His Fire Inside

With my size intimidating him the gun wavers, and he backs away. I take my opening. With my left forearm I swing to disarm him and with my right fist I hit him in the dead center of his chest, taking the air and fight out of him. The front door flies open, hitting the wall as Sam’s man yells his entry.

“Your guy is zip tying him now. Call 911 for me.”

“APD is already on their way.”

I nod at Sam’s man as he asks me if I’m okay, then hand him the phone. The sound of a gun isn’t something I’ve heard for years, but it’s unmistakable. The echoing sound is deafening in the small hallway as I turn to see Melinda Thierry standing over her son with the gun pointed at his chest. Blood is everywhere, crimson sprayed across her face and hand, already pooling beneath him. My reflexes are nowhere near as good as I thought they were because I’ve barely taken in the scene before she points the gun at her own head and fires. Fuck. I blink and she disappears in a spray of blood and bone, and I close my eyes against the loss of life in front of me.

***

Olivia

I’m woken up by my sister. I flinch at the bruises on her pretty face and the cast on her arm. There’s no warning: one moment I blink, the next I burst into tears. We hold each other as we cry. I think we both say I’m sorry a half dozen times until finally we get ourselves under control.

“I was so ashamed. I couldn’t believe how badly I had messed up. I couldn’t believe how quickly it went from bad to completely fucked up. I’m still scared of Larry. He won’t let us go easily. I’m so grateful for what Rourke Vega has done, but I don’t know if he understands—”

“Don’t even try. Rourke understands better than you or I, and I tried already to keep him from getting involved. Might as well try and push a mountain. Once he sets his mind to something it’s done.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. Gabe was telling me not to freak, Rourke is family, and it’s true. He’s nuts over you, only someone who really loved someone would take on this crazy-ass situation.”

“I know it. He knows it. The only question is what is he going to do about it?”

There’s a knock at the door. It’s one of the installers for the door. “I’m Charles, Ms. Casey. I’m supposed to let you know Mr. Vega is fine, he’ll be a few hours longer. It’s now safe for us to go to his mother’s house. When you’re ready, I’ll take you.”

“Wait. It’s now safe, why is Rourke wanting me to know he’s safe? What happened?” The guy’s eyes go wide as he backs away. “Get me Sam King on the line, now.”

He looks relieved, pulls out his phone, presses three buttons and the phone is ringing. It takes a few rings for Sam to answer, sounding pissed. “Charles, I’m fucking busy right now.”

“This is Olivia Casey. Why the fuck are you busy right now with Rourke? I want to know what happened. Right this minute.”

As Sam talks I understand the meaning behind better off not knowing. Rourke is fine, he’s perfectly fine...I did not need to know a gun was held to his head or that Melinda killed Larry and then herself in front of him. Now that I know I can’t unknow, and I need to be with him right this second. Sam doesn’t even argue. Charles talks to him, and two minutes later I’m in a car on the way to Stella’s house to see Rourke. Since he’s fine, really, not a scratch, they are taking his statement then will let him go.

When I get to the house there are seven cop cars, an EMS vehicle and a television van already setting up. No one stops me from getting to Rourke sitting in the back of the EMS vehicle. He’s fine, really. As I throw myself at him he catches me around the middle and holds me so tight I can barely breathe. He’s fine, really. Now so am I.

***

Rourke

Olivia in my arms, her brown eyes melting up at me. There’s no place I’d rather be. From far below we can hear the giggles and laughter of her nieces and my mother and even Stella a few times. It’s been over a week since the day from hell. Stella is finally coming to terms with not being sad, but instead relieved that Larry and Melinda are dead. He might have been a sonofabitch, but he left her well taken care of. The insurance alone will allow her to take care of herself and the girls. As it turned out, Melinda listed Stella and Larry as beneficiaries of her own insurance policy.

For now they are all here until Stella can start making decisions. I’m content for her to stay as long as she wants. Because there are four little girls here who love attention, my mother is also here, in the downstairs master suite I made up for her months ago. Hell, even Gabe has come around for a few dinners. It feels good for the house to be full of people, like it’s a real home.

My hand goes to Olivia’s stomach, as it has often over the last week. A few days ago she said she could call her doctor for a refill. I told her no then did as she begged, fucked her again and again until she was full of me. She smiles knowing what I’m thinking, what I’m wishing for. Her hand covers mine, then squeezes. “What do you say we look

into taking everyone over with us to France and breaking in that home too?”

She nuzzles my neck. “Hmm...I don’t know. You sure you want to open it up to Angela and Anna’s artistic skills with crayon?”

I shrug. “It’ll come off. It’s starting to get really hot. Watching the fireworks yesterday I thought I was going to melt. I’m also thinking it’s a great place for a wedding, all the room outside and indoors. Only the people who really want to come will show because they have to travel. We can do it in a few weeks. You have to show proof of residency for at least thirty days to get married there. Or would you rather get married here in Austin?”

Her whole face is glowing; she blinks back tears as she shakes her head. “I don’t give a fuck where we get married as long as we do it. As long as it’s out for everyone to see that you are mine and I am yours.”

Pulling the ring out from under my pillow, I love the way she gasps as I slide it on her finger. It’s a perfect fit, just like her. “Great minds, my sweet. Although I am partial to France—it’s where I first felt like we were already married.”

“Then France it is, my love. Anything you want. Everything you want. It’s yours.”

“All I want is you.”

“You’ve had me since the first day when you looked at me with a fire that burned away everything I was before not realizing it burned you too. That when the fire consumed you and me it left behind something new, us—linked forever as two becoming one.”