At one point, I heard Lewis groan. Taking a moment to get Asher in a headlock, I brought my mouth to his ear and hissed, “Dude, what the fuck? Be Ender. Do I have to say action? Get in touch with that sexy side from the other night, for fuck’s sake, or we’re gonna lose this gig.”

Asher shoved out of my arms and flew off the bed. He tore hands through his hair, his eyes glistening as Lewis barked a slew of cursing into the quiet room.

Charlotte and Jay shared a look before Charlotte stepped forward. “Asher, hun, is everything okay?”

“I-I need a minute. I’m sorry.” He marched toward the doors where we’d come in but pivoted at the last minute and grabbed his robe from Jay’s arms.

Then he was gone.

Jay pinched his lips together as Lewis started in on a spiel about how he knew this would happen.

“Give me a minute.” I jumped off the bed and took the other robe from Jay’s arms. “Let me talk to him. He … had a rough weekend. His headspace is bad, but maybe I can help.”

I aimed for the door where Asher had disappeared while Lewis said something about not having time for bad headspaces and teenage drama.

That was about all I could take of his pissy attitude. I shouted over my shoulder, “Get a fucking grip, Lewis. We’re human beings, and if you think any of this is easy, you’re wrong. Plus, we’re not teenagers, asshole.”

The dank bare hallway was empty when I entered it. The elevator doors sat closed at the far side, and there was nothing but locked doors between the studio and them.

Asher needed to let off steam. He wasn’t the kind of person who liked it when other people saw him emotionally upset. If I knew him, and I liked to think no one knew him better, he’d look for a quiet place where he could get his head together.

In the elevator, I studied the buttons. The second floor was inaccessible without a key card, so he must have gone to the main level. When the doors slid open, I scanned. The lights were out through most of the building. Only the main entrance was lit by a bare bulb over the steel door.

A concrete hall was to my left, and an entrance to the warehouse’s storage room was to my right. It was a huge empty space that wasn’t in use and dark as night beyond. The bay doors were closed, and only a thin sliver of light shone from underneath. It wasn’t heated, and I shivered as the cold winter air snuck under my robe.

“Ash? Come on. Where the fuck are you?”