Fire (Beautiful Ashes Series, Book 2) (4 page)

“I’m so sorry. I wish there was a way to take this from you.”

Keeley scoffed, “You’re not my mother, Lace. You’re my sister. It’s not your fight.”

“What the hell, Kee?” Her exasperated expression saying more than her words. “Just because I’m not Mom doesn’t mean I don’t give a damn.” She clasped her shoulders and gave a little shake. “I love you. And if you think I like seeing you suffer, you’re seriously delusional.”

There was no controlling the laugher. Keeley couldn’t help it. The irony of calling her ‘
delusional
’ just before she checked into a mental hospital was funny on sooooo many levels. “Oh, don’t look at me that way,” she chastised Lacey for the sternness in her eyes.

“I’m trying to understand what it is you find so hilarious.” Lacey’s hands were waving around for emphasis.

Keeley stilled them and sincerely pointed out, “I’m agreeing to let your husband put me in the looney bin. Surely you see the humor behind what you said.”

“What I…” Her eyes widened. “Oh, fuck.” She covered her mouth to hide the gasp. How could she have been so insensitive? Lacey eyed her, thankful she maintained her sense of humor even in this stressful situation. “I don’t want you to go. Does that help at all?”

“Ah, Lacey,” hugging her tight, “E’s right, it’s the best place for me to get help.”

“Doesn’t mean I hafta like it,” Lacey sighed.

“Well, it’s not as if I’m actually looking forward to it. But I can’t do this on my own.”

Lacey pulled back and locked her gaze on Keeley’s. “I’m so proud of you.”

“For admitting I’m a nut job.” Keeley’s face revealed she was only half joking.

“No, silly. For knowing you need others to help you fight. That the battle isn’t yours alone.”

“Oh no, don’t start the church-y talk. Puh-leeze.”

Lacey couldn’t help but smile. “The fact you call it such says you know I’m right.”

“Whatev.” Keeley walked across the room searching for some space. Wasn’t that she really had issues with the Big Guy, per se, just didn’t like all the Kumbaya talk. And well, she’d definitely fallen from grace, making her more uncomfortable standing there with her good girl sister.

Lacey wasn’t taking the dismissal with a grain of salt. She marched right over to Keeley and held her by the shoulders, holding eye contact, she said, “You are loved. You are worth it. I’m
not
giving up on you.”

“Neither am I,” came a deep, resonating voice from the doorway.

Tears were streaking down Keeley and Lacey’s faces as E joined the sisters and enveloped them in a big hug. Keeley could hardly speak but managed a whispered, “Thank you.”

“What family is all about, Kee,” E answered with a tight voice, revealing his own emotions.

A few minutes passed before a nurse walked in. “Everything okay in here?”

Keeley answered, “Yes,” then recognized her from the night before. “Thank you for last night.”

“Anytime.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a white envelope. “This is for you.” Keeley took what was handed to her, trepidation pumping through her veins. The nurse grabbed her hand and squeezed. “I’m rooting for you.”

Keeley’s eyes widened. “Why?”

“Because the good fight is always worth it.”

Too many emotions flooded Keeley at once. She didn’t want to fail all these people. Lacey sensed her sister’s distress and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “You’re stronger than you think you are, Kee. Just wait. You’ll see.”

E confirmed, “You’re a warrior.”

Keeley wasn’t convinced of that but knew she wanted to try. That had to be a step in the right direction. At least she hoped so for all their sake.

Tar’s nerves were frayed. He didn’t do sit and wait well. The thought of what Chase could be enduring sent him into all kinds of furious. His own time as a POW festering to the surface of his sanity. Torture of any kind was horrific in and of itself, but the real pain and suffering came with the state one found themselves in day after day, night after night. If the captor was up to date on their mental and emotional torture tactics, a person found themselves screwed in more ways than they could ever imagine. His brother had two weak spots: Lisa and Cole. They could break him so easily. He had information on powerful kingpins and more than one influential person behind the sex slave trade. God damn the people who had him because if Tar got his hands on any of them, there’d be no grace. Only mercy he’d show would be a swift death.

“Tarius,” Lisa interrupted his thoughts of retribution. He heard the fear laced in his name and turned toward her. “Wh-wh-at can we do?”

He closed his eyes and found the SEAL in him. By the time his gaze met hers, he was in that place of duty. Personal feelings got a man killed if he didn’t guard them carefully. “Exactly what you’re doing,” he answered, noticing the detached tone in his voice.

“Okay,” her lip trembled.

Tar might have contention with his brother’s wife, and harbored some deep-seated trust issues with her. But he wasn’t a monster. With a gentler tone he added, “Try to keep things as normal as possible, especially for Cole’s sake.” A lone tear escaped and ran down her cheek. Instinct kicked in as he caught it on the pad of his thumb. His former fiancée took it as an invitation and wrapped her arms around his waist. Lisa buried her head against his chest and sobbed. “Hey,” he stroked her back up and down, “try not to worry.”

“I c-c-can’t hel-p it,” she stuttered.

He blew out a heavy breath. “I know.”

Tar stood there holding his brother’s wife as his past began to collide with his present. He remembered Lisa standing in a tiny apartment begging him not to leave on the assignment. How she worried for his safety. Telling him over and over, she couldn’t bear it if he were killed in the line of duty and she didn’t know any details. He tried to understand her point of view. In his opinion she knew he was a SEAL, and that it just went with the job. God, if he had just listened to her. Really heard what she was saying. And now, there she was right back in the same scenario. Difference being, Chase wasn’t trained to handle warfare. Nowhere in his job description did it say: could be taken hostage and tortured to death. Tar thought he hated this woman, but as his memory provided information he somehow missed before, added to what she was going through, he realized that wasn’t the truth. He held her tighter and vowed, “I’ll bring him home to you or die trying.”

*****

Keeley locked down her fear on the drive to the private mental facility E talked her into. She couldn’t fault him. He cared about her and was only doing this for her well-being. She had to be strong for Lacey. If her sister knew how she really felt, Lacey would insist on Keeley coming home with them. Although that option was inviting, she acknowledged the hospital was best. They could help her. Give her the tools necessary to battle her newfound addiction and how to overcome any others that tried to rear their ugly little heads. But Keeley also knew she had to walk a tightrope. One misstep could land her in that place forever.

She decided now was as good a time as any to read what was in the envelope given to her before they left the hospital. There was no containing the scream that bubbled up and out. E pulled over immediately and turned, “What is it?”

Her hand shook violently as she handed the piece of paper to him. Lacey undid her seatbelt and climbed in the backseat, holding onto Keeley tightly. “Shh, whatever it is, we’ll take care of it.”

“Lacey,” there was caution in her name as her gaze met E’s, “we’ve got trouble.”

Keeley cried out, “I’ll never be free.”

For a split second Lacey sat still, letting her mind play all kinds of tricks on her in rapid fire, before she reached forward and pulled the note from E’s fingers. “Holy shit! How did
he
find her?”

“The hospital wasn’t really that difficult,” E pointed out. “Question is, does he know where she’s going now?”

Keeley was ready to climb out of her skin. “Does it fucking matter?! He has enough money to find me.” She grasped the handle on the door. Lacey yanked her back with all her might. “Let me go, Lace. Let me get the hell out of here.”

“No,” E spoke with the utmost authority, “you’re done running.”

“Maybe this time…” Lacey questioned.

“We’ll protect her.”

“How?” Keeley’s frantic voice was disconcerting to both E and Lacey.

Neither knowing what to do or say to help ease her hysteria. Fact was, the worry was legitimate. The threat scribbled in those five words was ominous:
I am coming for you
. All made worse by his audacity to sign it:
Love, Braxton
. As if there was no intimidation at all, just a simple note to a friend.

E made an executive decision then and there as he prayed he wouldn’t regret it. “Buckle up,” he ordered.

Lacey couldn’t help but notice, as she consoled her sister, that he turned south heading away from San Francisco. She didn’t want to alarm Keeley but made eye contact with her husband in the rearview mirror. The worry she saw there let her know this was no joking matter. Braxton was a very real threat, and once more, her sister was wanted by a madman.

They pulled into the driveway of a beautiful home over the cliffs of Carmel. Keeley fell asleep in Lacey’s lap during the drive. E tried to reassure his wife as he put the Escalade in park. “We should be safe here until we can figure this shit out.”

“Whose house is this?” she inquired, taking everything in from the cypress trees to the jagged boulders. “It’s absolutely breathtaking.”

“Belongs to Alex. Which reminds me, I better give him a call,” he said, stepping out of the SUV.

Keeley sat up rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Wow!”

“Yes, my sentiments exactly.”

“Where are we?”

“Carmel,” Lacey answered, opening the door just as E ended his call.

He took her hand. “Everyone will be here by morning.” Holding his wife close to him, “I haven’t been here in years,” he declared.

“Why’s that?”

He sighed heavily. “Not the best of memories.”

“Oh.” Lacey studied E, wondering what that meant, but noticed he was back in time, remembering. She stood there trying not to worry about the deep V between his brows. Surely whatever was in the past wouldn’t rise up now when they needed his calm the most. But as her husband stiffened and became distant, she knew better. Damn. How could she snap him out of it? She leaned in to kiss his jaw, which was taut, and realized what he tried to pass off as something small really wasn’t. “E, talk to me.”

He locked a haunted gaze on hers. “This is where my former Domme was killed.”

“Wait! I didn’t know she was dead,” Lacey stared at him.

“Yeah, not really something I like to discuss.”

“Domestic violence is never pretty,” Keeley added, shocking them both.

“How did you know that?” E half growled.

She shrugged. “Tar.”

Lacey didn’t miss the tears welling up in Keeley’s eyes as she turned and walked away from them. She also noticed E wasn’t all too happy that her sister knew something he’d not shared with his own wife. That was proven by the way he turned from her and stalked away.

Well, this was turning into a horror show.

*****

Cole lay on Tar’s chest sleeping soundly. Tar couldn’t resist his nephew’s request to have a story read to him as he snuggled. There was a time when Tar thought Cole was the reason Lisa left him, but the math didn’t add up. She’d chosen Chase over him plain and simple. Cole was the result of that love conceived on their honeymoon. He stroked the soft curls wondering how the poor little guy was processing everything. Yes, he was accustomed to his daddy being gone a lot, but did he understand why his mommy was so distraught? Did he comprehend exactly why his uncle was now there? Children sometimes grasped more than adults realized. Then again Cole was only five, so maybe he didn’t fully understand more than Mommy was worried about Daddy and Uncle Tar was there to help. Tar found himself praying that was the case. The precious little boy in his lap didn’t need nightmares.

Lisa walked in and Tar couldn’t help but notice how swollen her eyes were from all the crying. He held out his hand to her and squeezed when she placed hers in his. “I wish I could find that peace,” she said, stroking her son’s back with her other hand.

“Try not to make yourself sick with worry. It won’t help you or him.”

“Really hard not to. I just…” her voice caught.

“Your imagination is far worse than reality,” Tar assured.

Incensed, she pulled out of his hold. “Seriously? You’re going to placate me with that bullshit.”

He fought his grin hard. She’d always been a sassy woman. One of the reasons he fell for her years ago. “I’m not blowing smoke up your ass.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” She spun around and glared. “You of all people know exactly what they are most likely doing to Chase this very moment.” Tar cringed, and she didn’t miss it. “Ah-ha! Go ahead and tell me I have nothing to be worried about again. If you do, you’re lying and you know it.”

He couldn’t very well deny it. “Listen, he can get through
anything
as long as he can hold onto you and Cole in his mind. You can take that one to the bank.”

Her demeanor shifted instantly. “Oh!” Lisa covered her mouth at the realization that just hit with his words: She and Chase had taken away Tar’s lifeline. Then how was he sitting there? “My God, Tarius, where did you find the will to endure it?”

“What’re you talking about?” No one should’ve known he was held prisoner in that camp. That was classified information. Mainly because they should not have been there in the first place.

She backpedaled, “I…uh…I…shit, I’m not supposed to know.”

He leveled his gaze on hers. “Know what?”

“That you were a prisoner of war,” she gulped around those words.

“Was I?” His brow raised high in speculation of what all she actually knew. He wasn’t being an asshole about it. Simply put, he couldn’t talk about that.

She wasn’t privy to more than Tar’s unit was in an unapproved area. Direct orders to return to base camp were ignored. The eight-man team was taken by the enemy. When all was said and done, they lost three good men. It was kept quiet to protect many. “Okay, I know you can’t really talk about this. But it’s just us. And yes, I’m fully aware of your time in that godawful camp.”

“Chase should learn to keep his fucking mouth shut,” he growled, disturbing the little boy on his chest.

“Mommy,” Cole cried out.

“Shh,” Lisa rushed over, “I’m right here, sweetie.” She picked up her son, but Tar latched onto her forearm.

“This is not up for discussion again,” he warned. “Are we clear?”

She nodded emphatically, “Very.”

Tar released her. “Go take care of your son.”

He watched Lisa carry Cole out of the room as he stood. His fucking brother should know better than to discuss top secret operations. Tar attempted to control his temper by breathing through it but was back in time, caught in the horror that was his past. The unspeakable acts done to him. He got through it by sheer grit and determination, not love or a will to live. No, far from it. Worst part was, Tar had locked onto the fact he wasn’t going to die by anyone’s hands but his own. How the hell could he ever admit to such a thing? The reason he was alive was because he wanted to control his own death.

And Keeley thought she was unforgivable.

As that thought rippled through his mind another jointed the party. Was he projecting Lisa’s blatant betrayal onto Keeley? Interchanging them in some way?

Dear God, Tar knew he was just as screwed up. Maybe in a different way than Keeley, but still all kinds of fucked-up. Demons were his companions during that time in his life. Took more willpower than he knew existed to break those ties once he was freed from that prison camp. He could only hope and pray Keeley found that within herself as well. She was strong enough. If only she recognized it before it was too late.