Page 2

6 years later…

Asher

Every muscle in my body tenses the closer I get to the door. My fingers squeeze the strap of the bag that hangs by my thigh, reminding me that this is real. I’m not dreaming. I keep waiting for them to stop me and drag me back into Hell, but they don’t.

The second I step through the metal gate, all tension leaves my body. Fresh air hits me in the face, washing away any lingering stench from inside. Sunlight beats down on my skin—a welcome invasion. I tilt my head back and squeeze my eyes shut, letting it etch its way inside me. Freedom has never felt so good.

Footsteps sound nearby, causing my eyes to snap open. Instinct has me reaching for my shank, but then I remember where I’m at and drop my hand back to my side.

“Savage.”

A pair of familiar hazel eyes meet mine, causing my upper lip to curl as bitterness settles in my stomach like dead weight.

“Rosenberg.”

His name sounds like sandpaper on my tongue.

His gaze holds mine, looking for any signs of weakness. I keep my expression blank, giving nothing away. If he thinks he can get anything out of me, he’s dead wrong.

Deep lines crease the corners of his eyes. It’s been six years since he had me locked up, and time hasn’t been kind to him. “You may have gotten released early, but you’ll be back.”

“That right?”

I plaster on a smile so tight that every muscle in my face aches. I’m not giving him a damn thing.

“Yeah, it is. I couldn’t pin Cyrus’ death on you, but you got lucky. It doesn’t mean you won’t fuck up again.”

“Prison riots happen.”

My teeth grind together at the mention of that piece of shit’s name. He got what was coming to him. I shrug to keep from saying anything that will incriminate me.

“I don’t care what they say. I know you butchered her in cold blood.”

He keeps goading me, and this time it almost works.

At the mention of Lauren, my entire body goes stiff. My fingers grip the handle of my bag until the roughness of the material digs into my palm—pain the only thing keeping me grounded and stopping me from ripping out this fucker’s throat. My nostrils flare as I focus on taking slow deep breaths. Going back to prison so soon isn’t part of the plan. Finally, after a few beats of silence, I’m calm enough to speak.

He waits me out to see if I’ll give him what he wants. When I step around him and continue on my way, he calls out, “I’ll be watching you.”

My steps never falter as I take a quick glance over my shoulder and smirk at him. “See ya around, Rosenberg.”

I hear him swearing behind me, but I don’t give a shit. I’m a free man now, and there’s not a damn thing he can do about it.

The sound of a lighter clicking open catches my attention. My brother’s standing in front of his black pickup truck, a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth. Neither of us speaks as he takes his time studying my appearance. I’m much different than the last time he saw me. I’ve packed on at least fifty pounds of muscle and have a shaved head. Tattoos cover both sides of my neck as well as full sleeves on both arms.

He exhales a puff of smoke and rubs his bottom lip with his thumb—a nervous habit he’s had since we were kids. Nothing has changed about him, except he’s a bit older and sporting a few more tattoos than I remember. Blue eyes that mirror my own stare back at me as he pinches the butt of the cigarette between his fingers and brings it away from his mouth. His dark hair is buzzed into the same military style cut he’s had since basic training.

A few more beats of silence pass between us while we stare each other down, taking in every detail. He’s looking for my scars, but he won’t find them. They’re hidden away where no one but me can see.

“You look like shit.” He grins.

My chin jerks in response as a muscle jumps on my cheek. I want to say something, fill in the blanks for him, but I’m at a loss on what. The old me would have hugged him. This new version is broken and trusts no one. “Ax…”

My voice sounds rough and dry. I wet my lips and clear my throat to try again. “Axel, I—”

He waves a hand out, stopping me. “I know, man. I know.”

He understands. There’s nothing more to be said. His eyes flick down to my bag before his gaze comes back to me. “Let’s get you home, big brother.”

His foot pushes off the truck as he makes his way around. I throw my bag in the bed of the truck and hop onto the bench seat.

My fingers rub against the black vinyl, taking in the newly done interior. Each stitch is done perfectly, sparking life into the old truck.

“What?”

Axel glances at me from the driver’s seat.

“I can’t believe you still have this piece of shit.”

“Don’t knock ol’ Willie Mae. She’s been good to me.”

He rubs the dash like his truck has feelings and I just hurt them. “She ain’t much to look at on the outside, but inside she’s got everything I need.”

His lips curl into a sly grin. “You know how much pussy I got in high school ‘cause of her?”

I shake my head and focus on the road ahead. I’m itching to put as many miles between us and this place as possible. Other than a few cars and the dead leaves littering the highway, there isn’t much to distract me, but I do my best anyway.

Neither of us speaks again for the first hour of the drive and that’s fine with me. It’s a comfortable silence—familiar and safe. I remind myself that there’s no more having to watch my back for what lurks in the shadows.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Axel staring. He grins and shakes his head. “You been taking steroids in there, man? You’re fucking huge.”

“Necessary.”

I shrug and steal a smoke from his pack laying on the seat in between us. The second I light it and inhale, peace washes through me.

Not much later, we pull up a dirt drive to a two-story cabin that’s secluded and surrounded by nothing but Georgia pine trees. Windows align the front wall, separated by a stone fireplace and a wraparound front porch. Three wooden rocking chairs are lined along the front as well as a matching small table.

The tall figure on the porch walks out of the shadows and leans against the wooden pillar. Watching, waiting. His features are similar to those of Axel and myself, except that his dark hair hangs down past his chin, tattoos only cover one of his arms, and he’s grown a beard since I saw him last.

I exit the truck, grab my bag, and walk toward the front door until I’m standing right in front of him. His eyes are similar to Axel’s as they assess my overall appearance. I hope they’re not looking for any semblance of the old me because they’ll be disappointed.

“Zane.”

I greet him with a small head lift.

His stoic gaze meets mine. I stand there anticipating his reaction, and what I get shocks the hell out of me. A grin appears on his face right before he pulls me into a one-armed hug. My body goes rigid at the sudden contact before relaxing. Whether he notices it or not, he doesn’t say. He releases me just as quick and leads me inside the cabin without another word.

“Welcome home, brother,”

Zane says over his shoulder.

My eyes dart around the room, taking it all in. It’s a bit overwhelming to see it completed. Everything looks better than I imagined. They followed my blueprints down to the letter.

Axel and Zane keep walking up the stairs with me following on their heels. We enter the first open doorway into a decent-size room. I set my bag down on the bed and glance around. Other than the master suite, this is the only other bedroom on this floor and it’s more than enough.

There’s nothing inside but a small bed that’s pressed up against the wall with a small blanket on top. My hand reaches out and shakes the bed, testing out the sturdiness of the iron frame. It doesn’t move an inch off the floor. It’s perfect.

I cross the room and stare out the large window. The view brings me a sense of calm. After years of staring at nothing but bars, this is a welcome change. “Looks good, real good.”

My knuckle taps against the thick glass. Nothing is getting through this. There’s no balcony and it’s sealed shut, but I don’t need it to open. It’s meant to keep things locked inside—keep them from escaping.

“Of course it does.”

Axel leans against the wall, wearing a smug grin. Good to see he’s still as cocky as I remember. His thumbs are shoved in the pockets of his jeans as he leans against the wall.

“We built it exactly as you designed. Even bolted the bed frame to the floor.”

Zane never takes his eyes off of mine while he speaks. He’s assessing my every movement once again, like he’s lying in wait, ready for me to snap. Little does he know that I’ve become pretty good at hiding the monster inside until he’s needed.

I nod and continue glancing around the room. The walls are as plain as the ones in my cell. Unlike those cement blocks, these ones are much thicker. “Soundproof?”

“The whole place is.”

Axel comes to stand next to me in front of the window.

“Good.” I nod.

“Asher?”

Zane eyes me from across the room. “You sure about this?”

“Yes.”

My gaze doesn’t waver. I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.

“But she’s—”

Axel’s features harden as his body stiffens. He’s growing a conscience and I need to shut that shit down before we go any further.

“A means to an end.”

My voice comes out low and lethal, brooking no further argument. Axel jerks his chin and walks out the door without another word, his loud steps echoing the entire way. My eyes flick toward Zane, waiting for his response. Whether my brothers have my back or not, it won’t stop me from doing what I need to.

“You’ve got something for me?”

Zane nods his head and tosses a folder onto the bed. “It looks like we have some hunting to do.”

His fist pounds against the jamb of the door a couple of times before he turns and walks away, leaving me to my thoughts.

I sit on the bed and pull out the contents of the folder. He gathered as much information as he could, but I’ll obtain the rest myself. A photo slips out and my hand catches it before it can hit the floor. My thumb traces over the image.

It’s all burned in my memory. Every freckle. Every scar. Her dark hair is longer in this photo, but her green eyes burn just as bright as I remember. It’s almost a shame that I’m going to snuff out their light.

“Your time’s almost up, little Charlee. I’ll be coming for you, and soon.”