Free Fire and Ice: Rekindled (The Fire and Ice Series Book 2) by Kiara Delaney Page A

from
further torture.

 
    I planned to take myself, as well as my protesting feet,
outside for a welcome reprieve, and to catch some fresh air. As I placed my
hand on the door, it suddenly whooshed open, nearly causing me to fall head
first into the parking lot. Catching my balance, I glanced up to find Hailey
looking at me expectantly. "Jesus, Hailey, I almost fell on my ass,"
I said with annoyance. As she stood staring at me unsympathetically, I asked,
"Finally come to your senses?"

 
    With a heated glare, she shoved a piece of paper against my
chest and barked out, "Did you know about this?"

 
    After pausing to eye her speculatively, I grasped the paper
and began to scan in, realizing it was a letter. As I read through it, my pulse
accelerating with each sentence I pored over, my world suddenly began to fall
at my feet, and I knew Hailey's world must have been crumbling along with mine.

 
    Looking to her with pleading, watery eyes, I choked out,
"It's not...we were only trying to protect you."

 
    " We ! Who else
knows about this?" she demanded.

 
      Lowering my head
to the floor, I sheepishly answered, "Just Jim, Gail, and me."

 
    "And Kellan," she stated emphatically. I simply
nodded my assent, as she continued, "Wow! You people are a piece of work.
You all lied to me! And what about the detectives? Whose bright idea was it to
withhold information in a formal investigation?"

 
    "It...it wasn't like that, Hailey," I implored
her.

 
    Ripping the letter from my grasp, she waved it wildly in the
air as she admonished me, spewing, "I know exactly what it's like...it's right here in black and white! What
about the witnesses? You can't possibly justify what you've done...all of
you!"

 
    As my eyes grew wide, I frantically grasped her by the
shoulders, searching for anything to redeem myself. "Wait, Hailey, I can
explain," I huffed out. Without giving her a split second to object to my
argument, I quickly rambled, "Listen to me. The only thing the customers
witnessed was what looked like any other bar brawl, being broken up by one of
us. I was the only one within earshot of what actually went down. By the time
Dunny and Jim reached them, Jordan had already been stabbed. With Masters'
reputation coupled with no corroborating witnesses, and Grady having barely
remembered the incident, much less the specifics, Masters' defense of Jordan
starting the fight went down the tubes. The only thing they could pin on Grady
was drunk and disorderly. They both deserved what they got, and I hope Masters
rots in prison- I sure as hell wasn't about to jeopardize that asshole getting
off on a technicality. Is that really what you would've wanted?"

 
    As I breathed heavily from my rant, Hailey's expression
deadened, as she coldly said, "I deserved to know the truth."

 
    "Well now you know," I blurted out. "You must
feel a whole lot better, now, huh?" I said in frustration.

 
    "I feel betrayed," she gritted out before whipping
around and swiftly exiting the building, as I stood daunted, feeling as if the
walls were closing in around me.

 
    Defeated, I ambled my way towards the end of the bar, and
leaned limply against it, burying my face in my hands, as I scrubbed it with my
palms.

 
    Out of seemingly nowhere, Kellan's voice cut in to my
thoughts, quickly pulling me out of my reverie.

 
    "What's your problem? Your vibrator run out of
batteries?"

 
    Shooting him a scathing glare, I replied flatly, "It's
Hailey. She knows."

 
    "Knows what?" he questioned in confusion. As I
stared at him knowingly, his voice rose as he asked, "How?"

 
    "She found your letter...to Jordan." I sighed
wearily.

 
    "Goddamnit! Hold down the fort, will ya?" he
shouted before breaking away from my side and quickly striding out the back
door as the cold, hard metal slammed against its frame.

 
    Calling after him, I yelled out, "I'll be here."

 
    Turning around to find Joe staring after Kellan with his
eyebrows