Fire (Beautiful Ashes Series, Book 2)(12)

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.