Page 41 of Promise of Hellfire

Ethan placed the grocery bags on the counter and watched as Hunter internally debated with himself. Finally, he nodded. “Be safe,” he told me as he grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

Once we were in the parking garage, I slid into the driver’s side of the new car they’d purchased me. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?” Ethan asked as I buckled my seat belt. Worry lined his features and his mouth was pulled into a deep frown.

I gave him a hopefully reassuring smile. “You’ve chauffeured me around long enough.” I pushed the key into the ignition. “Besides, you don’t know where we’re going.”

The drive to Clearhaven was quiet, neither of us saying much. Ethan changed the radio station several times, struggling to find a song he enjoyed before finally I cracked my window allowing the breeze from outside to caress my face and let memories of the past engulf me. I was on autopilot as I thought of the small white house with black shutters. Of the boards on the porch that creaked and how more than a few needed to be replaced. Of how even though there had only been three bedrooms, so many people lived in the house. Of the crib that my cousin once placed in the hallway.

My eyes stung at memories of my childhood and the abuse I’d endured and yet, it somehow wasn’t all bad. Sure my mother had been a narcissist and addicted to prescription painkillers, but she still took in whoever needed a place to stay. My father sat by silently and never intervened, but he taught me how to change the oil on my car. My brother dealt drugs and fell in with the wrong crowd, but he saved every stray animal he found.

And then I broke. My eyes burned as tears trailed down my face, my emotions a jumbled mess I couldn’t sort out. My family was complicated. When I left, I knew I had to. I needed away from them and the neighborhood I grew up in, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Ethan said nothing as he placed his hand on my leg, offering me comfort.

The tears had cleared by the time we pulled into the outskirts of Clearhaven and I wiped my face on the edge of my sleeve. The smells from the paper mill assaulted my senses, filling my nostrils with the familiar noxious odor. I rolled up my window knowing it wouldn’t do any good. The smell permeated everything in this part of town.

I drove over the train tracks, signaling that I was almost there. Almost back to a place I once called home. I turned left and drove four houses before pulling up to the curb and stopping.

I didn’t shut off the engine or step out of the car. I just stared at the lot littered with burned debris. One wall and several beams still stood covered in ash.Should I go to the police station and leave my contact information?The article mentioned trying to contact next of kin, but no one had my number. I was basically a ghost to everyone who’d known me.

Numbness crept over me as I looked at what remained. Ash had been right. I should have come back sooner and tried to reconcile my past. Now I would never have the opportunity to speak to anyone or see if things changed. This chapter of my life was closed, but I wasn’t filled with any satisfaction.

Ethan squeezed my thigh, and when he spoke, his voice was soft. “Let me drive, baby.” I nodded at him and we swapped places. “Your parents?” he asked as he adjusted the seats and mirror.

I swallowed the hard lump in my throat. “Yeah and two other people.”

Ethan drove back over the train tracks. “Who were they?”I shrugged at him. I wasn’t quite sure. “We’ll take care of it.”

Once we finally walked into the penthouse, I felt emotionally drained. If given the opportunity, I would’ve gone straight to bed, but Dominic’s parents and Hunter’s mother sat comfortably around the dining room table, chatting quietly. I’d known that there was a possibility I would be late. I also knew I looked like a mess with red eyes, windswept hair, and splotchy cheeks.

Ethan placed his hand on my lower back and guided me toward the table. Dominic frowned as he poured me a glass of wine. “Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked gently.

I nodded as I took a sip. Dominic’s father, Kent, cleared his throat. “So, what’s the deal with this relationship?”

Heidi elbowed him in the ribs, not caring if we saw. “Now is not the time. Can’t you see that something is going on?” she hissed from between her teeth.

I managed to give her a small nod, even though I felt like I was suffocating. “No, he’s right. No more secrets. Let’s just rip off the bandage. I’m in a relationship with all three of them and have been for a while.”

It was quiet enough that you could hear a pin drop in the room. Kent paled and his mother, Melinda, raised her eyebrows before tossing the rest of her wine back. Suddenly, Heidi burst into laughter and hugged me tightly. She tried to gain her composure as her body shook against mine. When she finally let me go, she dabbed at her eyes. “I think that’s wonderful, dear. I really like you and doubt that anyone else could ever keep these three in line. Plus, you might give me a grandchild after all.”

Hunter hid his face in his hands and mumbled, “We’ll talk about a grand dog.”

At that Melinda started laughing as well. “I’m not sure how any of this works, and I’m too afraid to ask, but I’m happy as long as the four of you are happy.”

Kent sat further back in his chair and sipped his drink while the guys plated up pasta. “Well, I’m not too afraid to ask. How does it work? A relationship with all of you?”

Ethan shrugged. “We’re still working out the details, but so far no one has complained. When a man and a woman love each other very much–”

Dominic shoved his hand over Ethan’s mouth, his eyes twinkling in amusement. “Enough. There are sensitive ears here. I don’t think Heidi is old enough to hear the details.” He winked at her as he moved his hand. I was amused as Heidi’s cheeks turned red. He had simultaneously made a joke and flirted in the same sentence.

“Now, Dominic, you can’t speak to me like that. You’re spoken for now,” she playfully chided.

The rest of the evening was spent in quiet conversation and it seemed that given the circumstances, our relationship was accepted. The images of earlier still flitted through my mind as I drank my wine and picked at the food in front of me. After an appropriate amount of time, I excused myself from the table, ready to curl up in my bed.

Tomorrow, I would be ready to take on the world. Tonight, I just needed to be by myself.

Chapter twenty-six

Hunter

WhenRayneleftthisafternoon, I’d been mad. Well, mad wasn’t quite the right word. I wanted her to talk to me and tell me what was happening, but in typical Rayne fashion, she hadn’t. After Dominic showed me the newspaper article, my heart sank into my stomach. Whatever she found in Clearhaven would devastate her.

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