Burn

by HELEN HARDT

  Burn

  Steel Brothers Saga: Book Five

  Helen Hardt

  Contents

  Warning

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty–One

  Chapter Twenty–Two

  Chapter Twenty–Three

  Chapter Twenty–Four

  Chapter Twenty–Five

  Chapter Twenty–Six

  Chapter Twenty–Seven

  Chapter Twenty–Eight

  Chapter Twenty–Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty–One

  Chapter Thirty–Two

  Chapter Thirty–Three

  Chapter Thirty–Four

  Chapter Thirty–Five

  Chapter Thirty–Six

  Chapter Thirty–Seven

  Chapter Thirty–Eight

  Chapter Thirty–Nine

  Continue The Steel Brothers Saga with Book Six

  Message from Helen Hardt

  Also by Helen Hardt

  Discussion Questions

  Acknowledgments

  About Helen Hardt

  This book is an original publication of Helen Hardt.

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.

  * * *

  Copyright © 2016 Waterhouse Press, LLC

  Cover Design by Waterhouse Press, LLC

  Cover Photographs: Shutterstock

  * * *

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic format without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Warning

  This book contains adult language and scenes, including flashbacks of child physical and sexual abuse, which may cause trigger reactions. This story is meant only for adults as defined by the laws of the country where you made your purchase. Store your books and e-books carefully where they cannot be accessed by younger readers.

  For my nieces,

  Lauren and Anna Staab.

  Aunt Sissy loves you.

  Prologue

  Melanie

  I had no idea how long I had been in the room. The man in black had brought me food once, and though I hadn’t been hungry, I ate. I had been over every inch of the room, trying to find an escape, but it was impossible. Whenever I was thirsty, I drank from the sink in the tiny bathroom. I still had no idea what my fate would be.

  As if in answer, the man in black unlocked the door and entered. “Good morning, Doctor.”

  Did that mean it was morning? I had no idea. I had slept…I thought. Or had I just relived sessions with Gina in a semi-hypnotic state?

  “Today’s your lucky day,” he said. “You’re getting out of here.”

  Though the thought should have made me ecstatic, I sat there grimly. The memory of Gina’s session—I’d rather die—had numbed me again. Had I missed a cry for help? There’d been no other indication that she might be suicidal. She’d held down a job, done volunteer work at a local children’s shelter…had been in a lot better shape than Talon Steel had been when he first came to me, and he hadn’t been suicidal. To the contrary, his overwhelming will to survive had completely overshadowed his desire to die.

  The man in black interrupted my thoughts by pulling me from the bed and turning me around to face the wall.

  He bound my hands behind my back, this time with duct tape. “Can’t have you trying anything funny,” he said.

  Anything funny? As if I could. The room held nothing that could be used as a weapon, and this man had already demonstrated that he was much stronger than I was.

  “Don’t you want to know where you’re going?”

  “Not particularly,” I said.

  “Okay. Have it your way.”

  We walked out the door, and I realized I was in a house. This little room with no windows had been built in the middle of the basement. He led me up the stairs, through a laundry room. To the left was a kitchen. We went to the right. Into a garage. It was a large garage, big enough for three vehicles. However, only one old car sat there.

  “This is a very special car, Dr. Carmichael.”

  It was huge, like an old pimp car from a few decades ago. “It doesn’t look that special to me. It looks like a piece of crap.”

  He laughed. “Yes, it is that. It belongs to someone you knew, and the funny thing about this car is that it’s an older model. I can start it and then lock it so no one can get in while the motor is running.”

  “So?”

  And then it hit me.

  “No!” I tried pulling away from him.

  “So you figured it out?”

  He pushed me into the garage, against the car, and then jiggled a set of keys in my face. “You won’t be able to open the door and turn off the ignition without these. And guess what? They’ll be locked inside the car.”

  My heartbeat raced as cold fear pulsed through my veins. “Let me go! Let me go!”

  “I’m afraid not, Doctor. You’re going to die. In this garage, at the mercy of this car. Just like Gina Cates did.”

  Chapter One

  Jonah

  Still facing Bryce, Larry curled his lips into a sleazy half smile, his blue eyes creeping eerily toward me while his head stayed still. “Keep looking if you want to, kid, but let me give you a piece of advice. The truth is overrated. Once you open the door to that dark room, getting out is damn near impossible.”

  My body went cold. Larry was addressing Bryce, but only I knew what he was referring to.

  The truth.

  The truth—that Bryce’s father was one of the men we were searching for.

  The truth was indeed a dark room, and I knew who would have to open that door for Bryce. And it wasn’t Larry.

  Larry was still being steadfast in his refusal to name the other two culprits. But now more than ever, I was certain of what I had inferred earlier from Larry. Bryce knew one of the abductors.

  And that abductor was his own father.

  “Tell me, Uncle,” I said. “You seem to think that Bryce here knows one of the abductors. Why don’t you save him and my brother a lot of heartache and tell us, right now, who it is?”

  My demand to Larry wasn’t altruistic, and I knew it. If Larry told Bryce about his father, I wouldn’t have to.

  Larry’s expression remained stoic. “I said no such thing.”

  “Maybe not in so many words,” I said. “But you certainly implied it.”

  “Again, I did no such thing.”

  Bryce sat next to me, his face pale, his countenance rigid. Larry’s words had gotten to him.

  “Then what is all this bullshit about the truth being a dark room?” I stared into my uncle’s blue eyes.

  “Do you really think you can handle the truth?” This time Larry was looking straight at me, no
t Bryce, whose eyes were focused forward.

  “I’ve been forced to handle things no human being should have to handle since I was thirteen years old.” I gritted my teeth. “I can deal with anything you throw my way.” Especially since I knew already what “truth” he was referring to.

  Larry continued staring me down. “And your friend here? A new father? You think he can handle the truth?”

  Those words catapulted Bryce out of his stupor, the color gradually returning to his face. “I can handle anything you have to dish out.”

  “Think long and hard before you go there, kid,” Larry said, turning his gaze to Bryce.

  “I can handle it,” Bryce said again through clenched teeth.

  “We’re grown men, Uncle, despite the fact that you like calling us kids. Now, do all three of us a favor and tell the goddamned truth. Who were those other two men?”

  Larry shook his head, chuckling. He turned to the guard standing next to him. “We’re done here.”

  Bryce stood, his hands fisted. “We’re far from done here. You’re going to tell Joe and me who abducted his brother and who killed my cousin. Right now.”

  Larry stood as well, his half smile snakelike. “You two don’t hear very well. I’m not going to roll on anyone. That will never change.”

  The guard led Larry away.

  Bryce’s pallor had turned into ruddiness. He was angry. “Damn,” he said. “We’re never going to know the truth.”

  The truth. I already knew part of it. And I knew something else as well.

  On my next trip to see my uncle, I would be alone.

  * * *

  “So who lives here anyway?”

  I pulled up into a parking space near Melanie’s building. All I had told Bryce so far was that I needed to check on a friend.

  A friend.

  God, she was so much more than my friend, and I had been ready to turn her away. But no more. I’d changed my mind. I was going to be there for her, or at least I would try. My own head was such a mess I wasn’t sure I was much good to her, but surely just being there would help.

  I didn’t want to lie to Bryce. I was already keeping so much from him. “My friend is…a psychotherapist. Dr. Melanie Carmichael.”

  “Isn’t that…”

  I nodded. “Talon’s therapist. Yeah.”

  “So she’s a friend of yours?”

  “Yes. Sort of. I mean—”

  “Christ. You’re screwing her.”

  I shook my head with a chuckle. How in the hell had Bryce and I been separated for so long yet he still knew what I was thinking? “That’s none of your concern.”

  Bryce gave me a broad grin. “Joe, I have known you your whole damned life. You can’t hide that shit from me. I can read you like a book.”

  Apparently, he could, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing. I didn’t want him guessing what I suspected about his father, not until I had better proof. Once I did, I had to tell Bryce before I could tell Talon. I owed Bryce that much. This was his father, after all. I wasn’t looking forward to it.

  “Okay,” I said. “You got me. We’ve fooled around a few times, but we’re really just friends.”

  “Yeah? Then why are we coming here to check on her? Why not give her a call?”

  “Because she’s not answering my calls.”

  After Melanie had sneaked out of my house a few days before when Talon and Jade found us swimming naked in my pool, I’d been angry. When she called me a few hours later, I hadn’t answered. When I’d finally tried to call her, she gave me the same treatment. She didn’t take the call. I deserved it, but now I was starting to get worried. Melanie wasn’t the type to hold a grudge. She was a good person—a person who preached against grudges, a person who helped others.

  “Have you considered the possibility that she doesn’t want to talk to you?”

  “Yeah, I’ve considered it. Maybe she doesn’t. It’s been a few days.”

  “Did you leave everything fine?”

  I let out a sigh. “Unfortunately, no. I was mad at her for a while. But I’m over it.”

  “What did she do?”

  “It’s a long, dull story. The gist is that Talon and Jade walked in on us while we were naked by my pool. She was embarrassed, and instead of staying, like I wanted her to, she got dressed and sneaked out without telling me.” I opened my door.

  Bryce left the passenger seat and followed me. “Nice building.”

  “She has a great little loft here. Fourth floor.”

  “You want me to stay down here?”

  “Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all. There’s a tavern across the street. After talking to Larry again, I need a beer.”

  “Sounds good. I just want to check on her, and then I’ll meet you at the bar.”

  Bryce waved good-bye and walked toward the tavern. So much for him reading me like a book. I knew damned well that if Melanie was home, I wouldn’t be meeting my friend at the bar in a few minutes.

  I’d be fucking the sexy woman’s brains out.

  Chapter Two

  Melanie

  My body went numb. No. This could not be happening. Use your head, Melanie. There has to be a way out of this. You can kick open a car window. No problem.

  So far he hadn’t bound my ankles. If I distracted him, maybe he would forget.

  Keep him talking. Keep him talking.

  “Is this actually the car that Gina used to kill herself?” I didn’t really want to know the answer, but I had to prolong this for as long as I could. Every second made a difference at this point. I had to throw him off balance.

  “Do you really care?”

  Did I? Whether or not this car had killed Gina, it could very well kill me. “Of course I care. She was my patient. I care about all my patients.”

  “Do you, Doctor? Then why did you let her die?”

  He might as well have sliced my guts open with a sharp knife. “I didn’t let her die. She killed herself.”

  “Because you didn’t help her.”

  My wrists burned as he applied another layer of duct tape tightly around them. My legs were still free. What if—

  I turned quickly to face him, the black glint of his gun apparent in his waistband. He could easily grab it and kill me before I could do anything. But I had to try. I had vowed I would get out of this mess, go back to Jonah, and confess my love to him. I drew a deep breath and quickly kneed him between his legs.

  “Oof!” He doubled over.

  I raised my leg again, ready to axe kick the small of his back, but he turned over quickly, grabbing my ankle.

  I screamed as pain shot through me when he twisted the fragile joint.

  “You dumb bitch. I know enough to wear a cup when I’m working. Why the hell did you try that?”

  He kicked my sore ankle, and another shard of pain lanced through me. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to will away the tears. But I was weak, both in mind and body. I had no idea how long I’d been here, and although he had fed me, it hadn’t been much. How much more would I be forced to endure? Would I have been smarter to have waited until he started the car?

  No. I had to take every chance I had. Unfortunately, this one hadn’t panned out, and now I had the added debilitation of a sore ankle. I could move it, so at least it wasn’t broken. I might have quite a sprain, though.

  “Dumb cunt. I ought to kill you and be done with it. But that’s not the plan.”

  “What is the plan?” I asked. “Who sent you to do this to me?”

  “Not at liberty to say.”

  “Rodney Cates? Gina’s father?” It couldn’t have been Gina’s mother. She was still hospitalized.

  “Still not at liberty to say.”

  “Why keep me around for so long? Why didn’t you just kill me when you took me from my home?”

  “That wasn’t the plan.”

  “Screw the goddamned plan!” My ankle was throbbing. “Just tell me what you want. Money? I’ll get it for
you.”

  “I’ve got plenty of that. I charge a lot in my line of business.”

  I coughed. So this man wasn’t my enemy. He was simply a hired killer. Someone Rodney Cates had employed. But Rodney Cates was a college professor. He wasn’t a rich man. Gina had said her upbringing was modest. Hired guns didn’t come cheap, at least as far as I knew.

  “Who hired you?” I gasped out, wincing at the pain in my ankle.

  “I’ve had enough of your talking. Shut up, or I’ll duct-tape your fucking mouth!”

  I pinched my lips together. No, he couldn’t take away my ability to scream. I needed that. It might be my only tool once this was underway.

  He tied my ankles together with rope instead of duct tape, and I grimaced and groaned again at the pain.

  “Hurts, huh? That’s your own damned fault.”

  I wanted to scream at him, but I remembered his threat about the duct tape. I needed my voice.

  “Funny thing. These days, with modern cars, it takes a damned long time to die this way. Newfangled catalytic converters reduce carbon monoxide emissions by quite a bit. This old thing, though… You won’t be so lucky.”

  It was a big garage, and that was in my favor. I’d have to stay as high as I could, where the air would remain clearer. The room was bare but for some old metal shelving. I’d climb on the shelving if I could somehow get myself unbound. If my ankle would support me.

  If I couldn’t get unbound, I still had my head. Surely my head was hard enough to break a window. But if I knocked myself out, I’d lose consciousness and die anyway.

  The man finished binding my ankles. “Time’s running out, Doctor.”

  “How long does it take?” I asked. “To die, I mean.” I knew the answer to that question, of course, being a doctor. But I needed to stall.

  “Each case is different. How long do you think it took Gina Cates to die?”