Rekindle The Flames (The Men of CLE-FD Book 4) (17 page)

“Whether you can or not, it will still be an issue.  That
magnetic attraction between us is there and hard to fight.  Removing it as an
option now will save me from taking numerous cold showers,” he playfully
groaned.

She giggled as she slapped a hand over her eyes. “There
you go with that sense of humor again.” She paused and looked at him.

Ryan’s heart skipped a beat. He scooped her in his arms
and said lovingly, “Baby, you recalled something about me.”

“I know, I know!” she exclaimed hugging him back.

“Come home tonight.”

She moved away from his arms. “You want me to come home
tonight?”

“Yep.  I have the next 72-hours off, and we’ll spend every
minute together.”

She smiled. “Okay, I’ll do it.  I have to go home and pack
a few things and get my medication.  I might have to wait for my father to get
home so he can drive me.”

He shook his head nixing that idea. “Call me when your
bags are packed and on the porch; I’ll come get you.  Come on, I’ll take you to
pack now. I don’t want to lose any more time away from you.”

Megan released a heavenly chuckle. “Gabrielle drove me
here, Ryan. She can take me home, and I’ll call you.  I swear it will only take
me a minute to pack one suitcase.”

Ryan pretended to be disappointed and then grinned.
“Alright, Gabby can drive you home, but I will be there to pick you up in one
hour.”

“Fine, you do that,” she said leaning down to kiss him on
the cheek.

Ryan touched his cheek to seal the softness of Megan’s
kiss to his skin. He walked Megan and Gabrielle to their car.  As they drove
off, he went to his car. He had to set the mood for his wife’s return.  He
wanted everything to be perfect.

*****

Gabrielle dropped Megan off at home. She immediately went
to her room to pack. She wanted to be gone before Iona had a chance to respond
to her text.  She felt it was better to let Iona know she was returning to Ryan
in a text message rather than doing it face-to-face. As it was, she disappeared
every day at the same time, returned home at the same time, and was always in a
bad mood. This was not the usual routine for Iona James, the socialite of
Cleveland, who cared about how people viewed her.

Not bothering to fold any clothes, she threw whatever she
picked out of the closet and drawers and put them into her suitcase. The smile
on her face would not vanish. She knew that her mother would not approve of her
decision to leave, but it was time to go. She called her father to inform him
that she was leaving; he was ecstatic, gave her his blessing, and offered his
assistance however he could. He suggested taking the nurse along with her until
Ryan was home on his days off. Megan heard the downstairs door slam shut. Iona
was home.

“Megan? Where are you?”

Megan had closed her bedroom door and locked it once she
heard Iona’s footsteps on the stairs.  Whether she wanted to have the
conversation about leaving or not, Iona was coming up the stairs to confront
her, and she sounded angry.

A hard knock resounded through the wood door. “Megan, open
the door. I need to speak with you about that damn text message you sent me.”

For a second, Megan considered calling her father to come
handle the situation. Drawing in a deep breath, she muttered to herself, “You
can do this.” She unlocked the door and stepped back, allowing Iona to enter.

Her mother walked in, looking at the mess scattered around
the room. “So, it’s true, you are leaving. You’re making a big mistake, letting
your father talk you into going back to that asshole.”

Megan reigned in her already crackling temper. She didn’t
need this, not when happiness was finally lifting her depressed mood. “Dad has
nothing to do with my decision to leave. I’m busy packing, so please let me
finish before Ryan gets here.” Her eyes involuntarily followed her mother as
she paced the bedroom.

“Sometimes, I swear you think I’m your enemy instead of
your mother, Megan. I have gone out of my way to make sure you’re comfortable
and have what you need. This is how you repay me?”

Megan muttered under her breath, refusing to feel the
twinge of guilt. Iona had already proven she didn’t care about her feelings by
continuing to throw Emin in her face and not calling Ryan to come over when she
asked.

Iona shoved the suitcase from the bed onto the floor;
Megan could only look at her belongings as they tumbled from the suitcase in
different directions. Iona turned to face Megan. “You are ungrateful, you know
that?”

As Iona scrutinized her, Megan shifted under her gaze.
“Mom, I do appreciate what you have done for me. But I have a husband. I need
to be with him; I want to be with him.”

Iona’s gaze shifted from Megan’s. “Really? Do you remember
him now?” Iona transferred from one pedicured foot to another. “You know you
two have differences concerning his job.”

Megan’s brows drew up. “I don’t recall that, and I don’t
care what differences we were facing before my accident. I know in my heart I
want to be with Ryan, and that’s what I’m going to do… I’m going home to be
with my husband.”

Iona shot back. “You probably shouldn’t disobey me, but
since you have James to run behind and hide, I’ll let it go.” She tapped a
manicured finger to her temple. “Oh, but wait, he isn’t here. You can’t go
running to him to save you.”

Megan rolled her shoulders. A dizzy spell caused her to
stumble while standing on her feet. “Mom, I don’t want to fight. I’ve made up
my mind, and I’m not changing it.” Megan could hear the tone of her voice
increase in decibels, forcing her breathing into an uneven tempo. “Besides, I
don’t know what the war is that’s brewing between you and Dad, and I don’t want
to stay here and be a witness to it anymore.”

Iona shifted again in her Prada heels and walked toward
Megan. “He’s a fool just like you, Megan. He thinks he knows what is best for
you. I know what is best for you. I was the parent that provided the care and
nurturing, not him! Yet, you defy me. You’re choosing him over me.”

Megan massaged her head with her hand and sat down on the
bed. “Mom, I…”

Iona held up a hand. “Save it Megan! You’re the only one I
had left close to me.  Connor deserted me, and now James has turned you against
me.”

A familiar guilt rolled in her belly, making her sick
along with the dizziness. Because she was younger, Megan remembered being
expected to pick up Connor’s slack once he had left town. The threat of
vomiting set heavily on her stomach. “I don’t hate you. I just don’t understand
why you hate Ryan, and, suddenly, Emin and you are so close. Why are you
pushing him on me when you know how much I love Ryan?” She sucked in a startled
breath; her memory had returned.

“You are signing my death warrant if you don’t divorce
Ryan and marry Emin, Megan.  Do you want to see me dead? That’s what will
happen if I don’t keep my end of the bargain.”

Megan’s head shot up as waves of nausea swept over her.
Unable to speak, she swallowed as Iona’s dead eyes glared at her from across
the room. “Did you hear me, girl? Have you lost the ability to speak along with
your brain’s ability to think straight?  But it’s just as well, you don’t
remember everything.  If you did, I would look pretty bad in your eyes for what
I’ve done lately.”

Megan’s breathing became erratic. She remembered
everything Iona had done.  From selling her to Emin to the car accident. Every
gory detail was back and just as clear and vivid as the day it had happened. “I
remember. I remember what you did. Oh, my God, you tried to kill me!”

“Shut up! We’re getting in the car and doing what
should’ve been done already. I refuse to lose my life because of an ingrate
like you. I cursed the day James brought you into our home. I didn’t want you
then, and I don’t want you now.”

“What?”

Iona continued to throw her hate at Megan. “Don’t pretend
you didn’t know! Look at you…we look nothing alike, Megan. For god’s sake, you
aren’t even bi-racial but a light-skinned black woman. The saint of a father
you idolize slept with some whore, only I was punished for his actions. He
forced me to raise you as my child because he didn’t want to give you up for
adoption after that slut didn’t want you, either. Well, I’m done with you and
him.”

Megan shook from the comments but kept her composure. “You
know what? I’d rather be the daughter of a whore than have your blood running
in my veins. You’re vindictive and bitter, and that’s why Connor left and Dad
is divorcing you. I hope he leaves you with nothing but the clothes on your
back.” Her eyes narrowed. “It makes perfect sense why he was so overprotective
of me and asked daily what went on between you and me. He knew you would try to
hurt me one day.”

Iona snatched Megan by her good arm, yanking her from the
bed to her feet.  Megan’s broken ribs throbbed as she held onto the bedpost,
but Iona was strong and managed to get her to release it.

Iona dragged Megan down the stairs, her feet barely
hitting the steps. “Mom, let go of me; you’re hurting me!” Megan looked around
for her nurse.  She tried to yell her for, but she tripped and fell to her
knees at the base of the steps. “Help me!  Somebody help me!”

“Don’t bother calling for your nurse; I sent her home for
the day,” Iona spat.

Iona had snapped, Megan thought as she struggled to get
away from Iona.  Megan tried to reason with Iona again. “Mom, listen to me, we
can talk about this. There is no need for either one of us to get hurt again.”

Iona grabbed a fistful of Megan’s hair, dragging her to
her feet and out in the yard. Snatching open the car door, she threw Megan in
head-first, not caring about her injuries. “I found the right idiot to take you
off my hands. He paid for you and I don’t have all the money to give back to
him. Your worthless father won’t give me one cent to help me out. I’m not dying
for you or him.”

“Emin is not a murder, Mom. He’s not going to hurt you or
anyone.”

“You will not back out of this deal. You belong to Emin,
and that’s where you’re going.”

“No, not again! I will not let you do this to me again.
I’m not going anywhere with your crazy ass!” Megan shouted as she kicked at the
door with her feet, forcing it to swing open before Iona could close it. Iona
fell to the ground. Megan rolled out of the car and on top of Iona. Her broken
arm burned with searing pain as she put her weight on it, smashing Iona’s head
into the ground as she got up. She looked down at Iona and screamed. “I’ll be
damned if you get another opportunity to try to kill me.  If you weren’t my
mother, I’d…oh, wait, you ain’t my momma!” Megan drew her leg back and kicked
Iona as hard as she could in the side. When Iona attempted to sit up, Megan
responded with another kick to the middle of her back. Seeing Iona on the
ground, she ran as fast as she could, but her breathing became short and heavy,
slowing her down considerably. Her chest felt as if it was on fire and would
cave in with each deep breath she took.

Megan kept pushing. As she crossed the street, darting
into oncoming traffic, she ran into the path of a car, causing it to come to a
jerking stop. The sudden forward motion of the car knocked her to the ground.
Rolling around on the pavement, Megan couldn’t get up. Her busted body could
not take any more abuse and refused to move. “Help me! She wants to kill me!
Help me!” Megan mumbled incoherently from the ground.

A man jumped out of the car. “Megan! What the hell!”

She felt her voice losing volume. It wouldn’t be long
before death took over.  She almost welcomed it. “Please, call the police
before she can get to me. Hurry!”

Megan’s eyes were wide with fear and apparently not
registering clearly. “Megan, it’s me! Ryan,” he shouted as he shook her. “Who’s
chasing you?” He asked once he got her to calm down enough to see it was him. He
leaned down to assess her injuries. “Baby, who did this to you? Was it Emin?”
Ryan tried to help her up.

Megan pulled away, opting to stay on the ground. She
struggled to breathe and rolled on her back, gasping for air to fill her lungs.
She looked up and saw her rescuer was Ryan. Thank God. She hiccupped between
breaths. “My mom. She wants me dead. The woman has lost her mind, Ryan.”

He picked her up and carried her to his car, placing her
in the back seat. Removing his cell phone, he started to dial 911. Then, he
looked down the street and saw Iona standing on the curb.

“Ryan, help me, please!” Megan moaned.

He looked in the back seat and saw Megan’s lips were
turning a shade of blue as she gasped for air. He had to get her medical
attention. He got in the car, knowing Iona would have to wait. He drove by her
and pointed a finger at her. “I’m coming for you, and there won’t be a rock for
you to hide under.” He made sure she could make out every syllable as the words
left his mouth.

Chapter Twenty One

Ryan turned off the bedroom light and closed the door
softly behind him. Megan finally stopped fighting the medication and went to
sleep.  He made his way to the living room where Jon and Mr. Jones were
waiting.  They’d both arrived at the hospital at the same time once he made the
call.

He sat on the couch dropping his head back to look at the
ceiling.  What transpired a couple hours ago seemed to move fast as it ran
through his mind.  Jon was the first to break the silence.

“Megan finally went to sleep?” he asked handing Ryan a
glass filled with a golden liquid.

Ryan shoved the glass away and nodded. “Yeah, finally. 
The sedative the doctor gave her should’ve put her out instantly, but she was
too upset for it to have an effect on her.”  He held his head up and looked at
Mr. Jones, who was on the phone. “What the hell is the deal with him, Jon?”

Jon shook his head. “That is way past my ability to
understand, Ryan.  All I can say is he didn’t let Megan become a part of the
system.  He raised his daughter.”

“But he didn’t reveal her true identity.  She grew up
thinking she’s one way and to find out her whole childhood was a lie.  I’m
sorry that’s not acceptable.”

Jon leaned forward resting his arms on his knees. “I don’t
want to piss you off any more than you already are. But what you found out
about Megan today, does it make a difference to you?”

Ryan picked up the drink off the table and swallowed it
down in one gulp.  The burning liquid hit his empty stomach with a splashing
burn. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said, “Hell no! Why
would you even ask me that?”

“Because it had to be asked.  You believed Megan was
bi-racial.  Today you learned she isn’t.”

“It doesn’t bother me.  What bothers me is that bitch
tried to kill her, and he knew this could happen one day. I put the blame on
him for Megan getting hurt again and now with her physical scars she’ll have
psychological scars that may never heal.  How much is one woman supposed to
take?”

“She’ll be fine, Ryan.  Women are a lot stronger than we
think.  Take Gabby and Lincoln for instance.  Both of them endured hell at the
hands of crazy people and recovered.”

Ryan set the glass on the table and crossed a leg over his
knee. “That’s different.  Gabby and Lincoln know who they are.  They aren’t
fighting for their identity.”

“Neither is Megan.  Mr. Jones is her biological father…”

James cut Jon off. “Yes, I am and I have always been there
for Megan.  I made a mistake by not telling Megan about Iona.  I have my
reasons for not doing that.”

“Please tell me?  I have to deal with Megan, and I want to
be able to offer her comfort and maybe give her an answer,” Ryan voiced
sternly.

James tapped the heel of his leather shoe with his finger.
“I respect you want to help Megan, but she is my daughter.”

“She’s my wife.”

James frowned.  “Yes, she is but she’ll always be my
daughter. I owe her an explanation, not you.  So, to make things easier, why
don’t we both stay in our roles? You do your husbandly duties, and I’ll do
everything else.”

Heated, Ryan got off the couch and paced the length of the
living room.  He wanted to read James the riot act, but there was something
dangerous about the man.  It read clearly in his eyes.  Whoever he was speaking
with on the phone was getting an earful.  Ryan couldn’t make out what James was
saying, but what he saw and heard was enough. The authority in James’ voice and
the way his body was positioned, meant business.

James spoke. “Ryan, I’m not one to explain myself. 
However, I will say this, Megan’s mother was not a whore.  We were young and
having an affair that we both knew was wrong.  We weren’t in love with each
other, just lonely. I’m not proud of what I did although I’m not sorry either.”

Ryan saw life enter James’ face as he spoke of Megan’s
birth mother. He asked, “What happened to her mother, Mr. Jones?”

“To this day I have no idea what happened to her.  Her
husband was in the military and moved around a lot leaving her in the States
alone.  I wasn’t thinking straight at the time because Connor was five, and I
didn’t want him to think I abandoned him to be with my other child if I left,
Iona.”

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. “So what happened? Iona
refused you custody, so you took Megan to live with you?”

“Not exactly. Clarisse’s husband was deployed again, and she
went with him.  I had no idea where she went or what happened to my baby.  I
did everything in my power to find her. With no leads on where she was, I had
to give up looking for her to take care of my son and my growing business. One
day Iona called me at work hysterical.  She said there were people from family
services there and for me to come home.  I get home and there she is my tiny
infant daughter asleep in the arms of a female social service worker. I thought
I’d lost her forever. She had me wrapped around her finger the minute I held
her.”

Jon leaned against the wall. “Why didn’t you tell Megan
about her birth mother instead of hiding it all these years?”

James sighed. “It’s a long story but to sum it up nicely,
it had to do with Iona’s pride and my stupidity to go along with her. I
believed Iona wanted to raise Megan as her own. As the years moved along, she
slowly started to show resentment for Megan.  Connor noticed it first and
protected Megan as best as he could.  I did the rest.  This was the last
straw.  Iona will pay dearly for this.”

Ryan pounded his fist on the wall almost putting a hole in
it. “I should have taken care of her when I had the chance,” he fumed.

“Remember what I said about vengeance, Ryan. Keep your
hands clean.  What I want you to do is to take Megan away for a while until
Iona is caught.”

Ryan declined the request saying, “I just can’t pack up
and leave, Mr. Jones.  I have responsibilities at work.”

“Hold up, Ryan.  You can take family leave since Megan
will require care,” Jon said.  “I can get you at least two weeks off with pay.”

James turned to Jon. “That will be enough time.  How soon
can you arrange it?”

Jon shrugged his shoulder. “A day or two at most.  He has
to check with his lieutenant and the B-Chief which shouldn’t be a problem.”

Ryan threw up his hands. “I’m standing right here! Will
you two stop making plans for me like I’m invisible?” They gave him a
dismissive wave. He sighed and decided to let them have their fun. 

Opening the bedroom door, he slipped inside.  Megan
stirred on the bed restlessly.  Ryan kicked off his shoes and laid on the bed
behind her pulling her gently into his arms and Megan moaned. “Did I wake you?”

“Unfortunately, there isn’t a tranquilizer in the world
strong enough to keep me asleep.”

“Want me to sing you a lullaby?”

“I love you, baby, but please don’t; I’m in enough pain,”
she joked in a raspy voice.

Ryan gave her a gentle squeeze. “I’m offended but will let
it slide since you’re making jokes.  Megan, if you want to talk, I’m listening. 
There are probably a million things running through your head right now.”

“The normal questions are there, but I know I won’t get
any answers.  My father will find a way to justify keeping this from me and
expect me to accept it.  Mom...I mean Iona; I already know where she stands. 
Ryan, I kicked her.  I feel awful for hitting her.  Kids aren’t supposed to hit
their parents.”

Ryan heard her sniff; she was crying. He gently turned
Megan on her back so he could see her face where new scars replaced the healed
one.  He wiped her tears away. “Technically, Iona isn’t your mother.  You
didn’t do anything wrong, and no one is looking at you funny because you fought
to save your life.”

“I loved her with all my heart and to think that from day
one she despised me. She’s probably been plotting for years how to get rid of
me only Dad was around to stop her.”

“You don’t have to think about that now.  Iona is out of
our life, and you’re safe.”

“Yeah, she has to stay on the run to avoid Emin.  He’s
going to want his money since I didn’t marry him.”

“I still can’t believe she sold you for money.  What
parent would do that to their child?”

“I’m not her child,” Megan said wincing as she stretched
her body to get comfortable. “I wonder who and where is my birth mother today?”

Ryan cringed. He knew the wheels inside her head were
turning. If Megan decided get on that bandwagon, it would open more wounds and
possibly put additional strain on their relationship.  As it was, their issues
had yet to be addressed and resolved entirely.

“Is that something you’re going to want to pursue, Megan?”

“Not right now.  My priority is for us to work on our
marriage and not let petty issues come between us again.  Ryan, I fully support
your decision to be a firefighter. You saved my life. I can honestly say you
were born to do that job.”

“I would have done it if I weren’t a firefighter.”  He
traced a finger down her cheek. “If you want to find your birth mother, I’m
here to help.  I also want you to know the love I have for you has not changed. 
You are mine, forever.  I don’t care if you’re bi-racial, black, white, yellow
or orange.  Do you understand me?”

A giddy grin, at least that’s what Ryan thought he saw
spread on Megan’s face as she said, “I understand perfectly by your words and
reaction.”

“Nothing you didn’t cause.”

“Um, I’m innocent, I haven’t touched you.”

“No, but you don’t have to touch me to set me on fire.”

“Baby, as much as I want to make love to you, I can’t. 
There isn’t a place on me that doesn’t hurt or could sustain the stamina.”

“No worries. I’m a patient man.  When the time is right
for us to be together, it will happen, and I will need your body completely
healed in order to handle me.”

Her hand reached down and folded around Ryan’s hard
erection.  She let a small moan escape her lips.  “Do you think it’s
appropriate I’m thinking about having sex with you in light of what happened
today?”

He moved against her hand, feeling the flowing blood
engorge him to a rock hard erection.  He removed her hand from around him and
held onto it instead. “Maybe you want to block out what happened today with
something pleasurable, which is understandable.  And I’m sure I could make that
happen for you without hurting you. However, with Jon and your father in the
next room it would be too awkward. I wouldn’t want your father to get the wrong
idea if he heard me commanding you to do something.”

“Right. I wish we could disappear for a few days, Ryan. 
Just the two of us with no phones, email, or contact of any kind with the
outside world.”

“We can do that.  I’ll talk to the chief and my lieutenant
about taking a furlough to care for you.”

“You’re too good to me, you know that?”

“Nothing is too good for you.”  He leaned over into her
neck and kissed her ear. “Keep my spot warm while I put our guests out of the
house.”