INFERNO (The HEAT Series Book 4) Read Online Free
Author: Deborah Bladon
car accident. He's shaken up and needs to stay calm. I wasn't about to throw his ex-fiancée in his face."
"I'd throw her out the window if I had a chance," she mutters under her breath.
I shoot her a wry look. "You don’t mean that and besides I'll get my chance to talk to him about her. This isn't the place and it sure as hell is not the right time to discuss her."
"How can you be so calm about this?" She shoulders her purse, her hand tightening around the strap. "I know your dad is in bad shape but we're talking about the man you love. You have to fight for that, Den. You can't let him slip away."
My stomach knots. I know that Sophia is only looking out for me but we're not the same when it comes to love. I realized that the first time we watched a popular romance movie together on Netflix. Sophia cried when the on-screen couple parted ways because of a small misunderstanding. It took ninety minutes and countless discussions between each of the main characters and their requisite single best friends to realize that they'd made a mistake.
While Sophia sobbed and held tightly to a box of tissues, I cursed and screamed at the television, telling the characters to man up and do the right thing. To me, that involved having a rational discussion about what went wrong and how, if possible, to fix it.
"Sophia." I rest both my hands on her shoulders as people scurry past us. "If Tyler wants to have a relationship with Neela, that's his choice. Whether I accept it or not is my choice. "
"But you love him," she whines. "Isn't that enough to fight for him?"
"No." I shake my head faintly. "If I fight for him and he chooses me, I'll always wonder if he regrets it. I'd rather make my own choices for my heart and not let anyone else do that for me."
She's looking at me as if I'm speaking a foreign language. Her brows are raised, her lips parted. I wait for her to respond, but there's nothing but that stare.
"I need to go talk to Tyler's family." I gesture with my hand down the long corridor that leads back to the ER's waiting room. "You can come with me or you can go to the cafeteria to get a coffee if you want."
"I want to," she starts before she reaches forward to brush a piece of lint from the skirt of my dress. "I want to go with you, Den. I'm staying by your side tonight."
I mouth a silent thank you. I'm going to need her strength, maybe more than either of us realizes.
***
As we approach the ER waiting room I scan the area looking for Maribel. I know if I find her that Neela will be close behind. I don't want to talk to either of them again tonight. I have one mission right now and that's delivering Tyler's message to his family.
"I don't see either of them, Den." Sophia taps my shoulder from behind. "You're looking for Maribel and Neela, aren't you?"
"Was I being that obvious?" I ask when she steps in place beside me. "I'd rather avoid another run-in with the two of them."
"They're not here." She half-shrugs. "Maybe they took off. It's late. I don't think they let nosy chefs and old flames in to see patients after visiting hours are over."
I smile in spite of the situation. "I doubt like hell they left. Maybe they're in the cafeteria."
"Do you want me to do surveillance?" She rubs her palms together. "I can go find them and then report back to you. I can even stall them if you need me to."
She may not be deliberately trying to make me laugh, but her words, and her stance, are pulling a small chuckle from me. "You don't need to stall them. Let's go talk to Tyler's family and then we'll head up to the ICU."
"That works too." She points to the waiting room. "There's no time like the present to meet your future in-laws, Den. Let's do this."
"Sophia." I sigh. "Don't call them that."
"Call me a foolish romantic if you want," she continues even though I raise my hand to stop her. "You and Tyler are meant to be. You can tell me I'm right on your wedding day."
I rest my forehead in my palm. "I'd rather just
"I'd throw her out the window if I had a chance," she mutters under her breath.
I shoot her a wry look. "You don’t mean that and besides I'll get my chance to talk to him about her. This isn't the place and it sure as hell is not the right time to discuss her."
"How can you be so calm about this?" She shoulders her purse, her hand tightening around the strap. "I know your dad is in bad shape but we're talking about the man you love. You have to fight for that, Den. You can't let him slip away."
My stomach knots. I know that Sophia is only looking out for me but we're not the same when it comes to love. I realized that the first time we watched a popular romance movie together on Netflix. Sophia cried when the on-screen couple parted ways because of a small misunderstanding. It took ninety minutes and countless discussions between each of the main characters and their requisite single best friends to realize that they'd made a mistake.
While Sophia sobbed and held tightly to a box of tissues, I cursed and screamed at the television, telling the characters to man up and do the right thing. To me, that involved having a rational discussion about what went wrong and how, if possible, to fix it.
"Sophia." I rest both my hands on her shoulders as people scurry past us. "If Tyler wants to have a relationship with Neela, that's his choice. Whether I accept it or not is my choice. "
"But you love him," she whines. "Isn't that enough to fight for him?"
"No." I shake my head faintly. "If I fight for him and he chooses me, I'll always wonder if he regrets it. I'd rather make my own choices for my heart and not let anyone else do that for me."
She's looking at me as if I'm speaking a foreign language. Her brows are raised, her lips parted. I wait for her to respond, but there's nothing but that stare.
"I need to go talk to Tyler's family." I gesture with my hand down the long corridor that leads back to the ER's waiting room. "You can come with me or you can go to the cafeteria to get a coffee if you want."
"I want to," she starts before she reaches forward to brush a piece of lint from the skirt of my dress. "I want to go with you, Den. I'm staying by your side tonight."
I mouth a silent thank you. I'm going to need her strength, maybe more than either of us realizes.
***
As we approach the ER waiting room I scan the area looking for Maribel. I know if I find her that Neela will be close behind. I don't want to talk to either of them again tonight. I have one mission right now and that's delivering Tyler's message to his family.
"I don't see either of them, Den." Sophia taps my shoulder from behind. "You're looking for Maribel and Neela, aren't you?"
"Was I being that obvious?" I ask when she steps in place beside me. "I'd rather avoid another run-in with the two of them."
"They're not here." She half-shrugs. "Maybe they took off. It's late. I don't think they let nosy chefs and old flames in to see patients after visiting hours are over."
I smile in spite of the situation. "I doubt like hell they left. Maybe they're in the cafeteria."
"Do you want me to do surveillance?" She rubs her palms together. "I can go find them and then report back to you. I can even stall them if you need me to."
She may not be deliberately trying to make me laugh, but her words, and her stance, are pulling a small chuckle from me. "You don't need to stall them. Let's go talk to Tyler's family and then we'll head up to the ICU."
"That works too." She points to the waiting room. "There's no time like the present to meet your future in-laws, Den. Let's do this."
"Sophia." I sigh. "Don't call them that."
"Call me a foolish romantic if you want," she continues even though I raise my hand to stop her. "You and Tyler are meant to be. You can tell me I'm right on your wedding day."
I rest my forehead in my palm. "I'd rather just
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