Free Through Fire (Portland, ME #3) by Freya Barker Page A

chance to say anything, the door opens and the topic of conversation walks in, closing the door behind him. 
    “I thought you looked familiar,” he says, with his arms crossed in front of him and his back against the door, looking relaxed for all intents and purposes. But the intense scrutiny in his eyes contradicts that.
    “Mark...Give us a minute?” Tim’s hands haven’t left my legs. In fact, he’s only tightened his grip to the point of pain.
    “No,” I interrupt, not wanting to cause trouble between Tim and the brother he so obviously loves. “It’s okay,” I assure Tim, the feeling of empty resignation hollow in my chest. Then I turn to the man by the door. “I saw you outside my apartment building.”
    “You did. I’d just responded to a domestic disturbance call and was on my way back to the precinct when I spotted you. Thought I recognized you from your picture, but wasn’t sure until your reaction just now.”
    I try to stay calm, but panic starts closing off my airway. “Picture?” I manage, my voice sounding as ragged as my thoughts.
    “Single potential witness to a gang-related execution, close to seven months ago, in Boston. Closed video surveillance shows what looks to be a woman hiding behind a stack of crates in a warehouse on Shipyard Point. On the footage, you can count the number of shots fired out of range of the camera, based on the woman’s response to each one. All eight of them. One for each arm and leg, one to his jewels, one in the gut, another one in the chest and the final one, the one that finally killed him, right between the eyes. Then the woman runs, and when she turns around for one last look, her face is in perfect view. Snap!”
    With every word from his mouth, I’m transported back to the warehouse. I am hearing each one of the shots he describes and the screams that resulted. Except the last one. That one was followed by an eerie silence, in which I held my breath, trying desperately not to make a sound. When I’d heard footsteps going in the opposite direction, I left my shoes and ran.
    When Mark barks out the last word, my body jerks as if someone punched me. I hear a rushing in my ears that all but drowns out Tim’s loud protests. “What the fuck, man! What the hell is wrong with you?” he yells at his brother, while at the same time sitting down beside me and wrapping his arms around me.
    My body shakes uncontrollably and I’m gasping for air. I can’t breathe.

    T im
    I’m still glaring at Mark when I feel her body go limp. I can barely grab her as she slides off the edge of the couch, managing to pull her up and swing her legs on the seat. Then Dino bursts into the office, with Ike and Viv right behind him.
    “Outta my fucking way!” Dino bellows, as he shoves me hard on the shoulder, dropping on his knees beside Ruby.
    I feel angry and useless and force my attention on Mark. “That’s how you guys treat potential witnesses? No fucking wonder she was terrified, you asshole. No wonder she’s on the run, if this is the kind of treatment waiting for her. Fuck you, man! Fuck you!” I realize I’m out of control, and about to lay my brother out, when Ike grabs me from behind and Viv gets in my face.
    “Honey. Calm yourself. You’re not helping the situation.”
    Normally it would’ve been Viv’s smoky voice that would’ve settled me, but not this time. This time it’s Dino’s low, deep, threatening rumble. “You lot, get the fuck out of here. Take them to the kitchen, Ike. Fucking knock some sense into either or both.” When I turn around, I see the big man sitting on the couch with Ruby’s body curled up in his lap, her hands clutched in his shirt. The sight hits me in the gut.
    “Let’s go,” Ike says, keeping his arm around my shoulder as he guides me out of the room.
    -
    “T im.”
    I ignore my brother’s voice, focusing instead on my clenched fists on the kitchen table. Anger still courses freshly through my blood, a million