Page 76 of Hash

I did exactly what he wanted today. I met his family, which I felt went pretty well with the exception of the run-in with Trick.

“Did I do something?” I ask as I turn to lie on my side facing him, tucking my hands under my cheek.

Hash continues to stare at the ceiling, unmoving and silent.

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.

If he’s going to act like this, he can find somewhere else to sleep tonight.

Just as I open my mouth to tell him to explain what’s wrong or get the fuck out of my bed, his voice fills the room, low and edged with something I’ve never heard from him before. It’s not lethal, like I’ve heard in the past. It’s more like he’s treading a thin line between annoyed and murdering someone with no questions asked if I say one wrong word. Both bone-chilling at the least. “If I ask you a question, will you answer me honestly? No sugarcoating or downplaying.”

Thirty seconds ago I wasn’t afraid. I was pissed I was being ignored. But now he’s scaring me.

“Yeah…” I answer slowly, getting an uneasy feeling of where this is going.

“Why did it look like Trick was boxing you in in the hallway?”

Oh shit.

Something is telling me to tread very carefully with how I answer here.

“He just wanted to introduce himself before we left since I didn’t get a chance to formally meet him outside,” I say.

There.

That wasn’t a lie. Trick did say he wanted to introduce himself. I’m just not giving the full details, but I’m now downplaying.

Is omitting information downplaying?

“Now, baby doll,” Hash chastises. “Why did you just lie to me?”

I bring my knees up, curling them into my body on recoil at his tone.

“I didn’t lie. He did want to introduce himself.”

“But?” Hash presses.

“But he was boxing me in.”

“Why?”

“Why was he boxing me in?” I ask, trying to play dumb.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know,” I start off saying, but Hash’s narrowed eyes sliding to me makes me think twice. “He didn’t want me to leave without hearing what he had to say first.”

“And just what did he have to say?” Hash asks, his body eerily still.

I purse my lips together as I try to quickly think about how I’m going to handle this. I was hoping I would have a chance to process what happened for at least twenty-four hours. Then I would talk it over with Frankie to make sure I’m not being overdramatic (it happens more than you think) and then I planned on talking to Hash about it.

“Aisling,” Hash growls, losing patience.

An exhausted sigh leaves my lips. “He thinks I kept Cormac from you on purpose and that I have some ulterior motive for coming back into your life.”

“He said that?”

“In a roundabout way.”