The hospital was on the north side of Beacon Hill and my brownstone was on the south side.
The drive normally took twenty minutes, but I could make it in fifteen if I ignored a few speed limits.
I merged onto the main road and floored the accelerator, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles started to hurt.
Ember had sounded absolutely terrified on the phone, so panicked I knew it wasn’t good for her or the baby.
I knew she was safe at home, but the idea of her suffering and dealing with this emotional moment alone gutted me.
My phone rang through the car's speakers.
I glanced at the dashboard display and saw an unfamiliar number.
I almost declined the call, but some instinct made me answer, fearing it was important.
"This is Dr. Bradley."
"Nathan, this is Tom Reed." If my chest wasn't already so tight, I'd have thought I was having a heart attack. This, now? "I would like to have a word with you in person. Are you available to meet this afternoon?"
My jaw clenched. "I'm dealing with a family emergency at the moment."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Is it your father? We spoke earlier." He paused but didn't seem the slightest bit compassionate. "The committee has some very serious concerns about recent developments, and we need to address them immediately before the Thanksgiving festival next week."
"Can't this conversation wait until tomorrow morning?"
"I'm afraid it can't wait that long. The situation is extremely time-sensitive given the media coverage." His tone made it clear he wouldn't accept any argument. "I'll be at my office until six this evening. Please stop by as soon as you're able to do so."
The line went dead before I could respond.
I pressed harder on the accelerator and changed lanes to pass a slower car.
The committee chairman wouldn't call demanding an immediate meeting unless he was preparing to take action.
He was almost certainly planning to force me out of the Lightkeeper role, probably citing some clause about moral conduct or bringing disgrace to the tradition.
Or maybe it was Ember's position as Hearthkeeper.
But how could they deny her the right to serve simply because of her past?
That felt unjust and it made me angrier.
But whatever the committee wanted would have to wait. Right now, Ember was alone and frightened, and nothing else mattered more than getting to her.
25
EMBER
The reporters were already parked on the lawn before Nate got home, three huge swarms of them. And every last one of them had cameras and microphones as they stood proudly on the grass like they owned the place. I peeked out every few minutes between bouts of sobbing and angry pillow slamming while pacing the living room, chewing my nails. I barely had any left as it was.
How had any of them connected my past, and why did they think it was okay to bring that into my current life and torture me with it? It was bad enough what Brad had done, and while only the sleaziest of tabloid and gossip shows would actually show the videos he'd made of me, just knowing they'd connected my new name to my old one was enough. People who wanted a juicy tidbit of information on Ember Harrison would definitely run right to Google to get the dirty details. It wouldn't matter that reputable news organizations wouldn't share them on live TV.
"Dr. Bradley, can we get a word!"
"Dr. Bradley, do you care to comment on the accusation that Amber Hensley is hiding a dark past?"
"No comment!" I heard from the front door before it slammed shut and Nate's car keys jingled.
He wasted no time waltzing right into the living room and closing every curtain and blind, then his arms swallowed me up and I let myself fall apart in more blubbering sobs.
