Asher was aware of a huge shadow leaning over him.
“Swear to God, Shiff,” he yelled. “You don’t let this play out, I’ll tangle with you next.”
“Like to see you try,” Shiff said. “But I respect you, boss. Fonz?”
“I can handle him,” he said, not taking his eyes off Asher.
“On your own.” Shiff left the studio.
Fonz’s glasses had come off. He had Asher by the collar just like Asher had a hold of his. “What’s your plan, Knight?” he asked, voice strained from holding his head off the floor.
“Beat your ass and feel better that justice was served,” he answered between clenched teeth.
“Gonna beat Pam’s ass, too?” A trickle of blood ran from the side of Fonz’s mouth. “She started this shit. That’s why we separated last week.”
Asher felt his face go cold. He loosened his hold the slightest bit.
“Yeah. You didn’t know that, did you? We didn’t want to tell everyone, because it’s completely humiliating to find out your wife is banging your brother and has been for two years.”
Two years.
“Will?” Asher blinked. Fonz’s older brother, Will, was a dick. Pam never liked him, often complained about him. And she’d started sleeping with Will behind Fonz’s back? That raised a whole other set of uncomfortable questions.
“Yeah.” Fonz let go of Ash’s shirt, dropped his head on the ground, and held up his hands in surrender. “Now you know.”
Ash let him go and eased off him. Once he was on his feet, he extended a hand. Fonz slapped it away and pushed himself up, using the bottom of his vintage Aerosmith T-shirt to mop the blood off his chin.
“Your boy?” Ash asked, and Fonz knew just what he meant.
“He’s mine. For sure. She told me the day Thane was born. We’ve been trying to work things out, but she told me she’s in love with Will.” He swiped his lip again, put his hands on his hips, and looked at his shoes.
“Fuck,” Asher breathed.
“That about covers it,” Fonz said.
Asher pulled a hand over his face. He’d gone to blows with one of his best friends over a misunderstanding. There wasn’t much he could say about it except for, “Sorry about the lip.”
Fonz waved him off. “I shoulda said somethin’.”
“Your business.”
“Yeah.”
The studio door popped open and Shiff put his head inside. “Girls are back. You good?”
Ash and Fonz exchanged glances and Fonz gave a chin-bob.
“Good,” Ash agreed.
“You want to tell Shiff and Ricky?” Ash asked Fonz.
“Yeah. I’ll tell ’em.”
Ash left him behind to do just that as Gloria stepped into the living room. All he wanted to do was bury his nose in her hair and hold on tight. It was possible he was having some sort of creative meltdown, and just seeing her made him feel like there was hope.
“Hey,” Gloria greeted.
“Hey,” Ash returned.
“I’m heading home, sweetheart,” his mom said, appearing behind Gloria a second later. She leaned close to whisper something to Gloria. Seeing the two women he loved most on this earth close, and seeing Gloria smile, made his heart squeeze.
“You staying, Sarge?” he asked.
“If you want me to.”
“I want you to,” he said. He did. He needed her here.
His mom came to his side to kiss his cheek. “See you Thursday, kiddo.”
“Later, Mom.” When she left the house, he pointed to the studio. “Gimme a minute?”
“Sure,” Gloria answered.
He nodded and pulled the studio door shut behind him, but not before he gave Gloria a wink that held the promise of more to come later.
Chapter 19
Asher’s minute turned into a half hour, and then a full hour.
Gloria had checked her e-mail, returned a few phone calls, and then gave up on working. Today had been a bust, but only in the business sense. She couldn’t bring herself to regret spending time with Elana.
Gloria and Tank walked the length of the dock. She turned to look over her shoulder toward the house. Night had fallen and the boys were still in there, but none of them were playing instruments, which she found odd.
It looked more like an impromptu therapy session. Fonz sat on the couch, elbows on his knees, while Broderick sat at Shiff’s drums, flipping a drumstick end over end. Shiff stood by the door, arms folded like a sentry, and Asher sat on a high stool, guitar in his lap but not playing.
She felt a little guilty spying, but how could it be considered spying if the room was nothing but windows and they’d left the lights ablaze?
Immediately she thought of last night in that room. How Asher had killed the lights, giving them privacy from…well, no one, actually. Nothing but trees and lake and moon—though tonight it wasn’t full. She couldn’t tell what it was because clouds had swept in, making the orb a fuzzy yellow circle set in black.