Broken Ground: (Broken Series Book 1)

by Anna Paige

  Uh uh, not like this she isn't.

  I stormed over to the truck and spun her around to face me, my chest heaving as I fought to control my anger. "You want to tell me what happened?" I growled. "I know what fucking happened. I saw what happened. How about I tell you what happened? How about I tell you how Ali fell down the basement stairs, breaking her foot and spraining her ankle as she went, or how it's a miracle she didn't crack her skull on the concrete. How about I tell you how she lay there in the darkness, her flashlight having broken when it hit the floor? How about I tell you what it felt like to see her crumpled there surrounded by smoke, or how I thought she was fucking dead when I found her? The only woman I have ever loved. Want to hear any of that?"

  My whole body shook with the force of my rage. "Because that's all I see when I look at that fucking picture. I see her lying there motionless while I begged whatever God's would listen to please not take her from me. I see the moment when I dropped the rag from my face, deciding that letting the smoke overtake me would be infinitely better than having to live the rest of my life without her." The broken look on her face at my admission should have pleased me, but it didn't. Instead, it fueled my anger, making me want to lash out more. "Does your fucking explanation fix any of that? Will whatever bullshit excuse you feed me make the nightmares stop? The ones where I'm lost in the smoke and I can hear her screaming, but I can't find her? The ones where I have to listen to her burning alive? Will any of that go away once you explain?"

  She blinked back tears, hanging her head and not saying a goddamn word. I was just about to launch into another tirade when my phone chirped in my pocket. I recognized the distinct tone as a text from Ali. Ignoring Vanessa's sorrowful expression, I pulled the phone from my pocket and checked the message, my concern for Ali overriding every other emotion.

  Getting in the shower soon. Remember, if we could give Lauren the chance to explain herself, Vanessa should get the same consideration. She's still your aunt. I love you.

  Dammit! Why must she always be the voice of reason?

  I looked up at my aunt, trying hard to keep Ali's reminder at the forefront of my mind. Vanessa turned and closed the laptop, still wincing at the sight of herself in the picture. I decided I would make the effort, if only because Ali asked me to. She'd earned the right to call the shots on this one so I would honor her wishes.

  Running my hand over my hair, I stepped back and motioned for Vanessa to follow, turning and setting off for the backyard without waiting to see if she was behind me. When I reached the seating area by the pool, I pulled out a chair and pointed to it, taking the one across from it. "You have five minutes, so make them count. And you owe them to the woman you nearly killed because I wouldn't be listening to you without her prompting."

  Vanessa settled into the chair and sat forward, arms on her thighs and hands clasped tightly together. She looked out toward the woods, her face wan and tired. "I went to the house to look for Rebecca's box. The one Gran left there for you." She sighed, looking defeated. "I thought there might be something in there, something Rebecca had with her the last time she was here, and I didn't want you to see it. I was afraid you'd misunderstand."

  I narrowed my eyes, not liking where my mind had just gone, but I had to ask just the same. "Pictures. You were looking for the pictures, weren't you?"

  She started, looking surprised. "You already saw them?"

  "No, I heard my father on the phone the night Mom died. He was talking to his mistress about pictures and how Mom had thrown them in his face." I sat there in stunned silence as I watched her, finally able to choke out the words, "He was talking to you."

  She blinked stupidly for a moment before springing from her seat like she'd been hit with a cattle prod. "What? No! Why would... how could you think that?" Her voice was high and alarmed, making me almost believe her. "I'm the one who gave Rebecca the pictures."

  Wait, what?

  She paced back and forth behind her chair, hands flying as she talked. "Your father was a disgusting pervert. Every time he got two seconds alone with me, he tried to hit on me. Rebecca didn't want to believe it at first, so I set it up to catch him on camera. A friend of mine took the pics. He tried groping me, kissed my neck a few times before I finally had enough. He made my damn skin crawl, but I had the proof I needed. I convinced your mother to let me have him followed, knowing in my gut that he was having an affair and probably more than one."

  She stopped pacing and put her hands on the back of the chair, gripping so hard her knuckles were white. "I got the file back the day before the accident. I added the pictures of him coming on to me with the rest and called Rebecca to tell her everything was ready." Her chin quivered slightly, and her voice began to falter. "After you left for Spencer's the next day, she decided to come by and get the envelope so she could confront him that night." She wiped her eyes and came back to sit in the chair, looking exhausted. "No one ever saw the pictures after that, and I assumed your father had taken them. But when your Gran mentioned that box, I was worried that maybe they were in there. I didn't want you to find those pictures and assume the worst, so I went to look for the box while I knew you'd be gone."

  Much as I wanted to hold onto my anger, it was starting to dim. Then a thought occurred to me that made it flare anew. "The fire... did you start it with one of your fucking cigarettes? Is that how it happened?"

  She shook her head emphatically. "No. What kind of idiot do you take me for, Clay?" I gave her a sarcastic look, unmoved. "I honestly don't know what happened. I went in to look for the box, realized the lights weren't working, tried to turn on the main breaker, and heard a car outside. I hid in the pantry until it was clear and then took off. I never saw who came in, or where they went, and I definitely never saw any smoke or flames. Hell, I never even saw the stupid box."

  There was nothing in her voice or body language that made me think she was being deceitful. I considered a moment, going over what she said. "You flipped on the breaker? The main breaker?"

  "Yes. I flipped it on, but it kicked right back off. I don't know why." She shrugged helplessly. "I figured it was a safety feature or something, like maybe nothing was wired up to it yet."

  A shuffling sound caught my attention, and I turned to see Ali stepping onto the patio, looking winded in the same clothes I'd brought her home in. I jumped from my seat and rushed over to help, not wanting her to take a tumble on the downward slope between the house and the pool. "I thought you were in the shower? How'd you get down here by yourself?"

  She huffed indignantly and blew a few strands of hair out of her face, shifting her weight onto the crutch at her side. "I'm capable of getting around, maybe not fast, but I can still make it just fine on my own." She reached up and touched my face, fingers splaying over the stubble of my jaw, placating me. Stubborn ass woman. "And I didn't make it to the shower. Daniel called, and Gran has been on the phone with him for the last few minutes so I told her I was stepping out to check on you." She looked over at Vanessa, not a trace of resentment in her expression. "I thought you might like to talk to Daniel. I think he was asking for you."

  Vanessa stood and took Ali's hand in both of hers, looking more sorrowful than I'd ever seen her. "Ali, I'm so sorry for my part in what happened. I shouldn't have been there, but I want you to know that whatever I did to start the fire, it was unintentional." Her tears ran anew as she pleaded. "I hope you know I'd never do anything to hurt Clay or you. I was there trying to protect him from something trivial and nearly cost him the most precious thing in his entire world."

  My aunt turned to me, swiping at her tears and fighting for composure. "I'm sorry the door was destroyed, sorrier than I can begin to tell you. It must have been devastating to have to tear it down that way."

  Watching Ali's eyes widen, I realized she hadn't known until that moment what I'd had to do to get to her. Her chin quivered slightly, and I cupped her cheek with my hand. "Don't be upset, Ali. I'm not. There's nothing more important to me than
you. Hearing that wood splinter and crack gave me hope, urged me forward, toward you. It was the most satisfying thing in the world to be able to break it down, and I haven't regretted it or mourned the loss for even a second." A single tear rolled down her face, lingering at the corner of her mouth. I leaned in and softly pressed my lips to hers, kissing it away. "I told you, Ali. You're it for me. There's nothing in this world strong enough to stand between us. Past present or future."

  Vanessa went back inside a few minutes later, and I finally convinced Ali to sit down. We settled on the lower level patio, needing to be shaded from the sun. We sat in silence for a while, just watching the trees sway in the muggy afternoon breeze. More accurately, Ali watched the trees, and I watched Ali.

  Without looking my way, she said, "I heard you, you know, about the dreams." I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes, the mere mention of the nightmares sending a jolt of terror through me. I felt her hand on mine and grasped, blindly reaching for her as she said, "I was standing on the balcony upstairs giving Gran some privacy and that deep voice of yours kind of carries. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, I promise, but I'm glad I heard that." She gave my fingers a squeeze, rubbing her thumb over mine. "Can I ask you a question?"

  I opened my eyes and turned, her eyes sparkling like emeralds in the light. "You sure can."

  "Did you have any nightmares last night after we were together in the hospital bed?"

  I thought for a minute, trying to remember where I'd been when I awoke from each dream. "No, I don't think I did. The first was in the waiting room that first night. I must have dozed off for a few minutes. The others... They all happened either in the waiting room or when I was sleeping by your bed waiting for you to wake up."

  She nodded, her soft smile radiant. "Looks like the best way to keep those dreams at bay is to have me sleeping by your side. Lucky for you, that's exactly where I intend to be."

  I ENDED UP helping Ali with her shower, much to her relief. She said she liked Gran and everything but felt weird about having to take her clothes off in front of her. I got a playful smack to the back of the head for laughing at that. And several more smacks when I was overeager to help her wash certain areas.

  She didn't like the idea of doing that with Gran around either, apparently.

  Shit. It was going to be a long week if I couldn't get her over that little aversion. She might not be able to exert herself, but she could damn sure lay back and let me take her over the edge.

  When she was all cleaned and dressed, She perched on the edge of the bed while I helped her pack. I wasn't sure where things stood with Vanessa, but I couldn't back out of the trip because of it. I was done running from difficult situations. We'd face it, deal with it, and move on, one way or another.

  I sent Gran and Vanessa on ahead while Ali and I headed to the police station to give our statements. On the way there, Ali asked if we could stop by Teach's place to talk to Lauren. She wanted to let her know that Keith hadn't started the fire, hoping to relieve some of the woman's worry, I supposed.

  Lauren had come up with a scheme to get her uncle and aunt out of town for a few days, and I gladly footed the bill, for everyone's peace of mind. They were spending the week at a Spa in Charlottesville, none the wiser about our erroneous assumptions.

  When we arrived at the house, Ali asked me to stay in the truck, wanting to speak privately with her former nemesis. I wasn't crazy about the idea but thought better of tempting Ali's stubborn streak. I'd be dealing with it enough over the next few weeks while she healed, no need to make things worse.

  It took every ounce of willpower I had to watch her struggle out of the truck and hobble up the front steps of Teach's single-story brick home. I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn't follow behind her like she was a child, waiting to catch her should she fall. She would tire of that quickly and, truth be told, I knew she could do it on her own. I just had to fight my natural instinct to protect her. It wasn't going to be easy. Not after the fire.

  Lauren opened the door a moment later, looking hesitant to invite Ali in. They spoke for a while, and she opened the door wide, a grudging look on her face. Shit, I really hoped they weren't going back to that again.

  Deciding to do something useful while I waited I pulled my laptop from under the passenger seat and opened it, intent on deleting the photos of Vanessa from the memory card. Ali was going to tell the police she was the one who tried the main breaker; we were pretty sure an electrical short caused the fire. She said there was no need to drag Vanessa into it when there was no ill intent, making it easier on everyone.

  She was more selfless and forgiving than anyone I'd ever known. And she was mine. Would be mine forever, though she didn't know it yet.

  I pulled up the file and started highlighting the pictures, dragging the cursor to the bottom of the screen. Just as I reached up to hit 'delete', the final three frames caught my eye.

  Son of a fucking bitch!

  I fumbled for a second, removing the highlighting from the pictures, afraid I'd accidentally delete the damn things before I got another look.

  I pulled up the pictures, enlarging to full-screen. One by one I clicked through them, a fresh rage welling inside me. We'd never looked any further than the first few pictures, never thought we had a reason to.

  I remembered then how Vanessa said she hadn't seen who came in, and she made no mention of seeing Ali's Jeep when she rushed out though it would have been easy to spot. She didn't see Ali's Jeep because it hadn't been Ali who she heard entering the house.

  It had been Keith.

  I SLAMMED THE laptop closed, my anger boiling to the surface. No one had seen that son of a bitch for days, my investigator still had nothing new to report, having been focused more on past transgressions than current activities, and I didn't like that one fucking bit. Ali needed to know, sooner rather than later. I couldn't sit still another minute, needed to get to her and get her the hell out of here. I'd give the memory card to the cops and let them have a shot at trying to locate him. God knew I wasn't having any luck.

  Lauren needed to know, too. She'd pissed Keith off, and it looked like he was capable of just about anything at this point. I scrambled up the steps and knocked on the door, not waiting to be invited in. I closed the door behind me and called out in the empty foyer. "Ali? Lauren? Where are you?"

  Ali's voice was halting, odd when she replied. "Um, we're in here. I'll be out in a minute. Go back to the truck."

  Her answer had come from the back of the house. I considered what she'd said, not liking the tremor in her voice. "I need to talk to you, both of you, it's important." I didn't wait for her reply, heading in the direction her voice had come from.

  I walked through the empty living room, past antique furniture and an entire wall of expensive bookshelves, neatly lined volumes filling them all. My boots made little sound on the plush carpet, sinking in slightly with each step. Normally, I would have removed them upon entering someone's home but I didn't have the time for such niceties today. There were far more pressing matters with which to contend.

  When I turned a corner into the formal dining room, I spied Ali sitting stiffly in a wingback chair in a small seating area by the window. I started to speak as I stepped in her direction, noting Lauren in my peripheral vision. Before I could explain what I'd found on the card, a throat cleared behind me, the tenor distinctly male.

  I spun around just as Keith stepped out of the shadows, having been partially obscured by a large china cabinet. His intense stare was hardly impressive but punctuated by the handgun he was holding by his thigh, it was enough to give me pause. "Glad you could join us. It would have been a shame for you to miss this."

  There were still several feet of distance separating me from Ali. I risked a glance in her direction, looking for any indication of injury and subtly shifting my weight, hoping to inch my way closer.

  "Not a chance, hero," Keith said, pulling Lauren along behind him with his free hand and standing behind Al
i's chair. Lauren's whole body was stiff with fear, her eyes wide and pleading, silently begging me not to make him angry. There were faint streaks on both her cheeks, slightly gray from crying through her makeup. From the looks of it, she'd been crying for quite a while.

  How long had he been here?

  I held up my hands in a show of surrender — technically, the one in the sling just sort of looked like it was waving — unwilling to push him when he had such an advantage. Both of the women were at risk, and I fought to remain calm while my mind whirred with all the possible ways I could handle this. Nothing I came up with would end well. No matter how fast I was, he would have time to pull the trigger before I could get to him.

  Not an option when he had more than one target to choose from. If it were just me, I'd risk it but I couldn't risk Lauren and I wouldn't risk Ali.

  He held Lauren around the throat with his left hand, the gun held firmly in his right. He wasn't pointing it directly at any of us, but the threat was implied. I watched Ali glancing at the gun from the corner of her eye, heard her take in a shaky breath. "Just let them go, Keith. You've gone through all this trouble to get even with me, well here I sit. You win. You have nothing to gain from harming either one of them." She wouldn't look at me as she spoke, knew that I'd never leave her here.

  Not while there's breath left in my body. No fucking way.

  Keith snorted. "You're one conceited bitch, you know that? I wasn't even here today looking for you, you frigid cunt. I have a score to settle with Lauren. You showing up was just karma finally catching up with you. I could care less about you really, but I do intend to seize this opportunity since you're here." He lifted the hand holding the gun, stroking her cheek with the cold steel causing her to flinch. I started forward, intent on stopping him, willing to do anything to stop the look of terror on her face.