Page 68 of The Fire We Make

Ace cleared his throat. “Come in,” he rasped.

The door swung open and April sauntered in. “Hey brother I need to talk to you about—,” she started as she entered but paused when she noticed Joy. “Oh hey girl.”

Joy waved awkwardly. “Hey April.”

“Am I interrupting?” April asked, her narrow gaze swinging between the two.

“Nope I was just leaving,” Joy spoke quickly then rushed out past April without another word or backward glance at Ace. Ace watched her go, staring at the door she’d exited out of long after she was gone.

“What was that about?” April asked, once the door closed with a click.

Ace shook off the lust and longing. “Nothing. Wassup?”

April didn’t accept the dismissal, instead training her hard gaze on him as she waited for answers.

Ace always believed his baby sister to be named appropriately for her personality. She was the perfect balance of warmth and coolness, softness and strength. She held a vibrant energy that could quickly shift to gloom, like April showers.

“We’ll come back to that,” she said, motioning between Ace and the door Joy had flown out of.

“Anyway, I just sent you the guest list for a fundraising brunch I’m going to tomorrow. Just wanted to see if you had any marching orders for me,” she said as she sank onto the couch, making herself comfortable.

Ace pulled out his burner phone and scrolled through the names of influential women, looking for anyone who would be of use.

“Have Lydia Wright moved to your table. Her husband was one of Young’s biggest donors.”

April rolled her eyes. “She talks a lot.”

“That’s what I’m counting on. You don’t have to be besties, just see what she has to say when she gets comfortable.”

“Well that won’t take long. That lady drinks like a fish.”

Ace smirked. “Perfect. One man’s alcoholism is another man’s treasure.”

April cackled. “You’re sick.”

Chapter Eighteen

“Damn girl, I wanna keep my head if that’s okay with you.”

Joy paused her movements at Mel’s joke. They’d been sparring for 30 minutes but Joy’s body took over as her mind wandered from topic to topic, worry to worry, and against her will, landed on Ace.

Their conversation the night before and the time they spent together recently had started to make her wary. The spark that ignited the first night they met had continued to burn between them. He made her feel seen in a way that she missed. He made her feel comfortable in a way that she realized she never was.

With Ace, she forgot to keep her guard up and that scared her. There were sometimes where she could’ve sworn she saw understanding in his eyes and witnessed a similarity reflected back at her.

When she was with him, Joy’s mind started to wonder what it would be like to belong again. Almost everyone who loved her had turned their back on her when they saw the real her and the thought of experiencing hope of love only to have it snatched away again, terrified her. It made her want to retreat back into her bubble of solitude, but she knew that wouldn’t be possible.

The small episode she had with Marco at the precinct was just further proof that she hadn’t yet healed enough to let someone in. She wondered if Ace would still be around by the time that happened.

The confusion within herself and anger and resentment towards the people who damned her to this life then abandoned her came out through every punch and Joy had to reel herself in to avoid accidentally harming her partner.

“Sorry girl. A lot on my mind,” Joy apologized, removing her gloves to open her bottle of water. She stepped away from Mel, letting the cool liquid soothe her dry throat and coaxing her hands to stop shaking with the need for more violence.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Joy looked at her warily. The only time she’d ever told someone her feelings was with a court order. Emotions weren’t useful in her line of work so she kept the shits at bay.

“Oh girl I let you come in here and beat on me 3 times a week, I think that warrants some girl talk. You keep everything so bottled in after… You know…” Mel trailed off.