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

E was pretty sure Tar would go back to the penthouse to gather his shit before taking off. Following his gut, he beelined for his own home. Keeley was one troubled soul caught in unbearable darkness, but Tar knew that going in. E could understand how watching that orgasm she was forced to have with Braxton would fuck with the man. Still, it was just that…forced. The poor girl couldn’t control her body’s response any more so than one controlled blinking their eyes. It was a body, for fuck’s sake, that responded to stimulation, and, in her case, pain was what did it for her.

Heaven forbid she actually worked.

Considering all Keeley had been through, the fact she functioned was a damn miracle. Was the pain aspect what freaked Tar out? Again, no surprises there. And as much as E wanted that need to go away for her, he knew better. She’d always want things just a little differently than others, yet there were ways to taper it back to reasonable. Plus, when one really thought about it, we were all unique in our desires, fantasies, wants and needs. Part of loving someone was accepting
all
of them and understanding—we were all broken to some extent.

All those thoughts and emotions crashing inside E did not bode well for Tar when he found him. E recognized he was dangerously close to losing all sense of control. He threw open his front door with enough force the knob went through the plaster. In his rage, E didn’t register the damage done as he stormed toward the guestroom Tar and Keeley had been sharing. With a quick survey, he realized the man in question wasn’t there.

Fucker better not have taken off completely.

E found himself in his home gym studying the man he wanted to tear apart, to hurt him as much as he’d just hurt his little sister. But what he found stopped him in his tracks.

Tar was on his knees, head bowed, chest heaving. E quickly acknowledged it wasn’t the posture of one who pushed their body too hard in a fierce workout, but a man shattered. Driven to his knees in the pain that consumed him. He approached the suffering man with caution.

“Tar.” His head shot up, and what E saw in the depths of his eyes almost brought him to his own knees. My God, the turmoil. The outright agony. Fuck, he was as damaged as Keeley. E had to wonder how the hell this couple would ever get past this. They couldn’t on their own, support was needed. Family.

Tar’s voice was nothing but a mere rasp, “She betrayed me.”

E nodded. “Nothing that can’t be forgiven.”

“The fuck,” he barked as fresh tears streaked down his cheeks.

E realized Tar was caught between extreme anger and excruciating heartbreak. He blew out a heavy breath. “This isn’t an easy path. You’re going to make mistakes just like she is. Understanding that is over half the battle, man.”

“She’s better off without me,” the confession ripped out of him.

E knelt down before him and grasped his shoulders. “That’s a fucking lie and you know it.”

“Do I?”

“Listen the fuck up! You love her. That much is obvious or you wouldn’t be here like this. So go tell her just that.”

“I lied, E. I told her I didn’t love her anymore,” he howled and buried his face in his hands.

“Heat of the moment. You were hurt and lashed out. She can understand that.”

He only shook his head.

“Look, what matters now is that she knows you’re there for her.”

“No! What’s best for her, and me, is if I leave and never bother her again.”

“Bullshit!” E roared. “That’s the pussy’s way out.”

Tar scrubbed his face before locking his determined gaze on E’s. “That’s the kindest thing I can do for her. Because honestly, I want to rip things to shreds right now!”

E stood and challenged, “Bring it.”

Tar did not back down and lunged forward, taking E down as they grappled. E was a damn good fighter, but Tar’s training as a SEAL took over.

E spat out, “You’re fucking delusional.”

Tar got in a good right hook as blood shot from E’s mouth. “You’re the one not seeing things clearly,” he growled. “She let that mother fucker touch her.”

E returned fire with a left jab as they rolled across the mats. “She was forced.”

Tar pinned him down. “Are you trying to tell me that if you watched that
bastard
do that to Lacey you’d be fine with it?!”

It was the same conversation they had in E’s nightclub. And though E chose to see it through Keeley’s eyes the entire time, now, he was beginning to see things from Tar’s perspective. Before he could say anything, Tar flipped him and held his arms behind his back.

“She let that son of a bitch fuck her.” He yanked harder, bringing a harsh grunt from E. “Not with his dick. But he absolutely fucked her until she came.”

E managed to get his body in position to gain the upper hand. He locked Tar tight in a body scissor. “She loves you. You are the one she wants.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Tar growled, “She wants pain more than she loves me. I saw the proof of that with my own eyes.”

E yanked him up by his T-shirt and spat right in his face. “You’re a fucking coward. She needs a man. One strong enough to help her fight those motherfuckers that taunt her day and night. She needs to know that true love exists. That nothing she does is unforgiveable. That
she
matters. That she’s worth loving and honoring and cherishing!” he snarled as he took a step back. He let his fist fly forward and Tar did nothing to defend himself. Blood shot across the room as E seethed, “You’re right. If you can’t be that man, get the fuck out.”

Tar cocked his jaw and nodded. “It’s for the best.”

“Fuck. You.” E was right back in his face. “Don’t come back. Do you hear me? You walk out of here, don’t you ever fucking contact her again.” E knew if he stayed there he’d beat the shit out of Tar, so he spun around and marched out before he did just that. Keeley didn’t deserve a man who wouldn’t fight for her.

“Tell Keeley …” Tar ground out her name. “Hell, tell her whatever the fuck you want. I’m done.”

E glanced back over his shoulder and locked his boiling gaze on Tar’s. “If she recovers from her head injury, I’ll
never
speak of you again,” he vowed.

Tar rushed after E. He might be pissed as hell at her for what she’d done. Wanted to tear that fucker Braxton apart limb by limb, a slow agonizing death. But he never wanted Keeley hurt. At least not physically. Wanting her to suffer emotionally like he was, at the moment, wasn’t something he cared to examine closely. “Wait!” He clasped E’s shoulder, earning him a menacing growl. He ignored it. “What did you just say?”

“Doesn’t fucking matter. She needs people who actually give a damn. She needs a man who will lay it all down for her. Only her.” E walked out.

And Tar was left standing there wondering,
What the fuck do I do now
?

*****

Lacey stood next to Keeley holding her hand. The conversation with the doctor was still echoing in her ears.

“We need to take her in and relieve some of the pressure on her brain. You can go in to see her for about five minutes.”

Lacey held onto her composure, barely. “Will she have permanent damage?”

“Hard to say, ma’am.”

“Is there anything I can do to help my sister?”

“Yes.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Pray.”

She stared at her beautiful twin sister wondering if she’d ever be able to laugh with her again. Would she recover? Be the same person? Keeley might be on a dark path but she wasn’t unredeemable. Yes, she’d made some awful mistakes and done things that were difficult to forgive. But deep down, she had a beautiful heart. She deserved to live. She should have a shot at a second chance. Her life couldn’t end this way. It just couldn’t. Lacey sobbed and hit her knees on the cold tile floor pleading with God to save her sister, promising she’d do anything. “Please, I beg you, don’t take her away,” she wailed as strong, warm arms wrapped around her from behind.

“He hears you, Sweetness. Let Him do what He does best.” E’s voice cracked from so much emotion. His heart breaking for his beloved wife and Keeley.

Lacey whimpered, “You mean heal her?”

“I mean,
save
her.”

She looked down at the tiny Keeley, who appeared more child than woman, and whispered, “Live.”

The room became a bustle of organized chaos as a team of medical personnel came in and wheeled her sister out for surgery.

Lacey completely lost it once it was just her and E. He held onto his wife, trying to be the strength she needed, but E couldn’t deny how scared he was for Keeley. She’d beaten the odds so many times, what were the chances she would again? Sooner or later your number came up. Something inside him questioned if hers was. Worse, what if she pulled through but was irreversibly damaged—a vegetable. Could Lacey handle that? God, no. It wasn’t a matter of love; it was quality of life. And E knew how hard it was to be trapped inside a body that didn’t want to cooperate. What happened when the opposite was true? When the mind wouldn’t cooperate in a fully functioning body? No. No. No. He wouldn’t let himself go there. His beautiful wife needed him to be the rock right now, not a fearful pussy.

Mitch cleared his throat as he entered the room. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I think you both need to come with me and see this for yourselves.”

Heavy with worry, E and Lacey followed him out and stood stunned at what met their eyes. The entire team was lining the hallways along with Nik, Aimee, Alex, Sofie, and Ari. E shook his head. “Apparently,” he held Lacey tight against him, “we aren’t the only ones pulling for Keeley.”

Lacey buried her head into the crook of E’s neck and cried. Tears of concern, tears of love, tears of awe. How had her dear sister missed all of this? So many cared for her and wanted what was best for her. As the Strand family met them and embraced, Lacey glanced up. Standing by himself at the far end of the hall was Tar. She gasped, “Oh my God.”

E’s gaze lit on the man he thought he’d never see again. “The fuck,” he muttered as more people realized what caused the disturbance.

Tar was surprised to see that many people he knew hanging around. Mitch approached him. “Glad to have you back, man.”

He gave one sharp nod and inquired, “Why is the team here?”

Mitch slightly shrugged. “Keeley means a lot to us.”

“I need to talk to her. Which room?”

E was within hearing distance as he answered, “Why don’t you take a walk with me?”

Tar knew that did not sound good as they stepped outside together. E might be furious at the whole fucked up situation. But a part of him understood where this man was coming from. Truth was, if he’d been in Tar’s shoes that night, Braxton would be a dead man. And Lacey, hell, he’d need some space to get his shit together. Those thoughts rattling around in E’s head didn’t change the fact that Tar deserved to be brought up to speed.

Tar stood there too shocked to move.

Nik had just enough time to catch the big man as he tumbled to the ground.

“Shit!” E exclaimed helping his brother.

“What’re you bitchin’ about? I’m the one holding his heavy ass,” Nik grunted, laying Tar down on the ground.

“Thank God you came out here when you did,” E affirmed as he tried to revive Tar. “Hey, man, wake up.” He tapped his face. Nothing.

“Let me go get some help,” Nik declared, promptly leaving.

Mitch knelt beside the mountain of a man. “What knocked him out?”

“Terror. Shock.” E raked his hand through his hair. “Worry. Anger. Pain. Damn, take your pick.”

“Roger that. He should come to in about…”

“Where?” Tar bellowed as he sat up.

E shook his head. “Hell, do you ever not know what’s going on?”

That inquiry earned him an angled look. “Does happen,” Tar confirmed.

Mitch filled in, “Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you want to go about it, our training along with outright experience in high octane situations sorta demands all pistons are firing.”

“Makes sense.” E offered his hand to help Tar off the ground.

“Thanks. Now, where is Keeley?”

“Come on,” E asserted. “We’ll all head on up to the waiting room outside the OR.”

*****

“Keeley made it through surgery with no complications,” the surgeon explained, “however, the next twenty-four hours are critical.”

Lacey followed him out to go see her sister. Once again, she was only given five minutes. E joined her, taking in the familiar sight of tubes and machines all around the bed in ICU. Most troublesome was seeing Keeley’s head wrapped up like a mummy. She was so pale and utterly lifeless. If it hadn’t been for the monitor tracking her heartbeat, he’d have thought she were dead. He stroked Keeley’s arm above where Lacey was holding her hand. “Keep fighting, Sis.”

Tears fell on Keeley as Lacey leaned forward and declared, “I love you. I’ll be right here waiting for you.”