Redemption (Colorado Crimes Book 4)

Chapter 16

Asher laid on the ground in Summer's bedroom, his pulse racing. He had lost Adi. It was his fault. If only he had kept his grip...

Whoever kidnapped Adi had thrown a smoke bomb in Summer's room with some sort of drug in it, knocking them unconscious. They had just now come about and Asher hated to tell Summer that he had no clue where Adi was.

"Asher, please tell me that you have Adi with you right now and I just imagined her being taken."

Asher breathed through his shirt, "Summer, I wish I could, but-"

"No." Was the faint whisper. "Asher..." Her voice was thick with emotion.

"I tried to grab her Summer, but they pulled out a knife and tore my skin, causing me to lose my grip. I'm sorry. I really am." Asher stopped talking. He had failed her. He lost Adi. Some guy he turned out to be. Tyler would never forgive him. Summer would never forgive him. 

Summer was quiet. "Are you okay?"

"Am I...what?" She was worried about him when her daughter was missing?

"I asked if you were okay. You said that whoever took Adi cut you. Are you okay?"

Asher had kept his eyes closed due to the smoke, but he took a chance in opening them. He looked down at his right hand and found that it was covered in blood and so was the carpet. Adrenaline was still surging and so he didn't feel too much pain yet. "It's bad. You might need to call the carpet cleaners."

"It's that bad?"

"See for yourself. You can open your eyes now. The smoke is fading." Asher opened his eyes wider and managed to make out Summer's shape moving towards him. Soon, she was kneeling in front of him. Asher moved to a sitting position and leaned his back against the wall.

Summer didn't say anything, she just took his bleeding hand in hers and examined it. Asher watched her carefully. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I lost her."

She flinched. "It's not your fault."

"It is. If I had just held on tighter to Adi..."

Summer dropped his hand, "Asher please. Stop apologizing."

He didn't respond. "We need to find her."

"You need to get that hand checked out."

Asher ignored her, "We need to get out of here, this place is a crime scene."

Summer stood up and he followed. "This is going to be a long night."

Asher pulled out his phone and called Tyler, "Get over here now. Bring CSU, Dominic, Jack, and a first aid kit."

Tyler exploded, "What on earth did you do?!"

Asher hung up.

He led Summer out of her bedroom and to her yard. Summer's gaze locked on her broken window and the still fading smoke. Her eyes trailed to the broken glass. "We have to find her."

"We will."

Summer spun around in anger. "You said that about my art! And you haven't found it yet, have you? No! What about any of this makes you think that I believe you? For all I know, Adi could be dead!" Summer's voice went up an octave, "At least we know who took my art! We have no clue who took my daughter!"

Asher let her vent. Guilt poured over him in waves. He had failed Summer, and Adi.  He refrained from telling her that Miriam was probably the one who took Adi. Summer kept spewing off, and finally stopped. She took a ragged breath. "Thanks for letting me yell at you."