Firestorm - Ellie Masters Page 0,81

launches herself into Mom’s arms. Her weeping turns inconsolable and I’m left not knowing what to do.

My mother gives a little jerk of her chin. “Why don’t you boys go inside while I get Evelyn situated?”

I’m not sure what it is, whether it’s a woman thing, or a motherly thing, but I understand the power of a mother’s embrace. I follow my brothers inside and slump down on the couch.

Cage sits across from me and kicks his ankle across his opposite knee. “So—that was an interesting way to spend a Saturday night.”

“You don’t say.” I lean back and pinch the bridge of my nose, overwhelmed by everything I’ve learned.

Brody disappears into the kitchen while my mother ushers Evelyn inside. She gives a slight shake of her head, telling me she has everything under control, and gently guides Evelyn down the hall.

Brody returns with three beers and sits down beside me. He tosses one to Cage, who catches it, then hands me the other. “To one fucked up night.”

“No shit.” Cage takes a sip while I sit and cradle the beer in my hands.

I keep looking down the hall, feeling like I need to go to Evelyn, but I trust my mother. Evelyn needs time and space to collect herself before I start badgering her with the thousand questions running through my head.

Brody and Cage try engaging me in conversation, switching from topic to topic trying to get me to bite. When I sip sullenly at my beer, they give up. Brody asks Cage about his latest assignment, and I kind of zone out as Cage talks about polar bears, ice caps, and other things I don’t care about.

Finally, my mother returns. Alone. She waves me over and places her tiny hand on my bicep. “She’s been through a lot. This may not be the best time to ask a ton of questions. Sometimes, a woman simply needs to know her man is there and cares for her. I left her in the shower. Give her a minute before you go in.” She grabs her purse and keys. “I’ll be back in the morning. Goodnight, boys.”

Brody and Cage jump to their feet and give her a kiss goodnight. They argue about what game to play. I stand in the middle of the hallway with my hands shoved in my pockets until I can’t stand it anymore.

My feet are on the move. I need my girl.

22

Asher

Not surprising, Evelyn is still in the shower. I knock softly on the door.

“Evelyn? Can I come in?” I’ve seen the woman naked, fucked her on nearly every surface in my bedroom, and against the wall, yet I worry about invading her privacy? It doesn’t make sense, but somehow, seeing her this vulnerable feels like crossing a line.

“Y-yes.” Her voice sounds incredibly small, nothing like the self-assured woman I know.

Slowly, I open the door. Steam billows out into the hallway and sweat beads up on my brow. The heat is stifling and fog completely covers the mirrors. It’s a large bathroom with a shower enclosure built for two. Multiple shower heads make it one of my guilty pleasures. There’s a rain shower overhead. Two shower heads built into the opposite sides of the enclosure, and two rows of water jets which provide the most amazing massages. Evelyn has all of them turned on, and from the thickness of the steam, the heat is cranked.

“How’re you holding up?” Like the mirrors, the glass door is fogged over. Her blurry outline is all I can make out. She’s sitting, knees pulled up and tucked tight to her body.

“Surviving.”

Without thinking about what I’m doing, I toe off my shoes and strip out of my clothes.

She needs me, but she won’t ask me to join her.

Somehow, I know this, just as I know she needs me by her side.

This isn’t about sex. It’s about connecting, comforting, and providing solace in a world that doesn’t make sense. When I think about everything she’s lost, my heart gives a crushing squeeze that stops me in my tracks.

I’d give anything to ease her pain.

I open the shower door, step inside, and sit beside her. Mirroring her pose, I draw my knees to my chest, wrap my arms around my legs, and prop my chin on my kneecaps.

“It’s foggy.”

She gives a soft laugh. “Yeah, I like the steam and after the way my bath turned out…”

After she nearly died…

Grant’s arson investigation may turn into an attempted murder instead.

I reach for her hand and ignore the