Chapter Four - Rage

The hot summer air did nothing for my mood.

The butter I'd been asked to get from the store had already melted in the bag. I'd hoped Mom cooked something good with that butter. I'd lost my Call of Duty match online because of it.

It'd been six blocks to the store since I was out of gas, and I didn't get paid at my after school grocery bagging job until Friday. I'd made it to the house with the German Shepard when I smelled the smoke.

At first I thought someone was burning leaves. Then I heard all the screams, and my heart dropped into my stomach. I clutched the bag in my hand and ran. There wasn't any way of me knowing who it was, but I had a gut feeling that told me I was about to live my worst nightmare.

The voices around me deafened, and I focused on the house across from our own. Hannah stood outside with Stephanie. Her dad held Hannah close to his side, and I knew. I felt it in my bones.

I dragged my eyes from her to our house. Red flames flickered up from our roof. Panic clogged my throat. Even though I knew, I searched the crowd for my parents, but they weren't there. I knew where they were and it wasn't alive.

They'd burned in the fire, and it was my fault.

I didn't know how long I'd been asleep when I woke in a sweat. I couldn't tell if it'd been hours or minutes since they dragged me to safety. A dull ache took over my body, and the only relief I'd felt was that I was no longer wet or dirty but clean in some stranger's bed.

I really need to start thinking my plans through.

Cooper and Wes had thankfully gone along with my wishes not to go to the hospital. What would happen if they found out I wasn't who I said I was? Or if the police were called. I couldn't risk getting into any trouble because I had to find my sister.

Every time I tried to move liquid fire scorched my insides.

I wiped a bead of sweat from my upper lip. The place was hot as balls, but I wasn't really in any kind of predicament to complain. This random person gave me their guest house to sleep in and didn't ask for anything.

Thanks to the woman that found me near death, I could rest knowing I would get better. For a moment I'd hope I would die so that I could escape the pain, but Neveah had given me a second chance to find my sister.

I'd thought I was going into the light when I heard her voice and saw those moss green eyes staring down at me. She dripped with sweat from her run, and if her dog hadn't found me, I would have been pushing daisies.

Despite the agonizing pain there was something warm and light that hit my chest when I saw her. She was undeniably beautiful, and I did not like the way it made me feel, or that it made me feel at all. I made a note to ignore the fact that her name was Heaven spelled backwards.

My prayer ...

Coincidence.

I shook my head, stretched my neck and groaned when I felt it in my ribs.

"Wow, there."

My eyes flew opened. Wes stood at the cabin door with a bowl of food in his hands. Thank God. "You scared me," I whispered. I was too jumpy, and I knew he knew something was wrong. He hadn't asked when Cooper bandaged me up earlier, and I assumed he'd be back to talk about my situation. There was only so much I could truthfully tell him.

He chuckled and shut the door behind him. "Sorry about that. I brought you some soup, and I wanted to talk to you about some things."

I was right. Hopefully, it didn't mean he was kicking me out. He sat in the chair next to my bed and laughed. "Don't worry; I just wanted to talk to you about your—situation."

"That's fair."

He handed me a bowl and even though it was just soup because that's all I could tolerate, my mouth began to water. I started eating, and he watched through worried eyes. "You're in trouble, right?"

I shrugged. "Not really. I guess it depends on how you look at it. Most likely, the guys that did this think I'm dead."

"Will they come looking to make sure you're dead?"

"Probably not, Dallas is big—,"

"You're from Dallas?"

I looked up over my food. "Is this not Dallas?" I thought I was on the outskirts of Dallas somewhere.

He slowly shook his head and leaned forward to press his elbows against his knees. "No, this is Huntsville."

God, they'd taken me a long way. "Well then, I would say it's safe that they won't come looking for me then."

He leaned backwards. "My predicament would be different if my daughter wasn't here for the summer."

Ah, the angel is his daughter.

I swallowed. "I understand."

"Do you?" he asked, standing up and running his fingers through his hair. "She means the world to me. It's just me and her. I can't let your demons come along and hurt my daughter."

A man who put his family before himself was someone I admired. Even though I had nowhere to go, this was a chance to start over and I understood his predicament. "I do understand, Wes."

He closed his eyes. "I don't want to regret giving you a chance, but you can stay here, on the down low for right now. If you need a job, you've got one at my gym."

I had to bite my cheek to keep from crying like a girl. "I can't explain how much I appreciate this, Sir. I know you don't know me from Adam, but I won't let you down. I would love a job." A job that would obviously pay pennies but would give me some change in my pocket since getting a job after being in prison was almost impossible. Who wants to hire a criminal?

He nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I have two conditions."

Finishing my soup, I placed the bowl in my lap and met his gaze. "Anything."

"If anything happens to my daughter I'll make sure you don't pull through next time. She's my life, and her safety is my number one priority—always."

"Done."

"And you have to leave my daughter alone. You can be friends but there will be nothing more than that. She's been through a lot lately, and even though she seems strong, she doesn't need any more complications in her life."

Something twisted in my stomach, but I ignored it. "I can promise you that nothing will happen between the two of us."

He looked down in relief. "Thank you. Now, get some rest. You'll start work as soon as you're feeling better. I'll be back later with some supper, and Cooper will be over to check those bandages. Do you need anything else?"

I shook my head. "Actually yes, have you seen my cell phone?"

"I'll ask my daughter I think she may have it."

There wasn't anything in it, and that's what scared me. What kind of person didn't have something in their phone? A person with a hell of a lot to hide. I smiled. "Thank you for showing compassion."

He nodded. "I'd want someone to do the same for me or my kid. I'm going to the gym," he dug into his pocket. "I'm leaving my cell phone here for you, and the number for the gym is logged in there already."

I took the phone and sat it beside me. "I appreciate it."

He disappeared through the doorway. The promise I'd made settled over me. I can resist the Angel. I'm used to putting my wants to the side.