Broken Ground: (Broken Series Book 1) (48 page)

I PARKED IN THE
driveway at the cabin a while later, hurrying around to help Ali out. It frustrated me that I couldn't simply carry her into the house, but I'd been warned about my shoulder and the risk of it popping out of place again if I tried to overuse it. Anxious as I was to get her inside, I had to allow her to do this in her own time.

Slowing down to focus on her was the best thing I could do, for her and for me.

She wouldn't be running any marathons in her condition, but she made impressive work of that flight of stairs. Only a few minutes from start to finish, though she was definitely winded by the time she reached the second floor landing. I waited for her to clear the doorway and entered behind her, wondering where our visitors were lingering. I didn't have to wonder long.

Gran's voice rang out gleefully, followed a moment later by Vanessa's. They hugged and babied and fussed over Ali for a few minutes while I ran back to the truck for her purse, knowing she needed her medication. I reentered the living room to the sight of Gran propping Ali's booted foot on a pillow. I pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and brought over her pills, thanking Gran for her help and eyeing Ali carefully. "Here, slugger. Take these and I'll see if Gran here will help you get cleaned up while Vanessa and I unload the truck. That sound okay?"

Before Ali could respond, Gran was scurrying off to the master suite to start the shower muttering, "I'll find her some comfy pajamas, too, just give me a minute."

I sat on the coffee table beside Ali's foot and held her eye, saying nothing, aware that we weren't alone and hoping that she would know what I was asking without needing it vocalized. She glanced around, spying Vanessa in the kitchen, her back to us. She watched me intently and gave a slow nod, indicating her cooperation.

I stood and kissed her head, the smell of smoke that still lingered in her dark locks causing a tightening in my chest. Dropping my mouth to her ear, I whispered, "You're it for me, Ali. I love you."

When I lifted my head, Vanessa had walked back over and handed Ali a glass of ice to go with her water, a motherly smile on her face. It was sheer force of will that kept my voice even as I asked my aunt, "You ready to step outside? I've been anxious to talk to you."

I FOLLOWED VANESSA
out to the driveway, eyes boring into the back of her head as she yammered on about inconsequential bullshit. When she reached the truck I asked her to start with the front passenger seat and waited for her to open the door, my arm protesting as my hands fisted involuntarily.

The door swung open, and Vanessa stepped in, the sound of her sharp gasp filling the air a moment later, indicating she'd seen the computer screen. My jaw clenched as I waited to see if she would have the guts to turn back and face me. I'd left the laptop on the seat, the picture from the game cam still open and zoomed in to show the detailed image of my aunt running away from the house just minutes before the flames started.

I could almost smell the damn fear wafting off of her. She didn't step back from the truck, choosing to remain obscured from sight by the door as she quietly said, "Clay, honey, I can explain. If you'll let me, I promise I can explain what happened."

Uh uh, not like this she isn't.

I stormed over to the truck and spun her around to face me, my chest heaving as I fought to control my anger. "You want to tell me what happened?" I growled. "I know what fucking happened. I saw what happened. How about I tell you what happened? How about I tell you how Ali fell down the basement stairs, breaking her foot and spraining her ankle as she went, or how it's a miracle she didn't crack her skull on the concrete. How about I tell you how she lay there in the darkness, her flashlight having broken when it hit the floor? How about I tell you what it felt like to see her crumpled there surrounded by smoke, or how I thought she was fucking dead when I found her? The only woman I have ever loved. Want to hear any of that?"

My whole body shook with the force of my rage. "Because that's all I see when I look at that fucking picture. I see her lying there motionless while I begged whatever God's would listen to please not take her from me. I see the moment when I dropped the rag from my face, deciding that letting the smoke overtake me would be infinitely better than having to live the rest of my life without her." The broken look on her face at my admission should have pleased me, but it didn't. Instead, it fueled my anger, making me want to lash out more. "Does your fucking explanation fix any of that? Will whatever bullshit excuse you feed me make the nightmares stop? The ones where I'm lost in the smoke and I can hear her screaming, but I can't find her? The ones where I have to listen to her burning alive? Will any of that go away once you explain?"

She blinked back tears, hanging her head and not saying a goddamn word. I was just about to launch into another tirade when my phone chirped in my pocket. I recognized the distinct tone as a text from Ali. Ignoring Vanessa's sorrowful expression, I pulled the phone from my pocket and checked the message, my concern for Ali overriding every other emotion.

Getting in the shower soon. Remember, if we could give Lauren the chance to explain herself, Vanessa should get the same consideration. She's still your aunt. I love you.

Dammit! Why must she always be the voice of reason?

I looked up at my aunt, trying hard to keep Ali's reminder at the forefront of my mind. Vanessa turned and closed the laptop, still wincing at the sight of herself in the picture. I decided I would make the effort, if only because Ali asked me to. She'd earned the right to call the shots on this one so I would honor her wishes.

Running my hand over my hair, I stepped back and motioned for Vanessa to follow, turning and setting off for the backyard without waiting to see if she was behind me. When I reached the seating area by the pool, I pulled out a chair and pointed to it, taking the one across from it. "You have five minutes, so make them count. And you owe them to the woman you nearly killed because I wouldn't be listening to you without her prompting."

Vanessa settled into the chair and sat forward, arms on her thighs and hands clasped tightly together. She looked out toward the woods, her face wan and tired. "I went to the house to look for Rebecca's box. The one Gran left there for you." She sighed, looking defeated. "I thought there might be something in there, something Rebecca had with her the last time she was here, and I didn't want you to see it. I was afraid you'd misunderstand."

I narrowed my eyes, not liking where my mind had just gone, but I had to ask just the same. "Pictures. You were looking for the pictures, weren't you?"

She started, looking surprised. "You already saw them?"

"No, I heard my father on the phone the night Mom died. He was talking to his mistress about pictures and how Mom had thrown them in his face." I sat there in stunned silence as I watched her, finally able to choke out the words, "He was talking to you."

She blinked stupidly for a moment before springing from her seat like she'd been hit with a cattle prod. "What? No! Why would... how could you think that?" Her voice was high and alarmed, making me almost believe her. "I'm the one who gave Rebecca the pictures."

Wait, what?

She paced back and forth behind her chair, hands flying as she talked. "Your father was a disgusting pervert. Every time he got two seconds alone with me, he tried to hit on me. Rebecca didn't want to believe it at first, so I set it up to catch him on camera. A friend of mine took the pics. He tried groping me, kissed my neck a few times before I finally had enough. He made my damn skin crawl, but I had the proof I needed. I convinced your mother to let me have him followed, knowing in my gut that he was having an affair and probably more than one."

She stopped pacing and put her hands on the back of the chair, gripping so hard her knuckles were white. "I got the file back the day before the accident. I added the pictures of him coming on to me with the rest and called Rebecca to tell her everything was ready." Her chin quivered slightly, and her voice began to falter. "After you left for Spencer's the next day, she decided to come by and get the envelope so she could confront him that night." She wiped her eyes and came back to sit in the chair, looking exhausted. "No one ever saw the pictures after that, and I assumed your father had taken them. But when your Gran mentioned that box, I was worried that maybe they were in there. I didn't want you to find those pictures and assume the worst, so I went to look for the box while I knew you'd be gone."

Much as I wanted to hold onto my anger, it was starting to dim. Then a thought occurred to me that made it flare anew. "The fire... did you start it with one of your fucking cigarettes? Is that how it happened?"

She shook her head emphatically. "No. What kind of idiot do you take me for, Clay?" I gave her a sarcastic look, unmoved. "I honestly don't know what happened. I went in to look for the box, realized the lights weren't working, tried to turn on the main breaker, and heard a car outside. I hid in the pantry until it was clear and then took off. I never saw who came in, or where they went, and I definitely never saw any smoke or flames. Hell, I never even saw the stupid box."

There was nothing in her voice or body language that made me think she was being deceitful. I considered a moment, going over what she said. "You flipped on the breaker? The main breaker?"

"Yes. I flipped it on, but it kicked right back off. I don't know why." She shrugged helplessly. "I figured it was a safety feature or something, like maybe nothing was wired up to it yet."

A shuffling sound caught my attention, and I turned to see Ali stepping onto the patio, looking winded in the same clothes I'd brought her home in. I jumped from my seat and rushed over to help, not wanting her to take a tumble on the downward slope between the house and the pool. "I thought you were in the shower? How'd you get down here by yourself?"

She huffed indignantly and blew a few strands of hair out of her face, shifting her weight onto the crutch at her side. "I'm capable of getting around, maybe not fast, but I can still make it just fine on my own." She reached up and touched my face, fingers splaying over the stubble of my jaw, placating me. Stubborn ass woman. "And I didn't make it to the shower. Daniel called, and Gran has been on the phone with him for the last few minutes so I told her I was stepping out to check on you." She looked over at Vanessa, not a trace of resentment in her expression. "I thought you might like to talk to Daniel. I think he was asking for you."

Vanessa stood and took Ali's hand in both of hers, looking more sorrowful than I'd ever seen her. "Ali, I'm so sorry for my part in what happened. I shouldn't have been there, but I want you to know that whatever I did to start the fire, it was unintentional." Her tears ran anew as she pleaded. "I hope you know I'd never do anything to hurt Clay or you. I was there trying to protect him from something trivial and nearly cost him the most precious thing in his entire world."

My aunt turned to me, swiping at her tears and fighting for composure. "I'm sorry the door was destroyed, sorrier than I can begin to tell you. It must have been devastating to have to tear it down that way."

Watching Ali's eyes widen, I realized she hadn't known until that moment what I'd had to do to get to her. Her chin quivered slightly, and I cupped her cheek with my hand. "Don't be upset, Ali. I'm not. There's nothing more important to me than you. Hearing that wood splinter and crack gave me hope, urged me forward, toward you. It was the most satisfying thing in the world to be able to break it down, and I haven't regretted it or mourned the loss for even a second." A single tear rolled down her face, lingering at the corner of her mouth. I leaned in and softly pressed my lips to hers, kissing it away. "I told you, Ali. You're it for me. There's nothing in this world strong enough to stand between us. Past present or future."

Vanessa went back inside a few minutes later, and I finally convinced Ali to sit down. We settled on the lower level patio, needing to be shaded from the sun. We sat in silence for a while, just watching the trees sway in the muggy afternoon breeze. More accurately, Ali watched the trees, and I watched Ali.

Without looking my way, she said, "I heard you, you know, about the dreams." I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes, the mere mention of the nightmares sending a jolt of terror through me. I felt her hand on mine and grasped, blindly reaching for her as she said, "I was standing on the balcony upstairs giving Gran some privacy and that deep voice of yours kind of carries. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, I promise, but I'm glad I heard that." She gave my fingers a squeeze, rubbing her thumb over mine. "Can I ask you a question?"

I opened my eyes and turned, her eyes sparkling like emeralds in the light. "You sure can."

"Did you have any nightmares last night after we were together in the hospital bed?"

I thought for a minute, trying to remember where I'd been when I awoke from each dream. "No, I don't think I did. The first was in the waiting room that first night. I must have dozed off for a few minutes. The others... They all happened either in the waiting room or when I was sleeping by your bed waiting for you to wake up."