Oxygen Deprived (Kilgore Fire Book 3)

by Lani Lynn Vale

  I took the time while he was in the bathroom to clean myself up, grabbing myself a clean pair of pants and underwear.

  I entered when he tried to exit, and he steadied me while looking deep into my eyes.

  “You okay now?” I asked him.

  He shrugged.

  “I’ve been better,” he said. “But I’m not about to go up to the station and demand an investigation into his defiling of my daughter. Although I still might broach that subject with my daughter.”

  I shook my head.

  “It was consensual,” I promised. “That I know for sure. She was pissed at the world and chose the exact wrong guy to help work out some of that anger. It’s something that she had complete control over.”

  He nodded, his jaw clenched.

  “Get dressed and meet me outside,” he said, then he was gone.

  This time, though, I wasn’t worried about him going out and killing the kid.

  No, this time I was worried he’d go out and confront his daughter, which had me hurrying to get out there.

  We couldn’t have that, now could we?

  Chapter 22

  That moment when you hit yourself in the face when you’re trying to pull your blanket up.

  -Text from Aspen to Downy

  Aspen

  Forty minutes later, we were in the front yard enjoying barbeque with the rest of the boys.

  Naomi, who’d come to the party late, was sitting next to PD with stars in her eyes.

  PD was busy staring at his phone, though, as he texted back and forth with someone, leaving me with the impression that there was somebody on the other end that was a whole lot more interesting to him than the conversation and company surrounding him.

  Drew pulled me down into his lap after I’d accepted a plate of food from Booth.

  “Thank you,” I smiled wide.

  He winked at me.

  “No problem,” he said.

  I smiled and stretched my feet out towards the metal fire pit that was in front of us.

  “I didn’t think we were allowed to start a fire in the city limits,” I said, tossing that over my shoulder at Drew.

  Drew shrugged.

  “What are they going to do?” he asked, taking a large bite of his steak. “Give the fire department a ticket for starting a fire?”

  I bit my lip, then picked my burger up, taking a large bite without answering.

  He was right.

  What the hell were they going to do? And who would be stupid enough to give the fire department a ticket?

  Apparently, my ex would be.

  ***

  Drew

  My eyes narrowed as the patrol car rolled up, and I somehow just knew exactly who the dumbass was behind the wheel.

  “You’re shitting me right now, aren’t you?” I asked him the moment he stepped out of the car.

  “You’re breaking the law,” he gestured to the fire.

  Booth stood up and stretched the muscles of his neck, then started for him.

  “I suggest you leave while you still can,” Tai said smoothly.

  He was the closest one to the stupid fuck, therefore the most logical one to say something.

  PD wasn’t far behind, shaking his head and standing as well.

  “Downy and Luke are on their way back here, even now,” PD told him. “Now’s not the best of times.”

  Danny’s eyes narrowed on me and Aspen, who was sitting in my lap.

  “Please tell me he’s not really here,” I whispered into the back of her head, burying my face into her hair.

  Aspen was more tense than I was, her eyes locked on the stupid piece of shit while he tried to throw his weight around.

  Lucky for him, and unlucky for me, Luke and Downy showed up when they did, or it was likely that the poor excuse for a man would’ve ended up meeting the business end of my fist.

  “What are you doing here, Danny?” Luke barked the moment his foot touched the concrete.

  “Sir,” Danny said. “I had multiple complaints of smoke and a fire in this man’s front yard.”

  “You knew, as well as the rest of the department, what was going on, and that I was handling it. Why, may I ask, are you here when I explicitly told you not to come?” Luke snapped.

  Danny’s body tightened, but he apparently saw the error of his ways seeing as he stepped back and put quite a bit of distance between the two of us.

  “Sorry sir,” Danny muttered, walking back to his car.

  But before he could get there, Luke stopped him.

  “What’s this nonsense that I hear about you suing Aspen?” Luke asked him in a deceptively calm tone.

  “Uhhh,” Danny licked his lips nervously, not knowing what to say.

  I smiled then, knowing the little fucker was about to have his ass handed to him.

  Luke may not have been the most bad of all the badasses, but he was still pretty fucking scary. Especially when he wanted to be.

  Like right then.

  “I’m going to tell you a few things, and I’m not going to repeat them,” Luke said, starting forward until Danny was only inches away from his face. “You’re going to drop whatever farce you have with Drew’s woman. You and your partner are going to drop the charges against Aspen. You’re going to be split up, because the more I dig into this partnership, the less I like it so I’ve decided you’ll be getting a male partner.” He stopped, studied Danny, and then smiled. “And you’re going to keep your nose clean. I know you’re a good cop. I’m not sure what’s started you on this path, but you’re going to get your shit together and move the fuck on without terrorizing your ex.”

  “And you’re going to return her stuff,” Downy added threateningly.

  Danny, eyes wide, nodded. “Okay.”

  “Good boy,” Luke patted his cheek. “You may leave.”

  I squeezed Aspen’s hip, trying in vain to get her to contain her laugher.

  Which she barely managed.

  Until Danny got in his car and started driving off.

  “None of my neighbors would’ve called the cops,” Aspen said thoughtfully.

  Except, I turned to study Raphael’s house.

  He was standing there, a phone in his hand, as he waved at me.

  At my acknowledgement, which was to laugh and raise a hand, Raphael disappeared back into the house behind the blinds as if he’d never been there to begin with.

  “What?” Aspen asked curiously, following where my eyes were still pointed.

  “Later,” I said. “What’s for dessert?”

  Luke dropped down to a seat and grabbed himself a hamburger instead of a steak.

  “Not a steak?” I asked him.

  He shook his head.

  “That’d fill me up too much, then my wife might make me feel bad for not eating the dinner that she’s slaved over the stove all day to cook,” Luke muttered, tucking into the burger.

  My brows rose and I pulled Aspen back until she rested against my chest.

  Her head came to a rest just under my chin, and I leaned my head to the side so I could press a kiss to the side of her forehead.

  “What’s for dinner that she has to slave over a hot stove to cook all day?” I asked curiously.

  Luke sighed.

  “Spaghetti…or maybe tacos. We only have about ten meals that we circulate through, and none of them require any more than thirty minutes max cook time,” he explained.

  Everybody laughed, including Downy, who’d yet to grab anything to eat.

  Which I knew why long moments later.

  “You got a minute, Drew?” Downy asked.

  I nodded, helping Aspen stand.

  She sat back down in my chair, and watched curiously as I walked around the side of the house with her brother but didn’t make a move to follow.

  “What’s up?” I asked him.

  Downy leaned one arm against the side of the house, then turned to rega
rd me closely.

  “I just wanted to say thank you for taking care of my sister when I…wouldn’t,” he started.

  “Your sister did a pretty damn good job of that herself, but I would’ve gladly taken that credit if it were warranted. Had I not come, she would’ve gotten herself out on her own,” I explained to him. “And from what she tells me, you taught her a little bit of self-defense, so you should be thanking yourself for having the foresight to teach her how to move like that.”

  Downy looked down at his hands.

  “I feel like a fool,” he said. “I should’ve tried harder to see her when we were younger…when it counted.”

  I laughed then.

  “You stupid dumb shit,” I said. “All she wants is for you to be there with her now! She doesn’t hold grudges. She’s nervous and scared that she might’ve inadvertently pissed you off by not telling you she was your full sister. Something she still doesn’t know any more about than you do.”

  Downy frowned.

  “Guess my mom owes all of us some explanations,” he muttered. “Do you mind sending her over here to me? I want to talk to her before I leave. Privately.”

  I nodded and offered him my hand, which he took with ease.

  “Thanks,” he muttered, shaking it once.

  Once we disengaged, I slammed my hand down once on his back and left, careful of the snow that was still piling up around us.

  Why we weren’t inside, I didn’t know, but it was what it was.

  And if everyone felt more comfortable being outside bullshitting around a fire, then I was down.

  Especially with the woman of my dreams in my lap helping me keep warm.

  When I reached the seat I’d previously occupied, which was now missing Aspen, my brows furrowed.

  “Where’s Aspen?” I asked Booth.

  He pointed to where my daughter and Mace had been sitting in the back of the ambulance, which now only held Mace.

  “Where’d they go?” I asked him once I reached them.

  He pointed to her house.

  I nodded my thanks and went inside through the carport door, finding the two of them in the kitchen looking through the cabinets.

  “Can I help you find something?” I asked the two.

  Aspen smiled at me over her shoulder but didn’t stop looking, Attie, however, stopped and smiled.

  “I told her about the stuff we bought to make s’mores last week, which you stashed over here since you were convinced I’d eat the ingredients,” she explained. “And she’s looking for it.”

  I snorted and walked into the pantry.

  I kept it hidden away, because if it was out within reach, I’d eat the fuckers.

  Pulling it off the top shelf, I handed it to Attie.

  “Take this outside,” I ordered. “The sticks are right inside the carport door right next to the dryer.”

  Attie smiled at me and took off, leaving me alone with Aspen.

  “What was that about?” She asked once the door slammed shut.

  “Your brother?” I confirmed.

  She nodded.

  “He wanted to thank me for ‘saving’ you today,” I said. “And he’d like to talk to you in private.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “Did he say why he wanted to talk?” She licked her lips nervously.

  I shook my head, and she bit her lip in worry.

  “Go, Baby. He’s on the side of the house. And don’t be too hard on him, okay?” I murmured, pulling her into the shelter of my arms.

  She looked up at me, the brightness of her eyes revealing her vulnerability.

  “I love you, you know that, right?” She whispered.

  I leaned down, pressing my lips against hers.

  “And I love you right back. You know that, right?” I teased.

  She smiled, the vulnerability in her eyes vanishing.

  “Be back in a few.”

  “I’ll heat you up a marshmallow,” I promised.

  She grinned and disentangled herself from my arms.

  “Make it two.”

  I followed her out, but moved towards the fire where my daughter was roasting her own marshmallow, Mace right beside her.

  “You doing okay?” I asked her.

  She turned a smile up at me.

  “I’m better than okay,” she promised. “And I’m happy.”

  Mace grinned, and I realized that I liked the kid—even if it took him a long time to pull his head out of his ass.

  I looked over to the men that surrounded me. My brothers. My daughter. Then over to where Downy was pulling Aspen into his arms, and I couldn’t help but agree.

  “No, things don’t get much better than this, do they?” I asked her.

  “Hey!” PD barked. “You gonna hog all those marshmallows all day long or you gonna share?”

  I tossed him the bag and he caught it, pulling out his own marshmallow before picking up one of the sticks from the ground where Attie must’ve left them.

  “You’re gonna share, right?” Naomi, Aspen’s best friend, asked cheekily.

  PD looked at her, then back to his marshmallow.

  “Nope, sorry. This marshmallow is all for me.”

  Then he ate it, all to Naomi’s surprise.

  And I wondered if she knew what she was getting into with him.

  PD’s heart had belonged to someone else for quite a long time, and she would likely always own it.

  I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her as she looked at PD with those big puppy dog eyes.

  But those didn’t affect him either.

  Arms wrapped around my chest and I moved my hand down to cup Aspen’s ass.

  I handed over her marshmallow and she took it with a happy smile.

  “All for me?” She teased. “Thank you, you didn’t have to!”

  She winked, and I snorted.

  Laughing, I said, “Oh, honey. You mean the world to me. I’ll roast my marshmallows for you anytime.”

  “That sounds dirty,” she teased, pressing her body up against mine.

  I snorted.

  “It kind of did, didn’t it?”

  She nodded and offered her lips to me, which I took in the next moment.

  “Ewww, Dad!” Attie said. “Get a room!”

  I tossed a look at my daughter that clearly said what I thought of her teasing.

  “Or you could go to your room?” I suggested.

  She stuck her tongue out at me, and Mace pulled her over to the back of the ambulance, out of ear range.

  “You know, they’re going to get married, don’t you?” Aspen said soberly.

  I looked over at the two, then back at the woman that I loved.

  “Possibly,” I shrugged. “But only after she’s graduated.”

  “From high school or college?” PD butted into my conversation.

  I looked over at the group.

  Then smiled.

  “Graduate school.”

  Epilogue

  Who ever invented the alarm clock should be ashamed of himself.

  -Drew to Aspen

  Aspen

  “You’re shitting me,” I said. “You’re really going to allow me to take it off?”

  Risa Fairchild, the lovely lady who’d been so helpful during all of this, smiled.

  “I sure am,” she said. “But only because I need it.”

  I snorted and picked my foot up, clunking it down onto the table enthusiastically.

  Risa laughed at my exuberance, lifting my pant leg up further, then used her fancy key to unlock the ankle monitor.

  It clicked slightly, and I gasped at the sudden feeling of lightness.

  “Who do you need it for?” Drew asked, stopping next to his sister and bringing his arm up to hook around her neck.

  He then proceeded to pull her down and mess every bit of her hair up with his opposite hand.

  “Ahh!” Risa screamed. “Stop it,
you big shithead!”

  I laughed, my face breaking out into a large grin.

  I’d always wanted Downy to be that way with me, and slowly but surely, we were getting there.

  It’d been a full week since the day Ellison had tried to burn down my house. A full week since I’d moved in permanently with Drew.

  A full week since my brother started trying to be the brother that I’d always wanted him to be.

  Although, that’d definitely take some time to fix. My brother had gone off the handle at first, and then had come the regret everything he’d ever said or done to Jonah and me to ever make us feel like we were unwelcome.

  After sitting us all down, my mother explained—without my stepfather there—that my father was infertile. She’d also told us that after a cancer scare with my biological father—who’d been dead at the time of my conception—that they’d frozen his sperm and had saved it even after his death.

  When my father realized he was infertile, he’d reluctantly let my mother use my biological father’s sperm, only if she promised not to tell her kids that they weren’t really his.

  Which led us to Downy finding out anyway.

  Secrets always had a way of coming around and biting you in the ass.

  Needless to say, my father wasn’t very happy with the situation. Downy, however, was.

  He was like a completely different person.

  And I freakin’ loved it.

  Everything I wanted out of life was perfect.

  Even on the Danny front.

  Risa had approached the DA on my behalf, and had somehow made miracles happen by getting me freed from my shackle.

  It’d just taken a little bit of time to process it all, which was why it’d taken Risa so long to get here and take it off.

  Despite plenty of annoyed phone calls from Drew.

  I’d also had all of my belongings returned to me that Danny took when he left. Including all of the money replaced in my bank account from my blog advertisements.

  Now the only thing left was meeting the parents, which we were getting over and done with in one fell swoop.

  Meaning his parents, my mother, his sister’s family, my brother’s family, and our friends were all meeting in the same place. At the same time.

  And nobody but us knew why.

  ***