Burning for Autumn by Freya Barker

Author:Freya Barker [Barker, Freya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aces Press, LLC
Published: 2019-01-07T16:00:00+00:00

When I open my eyes again, I’m in a bed and I can’t breathe.

“Don’t fight it. You’ve been intubated; it’s doing all the breathing for you. Your airway became compromised on the way to the hospital.” Jen leans into my view, smiling. “Good to see you awake though. I’ll let Dr. Landis know, maybe we can get that tube out.”

She starts to move away, but I manage to grab her arm, hoping to be able to convey my question with my eyes. She seems to understand when I let my eyes roam around the room before landing on her again.

“He was here all night. Mostly sleeping in that chair over there.” She indicates a recliner in the corner of the room. “I just sent him out to grab a coffee. He should be back shortly.”

As if by design, a very tired-looking Keith walks into the room, a carryout cup in his hand.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Jen says, giving me a pat on the shoulder and stepping away from the bed.

Keith immediately takes her place, grabbing my hand in his. “Glad to see those green eyes, honey. I know you’ll want to know about the cats,” he says, sitting down on a stool, not letting go of my hand. “The good news is, there’s no evidence either one of your missing cats died in the fire. Ramirez contacted the humane society and they’ll be on the lookout. The other two are staying at his place until I have a chance to take them to my house.” At this my eyes grow big. “The back of both units is burned badly, Red. Not to mention the smoke and water damage in the rest of the house. There’s no way you can live there for the foreseeable future. We’ll find a solution, but for now you and the cats are moving in with me.”

Dirty bastard. He knows I can’t say anything, but that doesn’t mean I can’t show my displeasure in other ways.

“Ouch!” he yelps when I twist the fingers of his hand backward. “Shit, woman. You almost snapped my fingers off.” My single raised eyebrow sends the message home firmly. “I’m not handling you,” he says softly, leaning in and brushing a stray lock of smoky hair from my face. “I’m keeping you safe. I didn’t follow my instincts last week, when that son of a bitch paid you a visit, and look what happened. I can’t make that mistake again, Red. No matter how pissed it gets you, I need to do what I can to make sure he can’t hurt you again.”

His eyes show me the truth of his words. I show my understanding by finding his hand. He lifts mine, kissing my palm before he laces our fingers.

“You should probably also know I talked to Chief and Sophie. She was ready to hop on a plane, and I suspect he probably had to tie her up to stop her. I promised them an update today.”

“Well, Ms. McCoy, I hear you are with us again.

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