Page 32 of Promise of Hellfire

I walked down the stairs and headed straight to the coffee pot, sparing a quick glance at the display on the stove. It was after nine in the evening and here I was looking for a caffeine fix to lift the groggy haze blanketing me. As I pulled out the grounds and filled the carafe, my mind replayed the events of the morning. Where would Ethan claim he was today?

I stared into space, focusing on the darkness outside while I listened to the coffee drip, trying to keep my features neutral. In the window's reflection, I could see two police officers. One was shorter with a shaved head. His shoulders seemed tense, and he crossed his arms over his chest, clearly unhappy about being left to wait. The second was tall, with short cropped blond hair. He leaned against the wall near the elevator staring at the phone in his hand. His arrogant demeanor reminded me of Ethan’s a bit and when his eyes met mine, I quickly looked away.

I poured two steaming cups of coffee, relishing the rich, earthy smell. When Ethan descended the stairs, I handed him one. He gave me a soft smile and tucked a stray hair behind my ear before he whispered, “Thanks.”

I watched as Ethan approached the uniformed officers, and my heart pounded in my chest. “Officers, how can I help you this evening?” he asked before taking a sip of the steaming liquid he cradled.

The shorter of the two spoke first. “I’m Officer James and this is my partner Miller. Do you have somewhere a little more private we can speak?”

Ethan tipped his head in acknowledgment. “Whatever you have to tell me, you can say in front of everyone here. What is this about?”

Officer Miller finally stood up straight and his face turned serious. He puffed out his cheeks, trying to find the right words to say. “Have you spoken with your stepmother this afternoon?”

I watched Ethan carefully, trying to gauge his reaction. If he was nervous, it didn’t show. He frowned as he scratched his cheek. “We don’t exactly have a close relationship.”

James nodded at him. “When was the last time you saw your father?”

Ethan’s jaw went slack and his entire demeanor changed as he placed the cup of coffee on the coffee table next to him. My eyes darted to Dominic and Hunter who looked as tense as I felt. Ethan’s words fumbled as they fell out of his mouth, voice cracking. “H-h-his annual Christmas party. We all attended. What’s this about again?”

Tears shined in his eyes and the whole time all I could think was what the fuck. What was going on? James spoke up, his voice soft. “Someone broke into your father’s house sometime today. It looks like it was a robbery gone wrong. I regret to inform you…” The officer’s voice trailed off as Ethan collapsed onto the sofa behind him. He let out a harsh breath as a tear trailed down his face. Hunter gritted his jaw, staring at Ethan’s apparently bereft form.

Miller cleared his throat. “We just have one more question. None of the neighbors were home at the time and your father doesn’t have a security system, so we have to cover all of our bases. I’m so sorry, but I have to ask. Where were you today?”

“Umm, I was here all day. I decided to take the day off and roped my girlfriend into staying home from work with me.” I swallowed a sip of my coffee and schooled my expression. He could have at least warned me ahead of time that I was his alibi.

Dominic rolled his eyes. “I can confirm that the two of them were locked up in his room all day.” He pointed his thumb in my direction. “She can get a bit loud at times.”

My cheeks heated at his words and my jaw dropped. I was going to murder everyone after the cops left. James winked in my direction and I suppressed the urge to gag. “Well, we’ll leave y’all to it. Thank you for your time, Mr. Carter. I’m sorry for your loss. Don’t worry, we’ll catch the son of a bitch that did this.”

I waited for the cops to leave and seated myself on the end of the couch, close to Ethan. Several minutes later, Hunter was the first to break the silence. A roaring laugh rang through the air and I glared at him. Ethan and Dominic joined in. Had I lost my mind? I pinched Ethan’s arm. “What the fuck is going on?”

“Being a former theater kid pays off I guess,” he replied, his body shaking.

Hunter smirked at him, wiping tears from his face. “What did you think about this time?”

The corner of Ethan’s lips tilted upward. “Phineas dying inA Separate Peace.”

Did he really make himself cry thinking about a fictional schoolboy who died from a broken bone? My eyes widened in disbelief as Hunter muttered, “I hate that book.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I stated as I stood up and pointed my finger in Dominic’s direction. “And you, was your comment really necessary?She can get a bit loud at times,” I mocked.

Dominic closed the gap between us, grinning at me, and wrapped me in a tight embrace. “Sweetheart, it was absolutely necessary and your reaction made it all worth it.”

I attempted to free my arms to punch him in the shoulder, but he squeezed tighter and chuckled. “You’re all sociopaths,” I grumbled.

Ethan stood up and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead, smiling. All signs of his earlier “distress” were absent. “Ah yes, but we’re your sociopaths,” he declared as he stalked back to the kitchen. “Celebratory drinks?”

“What are we celebrating?” I asked as Dominic’s face turned serious.

“I’ll have a drink, but we really need to talk, Ethan. Why in the hell didn’t you tell us what your plan was for the day?” he asked, releasing me from his hold.

Hunter shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed when Ethan didn’t respond. “No one is angry at you, and there won’t be any fallout from this. We have the police chief under wraps currently, but seriously, we could have helped you. Were you at least careful?”

Ethan poured amber liquid into four highball glasses and picked up two. He handed me one before he spoke. “Yeah, I was careful. I didn’t tell anyone because you would have stopped me. I know how you two are and Rayne would have convinced me to wait.” He sat back on the couch and the grip on his glass tightened. “I saw an opportunity and took it. He needed to be taken out for his part in everything.”

Dominic grabbed a tumbler off the countertop and leaned against it, taking a long sip. “Well, now we have to wait a few days before we can take care of Ayers and the police chief. Even with blackmail, we can’t have the deaths too close together. It would draw too much attention.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “Can we not make any more rash decisions without talking them through?”

Hunter nodded in agreement. “I absolutely agree with everything, especially after this morning.” He stepped closer to me and lifted a strand of my hair, rubbing it between his fingers. “If we’re not committing felonies or making poor decisions, I guess we’ll have to find a way to keep ourselves preoccupied somehow.”

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