Page 53 of Through Any Fire (Any x #1)

B right sunlight streams into the bedroom, and I groan, squeezing my eyes shut tight.

The remnants of an old memory, one I’ve kept tucked inside my heart, float away, leaving behind a familiar ache.

A musty smell invades my nose, and it scrunches in recoil.

With a peek, I realize not only am I lying on top of my towel—still damp from last night—but that last night did, in fact, happen.

Memories flash, but I immediately dismiss them, opting to ignore reality for a little while.

The wood floor is cool under my feet, and I head into the bathroom.

I jolt at the sight of my reflection. My hair is a rat’s nest, half dry, half damp, and in desperate need of taming.

I can’t really care about it, though, so I snoop through the medicine cabinet to find a hair tie.

Jenna would never leave a guest bathroom empty, so I find everything I need to become semi-human again.

My phone’s dead, so I can’t text Jenna about my clothing situation, but it turns out I don’t need to. Just outside my door is a pair of sweats and an old tee. I might have to go commando, but at least everything’s covered .

I dress and pad out of my room in search of coffee. Mason still sleeps on the couch. Should I wake him up? No, let him sleep. He needs it.

Warm, roasting coffee wafts into the hallway, and I’m led by my nose to the kitchen.

Morning sunlight fills the space, painting the soft colors in bright warmth.

Jude types on a laptop at the island, and Jenna pours a cup of coffee.

It’s quiet, but a different quiet than last night.

A weight has lifted off my chest, and I no longer worry that I’ve lost Jude.

Jenna notices me first, offering me an empty mug. I smile in thanks and pour my coffee, then accept the offered creamer.

“Hey, do you have a phone charger?”

Jenna nods, pointing to a drawer on the far side of the kitchen.

God, even their junk drawer is organized.

I find the right cord and plug my phone into the wall. It was already low on battery at the warehouse and had died by the time we got to Jude and Jenna’s.

Jenna pulls out some fruit and eggs, then passes the fruit to me to wash and slice.

As I stand at the sink, it occurs to me I’m still wearing my ring.

I file the observation away, not ready to think about the implications.

We work in companionable silence as we prepare breakfast. I pause every so often to sip from the coffee.

Jude clacks away on his computer, and I wonder what business could be so important at seven in the morning.

“Finalizing the next fight night,” he says without looking up from his screen.

Did I say that out loud? My face flushes with heat, and I return to my task, even though I’m more curious than ever.

“On a totally unrelated note…when is this next fight night?”

This time he does pause, peering at me from over his screen. Reading glasses perch on the bridge of his nose. I’ve never seen him wear them before, and I have to stifle the snicker that threatens. I don’t want to push him too far.

Jude sighs, returning to his computer with fast clicks of the keyboard. “Tomorrow night. Yes, you can come.”

A smile splits my face until my cheeks hurt.

Jude glances up, then does a double take. “Yeesh, calm down. You’d think I just gave you the keys to the kingdom.”

I shrug, pinching my lips together. Finally, I’ll get to see what the fuss is all about.

“Is that coffee?”

Mason stumbles into the kitchen with an arm stretched behind to scratch his neck. His eyelids are heavy with sleep, and he yawns deeply.

My breath catches, and I drop the berries I was washing into the colander and rush around the island. Mason barely catches me, a whoosh escaping him as I land against his chest. My arms wrap around his torso, and I can’t help the sob that rips from me.

He’s real. He’s real, and he’s here.

Mason returns the hug after a moment, crushing me between his arms. He might be six years younger than me, but he has at least a half a foot on me and fifty pounds. In the last year or so, he’d really started bulking up.

“You fuck,” I say, smooshed against his chest. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

Mason pulls me from his chest, and I get a good look at the bruise spreading across his jaw.

Maybe it’s the weeks apart, or perhaps I’m seeing him as a grown man for the first time, but the differences between us are more obvious than ever.

Where my hair is chestnut brown, his almost has an auburn sheen.

Where my hazel eyes are almond-shaped, his are large and brown.

I always thought he looked more like our mother, whereas I took after our father, but now I’m not so sure.

Mason studies me as well, and I’m not sure what he sees.

I smile under his appraisal, but it feels shaky.

Even though it’s only been a couple of months, I feel like a different person.

I think I grew used to the thorn sticking in my side, growing around it and pretending it was a root instead.

For years, I built a foundation around it, pretending it was stable, when really all it took was one brown-eyed monster to send it all crumbling down.

I waver under his scrutiny, but he doesn’t seem to look for very long. Instead, a light smile lifts his lips, and he repeats, “Coffee?” Then he skirts around me.

My smile falters. I stare at the space he was just in with confusing disappointment swirling inside my chest. With a shake of my head, I spin on my heel and join the group at the island. In the few minutes of our reunion, Jenna finished breakfast and slides a plate my way.

Berries, sourdough toast with butter, and scrambled eggs. Correction— cheesy scrambled eggs.

I smile weakly, thanking Jenna and taking the plate to the round table in the nook off to the side. Mason joins me with a plate, while Jenna and Jude eat at the island. I nibble the toast and eat a few berries before pushing the eggs around on my plate.

Mason scarfs his food down like he hasn’t eaten in weeks, and my stomach drops.

What were they feeding him down there? Were they even feeding him ?

“Here, you need this more than I do.” I scrape the eggs onto his plate, hoping Jenna won’t catch my ulterior motive.

Mason just hunches over, shoveling in bite after bite, barely slowing to chew.

“Slow down, you’re going to choke.”

Mason waves me off, tossing another concerningly giant bite into his mouth. “It’s fine.” His words are mumbled around his food. It makes me smile.

“We need to talk about what happened.”

It’s not a question. I need answers, and Mason needs to be honest. Although I’m his sister, there’s a reverence there from being an older sibling slash parent.

Mason swallows thickly, avoiding my poignant stare.

He squirms in his seat, as if he’s not a six-foot-two man whose arms are bigger than my face.

“Well? I want to hear it from you.”

Mason sighs, his fork clattering onto the ceramic plate. Jenna dutifully ignores his rudeness, but I raise a brow at the carelessness. He reddens, fidgeting with his napkin. “Where should I start?”

“How about from the moment you received orders to enter Keane territory?”

Mason’s eyes drop to the napkin. When he speaks, he can’t seem to look away from it.

“All my life, I’ve felt like an afterthought.

Dad was busy with the business, and Mom was always sneaking off to who knows where.

You wanted nothing to do with me, so I entertained myself.

Leon barely wanted to be my friend, and it was lonely. I was lonely.”

My chest aches with his confession. I never knew he felt like this.

“I feel like I raised myself, but somehow, everyone still compared me to Dad. Nothing I did was ever good enough. I couldn’t ever live up to the infamous Francis Catrone.

” He scoffs. “Elias wouldn’t even take me seriously.

It wasn’t until Leon suggested doing what no one has done before: reclaiming territory from the Keanes. ”

“Wait—Leon suggested it? He said Elias was the one who thought of it.”

Mason’s nose scrunches, brows furrowing. “No, it was Leon. He said Elias wanted to test me, since I was a Catrone.”

Why would Leon lie about that?

“When I got to the warehouse, some dude caught me. He threw a bag over my head and threw me into a van. When they finally took the bag off, I was in that concrete room. Callahan came downstairs, and at first, I didn’t recognize him.

But then I realized he looked like that boyfriend you had when we were kids. ”

He knew about us?

“He took one look at me, and instead of beatings and torture, I got three square meals and a bed. Over the next few weeks, they brought in some entertainment items, and I could use the bathroom whenever I wanted, so it wasn’t that horrible. Unless you consider staring at plain white walls torture.”

I visibly wince. But he wasn’t hurt? Just held inside for several weeks?

But then—

“Why is your face bruised?”

Mason scrubs a hand over his jaw and winces. “I was getting irritated with them. They wouldn’t tell me why they were holding me. Some dude clocked me a few times to shut me up last night. Said something about not disturbing the boss during his interrogation. ”

So, Cal hadn’t been torturing him this whole time?

My temple throbs, and I rub against the tension. Mason watches with thinly veiled concern, his eyes darting to my left hand. Where I had gotten used to the overly exuberant ring, his eyes widen with obvious shock.

“Loren…when did you get engaged?”

Jenna snorts, and I realize our conversation was not as private as I’d thought. I glare at her, but she fills my baby brother in, regardless.

“She married Keane in exchange for finding you. Ironic, isn’t it?” She laughs, and Jude joins in. If I wasn’t busy burning under Mason’s gaze, I’d be shocked by Jude’s rare laughter.

“At least someone finds it amusing,” I grumble, unable to meet Mason’s gaze. My fingers toy with the frayed hem of my tee.

“I’m sorry,” Mason drones, “you married who in exchange for what? ” Anger spikes through each word, and I wince.

But then Mason’s chubby baby face flashes in front of me. Visions of present-day Mason blur with baby Mason and certainty inflates me. I won’t feel shame for the lengths I’ll go for my family. Or rather, for my brother.

Maybe it’s pathetic, knowing I love others harder than anyone will ever love me, but it’s who I am. A die-hard loyalist. Sue me.

“You married that piece of shit for me? ” Mason sounds as equally disturbed as he does surprised. Does he not know just how far I’d go for him?

“Mason…” I swallow thickly. “I’d do anything for you.”

His face sobers, hearing the truth in my words. Then he stands, falling to his knees in front of me and throwing his arms around me. His shoulders shake with emotion, and I slip from my chair and onto my knees, holding his face to my shoulder in a tight embrace.

“Don’t you ever do anything like that again,” I sob into his hair.

Mason just holds me tighter.