Page 38 of Asking for Trouble

And everythin’ in me arrested as if in doin’ so I could extend that single moment into many.

“Aaron,” she mouthed without sound, those gorgeous eyes wide with shock.

Her gaze dropped to the gun, then back to my face, notin’ the fury vibratin’ every molecule in me.

“No,” she mouthed then in an actual whisper, “No. There are nine men in this house with guns. Another few near the barn. Rooster is due back any minute with more.”

I could barely digest the words. Rage was rushin’ in my ears, drownin’ her out and whisperin’ its own devilish song:kill them all, kill them all.

Kill. Them. All.

What was a dozen men against the weight’a my wrath?

“Please,” she said, steppin’ closer to press her hand to the thin wire screen separatin’ us. “I can’t see you hurt.”

“You’re fuckin’ hurt,” I hissed quietly between my teeth.

“Not as much as I would be if you got yourself killed,” she promised, before checkin’ over her shoulder as someone hollered within the house. “You’ve gotta go.”

“Promise to meet me,” I pushed, placin’ my hand over hers, the warmth’a her skin seepin’ through the screen door. “And I’ll go.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“I like livin’ on the edge,” I reminded her as thuds sounded inside and Blue tried to pull away. My fingers punched through the flimsy screen, tearin’ holes so I could curl my fingers around hers.

She bit into that plush bottom lip, and I noticed a healin’ split in one corner. My fingers curled tighter over hers.

When she whispered a series’a numbers before slippin’ her hand from mine and turnin’ back into the kitchen, I didn’t get it at first.

It was only after I dissolved into the shadows to find my brothers to call off the fire that I realized what they were.

Her phone number.

BLUE

Aaron: Tell me you’re okay.

Aaron: Won’t stop textin’ ’til you respond.

Aaron: Can’t sleep not knowin’ if you’re hurtin’ or safe.

Aaron: Can’t breathe either.

What had possessedme to give Aaron my number?

I’d known he would abuse the connection, and honestly, I’d wanted him to. The phone was a burner, one I hid in the lining of my mattress and only checked before bed and after waking up every day. But the idea of having a connection with him again, a tangible lifeline to tug at when I felt like I was drowning, was too good to pass up.

And so Aaron had my number, and even though I tried to keep my distance, I fell victim to his charm within days.

Blue: I’m alive. I’m not exactly safe because the Raiders are assholes, and I’m hurting, but it’s mostly inside my chest.

Aaron: You miss me.

I laughed under my breath as I sat cross-legged in my little twin bed at the farmhouse.

Blue: I missed my ring. Thank you for finding it.

Aaron: Ask me anythin’ and you shall receive.