Page 130 of Dangerous Men

47

ASHTON

Smoking is a disgusting habit.But that doesn’t stop me from lighting up my fifth cigarette in a row, taking a deep lungful of carcinogens and tar as I lean against the side of an office building in the middle of downtown and wait.

My trainer would kill me if he knew I was smoking again. He’d use it as an excuse to punish me, to push me even harder than he usually does. But right now, I can’t bring myself to give a single fuck.

I exhale a cloud of smoke and watch it curl around me, dancing on the light breeze. My leg bounces incessantly, my muscles twitching. I’m sick of waiting here. All I want to do is talk to Sydney. I want to hear her side and figure out what the fuck happened. I want to start fixing it.

But I need to do this first.

The thought of Sydney’s ex scaring her like that has me seething. I spent a lot of my life angry, but this is different. There’s something so potent about the rage simmering under my skin right now. It makes me want to destroy something.

He frightened her. And Sydney… Sydney kept it from us.

That breaks my fucking heart.

I get that she wants to handle everything on her own. She’s used to it, I bet. And she’s too goddamn kind-hearted for her own good. That’s why she didn’t want us to interfere with Chase's job—because she’s sweet. She’sgood.

I want her to stay good. I can be a monster for her. I can be the awful thing that keeps her good.

Because this? I can’t let this go unpunished. I take a deep breath to steady my racing heart, anger and anxiety swirling together inside my chest.

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I slide it out to read the message.

Alec: Come back to the compound. I’ll handle things with Sydney.

Fucking control freak.I can handle this. I know I can handle this. I just need to talk to her, that’s all.

I’m putting my phone away when I spot him, my body going instantly still. Chase. That stupid motherfucker.

I watch him through narrowed eyes as he leaves his office building, heading straight for the alley where I’m standing. My hands tighten into fists reflexively at the sight of him. He has no idea what’s coming.

We should have had him fired. We should have bankrupted him, evicted him, left him bleeding in a gutter.

We should have handled him before he became a problem.

He’s oblivious, walking toward me like he owns the world. He doesn’t even see me yet. Motherfucker should really know better than to walk through sketchy alleys all on his own. You never know who might be waiting in the shadows.

“Chase?” I ask when he’s close enough, tossing my cigarette to the ground. Not for verification, but just because I want himtoknow thatIknow.

Helooks up, frowning when he sees me. Like he can’t quite place where he recognizes me from. “Yeah?”

My fist connects with his already broken nose with a sickening crunch so loud it echoes around the alley. Chase stumbles backwards, confused, barely able to react, barely able to make a sound. Before he can fully regain his balance, I slam my fist into his kidney.

He coughs violently, his body jerking with the force, but he still doesn’t crumple. He’s tougher than I expected. I’ve faced guys in the ring who wouldn’t be standing after those swings.

“What the fuck do you want?” Chase manages to shout at me, spitting blood—and what looks like a tooth— onto the ground next to my feet.

I duck down to meet his eyes, grinning when I see the flicker of recognition there—the understanding of who I am and why I’m here. And then the moment passes, and there’s nothing in his eyes but fear.

“You’re one ofthem,” he spits the words at me, straightening. “I don’t know what that bitch told you, but she’smyfiancée, and I?—”

I don’t let him finish. I can’t. I launch myself at him, tackling him to the ground with all the fury I’ve been holding in.

How fuckingdare he? How dare he imply that she lied? That she’shis?

She’s mine.