Asher (Ashes & Embers 6)

Me: I will. I hope you feel better, sweetheart. Do you have everything you need?

Ember: Yes. Sarah’s been awesome. And Teddy has been cuddling me.

The dog is getting more attention than me. How the hell is this my life?

Me: Good. :-) Call me if you want to talk. Or if you want me to play you music. Anytime.

Ember: Ok. xo You make sure you get some rest.

I forward the video from Piper to Ember and type “I love you” in the text.

No message read indicator shows up on the screen.

Shit.

The whispers of the gut are always right, and mine are screaming right now, waving bright-red flags.

Chapter Forty-Four

I wake up to a text from Ember.

Ember: The video of you singing with Evan is awesome. I don’t remember him at all but your voices together are WOW! I watched it about five times.

Me: This was nice to wake up to. :-)

Ember: Good morning. xo

Me: How ya feelin’?

Ember: A little better.

Me: Can I call you?

Ember: Let’s talk on the phone tonight. I’m going to meet with Sarah in a few minutes.

My teeth grind together.

Me: You got something against my voice all of a sudden? ;-)

Ember: I love your voice.

Me: I love yours too. That’s why I want to hear it.

Ember: I’m sorry. I still feel kinda yucky and I haven’t done any physical therapy in three days. I thought tonight after your show would be better.

Me: Ok. I miss talking to you.

Ember: I miss you a lot. Even more after seeing the video. Your voice gives me chills.

Me: I could be giving you chills right now. Pick up the phone, baby.

Ember: LOL you don’t give up, do you?

Me: Never.

Ember: Good. :-) I’m going to go now.

Me: Text me some pix of you and Teddy. It sucks being on this bus all day.

Ember: I will. You can send me some pix too. ;-)

“You gonna spend the entire day staring at your phone again?” Tor mocks me as I walk past him in the narrow kitchen of the bus.

I stick a pod in the coffee maker and hit the glowing blue button.

“Look who’s talkin’.”

Tor tosses his phone onto the table. “I don’t know how you do this for months. Or how you lived like this for years.” He stares out the window. “I’m going stir crazy in this tube on wheels.”

“You get used to it,” Storm replies.

Tor shakes his head at him. “I don’t even know what fuckin’ day it is.”

“Who cares what day it is?” Mikah pushes past me to grab a coffee mug.

“You get in touch with Ember?” Tor asks as I take a seat next to him.

I rub my palms into my eyes. I slept like shit last night.

“Yeah. She seems more like herself this morning.”

Mikah scoffs in my direction. “Ash, what the fuck are you bitchin’ for? You basically got your wife, and a new girlfriend, all wrapped in one.”

My vision goes blood red as I glare at my brother, envisioning the best way to kill him without making a total mess.

Tor grabs my arm. “Ash, ignore him. And, Mikah? Go fuck yourself.”

“C’mon,” he says with a sneer. “I’m just kiddin’.”

“It’s not funny,” Talon says. “You’re a douche.”

“Says the guy who married a stranger.” Mikah lets out his evil laugh. “Is that like a running theme in this family now? Being married to someone you don’t even fucking know?”

“You better get the hell out of my sight before I hurt you.” I seethe, clenching my fists. It’s taking every ounce of my control not to throw my brother off this bus in the middle of the interstate.

He raises his hand to flip me off, and in a blink, Vandal grabs Mikah’s hand, spins him around, and pushes him facedown into the counter.

“What the fuck?” Mikah yells, his cheek smashed against the granite, as Vandal wrenches his arm behind his back at an ugly angle. “You’re gonna break my fuckin’ arm.”

“No.” Vandal’s voice is deep and eerily calm. “I’m gonna break both of them.”

“As much as I’d love to see that, we kinda need a drummer,” Talon points out.

We all watch, sipping our coffees and eating donuts, as Vandal zip ties Mikah’s hands behind his back, slaps duct tape over his mouth, and pushes him down the hall to his bunk.

None of us say a word. None of us question why Vandal has the equivalent of a rape kit within reach in the kitchenette of our tour bus.

Vandal shrugs casually when he returns to the table and picks up his protein shake. “I’ll cut him loose in half an hour. He’s not gonna die. I’m sick of hearing his shit.”

Me: I just got back to the bus. I’m sorry it’s so late. You still awake?

Ember: Yes. I’ve been reading.

Me: Anything good?

Ember: The story of us. xo

Me: My favorite story. :-) Can we video chat?