Fire (Beautiful Ashes Series, Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

her sister. What wasn’t Lacey telling her? “Why is he here?”
    The question earned her a dumbstruck expression. “Why wouldn’t he be?” Seriously, Keeley was beyond clueless at times.
    Keeley’s turn to bewilderment. “Um…he left me. You know that, right?”
    She nodded, “Of course I do.”
    Yeah, because no way would her husband fail to fill her in. E was a good man. Keeley was still trying to wrap her brain around him being the one to rescue her. Tar was correct. She was forcing herself to sleep as much as possible. There was no desire in her to face what happened the other night. But if Tar was there, didn’t that mean something? She couldn’t let herself go ther e and shifted her focus to her brother-in-law. “Is E close by?”
    Lacey bent to hug her sister, so grateful she was okay. Tears brimmed as she whispered around hiccups of emotion, “I’m so glad you’re alright.”
    Keeley stroked Lacey’s hair, fighting her own tidal wave of feelings. “Can’t seem to die no matter how hard I try.”
    Neither sister saw E step into the room, but they sure heard him when he bellowed, “Try that shit again, Keeley Kincaid, and I promise you there will be hell to pay.”
    Her eyes darted down and away with a contrite, “I’m sorry.”
    “No. You really aren’t.” His arms were folded over the expanse of his muscled chest. “I’ve had it with your oh-woe-is-me game.”
    “Even!” Lacey spun around. “That’s enough.”
    He leveled a look at his wife that made Keeley push back in her bed. “We’ll talk when we get home.”
    “The hell we’ll wait. Start talking now!” Lacey did not back down as she went toe to toe with her formidable husband.
    He moved fast as lightning and tossed Lacey over his shoulder. E placed his wife outside of her sister’s room and shut the door in her beautiful, furious face. With a turn of the lock, all they heard was Lacey’s angry voice. “Even Strand, so help me.”
    A ghost of a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. Keeley didn’t miss it when those quicksilver eyes lit on her. Oh, he was pissed. “I know you’re going through hell. I get your dealing with a lot of shit. I understand the battle you’re in with those fucking demons. But you listen to me…” He got right in her face and continued, “You ever scare the shit out of me or your beloved sister like that again, I’ll have you locked up and throw away the key. We clear?”
    Keeley registered what was wrong. E was afraid for her. The dam broke. She began to sob uncontrollably, reaching for the brother she’d come to love. He held her close. His voice tight as he confessed, “I didn’t know how to save you. You are my sister. And I had no clue how to help you.”
    A perturbed nurse stood inside the room, key in hand. “Sir, please refrain from locking the door and disrupting this floor.” She turned on her heel and marched out, leaving Lacey in her wake.
    Lacey took in the scene before her. Every ounce of anger drained in an instant. What she saw was family. She joined her husband and sister while they cried together with relief, gratitude. But something more was there, an unspoken love that bound them together.
    Tar knew Keeley was in the best hands possible when he peeked into the room. His gut told him he should just go and not say anything to Keeley. He turned, his steps eating up the hallway.
    Always trust your gut.
     
    *****
    Mitch didn’t agree with Tar’s decision and let him know so. “Keeley deserves an explanation.”
    “Better this way,” came the gruff reply.
    “My ass! You took the pussy’s way out and you know it.”
    That earned him an up close and personal. Tar growled, “Don’t you even pretend to understand how I’m feeling right now. I did what I felt was best for her recovery.”
    Mitch wasn’t backing down. His best friend was wrong—so, so wrong. “You broke her fucking heart in that street. She barely made it out ALIVE!” he roared back. “Now you go