Phoenix: Book One of The Stardust Series by Autumn Reed, Julia Clarke Read Free Book Online Page B

This whole situation was so suspicious, I had difficulty keeping my
disbelief hidden. “Can you tell me more about what happened? I don’t remember
much after realizing the house was on fire.” I trailed off, hoping he would
fill in the blanks.
    I glanced up to find
Ethan studying me. “I know you have no reason to believe me, but I promise to
tell you the truth even if I can’t go into all of the details.” Apparently I
hadn’t masked my reaction as well as I thought.
    “I really was in the
area with a colleague when your house exploded. We were still several miles
away but saw the smoke and immediately headed that direction. Soon after, a
truck approached and then sped by with a car right on its tail. Your dad was in
the truck, but I don’t know who was following him or where he went.”
    Ethan paused, giving
the new information a chance to sink in. I clutched my napkin and tried to keep
my face unreadable while my mind whirred, trying to figure out what happened.
The obvious answer was that the criminal organization Dad told me about managed
to find him. Did they cause the explosion, trying to kill him? If he got away,
where was he now? And how did Ethan even know that it was my dad in the truck?
    “We didn’t know what
was going on, so we continued in the direction of the smoke which was billowing
in the sky by that point. We searched the outside of the house but didn’t see
or hear anyone, so I reported the fire to the authorities and left. Chase
called and told me that he rescued you and was headed toward the cabin. Since
I’m a paramedic, he knew I would be able to help with your injuries.
    When I arrived here,
you were unconscious on the bed. But your injuries were pretty minor, and I
could easily treat them myself. I checked your breathing and then tended to
your ankle and other superficial wounds before leaving you to sleep. Mostly,
you just needed rest after such a shock.”
    I absently twirled my
hair around my finger, trying to put all the pieces together. Apparently Chase
saved me, but I didn’t even know who he was. And if he and Ethan really just
wanted to help me, they could have dropped me off at the hospital or called the
police. Instead, they brought me to a deserted cabin in the woods. That wasn’t
normal behavior, even if Ethan was a trained paramedic.
    Ethan cleared his
throat. “Do you have any idea where your dad might have gone?”
    I debated the best
response and finally shook my head. Ethan’s dark brown eyes met my own and
intimated a hidden reserve within. “I want to help you find him.” It felt like
he was trying to read my mind and simultaneously reassure me.
    I tilted my head and
crossed my arms. Afraid to utter my thoughts, I settled on a question that was
more vague. “Why do you want to help me?”
    Ethan sighed and pushed
his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “Look. There’s more going on here
than I can tell you right now. You’re just going to have to trust me.”
    I felt one eyebrow
raise in response. That was a bold request from someone who was involved in
basically kidnapping me. Yes, I knew I was being slightly dramatic, but I
couldn’t help it.Even though he seemed well-meaning, I would not hand
over my trust so easily. I felt my patience snap, and I let him have it.
    “Ethan, I can
appreciate that there are things you can’t tell me. But, I at least need you to
explain why you are involving yourself in my life. And why Chase, whoever that
is, decided it was okay to bring me out here. To a one bedroom cabin. In the
middle of the woods.”
    A look of surprise
crossed his face during my short rant. And then he started laughing, a smooth,
deep laugh that caused goosebumps to crawl up my arms. “You know, I’m happy to
see that backbone of yours. You were making this too easy on me.”
    When I continued to
stare at him, he relented. “Okay, here’s the deal. Chase is a colleague and
friend; actually, that’s his hoodie you’re wearing. He had the