Rubble (Riders of Apollo #7)

Chapter Seventeen: Juniper Channing

They've been gone for a long time and it's worrying me. I can't give a statement because it'll put me in the system and I didn't even know what was going on until Asa explained the whole thing to me. I wouldn't exactly be a reliable witness anyway, I was too busy admiring the layout of a house. Shows how smart I am, doesn't it?

"Everything will be fine, Juni. Hunter knows what he's doing." Marielle reassures me and I look at Riley to ease my worry about Asa.

"I would love to tell you that Rubble will be fine but he is probably trying to kill everyone at this point. I don't want to lie to you so. To be honest, I'm surprised he called the cops in the first place instead of tearing the fucker apart. He's very protective over you so I imagine this is hard for him." Riley explains and I find myself less worried at the statement.

I just want him to come back.

We're in the pink room and the girls are snacking on some pizza but I don't think I can stomach it right now. They kept the door open so I can see when Asa gets back and I'm grateful for it but it's been over an hour now and I'm ready to keel over. "Honey, you need to eat something. Do you want me to grab you a small snack from the kitchen?" Cassidy asks, squeezing my hand gently and I nod with a soft thank you.

She brings me back a small pot of strawberries and I sigh in relief. I thank her again and nibble on them as they talk about random things. "Okay, serious question." Saviour declares and I tense, hoping to God they're not going to ask me questions. "When do you think Romeo and Runner are going to get married because this is ridiculous?"

I laugh alongside the others and Saviour rolls her eyes. "I don't know, haven't they been together for longer than anyone else besides Lex and Bear?" Riley asks, stealing a strawberry from me as she sits on the pouffe next to me.

"Yeah, they even have a kid together. It's frustrating the crap out of me because I'm running out of time to win the bet."

"You bet on them?" Marielle demands, spinning away from the mirror to glare at her best friend.

"I bet on all of you, Reign, and I have a lot of fun with it. I bet that Lex would adopt Nova, I bet that Mari and Hunter would get together within six months of meeting, I bet that Romeo and Runner would finally admit their feelings to each other within months of meeting me, I bet that Breaker and Cassidy would get together within a month because I'm not stupid, I bet that Riley and Boulder would end up together the second I saw her in the car park and I'm currently betting on Juni and Rubble. The only couple I didn't get the chance to bet on was Leo and Nova which pissed me off to the max."

"Fucking hell... what did you win?" Riley leans forward, curious to know what Saviour received for all of her wins.

"Oh, lots of things. Thanks to Lex, I got a brand new gun. Thanks to Mari and Hunter, I got a weekend away in Scotland, that was fun so thanks, Mari. Umm, Romeo and Runner scored me a new car, that was the Audi and I was very happy with that. Breaker and Cassidy won me a... fuck I think that time was a new phone. Riley and Boulder got me a long weekend of sex so thanks, everyone."

"I can't believe how good you've got it just because of us." Cassidy comments, brushing her hair back and shaking her head.

"Well I would've gotten it anyway, it's Reign. He'd buy me the world if I asked for it." I want that one day, someone to love me that much that they'd give up everything if it meant they got to keep me. We drift back into conversation after sitting there awestruck for a few minutes, the girls don't seem to notice when Asa sneaks in and grabs my hand.

We manage to disappear without anyone even seeing us and we end up in his room away from the excitement downstairs. "How did it go?" I ask softly, my voice a little shaky as he sits down on the end of the bed.

"Come here." He beckons for me to get closer and I step between his legs so he can take my hands in his. "Everything is gonna be fine, okay? The asshole is gonna go away for a long time, you know I'd never let anyone hurt you, right?"

"Of course," I respond immediately and his eyes light up in both relief and happiness. To be honest, I never thought I'd trust anyone except Raphael after the life I've had but Asa is different. He knows how to comfort me and how to make me laugh, he makes me feel protected and warm. "Thank you, for helping me."

I wrap him in a hug and bury my face in his neck, his scent calming me. I've been on edge since the minute he left me so it's nice to feel my body relax again, I'm getting way too tense. "I should probably get back to Raphael's, I have work in the morning."

"Here," He gives me his phone and tells me to put my contact details in before he texts me so I can have his number too, "if anything happens and Runner or Romeo isn't there, you call me, okay? Hell, call me anyway, I worry." I hug him again, tighter this time and he responds in kind.

"Okay, I'll see you soon, Asa."

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I'm starting to hate the early wake-up calls, five am just isn't as fun when you don't have the house to yourself. I'd love to just blare my music loudly and dance around like a crazy person but other people sleep here, unfortunately. I have a quick shower and brush my teeth before throwing on a robe and staring at a wall.

My phone dings and I open the text from Asa, 'Come open the door, please?'. I quickly sneak out of my room and down the stairs so I don't wake anyone and I find Asa stood on the front doorstep looking positively perfect despite the early hour. "What are you doing here?" I whisper, my eyes flicking over my shoulder to see if I had woken anyone up in the scuffle.

Raphael and Romeo are morning people, don't get me wrong but even half five is too early for them. They wake up around eight and so does Oliver, they don't need me impeding on that. I can't wait until the paperwork goes through for that house so I can have my own space without causing trouble for anyone else.

"I wanted to see you." He shrugs, matching my volume.

"Quickly and be quiet." He nods and follows me to my room, I shut and lock my door and lean against it as he runs his fingers over my messed up sheets. A lot of dirty thoughts drift through my mind as I watch him do it. What if we messed up those sheets and those fingers were on me?

I clear my throat and head to my vanity to finish getting ready for the day. I do some quick makeup as he watches me curiously, I try and avoid blushing from the intent gaze focused only on me. It hasn't drifted from the minute he got here. I throw my hair into a tidy ponytail before heading back over to him. "Are you okay?" I ask, keeping my voice low.

"I just don't sleep very well and I wanted to see you, I know you're up this early anyway so I figured why wait until later when I can see you now." His fingertips brush over the skin of my neck, slipping against the silk of my robe. How am I supposed to stay sane with him touching me like this?

"I should, uh, get dressed." I manage to shake off the feeling in my stomach that was trying to convince me to jump him despite there being a child in the room next door.

I don't know much longer I'll last.