Page 2 of Fire

“I need help,” I manage to respond. “Please.”

“Grace? Is this you?”

“I don’t know where he is. I can’t move. Help me.” I’m barely holding onto consciousness. My eyes are so heavy. I can barely speak. “I’m home.”

“I’m on my way. Do you need an ambulance?” he asks. I feel the tears sliding down my bruised, swollen face.

“Yes,” I answer.Please let my baby be okay.That’s my last thought before darkness takes over for the third and final time.

1

GRACE

Six Years Later

“Grace! Order’s up.”

I absently rub my back as I hear Joe call out my name. It has been a long day. I walk over to the window and grin at him as I get the tray.

“Thanks, Joe.”

He nods before going back to his grill. I take the tray over to the corner booth, smiling at a couple of my regulars. “Here you go. Do you need anything else?” I ask Carolyn and Jane. They’re sisters who usually come to eat dinner every Friday, while their husbands do the babysitting. I’ve always thought it was really sweet. I suppose it’s a weird place to have a girl’s night, but what do I know? I’ve never had a girl’s night. Hell, I’ve never had friends I could invite to a girl’s night. I never will, for that matter. My life is good now. I’m not about to invite other people into it.

“I think we’re good for now, Grace. Thank you,” Jane answers. Both sisters are very pretty. They have blonde hair with a touch of gray. Somehow, it makes them prettier. You can tell they’re sisters.

“Okay, I’ll be back in a bit,” I murmur, moving to check some other tables.

It’s been busy today. There are a lot of new faces—mostly bikers. That’s nothing unusual. We’re pretty close to The Dragon’s Tail, a mountain with winding curves that bikers love to travel. It’s quite the tourist trap. Local stores make the majority of their money on items claiming people have conquered it. It makes me smile. There are days I miss Virginia, but I love North Carolina. It helps that this place is the last place Benny would want to live.

That horrible morning six years ago was the beginning of a new life for me. I was a mess, and my pulse was weak when the ambulance made it to the hospital. Detective Garcia locked down my house. He’d taken photos and even found the video camera that Benny kept in his office. Enlisting some trustworthy men he worked with, they hacked into the camera and copied the footage. He arrested Benny. The Korslova family tried to get him out, but Detective Garcia gave them a copy of the footage, with a nice note that they were keeping the family out of everything, but that could be changed if this footage was leaked to the local press.

Benny went to jail and, with some pressure from the Korslovas, he even signed the divorce papers, granting me full custody while relinquishing any rights to my son. I’m not stupid. I wasn’t sold that the Korslovas would leave me alone, even with Detective Garcia brokering our deal. Yet, for some reason, they have. It all seemed too easy, but I guess with Benny in jail and serving a ten-year sentence, he didn’t care.

As for me, I’m doing everything I can to stay under the radar. I never went back to nursing school, but I’ve created a life for myself and my son that I love. It hasn’t been easy, but for the first time ever, I’m truly happy. There are days I can’t rememberthe woman I became in Virginia. That woman died. I owe it to my son to be stronger. I can’t disappoint him.

The door opens and four bikers walk in. I’ve never seen them before. I go back to the front bar, grabbing some menus that are stored behind it. Then, walk over to the table they chose. I paste a smile on my face and look at the men. There’s a tall man with huge muscles, wearing a white T-shirt, faded jeans and a black leather vest with different patches on it. I don’t care enough to read them.

“Hello, gentlemen. Here are some menus. Our special is homemade vegetable soup with grilled cheese. Can I get you guys something to drink while you decide? We have water, tea, lemonade, and Coke products.”

“What about coffee?” the older man asks. His voice is deep and graveled. It sends sparks through me, reminding me I’m still a woman—despite having sworn off men permanently. I silently berate myself. There’s no place in my life for a man. Besides, even if I were to try, it wouldn’t be this guy. This man is gorgeous with long, almost brown hair, dark, obsidian eyes that I could lose myself in, and covered in ink. His tattoos disappear under his clothes, covering even his fingers. I ignore the tingling sensation I feel in parts of my body that have no business coming to life. “Do you want it black or with cream or sugar?” I ask, focusing on my job.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” he asks, his voice dripping with raw sex appeal.

“Black with cream and sugar on the side it is,” I answer. “What can I get for the rest of you?” I ask, turning my attention away from the man that is much too dangerous for my health. He has bad news written all over him.

When I left Virginia behind, I promised myself that the only person in my life from that moment on with a dick would bemy son. For that reason alone, I force myself not to look at Mr. Dangerous. I don’t need a name to add to my fantasies.

The men are laughing among themselves, ribbing their buddy because he ‘struck out.’ I ignore it and take the rest of their drink orders. I go back behind the counter to fix them, ignoring the way my heart beats erratically.

Pasting a smile on my face, I walk over to the table with the beverages. “Have you decided what you want to eat?”

“You baby,” one of the guys says, laughing. The other men don’t really join in with the guy, but Mr. Sexy’s reaction surprises me. He slaps the back of the guy’s head.

“Shut it, Squirrely,” he growls. I try to ignore what his voice continues to do to me. “Sorry, darlin’,” he says, his eyes boring into mine. I swallow nervously. “We don’t let him out much. After this, he’ll be lucky if we ever do again.”

“Shit, Ford. I was just joking,” the man whines.

“It wasn’t funny, asshole,” another responds.

---