Page 30 of Bloodstained Wings
The kettle screams on the stove, and I pop out of my chair hurriedly. Rushing to the stovetop, I pull the kettle aside and release the lid, steam filling the air like a hot cloud. The burner is still on, and I tinker with the knob slightly, trying to figure out how to turn it off.
The flame is exposed through the metal grate, something I’ve never had to work with before. I turn the knob sideways, thinking it’s going to turn off, only to watch the flames overtake the grate and lick the air recklessly.
“Ah!”
I back up instantly, the burn already marking its path around my wrist. Stiff hands keep me from falling. Rich manages to flick the stove off with ease before turning the water on in the sink. He yanks my wrist under the water, fighting me while I scream and sob through the hot agony.
He manages to keep me standing, his arm securely wrapped around my side while I struggle to stay upright through the shock and pain of the burn.
It doesn’t last long.
The front door is nearly slammed shut, Carter’s furious features kissing the sight of Rich and me in the kitchen, side by side. Rich finds out a second later that Carter is back, looking up just in time to see Carter’s wrist cocked back over his shoulder, his knuckles as pale as possible while they sweep through the air, headed right for Rich’s face.
I could step back and let Carter be his furious, overly protective self.
Or I could stand up and show him that I have a backbone in me that won’t be ignored. I could prove that I have enough sense to never cross him and that he can trust me as I trust him. We should be a team that no one questions, and yet I don’t know how much I can trust him now, and he obviously doesn’t trust me.
I step forward, pushing his fist aside, and stand between Carter Blackthorne and Jacob Lacey’s twin brother.
Chapter Eleven
Isabella
Carter grits his teeth when his punch doesn’t land. “Move, dove.”
“No,” I bite. “You’re not going to freak out over nothing.”
“He had his hands on you. That’s enough to die.”
“It was harmless.”
He stands over me now, his irises burning through me. “The only harm that will come out of this will be us in the bedroom when this asshole leaves. Move, Bella. Right now.”
I stand firm, my arms hiked over my chest. “Please, Carter. Just be rational. I burned my wrist on this damn stove, and he helped me. I was making tea, and we were waiting for you to come back, that’s it. We talked about our parents. Nothing more. He didn’t touch me or do anything terrible; I swear.”
Carter looks past me, darting his deathly glare through Rich. “Alright. Go upstairs, then. I’m going to talk to Donahue.”
“No, I’m staying,” I say again, pushing back even more than before. “I want to be involved.”
Carter’s glare grows more and more impatient with me. “Dove, why are you being like this?”
“Because you can’t just shut me out to protect me anymore. I want to help, but you being coy with that Lilian woman worries me.”
He looks between Rich and me like he just caught us in bed together, and I’m the one accusing him of being unfaithful. He rolls his eyes and leans in, kissing my forehead lazily. I take it for now, watching him trot past Rich without so much as a lingering look. He strips off his coat and retreats to the living room, working on taking off his tie while he sits on the couch.
“Sorry about that,” Rich mutters. “I wasn’t trying to cause any problems.”
“You’re not, trust me. We already have problems.”
“Don’t sweat it, Isabella. You’re the power couple of Manhattan. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”
“Thanks,” I groan. “I just have a feeling that it’s going to get worse.”
His brows furrow. “Worse? How so?”
I can only shrug for now, looking over the wound on my wrist. It’s an open sore, burned, and pink, but it’s not bleeding, and it doesn’t feel like it’s on fire anymore. I pour a few cups of hot water into some mugs and hand them out with separate teabags.
Carter tips his head in thanks and then pulls me into his lap. I lay against his chest casually, trying to feel how we once were, but it’s different. There’s mistrust, secrets, and so much stacked against us that it nearly feels impossible to face anymore.