Page 3 of Tempting Fire

“During the good times. Not during the Avery bullshit. That’s private. You’re a golden boy, we never wanted you to see the dirt,” her voice broke as she turned away. “Not the real slime.”

He looked at her and realized she was serious. Life shifted on its axis once again. “Really, that’s how you saw me? Someone who couldn’t handle ugly?”

Her head whipped around and she gripped his hand even tighter. “No, that’s not it at all. There was never any doubt that you could handle ugly. Never, Zarek. We just didn’t want you to see it. We didn’t want anyone to see it.”

“Well you did a piss poor job of hiding it. I saw it.”

“Well sure, the whole county knew we were white trash.” Her tone bled twenty-four years of bitter.

Zarek reached across the booth and tucked his knuckles under her chin. “Never that. You girls were, and are, amazing. Look at the way people immediately call out to you, they care. They’ve always cared.”

She ducked her head down, and plucked at the biscuit. “They wouldn’t care, not really. Not if they’d known what Mom was like. Uncle Huey,” her lip trembled.

“I knew. My parents knew. Your teachers knew. They did everything possible to make sure you girls caught breaks. Think about the job that allowed your sister Trenda to work from home after she gave birth. That was my dad and Brad Phillips who arranged that.”

Her head jerked up. “Brad? But his wife hated my mom.”

“Damn right she did. But it was because of how she treated you girls. Brad wanted to help, but you stubborn Avery girls wouldn’t have allowed anybody to do anything outright. Dad and Brad had to be sneaky.” Zarek shook his head. “You’re a bunch of hard-headed broads.”

Zoe barked out a laugh, just as he’d hoped. He relaxed.

“Broads?”

“The terms fits.”

“Hard-headed doesn’t fit for Chloe right now. She doesn’t answer her door anymore. She just answers the phone. Even when Trenda brings Bella over, she won’t answer the door.”

“How old is Bella?”

“For God’s sake, you send birthday and Christmas gifts, and you don’t know that she’s three?” Zoe gave him an incredulous look.

“I’m a guy. Sue me.” Trenda had sent him pictures of her daughter, she was a doll. She was going to look just like Chloe.

He looked at Zoe intently. “How bad was it? Really?”

“She only needed to stay in the hospital for two days.” Zoe put down the biscuit with precise movements.

“Only?” Zarek said aghast.

“It could have been a lot worse. Thank God she only ended up with a concussion. There could have been internal damage from where he kicked her.”

Zarek thought he would throw up.

“How long was she held hostage?”

“Four hours. The beating lasted for thirteen minutes, before she passed out.”

“Evie timed it?” Zarek seriously thought the orange juice he had drank might end up on the table.

“I talked to her fiancé Aiden last week, she’s still dreaming about it.”

“But she timed it?”

“What do you think?” Zoe leaned in across the table. “Every moment will always be etched into my sister’s brain. She couldn’t do a goddamn thing to stop them, not while guns were trained on those other girls. She had to wait for a diversion. As soon as everything was in place, Evie killed that motherfucker for what he did to Chloe. So yeah, those thirteen minutes, when Chloe was tortured, she remembers it like it happened to her.” Tears plopped down onto the plate of biscuits. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Polly carrying food to the table, and then turn and walk away.

“I didn’t know,” Zarek said helplessly.

“Well now you do.” Zoe took a deep breath. “But that’s not the worst of it. What’s the absolute worse, is that it should have been me. I should have been the one to take that beating.”