Fast Burn (Burned Duet 1)

“Why?”

I should have known he wouldn’t be able to contain the question, so I turned in my seat. “Mom got us kicked out of the trailer. She had a place to stay, I didn’t.” I said it so simply, as if I was talking about the weather. “I was sleeping in my car and—”

Leo’s mouth dropped open. “You were sleeping in your car? Why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped. Right, Mom?”

“He’s right,” Belle said as she took the turn for the shop. Her stare met mine and I saw the honesty of her words shining in her eyes. “Never be afraid to ask for help, Elodie.” She turned back to put her attention on the road ahead. “I know it’s hard—trust me, I know. But you don’t have to be embarrassed to ask for help. Okay?”

My stomach bottomed out at her words, and all I could do was whisper, “Okay.” I didn’t know what I was supposed to say to that. It sounded easy enough, but when it came down to it, I wasn’t sure if I could. The truth was, I would have still been sleeping in my car if Asher hadn’t found me last night, and if he and Jax hadn’t accosted me this morning, I never would have agreed to move into the apartment. Asher was helping me, but in the back of my mind, I acted like he wasn’t. It was easier to tell myself this was normal, but in reality, it wasn’t.

“We’re here,” Belle announced as she pulled into a spot a few stores down from East Ink. She pushed some hair out of her face, and I saw the scar on her neck clearer than I had before. It was faded, so I could tell it had been a long time since it had happened, and part of me wondered how she’d gotten it. Maybe that was what she meant when she said it’s hard to ask for help. Maybe she’d been in a bad situation too.

Leo shuffled out of the back of the car, and I followed, keeping a pace behind him and Belle as we all walked to the tattoo shop. The bell rang over the door as we entered, and the vibrating of tattoo machines rang out. I recognized two of the faces from last week after the incident with Knox, but there was a younger guy sitting behind the desk this time.

“Hey, Mav. Asher still upstairs?”

“He’s—”

“You’re here,” a deep voice said, a voice which caused shivers to run down my spine. I turned and spotted Asher sauntering through the middle of the shop. His white T-shirt strained over his chest and his tattoos were on full display. “Hey,” he greeted, stopping a few feet away from us.

“Hey,” I replied, holding my backpack tighter against my own chest.

“You ready to see your new place?” he asked, flashing me a grin.

“I…” I glanced over at Leo, who was walking through the shop to see what was being tattooed, and then to Belle, who hadn’t moved from my side since we entered the shop. “I guess?”

“She’s ready,” Belle announced, pushing her arm through mine and pulling me toward Asher. “I helped decorate.”

“You did?” I asked, following Asher and leaving Leo behind.

“Yep. And if I do say so myself, I did a pretty good job.”

Asher snorted in response but didn’t say anything as he led us toward the back of the shop. My pulse raced as I remembered the last time I’d been in here just over a week ago. Asher had fixed me up, then taken me home, and now this was my home.

He halted in front of a door and held something out to me. I glanced down at it, seeing three keys attached to a keyring which had East Ink on it. “These are your keys.” He plucked one on the keyring. “This is the one to the front door of the shop.” He signaled another key. “This is the side entrance key.” He let that one go and held the last one up. “And this is the one to your apartment door.”

I reached my hand out and took the keys from him, trying to not make any movement as our fingers touched. I wasn’t sure he’d even noticed, not until I looked up at him and saw his chocolate-brown eyes swirling in the same way they had this morning.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Welcome,” he murmured back. “You ready to go see it?” I nodded, unsure whether I’d be able to get my words out clear enough. He opened the door and revealed a set of stairs, and to the left at the bottom was another door. “That’s the side entrance door.” He headed up the stairs, and both Belle and I followed him. The wooden stairs had a strip of gray carpet in the middle and stained wood on either side. Asher halted at the top of the stairs and pointed to the white door. “And this is your apartment.”

I was scared to look. I was scared to see what would become my safe haven. I’d only ever lived in trailers my entire life, but now I would be living between four brick walls, which meant it would be cool in the summer and warm in the winter. I wouldn’t need to tape scraps of material to my window so no one could peek through and see into my bedroom. I wouldn’t have to worry about how much sleep I’d get or whether I had to push my furniture against my flimsy bedroom door so no one would get inside.

It was my place. My sanctuary. And as I walked inside and saw the sofa sitting in the middle of the room with a small coffee table on top of a rug, I felt tears spring to my eyes. It was beautiful. And mine.

I tried to swallow against the lump building in my throat, but it was almost impossible. The living room and kitchen was one giant room, separated by a small dining table with two chairs. I had a place to sit and eat. An actual dining table. “It’s beautiful,” I murmured, not able to look at Asher nor Belle. I was afraid if I did, they’d see all of my emotions plain as day.

“The bedroom is through there,” Asher said from behind me, his voice low. “Jax got you a new mattress and Belle brought over some bedding.”

All I could do was nod as I walked into the bedroom. Inside was a double bed covered in a beautiful gray comforter and a bedside table. “I don’t know how to thank you,” I whispered, finally turning to face them both. They stood in the doorway with smiles on their faces, and for some reason, that was the final straw to make the tears fall from my eyes and slip down my cheeks.

“Oh, sweetie.” Belle lunged forward and wrapped her arms around me. “Don’t get upset. I know Asher has awful taste in beds, but we can—”

“Hey!” Asher chuckled, and I met his stare. He may have been laughing, but I could see the unsure look in his eyes. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and he pushed his hand through his hair and gripped it. “If you don’t like the bed I can—”

“The bed is perfect,” I choked out, pulling away from Belle and wiping my face. I couldn’t believe I’d cried in front of them, and all over a bed that was now mine. “I’m just…I’ve never lived anywhere like this.” I ran my hand over the comforter, feeling the silk material under my palm. It was so soft, softer than anything I’d ever touched. “I’ve lived in trailers my entire life, and I…I …” I blew out a breath, frustrated I couldn’t voice what I was feeling.