, and then you seriously need to sit down and talk to someone who can help you figure out your issues. Man, you’ve got some serious issues you need to address if you’re carving the fuck outta your arms like this and tryin’ to bash your head in on a wall. Yeah, Conner told us, right after he told us you told him you beat Rory. What was goin’ through your head to make you say that shit?”

I shrugged, but this was Mark, so I told the truth. “I wanted him to leave.”

“Why? He was trying to help you.”

“That was the problem,” I muttered.

“What, you guys don’t get along? I know you ain’t the friendliest bastard around, but from what I’ve seen of Conner, he’s a pretty good guy. Sionn’s dad said he’s caught on to everything in the shop really quick and will be a great help while we’re all on tour. Hell, if things work out Conner might be keeping that job because Sionn won’t ever need it anymore. The guy loves hitting the gym as much as you do, and while he don’t play, he loves the hell outta listening to music.”

“Sounds like you know him pretty well.”

“I’m startin’ to. He’s come around the house a couple times with Sionn. Like I said, he seems like a nice enough guy, and what with him living across the hall from you, you’d at least have someone to talk to while we’re gone.”

“I don’t wanna talk to him; we don’t fuckin’ get along.”

“Damn. You’re a surly bastard, ain’t ya?”

“No. I just don’t like the guy. I didn’t fuckin’ ask him to follow me into this alley and I didn’t ask him to bring you back here, either.”