Fireball, page 2
He raised his eyebrows, as if that was a dumb question. It wasn’t. It was a legitimate question.
“Did you honestly think you were up here in the fucking mountains alone, without protection?”
Yes, I had thought that. Clearly. I had hidden in a pantry with a knife for almost an hour today.
“Fuck,” he drawled and took another pull from the cigarette. “You’re a naive one. Go back to bed. I’m just headed to my room.”
Wait, what? His room?
Frowning, I asked, “Your room?”
He pointed his cigarette toward the room to his left. “Yeah.”
I shook my head then. There was no way I was letting him sleep in this house with me. He wasn’t Saxon. I trusted the Houstons—well, as much as I could. They were still in the family, but so far, they hadn’t done anything but help me. They had gone out of their way to get me somewhere to stay. Huck, however, did what Blaise told him to do. He killed for Blaise. Huck was not a good man.
“No, you can’t sleep here.”
He chuckled. “Maddy, honey, I’ve been sleeping here since you arrived. Apparently, you’re a light sleeper when you think you’re alone.”
“You’ve been here the whole time?” I asked, then added, “Did Saxon know?”
He couldn’t have known. Saxon was honest. He wouldn’t have kept that from me.
Huck smirked at me. “Yeah, he knew. We take care of our own. You might be pissed about how things were handled, but that doesn’t change shit.”
My confusion and doubts did an odd thing. They slowly began to churn inside me, and within seconds, they transformed into full-blown anger. Huck was standing there, acting as if my family’s deaths weren’t a big deal and I was overreacting. How dare he?! I had lost people I loved, the only home I had truly ever had.
I took a step toward him as I glared at his nonchalant expression. I pointed my finger at him. “My dad and brother were killed!” I shouted. “I am not pissed! I am … I’m destroyed.”
And I was also in this alone. Saxon had lied to me. If he were my friend, he would have told me Huck was here. Saxon was loyal all right, just not to me.
“When you don’t know the whole story and you assume shit, then, yeah, that can be painful. Maybe if you’d listened to Blaise, you would understand. But you had to act like a fucking female and run off.”
My hands fisted at my sides. I wanted to punch him in the face. I would probably break my hand, or he’d snap my wrist before I could, but the urge was still there.
“NOTHING makes killing my dad and brother okay. NOTHING!”
I spun around to run back into the room I had been using since coming here and locked myself inside. I’d had to get away from him. He was just an extension of Blaise. Every move I made, he would report to Blaise. Just like I now knew Saxon had done.
I was naive. He was right about that. I should have known Saxon and the Houstons wouldn’t go against Blaise. They wouldn’t hide me from him. Why had I thought they would? Kenneth was a part of the damn Mafia. They had never confirmed that, but I was sure he was. Saxon would be, too, just like Trev.
All of them—I had let them in. I had cared about them, and they had all been in on this. They’d all known.
Because I had needed someone to trust, I’d believed they were doing it because Melanie had been my mom’s friend. I questioned a lot of that story now. If they’d been best friends, then my mom hadn’t been real good at choosing friends.
Tomorrow, I would leave. I didn’t know where I would go, and I had no money or car to take. The card they’d left me and the rental car weren’t safe to use. Their generosity was because they believed I belonged to Blaise. I wasn’t a part of the family.
My family was gone.
“Blaise would do anything to protect you. Anything. Even before you knew him. He’s been doing it for fucking years,” Huck called out from the other side of the door.
I paused and glared at the closed door. He was close. Too close. The darkness in his tone wasn’t something new, but the words he’d said bothered me. I knew that Blaise had been watching me for six years, but there was something in the way Huck had said it that made me question what he meant. Until I’d been brought into Blaise’s world, I hadn’t needed to be kept safe.
“Killing my family wasn’t protecting me,” I shouted, not sure if he was still outside the door.
Luke, the man I had thought was my father until recently and Cole who I had always believed was my brother hadn’t been my blood, but they had been my family. Luke had raised me as his daughter, and I was sure Cole had believed, like I had, that he was my biological brother.
Huck said nothing. He had either walked away or he had no response to that. He knew I was right. There was no argument he could have to that simple truth. I started to turn away and walk back to the bed.
“Funny thing about addicts.” His voice was directly on the other side of the door now. He was strong enough to open it if that was what he wanted. “They’ll do things. Bad things to get that next hit. Terrible things to hang on to what they think they need.”
I wasn’t going to respond.
My dad and brother hadn’t been addicts. They had some problems but drug addiction wasn’t one. If that was what Blaise was going to try and get me to believe, he was not going to be successful. My brother might have had a small problem, but it wasn’t bad. My dad was an alcoholic. We didn’t have enough money for them to be addicted to drugs. Sure, my dad wasted money on his cheap beer that we could have used for essential things, like food. He had raised us alone, without a woman’s help. The alcohol was his way of escape from the stresses of being a single parent. I understood it, and I loved him for what he did for us. We were both still living at home and legal adults. Our having jobs and staying there had been to help my dad. At least, it had been for me. They had both needed me just as much as I had needed them.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I stared at the drawer in the nightstand where I had stuck the letter from Blaise. I wasn’t sure I would ever read it. Just seeing his handwriting hurt. I didn’t want to miss him. I didn’t want to feel anything but hate for him. He had said I was his weakness, but I knew he had been mine. I’d let my guard down and been foolish.
Huck was here. He’d been here all along. Today, when I had hidden in the pantry with a knife, he’d been somewhere. Outside? In his room? Where had he been during the day? He had to have been close if he was here to protect me.
Maybe it was in the envelope. Perhaps Blaise had told me Huck was here and why. It was too thick to just be a letter, and I knew that.
I reached for the drawer, then stopped myself.
No. I couldn’t do it. Not yet. I needed more time.
Three
Madeline
The smell of bacon woke me. Not in a pleasant way. My feet hit the floor, and I ran for the toilet. The little that was in my stomach from the day before came up as I gripped the cold porcelain with one hand and held my hair back with the other. When I was finished, I stood up and flushed the toilet, then went to the sink to wipe my face.
The sensitivity in my stomach the past few days had gotten worse. The arrival of Huck had to be why it had reached the vomit stage. Having him here was a reminder of Blaise, which would now be in my face until I could figure out how to leave.
Standing in front of the mirror, I stared at the hollowness of my cheekbones and the dark circles under my eyes. I’d lost weight. I didn’t know how much, but my clothes were loose. Saxon had been worried about me not eating, and I had tried to for his sake.
The knowledge that he’d been keeping Huck’s presence here a secret hurt.
How many people would I trust and be slapped in the face with it? This would be the end of it. I was going to leave and go far away. Start a life in a place that had no connection to them at all.
Picking up my pink toothbrush that Saxon had bought me only made me think of his betrayal even more. Everything I had at the moment, he’d supplied it for me. I wasn’t going to be able to push thoughts of my so-called friend away anytime soon. Brushing my teeth made me gag a little. I needed to eat something. That would help.
I pulled off my shirt before taking the bra I’d left on the back of the bathroom door last night after my shower. No longer being alone in the house meant I wasn’t going braless. I slipped it on, then pulled my T-shirt back over my head.
I could still smell the bacon when I walked into my bedroom, and my stomach began to roll again. The trauma of last night had definitely set me off. I fought the nausea as I opened my door and stepped out.
Glancing over the railing, I found Huck standing at the coffeepot. Now that I knew he was here, I was going to have to deal with him. It seemed he wasn’t going to do me the favor of hiding.
Getting free of Blaise and his people would be my main focus until I could figure out how to do it. It wasn’t like I could walk down the mountain. The rental probably had a tracker on it. Spending the little cash I had that was mine to get an Uber or taxi to get down the mountain would leave me broke.
Swallowing against the bile in my throat, I went down the stairs. Huck looked up at me from his coffee cup as I entered.
He nodded toward the stove. “You need to eat. You look like hell.”
I felt like hell. The bacon smell was making the thought of any food sound unappealing. “Why are you in the house? I thought you would go back to being invisible,” I snapped.
He grinned. “What, and deprive you of my company?”
I rolled my eyes and headed for the door out to the balcony. It wouldn’t smell like food out there. Huck wouldn’t be out there either.
“You’re gonna eat, Maddy,” he said as I reached the door.
I ignored him and grabbed my blanket from the sofa before opening the door and stepping outside to the fresh, cool air. Sighing in relief, I took my spot in the rocking chair and curled up, wrapping the blanket around me. This was better.
The door opening behind me, however, snatched my brief escape right back. Huck walked up to me, holding a plate of food. I shook my head as my stomach turned at the sight of the bacon.
“If you don’t fucking eat, I’m gonna force it down your throat,” he told me.
I glared up at him. “If you don’t get it out of my face, I’m going to throw up, and I will aim it directly at you.”
Huck didn’t move. He frowned as he stared at me. I turned away from his appraisal to look out over the mountains. Maybe if I pretended he wasn’t here, then he’d go away.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
Huck then walked away, taking the food with him. When the door closed behind him, I sighed in relief. Thank goodness for small miracles. Laying my head back against the wooden rocker, I pulled the blanket up to my chin and enjoyed my quiet.
After going back to bed last night, it had taken me almost an hour to fall back asleep. My thoughts kept going back to the envelope in my nightstand. I fought off breaking down and looking inside. Eventually, my eyes had closed, and I’d fallen into a deep sleep.
Admitting that Huck being in the house was probably why I’d slept so deeply was annoying. Knowing I was safe from the monsters out there, wanting to hurt me, had made it easier to sleep. I wouldn’t tell him that though.
The door behind me opened again, and I rolled my eyes. He was back. Fantastic.
A plate with a croissant was placed in front of me. I looked down at it, and my stomach growled. I was hungry now. Reluctantly, I took the plate from him.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
He set a tall glass of milk on the table beside my chair. I waited, thinking he would leave again, but he walked around and sat down in the rocker beside me. I wasn’t going to talk to him if that was what he was after. I tore off a piece of the croissant and put it in my mouth. I’d keep my mouth full.
“When was the last time you had a period?” he asked me.
Frowning, I turned my head to look at him. “Seeing as that is a personal question, I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask me that.”
Huck rubbed the stubble on his chin while he looked out at the mountains. “Smell of bacon made you sick. You’ve lost weight. When was the last time you had a period?”
Oh. I shook my head. “I’m not pregnant. I got on the shot. I haven’t bled since then,” I told him, turning back to the croissant.
“When did you get the shot?” he asked me.
I stopped before putting another bite in my mouth. “Are you serious? I am not discussing this with you,” I told him, then shoved the piece I’d torn off into my mouth.
I could feel Huck’s gaze on me. Yes, I had lost weight. I didn’t want to eat. I had fallen in love with a man who had killed my family. And God knew how many other people. It was kinda hard to eat after finding that out.
“You were fucking Blaise before you got the shot. I’m not asking for details. I’m asking you when you got the damn shot. Did you stop bleeding altogether?”
Sighing, I finished chewing, then met his gaze. “I got the shot about six weeks ago. I was told it could lighten or even stop my period. It stopped it. But before they would give me the shot, I had a period and a pregnancy test. They didn’t give me the shot until I had a period first and they were sure I wasn’t pregnant.”
Huck nodded, then looked pacified with my answer. I went back to my croissant and realized I was hungry. Really hungry. Finishing it off, I took the milk and drank it. I wanted another one, but I wasn’t about to go get it. I did not trust my stomach and the smell of bacon inside.
When Huck got up, he took my plate and glass with him before going inside. I stared out over the mountains, wishing he hadn’t brought up my period and sex with Blaise. My thoughts were there now, and a lump began to form in my throat. The urge to cry wasn’t new. I’d done that several times over the past three weeks. I was torn between hating Blaise for taking my family from me and missing him. I didn’t want to miss that man. I wanted to hate him. But my foolish heart wouldn’t let me. As much as I wanted to.
The door opened, and Huck appeared again with a plate of two croissants and another glass of milk. I wanted it and wished I didn’t.
“You don’t have to feed me. I’ll get my own food,” I said, glaring at the plate of food.
“Eat the fucking food and shut up,” he said, putting it beside me and turning to leave me alone again.
I reached for a croissant and realized he’d warmed this one. Taking a bite, I closed my eyes as the soft, buttery taste met my tongue. I should have said thank you. No. NO. I should not thank him. For all I knew, he was the one Blaise had sent to shoot my family. My stomach twisted at that thought. I put the rest of the croissant back. The appetite I’d seemed to have immediately vanished.
This was why I was thin and looked sick. How was I expected to look after seeing those pictures of my father and brother with gunshots in their heads?
Four
Madeline
Thankfully, the book I had chosen was good enough to draw me in and away from the reality I was currently in. I’d spent most of the day reading on the balcony. Alone. Another thing to be thankful for. Huck had only appeared at noon with yet another plate. This one had a turkey sandwich and a banana. He had simply ordered me to eat after placing it and a glass of ice water beside me.
I had eaten after he went inside, of course. My stomach had felt better, and I was giving all the credit to the story I had escaped into. I hadn’t been able to read the romance novels Saxon had brought me, but this was a thriller and had me completely enthralled.
When the door on the balcony opened again, I looked up, thinking it was too early for dinner and I didn’t want Huck’s company. It wasn’t Huck. My heart felt as if it had jumped into my throat and blocked my airway.
Blaise’s gaze was locked on me as he stalked toward me. A frown between his brows and his mouth a tight line. I should get up and run, yell, hit him, something. Maybe scream at him to leave. Not sit here, but I was frozen. Unable to say or do anything. I hadn’t expected him. I wasn’t prepared to see him. Not yet. My heart wasn’t strong enough. It might never be strong enough.
He stopped in front of me and dropped down to his haunches as he studied my face closely. My breathing was erratic, and I suddenly wanted to cry. He was here. Reminding me of all I’d lost. All he had taken. All I couldn’t have.
“Madeline.” He said my name softly. Too softly.
Tears clogged my throat, and I hated myself for reacting like this. He was a murderer. He was evil. Yet I was fighting the desire to throw myself into his arms like a lunatic. The part of me that ached for him was too strong. Did that make me evil too?
“How long have you been getting sick?” he asked me.
I stiffened. He thought I was pregnant. I could see it in his eyes. It was as if he had taken a bucket of ice water and dumped it over my head. The sanity I had lost for a moment at the sight of him returned. The tears I had been fighting no longer stung my eyes, and I remembered that I hated him. I wanted to say all of that, but instead, I glared at him.
“Answer me,” he demanded in a low tone.
I closed my book and put it down beside me. I needed a moment before I spoke. No emotion needed to be evident in my voice. Blaise would not know how he affected me. When I was sure of myself, I met his eyes.
“Today,” I said in a clipped tone.
“You’ve lost too much weight,” he said, softer and with concern, as he reached up and rubbed the pad of his thumb over one of the dark circles under my eyes. “I need you to eat more, baby,” he said, and then his gaze roamed over me before returning to meet mine.
Hearing him call me baby felt like he’d reached inside me and twisted my heart. Stupid, stupid girl. I was not his baby. Not now. I should never have been. He was right when he had tried to save me from himself. Except he should have tried harder.
