Leaving The Way: Book Two (The Way Trilogy), стр. 31

chapter 11 - I Wanna Have A Double Wedding

ANNA

Last night absolutely destroyed me. After David took off, two of Luke’s men chased him, but about two hours later they returned to The Castle telling Luke they’d lost him. He was furious. In fact, I have never seen that side of him. He had screamed for someone more competent to go after David, and then complained he should have just done it himself. I get it, he’s just upset, we all are, but I really didn’t like seeing that side of him.

An hour later, he had come to apologize to me, even though I told him it wasn’t necessary, and then he left, saying he needed to go apologize to the men too. When he’d come back it was mid-day, his hair was a mess, his face was red, and he hadn’t even spoken. He just got in the shower, and then ten minutes later he went to bed for the day. I had already had a shower at that point, and there was no way I could sleep, so I’d left, shutting the door behind me and heading downstairs.

Mateo and Daniel were sat at the dining room table when I’d walked in, and both had immediately gone quite. It was clear I wasn’t wanted there, so without a word, I had turned and left. I then made my way to where Mateo had put my parents up temporarily, in a multi-family structure on the back of the property. When I’d walked in to find Easton, and he’d said they were both fed and finally sleeping, I had turned and left there too. Easton had tried to stop me, but I just wasn’t in the mood.

The only other option would have been to go see Ash, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. The General had temporarily given up his room, and that’s where Ash and Chase were now.

I felt solely responsible for what has happened to her, there’s no way I could look her in the eyes, not yet. I knew it was bad, and she would probably never be the same. And I also knew without a doubt we wouldn’t be friends after this. How could she be friends with me now? I left her. I didn’t go back. And weeks later, I had been no closer to rescuing her. While I’d been drinking, eating, and spending time with Luke and my new friends, she had been held captive, tortured, starved and beaten.

There is no way she would have done that to me. I knew her, and the minute she realized I wasn’t with her outside the compound walls, she would have marched right back to the church with a hand on either hip and demanded I be released.

She will never forgive me for this, and I don’t blame her. I’ll never be able to forgive myself either.

Now the sun is starting to set as I walk the perimeter of the beautiful castle. I have nowhere to be, no one to be with. No one has sought me out today, except Brea. She’d found me about an hour ago, and handed me a sandwich and some lemonade before telling me if I was gonna pout, I needed to do it on a full stomach.

As I round the northeast corner of the building for the nine-hundredth time, I hear someone yell my name. I search out the voice and that’s when I see her, standing near the back door to The Castle, dressed in a plum pair of joggers, a white t-shirt, and barefoot. I hadn’t even recognized her voice, that’s how bad he’d fucked her up.

“Ash.”

She turns hearing her name, and then placing both hands on her hips, she demands, “Get your ass over here, right now!”

Okay, I deserve this. I can take. I need to give this to her. It’s the least I can do.

But I’m definitely not in any hurry to get a tongue lashing, so I take my sweet ass time crossing the distance between us. I internally laugh as I see what is soon to be my ex-best friend, tap her foot impatiently.

“What the hell?” She barks in a rusty voice, so unlike my bestie.

Her comment causes a brief flash back to nearly two months ago when Ash had said this same thing because I’d bailed on her, leaving her with Dragon Breath. It seems crazy that was only weeks ago, and I’d give anything for us to be able to go back in time; for none of these horrible things to have happened.

“You are the worst BFF on the face of the planet.” Each word that escapes her mouth is a struggle, almost like she’s not able to get enough air.

If I was to guess, she most likely has some broken ribs, or maybe a combination of that and a hoarse voice from screaming through the torture.

A tear tracks down my cheek as I hang my head in shame. “I know. I’m so sorry, Ash. I’m so sorry I left you.”

“OMGeee! You are such a drama queen. Suck it up, buttercup. I’m not pissed about that. I’m pissed that you’re out here being a little bitch instead of coming to check on your best friend.”

I think her face is fixed in a scowl, but it’s hard to tell with all the swelling. She has a gash that runs along her hairline, across the length of her forehead, along with several small cuts below it in varying degrees of healing.