Page 69 of Fire Fight

“I’m planning on flying out there for a month or so in the fall once the baby is born,” Birdie said proudly. “My first grandbaby.”

Happy tears lined her eyes, and my heart swelled with emotion.

“That baby is lucky as hell to have so many uncles,” I said hoarsely.

“And aunts,” Lane piped up. “Delia, our sister-in-law, has four sisters of her own.”

“And you can’t forget yours!” a feminine voice called from the doorway, and a young woman came bounding into the room.

“We could never forget you, baby Ari,” West cooed.

Sothiswas Aria.

Well, any hopes I had of her being on my level height wise immediately went out the window. She was tall and lithe, her hair a long, wavy blonde curtain that swished around her shoulders, brighter than her brothers’ sandier shades. But the eyes were the same, as was the smile. I’d seen variations of it on all the faces in this room.

“Where were you, young lady?” Birdie asked.

“Grooming Scamp,” Aria said, not bothering to look at her mother as she dished food onto her plate.

“All afternoon?”

Aria giggled. “Don’t be silly, Mama. Of course not. First, we took a ride.”

Six near-identical groans filled the air over the table, and the men began to talk over each other, scolding their baby sister, before Birdie silenced them all with a hand raised.

“We’ve told you a thousand times not to ride alone, honey.”

Aria rolled her eyes. “I’m twenty-four, Mom. Not a baby anymore. And I know this land like the back of my hand.”

“That doesn’t mean shit,” West said. “You could’ve gotten hurt, and you know there’s hardly any cell signal out there.”

“Please. I’ve been riding Scamp since I was a kid. I know how to handle her.”

“There’s also a killer out there, Ari,” Crew said quietly from beside me.

The reminder of what had happened to me, and twelve other people sobered Aria quickly.

“I won’t do it again,” Aria replied quickly. “Promise.”

Crew nodded and reached behind me to give her shoulder a squeeze. “Thank you.”

My attention had been so wholly focused on Aria during the exchange that when I returned my gaze to the table at large, I was surprised to find all eyes on me.

“We’re real sorry for what happened to you, Aspen,” Finn murmured.

“Thank you.”

“Speaking of…” Lane started, and the whole table groaned.

“You know the rules, Lane,” Birdie reminded him, and I had to assume she meant they weren’t allowed to talk business at the table. “You’re already on thin ice as it is.”

“Fine. After dinner then.”

After dinner, I thought.Hopefully then I will have some answers.

twenty

. . .