Falling Star (Combustible Book 2) Read online

  “I’ll look around, then run to the store. Give me a couple hours, if that isn’t too late.”

  “I can hardly wait.”

  * * * *

  Trent’s team was already in the truck, heading back from a bonfire that had gotten out of hand. Luckily, no one had been hurt, but the location reminded Trent of how his sister had started down the path she was on with rehab and relapses.

  At the time, she was still in high school and hadn’t come home at curfew. He was in college, and his parents asked him to drive around until he found her. And he did, eventually. Her car was parked just past the city limits, back in the woods. Smoke from a bonfire rose above the trees. A dozen or so cars were lined up on the street.

  Trent had jogged down the trail and found a group of kids surrounding his sister. She was passed out on the ground and one of the guys from the football team was trying to get her clothes off.

  Pushing his way past the onlookers, Trent pulled the asshole off her and busted his hand bashing the prick’s face in before taking his sister home.

  He told her that story every time she got in trouble. It never did a damned thing to slow her down. She continued partying, fell in love with a druggie, and had a kid. Her boyfriend had died a few years later. He crashed his car into a family of four, killing all but the baby. The jerk’s blood alcohol level had been four times the legal limit.

  That’s when Tina’s problems got worse.

  She was still in rehab, but Trent wasn’t sure it changed a damned thing. She’d been in and out of various facilities for years.

  Sighing, Trent turned to Kyle. “Why are kids so dumb? I don’t remember ever going out to party like these twits.”

  Kyle smirked. “Because you were too busy studying and playing football.”

  Gavin laughed. “Why did you even want to be a fireman? You could have taken a football scholarship.”

  Trent glared back at Gavin. “Football was fun, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do forever. Besides, I had the desire to help people.”

  “Which you could have done with any number of professions,” Gavin pointed out. “You had the grades to be a doctor.”

  “Why are you complaining? This is what you wanted to do, too.”

  Kyle nudged Gavin. “Yeah, leave Trent alone. He made the same choice we did, and I don’t think any of us would trade our jobs for the world.”

  Trent ran his hand over his short hair and gave Kyle a sheepish smile. “Think I could come to the barbecue tomorrow? I really don’t want to make the trip to visit my sister with my parents. And Blaze wants to play with the girls.” Blaze was friends with Gavin’s daughter, Jenny, but he had a crush on Kyle’s daughter, Cherish.

  Kyle nodded. “Sure. Just, don’t chase our new neighbor. Mila says she’s been through some rough times and is looking for a fresh start.”

  Trent nodded, curiosity spiking. “New neighbor?”

  Kyle shrugged. “I don’t know much.”

  His brow arched. “Well, spill. What do you know?”

  “Mila has known Ella since grade school. They’ve been friends as long as we have. Apparently Ella’s been so busy with work, that Mila hasn’t seen her since graduation, but they talk at least once every week. Lately, daily.”

  “Interesting.”

  “And she bought Mila’s house. Apparently, also purchased the corner shop on Main Street. The one that’s been empty since the jewelry store went out of business.”

  “What kind of store is she opening?”

  He shrugged. “Didn’t ask. But seriously, no chasing. Mila was relieved when it was just going to be Gavin’s family and us. Her friend has been through hell. Swear to me, you won’t pursue her.”

  Trent laughed. “Hey, I’m not a bonehead. I already said I wouldn’t. Can’t help it if I’m curious about the mystery woman moving into town.”

  Gavin shook his head. “Mila won’t even tell Cadence anything other than her name.” Gavin’s wife had befriended Mila the second they met. Her silence about Ella spoke volumes, spinning his imagination into overdrive.

  “Okay, and don’t worry. With the way things are going with Tina, I’m more concerned about my nephew than women.”

  Gavin asked, “How is your sister doing?”

  Trent shrugged. “Going on four months in rehab. I don’t get it. I’d think her son would be enough to make her change.”

  “She hasn’t tried to leave?”

  “Nope. Not this time. She’s choosing to stay.”

  Kyle smiled, “Considering she’s staying voluntarily, I’d say she’s making progress. Maybe she’s getting over whatever pushes her to need the drugs.”

  “God, I hope so.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Poor Blaze keeps asking if she’s ever coming home.”

  Chapter 5

  Ella wandered through the grocery store trying to figure out what to make for the barbecue. Mila always loved to bake, ever since they were kids. Anything from cookies, to pies, and everything in between. She couldn’t count the times she’d spent all day at Mila’s baking with her on the weekends. Meat was likely covered.

  After digging the phone out of her purse, she dialed Mila.

  “Hey, you okay, Ella?”

  “Yeah, but what do I bring tomorrow?”

  “Don’t need to bring anything.”

  “I want to. Wine’s out, especially if you’re nursing. Besides, I never drink anyway. You always loved to make pies. Didn’t figure you needed meat. So what do I bring?”

  “We can always use more dessert. Remember, two strapping firemen and two little girls who can pack away the sweets.”

  “Cake? Mmm, how about ribbon cake?”

  “Ooh, I haven’t had that in so long. Yes, definitely.”

  Laughing, Ella turned down the baking aisle to gather the necessary ingredients. “I’ll come by later.”

  “Sounds great.”

  “See you then.” Ella noticed the condensed milk behind her and set her phone in the shopping cart before turning back. She ran right into a solid wall of man and stumbled back, pulling her hands up in a defensive stance.

  He caught her upper arms before she fell and pulled her upright. She jerked away as her breath came in heavy pants.

  “Hey, you all right?” His warm baritone eased the building panic, followed by pale blue eyes holding her gaze, calming the sudden fear.

  Once her heartbeat slowed, she quickly took him in. Hair as black as night, icy blue eyes, pale skin, full pink lips. The emblem on his uniform struck a chord and the rest of her tension rolled away.

  A nervous laugh escaped. “Sorry. I didn’t see you there.”

  He ducked his gaze, a slight smile on his lips. “My fault.”

  “Mine. I wasn’t looking.” I’m an idiot.

  He chuckled. “I’ll admit, I was staring. You look familiar. Just trying to figure out why.”

  No, no, no! He can’t know who I am. Shaking her head, she backed toward her cart and closed her eyes. Her heart tried to pound its way out of her chest.

  “Sorry. Too forward?” He shuffled away one step and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I wasn’t trying to come on to you. You really do look familiar, and I can’t figure out why.”

  She pushed the black frames up her nose and shrugged. “I’ve been in town all of an hour. Never been here before in my life.”

  Recognition lit up his face and her heart sank. Maybe settling down was a really bad idea.

  “Mila’s friend? Ella, right?”

  Nodding, she took a relieved breath. “Yeah.”

  “Must have seen pictures of you over at her house.”

  “Oh.” A frown pulled at her lips.

  He shook his head. “Damn. Hey, sorry. I’m Trent Ward.” He held out his hand, and she took it cautiously.

  “Hi, Trent. Look, I’m doing a little shopping now that I’m finally here. I drove all day long and I’m tired, but I need food. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

  Her nervous rambling mad
e him smile. “You will. I live across the street from you.”

  “Huh. Have a nice night.” Dipping her head, she grabbed the condensed milk and dropped it into the cart before hurrying out of the aisle.

  “Ella, hey, Ella!” Mila shouted on her phone.

  She thumped her hand against her head as she picked it up and answered. “Sorry. Literally ran into someone. I’m such a moron.”

  “Trent. Yeah, he’s a good guy. A little rough around the edges at times, but he’s really great with his nephew.”

  “Nephew?”

  “Yeah. His sister is in rehab right now. He takes care of Blaze on his days off. Though Trent has a reputation for being a man-whore.”

  “Oh, yeah, I’m not interested. He startled me. That’s all.”

  Mila laughed. “I may be married, but I’m not blind. Trent’s hot.”

  “Yeah, but really, I’m not going there. I need to find the real me again.”

  “I didn’t say anything about taking him for a ride. But you can definitely window shop… if you know what I mean.”

  “Nope. Not my thing right now.” She sighed. “I need to finish shopping. I’ll see you in an hour or so.”

  “Later, Ella.”

  “Be there soon.”

  Ella walked back to the baking aisle. Thankfully, the gorgeous fireman had already left. The biggest smile she’d worn in weeks appeared. He’d definitely fuel a few fantasies, but she wasn’t looking for a hookup.

  * * * *

  Trent watched Ella flee the aisle. He couldn’t help wondering what had gone through her head when he startled her. He read people fairly well. The look in her eyes had been sheer terror until she focused on the St. Florian cross on his shirt and relaxed. Also, a spark had struck between them, but she shut it down.

  He wanted to unravel her mystery.

  Kyle turned down the aisle. “Forget why we’re here?”

  Trent grabbed Kyle’s arm and dragged him out of the supermarket before he did something stupid like chase Ella down. The woman was drop-dead gorgeous, her blue-green eyes electric, even behind the thick black rims. Her hair fell around her in warm caramel waves. And her body—hot damn. Athletic, toned and still had curves in all the right places.

  And Kyle had made him swear to leave her alone.

  Fuck me.

  Kyle pulled out of his grip with wide eyes. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Mila’s friend is in there. Swear to god, she looks familiar. Those eyes—that mouth. Christ, she’s beautiful. And off limits, right? Fuck.” Trent combed his fingers through his hair and stalked away. “Who is she?”

  “Ella Cross. I already told you everything I know.”

  “She’s real nervous. Worse than Mila ever was. Something must have happened to her.”

  “No clue. I can ask. But, Trent, I’m not going to share secrets.”

  “Yeah, got that. Make sure she’s all right. I didn’t like the fear in her eyes when she caught me staring. But damn, she’s beautiful.”

  “You going to be able to handle the barbecue tomorrow?”

  He nodded. “She’s scared of something. I’m not going to do a damned thing to make it worse.”

  “Hey.” Kyle stepped in front of him. “Calm down, dude. If Mila were worried about something happening to her friend, she would let me know. She didn’t. I think it’s safe to say she either doesn’t know yet or doesn’t expect anything to happen here.”

  Trent nodded. “Hope not. Once she got her bearings, she calmed down, but man, I feel like an ass for scaring her.”

  A smirk pulled at Kyle’s lips. “I haven’t seen you this caught up with a woman in… never.” A chuckle escaped and turned into rolling laughter.

  “Stop, I’m not caught up.”

  Kyle calmed down and arched a brow his way.

  “Okay, fine. I’m curious. You have my word. I’m not going to chase her.”

  “Then I’ll help you find out what we can. In the meantime, get to know her. Don’t come on to her. Maybe she just needs a friend.”

  “Oh, like you did with Mila?” Now Trent laughed. Kyle had tried his best to be patient, but Trent noticed the way Kyle had shown up wherever Mila might be.

  Kyle smirked. “As it turns out, I did know her from before.”

  “Yeah, made that little girl without ever seeing Mila’s face.” Trent shook his head. “I don’t even want to know how that happened.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not sharing. Come on, let’s get pizza and go back to the firehouse before your mystery girl comes out of the store.”

  “Not my girl. Can’t help it if I’m intrigued.”

  “Call it what you want. You’re still interested.”

  * * * *

  After putting her groceries away, Ella walked next door to Mila’s with a jug of sweet tea. She rang the bell about nine at night.

  Mila opened the door with a smile. “Tell me more about your trip to the store.”

  Lifting a shoulder, Ella muttered, “Nerve-wracking.”

  “Come in. Let’s have a glass of tea, then you can tell me why you’re running from your old life.” Mila took the jug to the kitchen.

  Ella followed. “I think I’ve figured out that my old, old life was easier. I miss being able to be me. You have no idea what it’s like to always have to be on.”

  “I can imagine. Probably not sufficiently, but I get it.”

  “You get a little of it being a teacher. This was different, though. Unless I was locked up at home with the blinds shut tight, I had to watch what I was doing. Then the stalker.” Ella leaned against the counter while Mila poured.

  “Your kidnapping was all over the news. But what really happened, Ella? I was so damned worried. And then I hardly heard from you for a couple months.”

  A bitter laugh escaped. “Every time I stepped out of the house, someone was in my face asking me questions I couldn’t answer. The police hounded me afterward, pushing me to remember anything. I told them everything I knew, which wasn’t much, but I described the man. Then the tabloids wanted to take my story and twist it into fiction. I shut everyone out for a while.”

  “You know better than to listen to the media.”

  Ella shook her head. “Easier said than done. This was worse than them trying to say I was seen with so and so, or this co-star, or that rock star. No, they claimed I somehow led the bastard on, or I was on drugs or any number of things. The theories out there…” Ella drew a slow breath and looked out the window. “I want to go back to being the girl no one cares about. I liked it better when I wasn’t put on display like a butterfly pinned to a wall. Nobody should give a damn about what brand of jeans I wear or what I had for dinner last night.”

  “You loved acting.”

  “Not what goes with it. Acting put me in the spotlight all the time. That’s the part I couldn’t handle.”

  Ella swept her hair behind her ear and accepted the glass Mila handed her.

  Mila took her arm and brought her back to the couch. “What if you decide you miss it?”

  “Then I reevaluate. But I received letters and gifts, creepy ones, from this guy for three years before the accident. The sicko tied me to a bed. I was dressed, but who says I would have stayed that way if I hadn’t worked the knot loose and fought for my life?”

  Mila gently caught Ella’s arm and turned it to inspect the ugly red scar on her outer wrist. “What happened?”

  Ella looked at it and shrugged. “I managed to untie the rope from the bed frame, but couldn’t reach the knots around my wrists. I used the candles to burn the rope.” She winced. “I couldn’t stay there and that was all I could come up with. I managed to knock him over and fought him off when he came in the room. We knocked over candles, the bed caught fire. I ran as the fire spread.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You and me both. But I was already walking away from it all before that happened.”

  “So you’re going to forget about Raven Star, and be Ella Cross
?”

  “That’s my plan. I’m going to open a boutique, but need to figure out a good name.”

  “Maybe I can help with that. But, I’m glad you’re here. I missed you.”

  “Me too.”

  “So, how bad were you hurt?”

  Ella rubbed the scar on her arm. “He broke my nose. Gave me a concussion. I burned my arm getting free.” She shrugged. “I was pretty banged up. But he didn’t do worse. And it all happened on my way out of town, on my way to retirement.”

  Mila shook her head and lifted her glass. “To a simpler life.”

  “Mmm, cheers.” Ella clanged her glass and took a sip of tea.

  “By the way,” Mila drew a breath, “Trent will be here tomorrow. With his nephew. Are you still interested in coming?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be here. He seemed to feel bad when he realized he’d startled me. Besides, he lives across the street. Not like I can avoid him forever.”

  “Don’t think you need to avoid him. He has his sweet moments.”

  Sweet wasn’t something she imagined from his devilish grin though he did backtrack when he realized how nervous she’d become. “I don’t need any moments with him.”

  Mila shrugged. “Kyle invited him. Remember, I told you his parents have been watching his nephew while his sister is at rehab? Well, they’re going to visit Tina tomorrow so Trent will have Blaze. He’s a good uncle.” Mila giggled. “Seems Blaze has a crush on Cherish too.”

  Ella smirked. “Young love. Why did I never find it?”

  “Because your nose was usually too stuck in a book or the latest play or musical.”

  “I couldn’t help it. It’s what I loved.” Ella took another sip. “So fill me in on you and how you found your Phantom of the Opera again.”

  Chapter 6

  Nerves nearly kept Ella at home. Strength of will got her out the door. Time to take your life back, Ella. It’s just a few people. You’re used to being in front of a huge crowd. This is nothing.

  Once the door was locked, she walked to the sidewalk with two travel dishes in her hands. She glanced back at her place, considering sneaking back inside until she could get her shaking hands to calm down.