Page 27 of Love Fire

“I know, Brent. I know. But, I’m a month clean. I just need a place where I can stay away from Iridescent. A place I know I can stay clean.”

“Yes, yes, of course. Alessandro, you know you always have a place to stay here.” Once again, there is a softness to Brent’s voice when talking to his cousin that I’m surprised by. There is more to him than I originally thought. “Whatever I can do-”

I tip-toe away, this is not a conversation I need to listen in on. But this really does complicate things. Having Alessandro here makes this whole situation much harder to navigate myself out of.

I go to Alessandro's old room, where Brent originally sent me. He’ll probably have Alessandro stay in a guest room or something. He does not need to know I’m here.

After closing the door behind me, I can still hear some murmurs from down stairs. It’ll probably be a while before Brent comes to fetch me. I might as well take advantage of the situation.

Alessandro’s room has a bathroom, with a bath connected to it. I could really use a good bath. It has been a long few days. I just need a moment to relax.

I strip off my clothes and let them fall to the ground. I check out my body in the mirror. I have a few scraps and bruises from running in the woods, and some from my time with Brent. I’ve never had a man treat me the way he does, and it excites me.

I walk over and turn on the faucet for the bath. Hot water spurts out instantly. I guess this old house is full of surprises.

After a quick glance around the bathroom, I see that there are no towels around. I guess it’s been a while since Alessandro stayed here. Brent stopped worrying about stocking anything in here.

Maybe there is one in the main bedroom area. I stop the faucet and walk out of the bathroom. I move swiftly to a bureau on the other side, maybe there is something there? I check all the draws and nothing. Maybe I can-?

“Um…”

My head whips around. Alessandro is standing in the room. He stares at me wide eyed. He looks up and down my body as his cheeks begin to blush. I suddenly realize, I’m naked.

“Hey!” I quickly grab a blanket from the bed and hold it up in front of me, covering my naked body. “Ever heard of knocking?”

“Ah,” Alessandro finally snaps out of it and looks away. “I’m-I’m sorry, I-I-I didn’t know anyone would be in here. I was told to come here.”

Alessandro keeps looking away. He’s clearly embarrassed. He’s quite different from his cousin. That’s for sure. He finally looks back at me.

“Wait, who are you?”

“Can we not do this while I’m fucking naked?”

I can’t help but think of what Brent would do if he saw what was going on. Is he the jealous type? He must be. Seeing his cousin talking to me while I’m naked would set him off. I also can’t help but wonder if that would be so bad, our sex after he found me in the woods was… incredible.

“Right, right, sorry. I really didn’t think anyone would-” Alessandro looks closer at me. “Wait? You’re the woman who runs the meeting at the rehab! Erin, right?”

“Yes, Alessandro. It’s me. Now, if you don’t mind. I’m still naked would you please-”

“I need your help.”

25

BRENT

The rain has stopped outside and the early morning sun is shining down. It’s perfect weather to pace back and forth. I walk the length of my estate trying to figure out what happens next.

A part of me wants to let Erin go. The more time I spend with her, the worse I feel about keeping her locked up here. The only problem with that is Erin is my only lead on iridescent. If I let her go, any hope of stopping the drug soon leaves with her.

She’s also nervous about something. I don’t know what just yet but I can tell she is. Erin might need protection or help. If I let her go, I might be sending her right into danger.

Nothing is adding up when it comes to Erin. She is a recovering addict but she sells the drugs that almost killed her to a rehab. She seemed to care so much for Maria, but she probably overdosed on the drugs Erin was selling! Then you add in her crazy driving and the fact that I caught her in the basement. I don’t understand what the fuck is happening.

On top of all that, it’s all complicated by what I feel for her. Fuck, I get such a rush by just being around her. My emotions get so out of control. I haven’t felt this way for a woman in a long time. How can I let her leave when I feel like this? But also, how can I continue to keep her captive.

As I pace along the estate, I walk up a small hill alongside the main house. My feet slip on the wet grass and I almost fall down. I manage to balance myself but am ripped out of my train of thought. I wonder how long I’ve been pacing?

I look around and notice that I can see into Alessandro’s room from here. Actually, I can see basically his whole room. It’s where I told Erin to hide when Alessandro came home. My eyes immediately go to Erin, who I can see standing naked in the room.

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