Fractured Sky (Tattered & Torn #5)(46)

“They’re strong. They’re going to bounce back from this,” he assured me. “It’ll take time, but we’ll be there for them along the way.”

Hayes locked on Ramsey’s and my hands and the point of contact, and then he forced his gaze up to Ramsey. “Thank you for what you’ve done for Aidan and Elliott. They’re lucky to have you.”

He reached out a hand to Ramsey for a shake. Ramsey hesitated for the briefest moment and then took it. “Thank you for getting them the help they need.”

Hayes nodded. “I need to head back to the station and call the district attorney. I want this thing to move as quickly as possible. I’ll have an officer come and pick up Aidan’s truck and drop it off at the Millers’.”

“Thanks, Hayes.” My stomach churned, but I forced myself to step forward. My move was quick. I stretched up on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. There was a slightly unsettling feeling at the contact, but mostly, there was relief that I could show my brother that I loved him with a simple touch. “It means a lot that I can always count on you.”

He swallowed, his throat working. “I’d do anything for you, Shy. You just have to call.”

“I know. That’s why I did.”

He nodded, ducking his head as he moved to his SUV. A few seconds later, he was heading for the front gate.

So many emotions whirled within me. The familiar guilt was there, but so much more, too. Most importantly, there was hope.

Fingers linked with mine, and I turned to Ramsey. I didn’t stop until I’d wrapped my arms around him. I couldn’t voice what I wanted to say out loud. Ramsey had made it clear that he didn’t want that from me. So, I said it silently, telling the air between us how much I cared for this man.

I burrowed into his chest. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not for you to be sorry about.”

“I can still hate that you’re hurting. That those boys are hurting. I know this had to bring up a lot of hard memories.”

Ramsey rested his chin on the top of my head as his arms came around me. “I could kill him.”

“You and me both.”

“No. I’m capable of it. I know I am.”

“I’m gonna say it again. You and me both.” I had that level of rage in me. There was no sense in pretending that I didn’t. “If you think that’s going to scare me away, you’re wrong. Because it’s in me, too. And I’m not sorry. It means we can fight back when we have to. That we’ll never be victims again.”

Ramsey brushed the hair out of my face, his hand cupping my cheek. “You’re amazing, you know that? Pure fire.”

I looked up into those onyx eyes. “Only for the people who matter.” And I burned the brightest for one person. Him.





21





RAMSEY





The steady sound of the shower was like torture. Each water droplet that fell brought with it images that had no business being in my brain. Smooth, golden skin. Long hair in a cascade of brown and gold. Face tilted up to the water.

I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to clear the image away. Kai’s head landed with a thud on my lap. I slowly opened my eyes. “Don’t give me that look.”

There was so much judgment in that steely gaze.

“Like you’re any better. You follow her around, practically drooling.”

Kai let out a low, grumbling sound.

I scratched behind his ears. “I know. We’re both hopeless.”

He licked my arm as if to say, “At least we’re in it together.”

The water shut off, and my gut tightened. The sounds of the shower were bad, but the silence was somehow worse. Thoughts of her toweling off, spreading lotion over those long limbs…it was almost more than I could bear.

The thought that I should move back into the main house swirled in my head. There hadn’t been another letter. Not a single sighting of Ian or anyone else lurking around the property. But the idea of heading back to that empty house twisted something deep. I didn’t want to leave Shiloh, and it wasn’t just because I thought she needed protection.

By the time she emerged a few minutes later, my back molars were nearly ground to nubs. She had a towel wrapped around her hair in one of those twist things. Nothing about her pajamas should’ve been sexy but, somehow, they were. The flannel bottoms hung off her hips in a way that had me begging for just a glimpse of that golden skin around her waist. The t-shirt she wore was paper-thin and worn in a way that I knew meant comfort but also left little to the imagination when it came to the curves beneath it.

I swallowed hard. “Feel better?”

She nodded, lowering herself to the opposite end of the couch. Kai immediately ditched me and moved to her, dropping his head on her lap. Shiloh stroked his fur, and he practically purred. “How are you doing?”

Her gaze was assessing, a survey that spoke of worry and care. Normally, that kind of attention grated. But from Shiloh? It was a balm. “Just hoping they’re settling in okay.”

“Hayes said the Millers are good people. They’ve been foster parents for decades.”

Just because you looked good from the outside didn’t mean you actually were. My stepdad had been revered in our community. A successful financial planner who donated to local charities and volunteered at the homeless shelter every Thanksgiving. He used that impeccable image to hide the monster within.