Relentless Flame (Hell to Pay) Read Free Page B

too much. Drinking out, too.”
    “I need to live a little, sis.” When he smiled endearingly like that, she witnessed a flash of her kid brother from Philly. Then he staggered to one side, and the illusion was gone.
    She jiggled the door handle until the key settled in the rusty lock. Entering the house, the vision of the living room, devoid of any furniture, weighed on her like a heavy hand on her shoulder. But for right now, they didn’t have a choice. Living here allowed her to stay with Scott. Up until Scott started going out with his newfound friends, it was more economical to live under one roof.
    Of course, he wasn’t the teen who fled with her from Philly, but she still felt some responsibility to watch out for him, and one day things would change. Maybe it was nearing time for each of them to move on. If only she could get him away from his so-called friends.
    Smiling, she sighed and indulged in a vision of her future. She’d have her degree, a job helping people cope with their lives, and a nice house decorated with new matching furniture, like from Ikea. One day.
    What about a partner? A family?
    The only vision that came to her had a chiseled chin and a twinkling blue gaze.
    Yeah, right.
    She opened her eyes to ripped linoleum and bare, cracked windows. “Please be careful how much money you’re spending.”
    “I gotta hang with my posse,” he said, hiccupping. “You keeping me from my friends?” He swayed, his bloodshot stare unfocused.
    “Of course not.”
    “It’s my life, Hannah. You can’t tell me what to do.”
    He stumbled against the spool they used for a table, a lucky salvage from a construction site. But as the main furniture in the living space, it was a pitiful reminder of the shell of their lives.
    “I’m not your mother. You make your own decisions,” she said.
    “You got that right. Besides, I got us out of that crap back in Philly. You owe me. I saved your life.”
    “We both went through hell, and yes, I might not be alive if you hadn’t helped me.”
    He leaned against the makeshift table and fingered a new gold chain around his neck. “I hope Ray dies and rots.”
    “Me too. I never want to see him again.”
    “What that sicko did to you ...”
    “We’re not talking about it.” Her foot throbbed like it did the night Ray had thrown her down the basement stairs. Amazing what lengths a maniac would go to exact his warped sense of revenge.
    “Our tracks are covered. Only my friend in Philly knows where we live.”
    Not good enough
. “For how long are the tracks covered?”
    “As long as we keep looking out for each other, Ray won’t be able to hurt us. If he does, I’ll call my crew.”
    She sighed. Back to the stupid crew. A group of boozed up guys with too much testosterone and not enough brains.
    “I’ll always appreciate what you did, Scott.”
    She couldn’t remember large chunks of their journey from the East Coast to the West. Scott had probably saved her life. Maybe now he was growing up, coming into his own self. The twinge in her chest reminded her that he was all the family she had left.
    “Damn straight. We’re a team here.” He belched.
    Hannah sighed.
    “Sis, that reminds me, you got some extra bucks? I’m light.”
    She groaned. “No, I haven’t gotten paid yet.” Glancing at his new name-brand shoes and jeans, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from commenting.
    “Quit holding out on me.”
    “I’m not. I don’t get paid until later this week, remember?”
    “You’re hoarding money! I need cash to ... to put gas in the truck. How’m I s’posed to make a living if you won’t help me?”
    “Good grief. Here’s all I have left.” She dug in her ratty purse and pulled out six dollars. “This’ll take care of gas tomorrow.”
    “That’s all you have? Where’s the rest of it?” He leaned toward her but staggered again.
    “I gave you everything else last week after I got groceries. There won’t be any more until