Page 47 of Heir of Fire
He took his time going down the ladder, and admittedly, it was way too small for his large build. He was definitely a lotbigger than most of the guys she had been with in the past, which was probably why they had never struggled with the ladder while he did.
He let out a loud breath of relief when his feet finally touched the ground. He then held onto the bottom to steady it as she began coming down. Once she was safely on the ground as well, she had him hide the ladder in the bushes so that no one would be able to see that it was there.
“Where’s your bike?” she asked him, wrapping her arms around herself. Convenient that he had picked a windy night to go for a ride.
“Are you cold?” he asked her.
She nodded. “A little bit, but I should be fine.”
Finn grabbed her hand, walking them to the garage. It was far enough away from any of the rooms in the house for anyone to hear the garage door opening or to hear them leaving.
His bike stood there freshly polished, it seemed. Two helmets sat on the seat, but Finn didn’t walk towards it. Instead, he approached one of the many cars in the garage, pulling Gianna along with him.
“What are you doing? Your bike is over there,” she said.
“It’s too cold for you to go on a bike ride right now, so we’ll just take a car,” he said, opening the door for her.
She frowned. “I thought the whole point was because you needed the bike ride.”
“I’ll live.”
He looked at her expectantly, still holding the door open. Gianna entered the car, getting comfortable while he grabbed the keys from the wall. Him choosing her comfort over what he needed did something to her. It made her stomach flip violently in the most pleasant way possible.
Finn got into the driver’s side, starting the car up.
Gianna cleared her throat. “I can handle the cold. Seriously, it wasn’t that bad.”
He shook his head. “I’m not going to risk you getting sick. You agreeing to come out with me is what I needed, not the ride.”
They pulled off into the darkness, staying in silence. She leaned her head against the window, letting out a loud yawn. Her body was unbelievably warm and cozy with the combination of the heaters and the heated seat.
She only closed her eyes for a couple of moments when she felt the car stop completely. They were at the lake again; the wind having picked up even more now as the trees shook violently. Thunder cracked in the distance and lightning sliced through the sky, letting her know that a storm was on its way.
Finn turned off the headlights, keeping them in darkness. Gianna took off her seatbelt and boots, folding her legs under her. Her feet had been killing her more than usual lately, and any chance she had not to wear shoes she was taking.
He took off his seatbelt, leaning back. A loud sigh left his lips, and she couldn’t tell if it was out of exhaustion or relief.
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Her voice cut through the silence.
He didn’t answer right away, and for a second, she almost thought he wouldn’t tell her at all. But then he cleared his throat, shifting in his seat.
“I had a nightmare.”
“You don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to.”
He shook his head. “I was ten years old again and my father was standing over me, the sickest fucking look on his face. It was worse than anger; it was like he was a monster. That’s how I remember him looking my entire childhood. This time, me stuttering when his coworker asked a question sent him off. He kept hitting and hitting until I was a puddle of blood. And thenI woke up,” Finn said. His voice was emotionless as if he had removed himself from the story completely.
Gianna swallowed down her nausea. “That sounds oddly specific to just be a random nightmare.”
A bitter chuckle left his lips. “My whole life has been a nightmare.”
Gianna heard the rumors. She knew Reece Kingsley was a horrible man, that was no secret. She knew of the things he did to Luna, like forcing her into marriages and threatening to hit her at the engagement party, which was luckily stopped by Valerio. But no one knew just how extreme the horrors in the Kingsley household were.
It made her wonder how Luna kept it from them all those years, how either sibling ever dealt with it.
“I saw the scars on your back the other day,” she said. “Were those from him?”
“From one of the many times he whipped me. Takes forever to fucking heal.”
