The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 719

Anastasia felt a flicker of recognition, but couldn't quite place where she'd seen him before.

"That's Rowan," Christen explained. "He's Asher's younger brother, always helping him out. He got into it with Dailey over in Crescent Bay and ended up hurt. Remember when we were chasing Julie? Rowan got seriously injured, and Asher had to step in to help him."

"Crescent Bay?" Anastasia's memory clicked. "Oh, it was him! He got hurt because of Dailey back then?"

She was surprised, recalling they had stayed at the same hotel, and she'd seen the blood on his arm. Rowan hadn't even treated his wound and looked so frail when she saw him again, almost collapsing. Anastasia replayed that day in her mind; after a brief chat with Dailey, Rowan had vanished.

"Do you know him?" Christen asked.

"Yeah, we've crossed paths a couple of times."

"That makes sense," Christen replied. "I was pretending to be you back then. Maybe he thought I was you, which is why he took the hit for me."

"But I barely know him," Anastasia said, puzzled. "He's with Julie's crew. Why would he protect me?"

"That's a good point," Christen agreed. "But I remember seeing fear in his eyes. He jumped in front of Julie's knife, and the blood just poured out. Then he fought Dailey, making his injuries worse. It's a wonder if he even survived."

Anastasia thought about their brief encounter in the elevator, still baffled why Rowan would risk himself for her. She was aware of Julie's illness. No matter what the law decided, Julie didn't have much time left.