Chapter Two
Mason
The world was red. I blinked a couple times, forcing my heavy eyes open. A bright light overcame my gaze, driving out the red with pain.
Ringing sirens pervaded the background of my thoughts. I felt whatever I was laying on give a jolt, and heard a following honk from what was presumably a vehicle outside.
“Mr. Asher? You hear me? How are you feeling, Mr. Asher? Can you talk?”
The voice was loud, speaking to me like I was a child. My eyes darted around the little space as a bright light flashed in my eyes. I could feel the pressure of someone’s hands on my face, in my eyes, pulling my eyelids open.
The strong light moved away from my gaze and was instead replaced with the face of a young man in an EMT uniform.
I tried moving my tongue, tasting iron from what must have been blood. I could feel the collar around my neck, my head strapped down. I wanted to move. I wanted to get up. But I couldn’t.
“Sir, try not move. We need to assess your injuries.” The young voice barked orders at another EMT sitting out of my view.
I could feel adrenaline seeping through my chest. I remembered leaving Lucky’s, that stinky bar I had walked out of just moments before the lights went out. Then pain. Lots of pain.
That piece of shit. Jake. Fucking coward. Jake had done this to me. I didn’t know how I knew, but I just did. As I tried to get up, the IV in my arm pinched at my skin. And the straps holding me down failed to give, of course.
“No, don’t move, it’s okay,” another voice broke in, and two strong hands forced my shoulders back. “Is there someone we can call? Do you have someone we can call for you?”
I closed my eyes, trying to keep the small room from spinning.
“We’re going to the hospital, sir. Anyone we can call for you to get some information?”
Harper. No, I remembered. Harper didn’t want me anymore. She didn’t love me. She wouldn’t even care that I was here.
I had spoken to Harper just minutes before walking out to my car. I couldn’t forget the look on her face as she had told me to leave her alone.
My mind went blank suddenly—number, I needed a number to give them.
“Natalie...” I muttered, feeling the cut up inside of my cheeks throb. “Her number...”
I couldn’t remember if I told them the number or not. My eyes closed involuntarily, and I embraced the darkness once more.
* * * *
The red had finally faded from my vision, replaced with the refreshing sight of Natalie’s purple hair. Her voice was the first thing I heard. “But he’ll be okay?”
Another voice replied. “He’s got a concussion. He was hit pretty hard. Some sort of blunt weapon. He’s lucky to be alive.”
Blunt weapon. Jake wasn’t man enough to use his fists. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling my head whirl again as the conversation continued. My ears roared, only allowing me to catch parts of the dialogue.
“Oh my God...”
“Twenty stitches...”
“Who...”
“Mr. Asher.”
I opened my eyes again. A uniformed state cop stood towering over me, and I had to squint against the fluorescent lights, barely able to make out the details of the cop’s face. My mind felt like mush. I wiggled my arm. The IV was still there.
“Mr. Asher, my name is Officer O’Ryan. Any idea what happened to you tonight, sir? Any idea who may have done this to you, or what they wanted? Both your car and wallet were untouched, so we don’t believe this was a robbery.”
I opened my mouth, and then closed it. Did I really know for sure Jake had done this? I wanted to believe I did, but in truth, everything felt a little fuzzy. I tried to think back, but all I could remember was the blackness; the comforting blackness after what had been a really shitty day. I wanted to blame Jake, but I wondered if that had simply been my mind telling me that so I could think more about Harper.
Harper. I wanted her to be here. I wanted to hold her in my arms again. But I’d never get that chance. I glanced back up at O’Ryan. “Sorry, Officer. I’m really fuzzy on what happened. All I know is that I was hit in the head and it hurt like hell.”
The cop’s mouth screwed up into a tight, sympathetic smile. “Well, that’s understandable. If you remember anything, though, I want you to call the station right away. Sound good?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
O’Ryan hesitated before leaving, looking at me curiously. “You don’t have any enemies around these parts, do you, sir?”
I pictured Jake in his hoodie, hiding behind a car, waiting for me. But as far as I knew, Jake had gone away for good. And Harper, I guess… Harper was an enemy now, too, of a different sort entirely. I shook my head, instantly regretting the movement as my vision swam. “Not as far as I know.”
“We get these type of cases quite often with people from your neighborhood—are you sure there’s—”
“It’s time to go home,” Natalie interrupted, moving toward me.
“Home.” I sighed.
O’Ryan took in Natalie’s determined face, and nodded to me. “Remember, Mr. Asher. Anything, any memory that pops up, you let us know. Here’s my card.” He handed Natalie a small business card. She pocketed it with a tight smile, her eyes not leaving mine.
A nurse wheeled me out to Natalie’s car. I settled into the comfortable leather seats, resting my sore head up against the back. Now that the heavier pain meds were beginning to wear off, my entire head had begun to throb.
“I’m really glad we got you this car,” I told Natalie as she climbed in, starting the engine.
She looked over at me and bit her lip.
“Nat, don’t.”
She dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her coat. “Asher, I don’t think you realize what a scare you gave me.”
“Well, I didn’t mean to get clunked on the head by some...” I told you this wasn’t over. I blinked.
“Asher?”
I blinked again. The hot breath on my neck. That voice. I told you this wasn’t over. It kept replaying in my head.
“It was Jake,” I mumbled.
“What?” Natalie stopped at a stoplight and turned toward me. “Jake? Who is Jake?”
“Harper’s ex-boyfriend. I think he’s the one who did this.”
Natalie fumbled in her purse. “Let me find my cellphone. You need to tell the police.”
“No.” I grabbed her wrist, wanting to shake my head to emphasize my point, but refraining. “No, I’ll handle it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I didn’t answer. The light turned green and I grabbed onto the seat. “I feel dizzy.”
“The doctor said you might for the next couple of days. Asher, what the hell were you doing down this way, anyway?”
“I had to see Harper.”
“So you tracked her all the way down here?”
I shrugged, regretting the movement just as I had when I’d shaken my head. “No, Avery told me.”
“So, this is all Harper’s fault.”
“No, it’s my own damn fault. I’m the one who fucked everything up.” Her phone began to ring, the sound piercing my eardrums and making me grit my teeth. “Answer that, would you?”
“Does it hurt your head?” She reached into her purse again, finding her phone. “It’s Harper again. She keeps calling me, leaving messages. Says she’s worried about you.”
I scoffed, finding it awfully funny that Harper cared now, now that she had probably heard about what had happened. Just minutes earlier she hadn’t even wanted anything to do with me. Maybe she thought I was near death, or something.
I remembered then that Harper wasn’t to blame for our relationship problems. I had been the one who lied, the one who had deceived her.
“I’ll call her later, once my head clears,” I said, speaking more to myself than to Natalie.