“You’re right, it’s not. And no, I don’t. Crazy people have a way of finding their targets, as I think we’ve all learned firsthand.”
Carly winced and nodded, as did the others.
“He’s going to the mainland. I don’t know where, and I didn’t ask. But the person I talked to is part of an organization that relocates abused women. They had no problem using their knowledge and connections to help Marcus start over somewhere else.”
“Wow, that’s awesome,” Carly said.
“Sucks that he has to leave Hawaii though,” Lexie said.
“Yeah,” Ashlyn agreed. “But I could see the relief in his eyes the last time I delivered food, after he’d talked to the contact.”
“You’re amazing, Ash,” Elodie said. “I’m proud to call you my friend.”
“I felt bad that I didn’t try to get him help before he was beaten up,” Ashlyn said.
“You can only do what you can do,” Monica said. “Sometimes, even if people do all the right things, they can still end up in a shitty situation. I’m a big believer in karma, especially after what happened to me. Those who do bad things will suffer for it eventually. And those who do good will be rewarded.” The words were even more poignant because it was Monica who’d shared them. She wasn’t one to talk a lot, but when she did, she made it count.
“I know. I just wish that karma worked faster,” Ashlyn said.
“Sometimes it does,” Monica told her.
“Like in your case,” Carly said.
“Exactly,” Monica said with a small smile.
Ashlyn couldn’t blame Monica for being satisfied that the man who’d kidnapped her, and who’d planned for her and Baker to die horrible deaths in a lava flow, had instead suffered that fate himself.
“Anyone want a refill?” Elodie asked as she stood and stretched.
“Me!”
“Yes!”
“Count me in!”
“I’ll help you,” Ashlyn offered, standing and grabbing the other women’s empty glasses.
Everyone but Monica was partaking in the extra-strong margaritas that Elodie had a tendency to make. Partly on account of her pregnancy, but also because she didn’t often drink alcohol, even when she wasn’t growing a baby in her belly.
In the kitchen, Elodie turned to Ashlyn and put a hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know, I just thought you looked kind of…lost there for a while.”
Apparently Elodie was extremely observant even when drunk.
“For the record, I think you and Slate are closer than you’re letting on.”
Ashlyn opened her mouth to disagree, but Elodie held up a hand, stopping her.
“No, don’t say anything. Just think about it. You and Slate were friends before you started dating. You’ve both been through all the shit that’s happened recently with Carly, Monica, and Kenna. That kind of emotional upheaval has a way of connecting people. I know you guys were always sniping at each other, but I think that’s because neither of you wanted to admit you actually liked each other more than you thought you should.
“And on Slate’s part, all the harping on your safety is a huge sign that he cares about you a hell of a lot. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t care so much about your job and who you might come into contact with during your deliveries. I think it’s great that you’ve moved your relationship forward. That you’re having sex. But I would hate to see you lose Slate, or him you, because you’re both too stubborn to admit that you want more than a casual relationship.”
Ashlyn wasn’t sure how to respond. It was a familiar argument from her friends.
She liked not having the pressure of being in a long-term relationship. She was enjoying not having to worry about telling Slate where she was all the time, or what he would think if she didn’t want to spend the night, or if she wanted to go out with her friends, or even stay home and veg in front of the TV alone. So far, things with her and Slate were pretty perfect, and she didn’t want to jeopardize that.
But Elodie wasn’t exactly wrong either—which was disconcerting. This first deployment after they’d officially started dating was harder than she’d thought it would be…and it had only been one freaking day.
“I really don’t mean to harp on you,” Elodie said when Ashlyn didn’t respond. “No pressure.”
Ashlyn chuckled dryly at that. “Right. No pressure.”
“Seriously. I love both you and Slate. Do I want things to work out with you guys? Duh, yes. But if they don’t, they don’t. It’s not going to make me like you, or him, any less. Unless you turn out to be as psycho as Marcus’s girlfriend. Then I’ll have to hunt you down and put a major hurt on you.”
Ashlyn had a feeling Elodie was trying to be funny, but she wanted to make sure her friend knew that she’d never, ever, be clingy and psycho with Slate. She respected him too much to hurt him in any way. “I don’t know what the future holds for us, but if and when he decides he wants to move on, I’ll let him,” she told her friend. “I value his friendship, so I’d like to try to remain friends after we stop dating. I hope we can do that.”
Elodie reached out and hugged Ashlyn hard. “Me too,” she said softly. “But more than that, I’m hoping you guys pull your heads out of your asses and realize that you’re actually perfect for each other.” Then she stepped back and turned to the blender. “Hand me the bottle of tequila, would you?”
Ashlyn shook her head, knowing Elodie had purposely changed the subject so she could have the last word on her and Slate’s relationship. She didn’t want to let her or any of the other women down, but Ashlyn simply wasn’t sure that she and Slate could last long term. Not when the biggest thing they had in common was an unwillingness to commit.
Putting that thought out of her mind for the moment, she grabbed the alcohol and watched as Elodie poured what was left of the bottle into the blender. They both grinned as she hit the blend button. The drinks were gonna be strong as hell…which was perfectly all right with Ashlyn. She needed to think about something other than Slate.
When the margaritas were mixed, Elodie filled each glass and grabbed two. Ashlyn managed to juggle the remaining three and they brought them back out to the balcony. They were greeted with cheers from Lexie, Carly, and Kenna.
“I’ll be right back, gonna go to the bathroom,” Ashlyn told the group.
“You need a buddy?” Kenna teased.
Ashlyn laughed. “Nope. If we were in a club, definitely, but I think I can make it to the bathroom and back without someone breaking in and kidnapping me.”
“Never say never,” Carly said, wagging a finger at her before taking a large sip of her drink.
Still chuckling, Ashlyn turned to head back inside.
The second she closed the bathroom door behind her, she couldn’t resist taking out her phone and opening the tracking app. It was stupid, she knew what she was going to see the second she clicked on the map.
The icon for Slate’s phone was right where it was the last time she’d checked…at the airport on the Naval base. He’d obviously turned his phone off before the flight and hadn’t turned it back on since. It was one more reminder that Slate was out there, risking his life, and she had no idea where he was precisely or when he’d be back.