'She was a wild one, but some of us need the storm to feel safe.'
|| Book 1 in the Ashton Wright Series ||
|| Animal Kingdom ||
|| S1 - S3 ||
|| COMPLETED ||
No. 1 in #animalkingdom
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Ashton didn't sleep that night, her mind a mess. She'd ignored all the calls from Eli and Andy, as well as the ones from her brothers. She sat on her couch, staring out the open front door; watching the sky turn from black to blue. She didn't move when Andy walked into her house, the couch sinking down beside her as he sat.
'How do you know?' He asked.
She didn't say anything, tears welling in her eyes. She squeezed his hand when he slipped it into her own, threading his fingers through hers.
'Talk to me, Ash,' He whispered; 'How do you know?'
'His... H-His voice,' She stammered; 'I remember his voice, Andy... It's like a nightmare... In the back of my mind... And his eyes, they were almost black.'
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side; resting his head on top of hers as it laid on his shoulder.
'I'm s-sorry, Andy,' She sobbed; 'I'm... I'm just- I'm loosing my mind.'
'No,' He shook his head as he pulled her closer; 'No, you're not.'
'How?'
'Because I think he did it, too.'
'What?'
She raised her head to look at him, her eyes wide.
'I think he did it,' He sighed.
'How?' She scanned his face.
'He only asks for money when he's in trouble. The first time he did it, you and Eli were at a surf comp. He'd robbed a gas station. The second time was when you were eight, he came around late one night. Then he asked for money the night before he was put in jail... He did it, Ash, I know it.'
'What does Eli think?'
'He's too busy looking after Mum to think anything.'
She nodded, leaning back into him; sniffling as she wiped away her tears.
'Deran and Craig have been calling me,' He informed her; 'They're worried about you.'
'I'll ring them later,' She sighed.
'Make sure you come see Mum and Eli, too.'
'Does she want me there? I brought a gun into your house, I threatened your Dad, I-'
'Hey,' He shushed her; 'She's knows you were protecting us... She knows.'
Ashton nodded, blinking back her tears as he phone began to ring on the couch beside her. Deran's photo lit up her screen, Andy passing it to her.
'Hey,' She croaked.
'Where are you? I've been calling you all night,' The man exclaimed.
