Chapter 244: Asher
The base parking lot was a nightmare to get out of, but I didn’t care.
The contract is signed. It’s official
વાનગી ન
I’m running the new SEAL initiative–high–stakes field testing for tactical gear, weapon prototypes, covert strategies. Stuff that could change how we pres for black ops. Stuff that could save lives. It’s not closure, not really, not after what happened to my crew. But it’s something. It’s purpose.
And the first person I want to tell?
Her.
I should wait downstairs. Be normal. Respect her schedule.
But I’ve never been good at patience when it comes to Penny, and I sure as hell don’t feel like starting now.
So I park like a jackass–crooked, two inches from the curb–and jog straight into the studio. The building smells like floor wax, lemon cleaner, and too many dreams shoved into one space. I pass the front desk with a nod, head up the stairs, and when I open the rehearsal room door-
Yeah. That tracks.
Penny’s standing in the middle like some kind of reluctant referee, one brow raised, arms crossed, watching two grown men argue like toddlers at rece
One is Luc, who I’ve come to respect even though I’d rather drop–kick him for the amount of times he’s flung Penny across a stage. The other’s a guy I don’t recognize–tall, wiry, same haircut I had at nineteen, and already talking with too much confidence.
“I’m telling you, if you keep the turnout that tight, your line’s going to break during the lift,” he says, gesturing wildly.
Lúc practically growls. “My line is fine.”
“You keep saying that, but you keep dropping her.”
“I dropped her once. That’s literally what rehearsal is for.”
Penny sighs like she’s aged a decade in the last three minutes. “You both know Madame Loretto is going to walk in any second and murder you where you stand, right?”
They don’t seem to hear her. Or maybe they do and just value their lives less than their egos.
Luc throws his towel over his shoulder and stalks off to the corner. The other guy follows, probably to keep poking the bear.
I step up beside her. “New ballet rule? Whoever yells loudest wins?”
She startles, then smiles. “Didn’t hear you come in.”
“Didn’t knock,” I say simply.
Her eyes flick to the guys storming off. “That’s Lyc’s understudy. The gala’s in a few weeks and apparently he’s trying to convince Madame Loretto that Luc’s off his game.”
“Right,” I say. “Because what every elite performance needs is petty sabotage.”
“You’d be amazed how common it is.”
“Yeah, I’ve been deployed with less drama than your dressing room.”
Just then, the legend herself appears.
1/3
Chapter 244: Asher
Madame Loretto doesn’t enter a room so much as dominate the air in it. She’s in her usual attire–floor length navy coat, sunglasies Indoors, her cañe tapping once, sharply, against the wood floor as she pauses,
Without looking at anyone in particular, she says, “No scrawny little child is going to spread seeds of doubt near me, dear, Luc will be the lead
Then, like she’s just remembered she hates everyone here equally, she turns toward us. Her gaze sweeps from my combat boots to Penny’s fished face,
“You,” she says, pointing at me with the tip of her cane. “Feed this one more protein. She’s got muscle like a cat, but no meat. And stop keeping her awake at night.”
Penny makes a small choking sound. I grin.
Madame Loretto continues on without another word.
Penny stares after her, horrified. “I want to dig a hole and live there forever.”
“Why?” I ask, already enjoying this. “Because she knows?”
“Because she said it out loud.”
I wrap an arm around her waist, tuck her into my side like I’ve been needing to all day. “Let’s get you dinner.”
“I have rehearsal-”
“Luc just stormed out and Madame Loretto basically shut the whole room down. It’s over for the day. Let’s go.”
She makes a face. “You’re bossy.”
“Head of a new tactical division. It’s in the job description.”
That earns me a grin.
I glance at her bicep, small and firm and strong in the most Penny way possible. I poke it. “Gotta get some protein into these giant muscles.”
“Stop,” she laughs, blushing.
“Can’t. She gave me orders.”
I lean down, kiss the side of her head, and breathe her in. God, I missed this.
We’re barely five minutes into the drive when I see her–Mila. She’s walking along the sidewalk, hips swaying like she owns the city, massive sunglasses covering half her face, and a smoothie the size of her head in one hand.
“Is that Mila?” I ask, already slowing down.
Penny squints through the windshield, then laughs. “Yep. That’s her. I don’t know anyone else who walks like that.”
I ease the car to the curb and roll down the passenger–side window. “Get in.”
Mila doesn’t even hesitate. She just arches a brow, flicks her hair over one shoulder, and slides into the back seat like we’re her personal Uber.
As the door shuts, she says, “You know, if you were a creep trying to kidnap me, I’d be gone. That was way too easy.”
Penny laughs immediately, and the sound hits me square in the chest.
“I’d never see my family again,” Mila continues dramatically. “That’s how I die. Climbing into your white van and let you murder me cause you’re hot.”
“Stop flirting with my boyfriend,” Penny feases, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.
2/3
Chapter 244: Asher
“Sorry,” Mila says, completely unapologetic. “It’s in a girl’s nature.
Penny snorts, shaking her head, and that smile the real one, the soft one—spreads across her face. The one that makes me want to pull the car aft kiss her breathless for the rest of the night.
1 grip the steering wheel a little tighter, still smiling, but my jaw tightens in the best kind of way. Because I love it when she says that
Boyfriend.
Like it’s mine. Like she’s mine.
It’s not nearly official enough, not for the way I feel. Not for what I want. But it’s a start.
She leans over, bumping her shoulder against mine as we drive, casual and familiar and just enough to make my pulse tick up a few beats
“You’re quiet,” she says, tilting her head.
“Just wondering what kind of girl gets in black cars, with blackout windows, with strangers.”
“Tragic ones,” Mila answers from the back. “But at least I’d go down looking hot.”
I shake my head, grinning. “You two are going to be trouble tonight, huh?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Penny replies, giving me a sideways glance that damn near steals the breath from my lungs.
It’s not a bad thing.
It’s the best thing I’ve ever had.
