Bloodlust | lrh

12. Pain in my ass

Ashton hasn't really spoken to any of the guys since their argument. He only talks to them when it's business related, otherwise he spends his time talking to Soka. No one else ever does, so it's beneficial for both of them. They need each other right now more than anything.

It's only the two of them in the house all day since Luke brought Mike and Calum to greet the smugglers bringing in his ice. They'll be gone most likely until tomorrow morning, which isn't a problem at all for Soka and Ashton.

They've been sitting on the couch going through the books that finally came in. Ashton got the ball rolling on getting them here weeks ago, and they just arrived the day before. He could only get his hands on about fifteen of them, but that's more than enough to keep them occupied for the day.

"When did they say they'd be back?" Soka asks from the other couch. They have a pile of books on the table in between them, and she places the one she's currently reading pages down onto it.

"Tomorrow morning." He says, not looking up from his own text.

"I see why they left you behind. Someone needed to watch me through the night." She rolls her eyes and then lets them land on the ceiling. She's been trying not to think about how bored she's been for weeks. It's catching up to her, and even books are starting to get old. They've been reading all day.

"What's wrong?" Ashton looks up at her to find the girl is limp in her seat, a look of existential dread on her face.

"I'm bored. I want to leave this damn house. I feel like I'm getting cabin fever." She groans, pushing herself up to pace.

"I have a place we could go." Ashton words make Soka whip her whole body in his direction.

"Wait, what?" She asks, utterly shocked.

"We'll be back before they are." He shrugs. He's acting like Luke wouldn't kill both of them if he comes home to an empty house.

"Where do you want to go? Can we even pull it off?" She throws questions at the boy faster than he can answer.

"Aftershock." He says, a smirk on his face. Soka's jaw drops.

"Are you insane? How many people die there a week?" She flails her arms as she thinks about all the times Leah told her never to step foot in that night club. It's the only one in the city, and that means you get every kind of person.

"I can get us in to the back, they don't let anything happen back there." Ashton throws his book down, now fully invested in the idea. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't feeling trapped in this house too, and even he has had chances to get out for short periods of time. He can't imagine how the girl feels.

"How can you get in the back, isn't that for- Oh, it's because of Luke isn't it?" She catches herself mid thought, a bad feeling settling in the bottom of her stomach.

"Yeah, but they know me too. They request very particular items from me." He explains vaguely, knowing she understands he means drugs and alcohol. There is only one distillery in Chemin, and the crap they make is lethal. Ashton brings all of the good alcohol into the city from Los Angeles.

"Okay, so let's go. I can't sit in here for another minute." She heads for the front door, but Ashton laughing stops her. "What's funny?"

"You're going to wear that to a club?" He giggles, eyeing the girl's sweatpants and shirt. She furrows her eyebrows at him.

"There's a dress code at a club?" She asks innocently. This is completely new territory for her, and Ashton isn't bringing a girl in sweatpants to a place he does business.

"Put on something nicer than that. Usually the women there barely wear anything, but if you come downstairs looking like that I'll do worse to you than Luke ever has." He shoots her a playful smile, and she rolls her eyes.