Ashton And Justice (7 page)

Just as Ashton disappeared from view, the front door opened. While earlier, the bell had sounded so light and cheery, it now seemed to have an ominous feel to it. Justice's heart sank even farther when he spotted the angry glint in Craig's eyes. Justice still forced himself to plaster a smile on his face.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Craig's answering smirk immediately let Justice know he was in major trouble for something. His chest constricted even tighter as he fought to keep his breaths steady and even. The last time he'd hyperventilated in his brother's presence, it'd only made things worse.

"Dad called your apartment phone the past two nights and you didn't answer," Craig announced.

It took every bit of Justice's willpower to school his features so they remained innocent. Damn, he realized his dad would figure out that he'd been going out a lot, but he hadn't imagined it'd be so soon.

"It's the end of term. I've been putting in a ton of extra hours at the library."

Craig leaned in closer, so his beer infused breath brushed against Justice's cheek. Although every instinct in Justice's body screamed for him to back away and retreat, he forced himself to stand still.

At the same moment, shame flooded him because he knew there was no way Ashton couldn't be hearing every word of the exchange. It made Justice want to close his eyes and shrivel up into a tiny ball.

"Do you honestly think I believe you?" Craig asked, his voice so sharp Justice couldn't help but jerk in reaction.

"Yes, I do," Justice whispered, a cold sweat breaking out over his body.

"You've always been a piss-poor liar."

Crap, the situation had gone south fast. First Craig showing up, when he'd obviously been drinking, then him airing their family issues in public. Both things he usually wouldn't dare do for fear of infuriating their father. With each passing second it became clearer that his brother was getting out of control. Justice took in a steadying breath as he willed Ashton to stay hidden. Justice didn't even want to think about how ugly things would get if his lover rushed to his aid.

"Please, don't do this." Justice didn't realize he'd spoken aloud until his brother backhanded him.

It was a quick strike, most likely because even with the booze lowering his inhibitions, Craig realized he was going too far. The blow still managed to connect hard. Pain exploded in Justice's head as his newly healed lip broke open. As the blood trickled down his chin, a small part of Justice yearned to rebel. He'd become long weary of the same old game playing out, especially since Craig seemed so intent on upping the ante, and not in Justice's favor.

He then realized it would never end. No matter how hard he tried, or how successful he became, it'd never be enough for Craig or his father. So why he continued to try so hard became a mystery to Justice. He almost finally struck back, his hand only being stayed because he didn't want things to get that intense with Ashton so close.

Then Craig stepped forward. "It's times like this I wish you'd been in that car with Mom the night she died. That way I wouldn't have to deal with you as an embarrassment."

Those hateful words made a wave of nausea roll over Justice, but even then a huge part of his thoughts remained focused on Ashton and the fact that he could be discovered at any minute. If he and Craig were to get into it, it wouldn't end well for either side

Ashton curled his fingers around the edge of the shelf as he fought back a yell of anger. It proved to be a near impossible task. With each harshly spoken word directed at Justice, Ashton felt his control slipping a bit more.

It didn't mark the first time Ashton had witnessed violence or verbal abuse. While his father tried to shield him from it, more than once he'd seen the darker side of the family business. No other incident had ever affected him this way, though. It felt almost as if every slur and insult was being delivered to him. No, worse, because it was the man he cared about who was being hurt.

He wanted to rush forward and intervene and deliver some pain of his own. He stayed back, knowing it would only make things worse for Justice. By the way the conversation had been going, Craig only suspected Justice of something. Craig didn't know anything concrete. So, the last thing Justice needed at that moment was for Ashton to come to the rescue and announce their forbidden relationship.

He still knew he had to do something. He just couldn't sit there with his thumb up his nose while his lover suffered. An idea sprang to his head and he pulled his cell from his phone. Even though the ramifications of his action would weigh heavily in his own household, Ashton still didn't hesitate.

With shaking fingers he quickly typed out a text to his driver, Baker, one of his father's newer "employees."
I need your help. Come into the store and just act like you need to buy something. Whatever you do, don't mention my name.

After he hit send, a tiny measure of hope sparked in Justice. While Baker may be fresh, he still seemed to have a pretty good brain in his head. Hopefully he'd be able to pick up on the situation once he walked in and figure out what needed to be done.

The wait seemed to take forever. He became so tense he jerked when Craig spoke, "Good thing you're wearing a mask at the law enforcement gala tonight. Otherwise, the papers would have a field day about all the marks on your face."

A low growl worked its way up Ashton's throat. Here Justice was humiliated and probably brokenhearted by some of the things that'd been said and all Craig cared about was whether or not a few journalists would see a bruise or two. It made Ashton want to deal out a few blows of his own to the bastard's smug face.

Thankfully the door opened, the bell tinkling, reminding Ashton a bit of the sound that ended a round of boxing. As hoped, Craig quickly took a few steps back and plastered on a smile, acting as if nothing more than a friendly exchange had been going on.

"Is everything okay, here?" Baker asked, his voice blessedly cool and even.

"Yes, I was just leaving," Craig replied.

Ashton could hear the sounds of footsteps leaving before Craig added, "Justice, I'll see you at the gala tonight. Your costume will be delivered to your apartment later this afternoon."

The bell sounded again marking his departure, but Ashton still waited a few moments. Once he knew it was safe, he rushed out of hiding. Justice leaned heavily against the counter, one hand to his face. A thick trickle of blood ran from his bottom lip, the trail going down his chin and the front of his shirt.

"Shit," Ashton breathed.

He reached out with trembling fingers to touch the wound, only to pull back when Justice let out a hiss of pain. Baker studied the scene for a moment, his flat gray-eyed gaze going back and forth between Ashton and Justice.

Ashton knew the man was taking in everything and pegging the situation. While Baker may look the part of the thug, with his large muscles and dark buzz cut, he also struck Ashton as damn intelligent. In the end, all the man did was give a slight nod.

"I'll go get the first aid kit from the car."

After he left, Justice stated, "You called him in here, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I couldn't figure out any other way to make Craig stop hurting you."

"Aren't you worried about your dad finding out about us?"

Ashton knew for a fact that Baker would be giving a full report once he got back. While it annoyed him, Ashton couldn't fault the man. He had a job to do and one of them was to report any threats against Ashton. Call him crazy, but he felt pretty certain making nice with the enemy's son would rank up high on the threat list.

"You let me worry about that," Ashton said as he pulled Justice into a gentle embrace.

He just needed to hold the man. To know that, if for at least that brief moment, he had Justice under his protection. Justice tried to pull away, "I don't want to get blood on your shirt."

Ashton cupped him by the back of the head and brought him in for a proper hug. "Don't worry about that, either."

It gave Ashton a small measure of relief when Justice finally gave in and sagged into the embrace. He even rested his cheek against Ashton's shoulder as he let out a shuddering sigh.

"I so did not want you to have to witness that," Justice said.

"It's not your fault, so you have no reason to be embarrassed. I just wished I'd been able to stop it sooner."

"It's okay. I've had much worse."

That pissed Ashton off so much every muscle in his body tensed. For the first time ever, he understood the rages his father sometimes flew into. At that moment, Ashton could have been capable of just about any act due to his anger.

Justice shook his head. "I'm just shocked that Craig did it here in public. One of the unspoken rules in my dysfunctional functional family is that we always keep our problems private. This is the first time Craig ever hurt me outside of our house or my apartment."

"He shoved you at the party," Ashton reminded him.

Justice's face twisted up in a grimace of pain and fear. "Yeah, I guess he did. He's been getting worse lately."

"If I have anything to say about it, this will be the last time you have to abused," he vowed impulsively.

Justice gave him a crooked smile before he used the back of his hand to wipe away some of the blood. "I don't see how we can stop it. I've been going through it ever since my mom was out of the picture. I don't see it changing anytime soon, either."

Ashton faltered as he realized Justice had a point. The DA held an iron grip over his youngest son's life and he wouldn't give up that control without a fight. Unless they found a way to break those chains, there was no way they could ever have a life of their own.

Baker came back in with the first aid kit, drawing Ashton from those troubling thoughts. The bodyguard/driver came over and put the kit down on the counter. As the man opened it, Justice shot Ashton a questioning glance.

"Baker has his medic license," Ashton explained with a shrug.

"So, how come he's with you today?" Justice asked, the slightest hint of jealousy flavoring his tone.

A thrill went through Ashton and, despite the tense situation, he found himself biting back a smile. It felt good to have somebody care about him enough to get possessive.

"My dad had some issues with an old work associate, so he decided to put a guard on me for the next couple days," Ashton explained.

"And here I thought I was the only one with an exciting life," Justice teased.

Baker took out a chemical ice pack and shook it to activate it before placing it to Justice's lip. "Here, this should help with the swelling."

"Yeah, wouldn't want my dad's cop buddies seeing my face all bruised up," Justice drawled as he took the ice pack.

"Given that you have that party tonight, I'm surprised Craig hit you there at all," Ashton said.

"Me, too. Like he said, my mask should hide most of it so long as I keep it on all night."

"I don't suppose there's any way you can get out of going?"

Justice snorted. "I'd have a better chance of growing pigtails and cat ears."

Baker laughed before he moved the ice pack and gently palpated Justice's lip. When Justice hissed in pain, the bodyguard shook his head. "I don't think you need any stitches. You should still have it looked at to make sure."

"I'll be okay. I've had--"

"Worse," Ashton finished dully.

His heart sank farther as he scrambled his mind to find a way to protect his lover. All Ashton came up with were more questions, none of which he had the answers to.

Later on that afternoon, Ashton sat in his father's living room and pondered the numerous problems rushing through his head. He lay back on the leather couch and threw an arm over his face, his gut clenching as he recalled the beating and how helpless he felt to end Justice's suffering.

His father entered the room and took the chair closest to the couch, but Ashton didn't say anything. He understood that his father already knew about the pet store incident, so it only made sense that he'd come to talk about it.

"I'm not breaking things off with him, so you can get that out of your head," Ashton declared, still not moving his arm to uncover his face.

"What makes you think that I'd tell you to?" his father countered.

Ashton finally moved and turned to look at his dad. The older man wore his casual clothes, which for him meant a pair of khakis and a dark polo. Ashton couldn't recall a time where he'd seen his father in jeans or a T-shirt. He even styled his dark, salt and pepper hair conservatively, looking more like a banker rather than the head of the biggest drug operation in the Midwest.

"Are you going to try and tell me that you're happy I'm dating the DA's son?"

"I'm not going to lie and say I'm thrilled. If Justice's father finds out, he'll come after you hard."

Ashton rolled his eyes. "He already rides my ass and not in a good way. I don't see how he can make things worse for me."

"Trust me, son, he can and will once he finds out about you two. Is that something you want to risk?"

"Yes, I do," Ashton replied without a moment of hesitation.

"How long have you known Justice?"

"A week."

"He must be pretty special for you to act this impulsively."

Ashton waited for some sort of reprimand, or perhaps some chiding over acting like some dramatic drama king. Instead his father continued to study Ashton as if seeing something new in his son. Going by the wry smile on his face, his father didn't find the fresh development lacking.

"What makes him so different from all the other boys you've dated?"

"I care about him. More than anyone I've ever dated before. In fact, in enough time I'm pretty certain I could fall in love with him," Ashton replied simply, surprising even himself by that admission.

His dad raised a brow, but didn't scoff at the declaration. His stoic response once again shocked Ashton. His conflict must have shown on his face, because his father asked, "What were you expecting, me to yell or maybe forbid you to ever see him again?"