Vegas, Baby by Sandra Edwards Read Free Book Online Page B

beseeched him to share the details of his conversation.
    Eddie disconnected the call and slid the phone into the front pocket of his Levi’s. “There was a fire at my house last night.” He paused, as if that’d change the news. It didn’t. The thought that he could own nothing but the clothes on his back left him with a hollow feeling. “Would you take me there? I’d like to see if I can salvage anything.”

     

 
    CHAPTER 5
    EDDIE approached the house through the front yard—a sea of beach pebbles the color of coral, a staple of western landscaping. The house’s front windows were still intact on the torched shell and covered in soot. A heavy scorched stench brought reality home.
    His temporary haven, the house he’d rented for his stay in Vegas, had been reduced to ash and burnt rubble, right along with everything Eddie owned. They’d said that not even his truck in the garage was salvageable.
    He moved through the crippled entryway that used to have a door, reminding himself not to forget that Rio was behind him. Part ego and part detective told him to keep calm. Neutral. Never let your guard down. Let it down and you lose your edge.
    Just inside the doorway, he braced himself and surveyed what used to be the living room. He focused on the charred ruins of the entertainment center. Skeletons of burned picture frames still stood on the scorched top, their photographs seared beyond recognition.
    Images of his most cherished memories...gone, forever. His mother’s face, young and flawless, back before the tragedy that tore their family apart. Gone. His father showing off his ‘67 Chevelle, his most prized possession. Gone. And Eddie’s sister, Olivia—he could hardly remember her now. Gone.
    A fireman emerged in the wreckage from the area that used to be a back hallway. Eddie commanded his unsteady emotions to step aside, and then beckoned the guy over. “Any idea what happened?”
    “Educated guess.” The fireman shrugged, both arms dangling at his sides. “I’d say faulty wiring.”
    Faulty wiring. The words whipped across Eddie’s mind with a biting chill. Some inept contractor’s blunder was responsible for the loss of practically all his belongings.
    Eddie turned and locked eyes with Rio. Hers held a dedicated sense of compassion. Damn. He’d forgotten she was there, and it was too late to hide what she’d already seen. His loss. He let go of the question that had been pounding the sides of his skull. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?”
    “Well, for starters...” She reached for his hand and gave him a gentle tug. “We’re getting out of here.”
    He tagged along behind her, mainly because he didn’t want to see any more of the proof inside. Besides, his eyes hurt. They stung from the noxious smoke and bitter smell of charred wood.
    She stopped in the middle of the yard that was overflowing with hoses, shovels, axes, and fire extinguishers. Tears had begun to seep from the outer corners of her eyes and she fanned her face.
    He knew the gesture well. Sure, they could blame it on the fire, but no one understood better than Eddie about not wanting to appear weak. And tears, no matter where they came from, had a way of revealing a person’s weaknesses.
    “What can I do for you?” she asked. Her offer sparked surprise in Eddie. Nobody but his mother had ever cared about what he needed.
    Eddie sucked in his surprise and searched his brain for an answer to her question. What could she do? What couldn’t she do was an easier answer.
    One last sweeping scan over the house’s carcass and Eddie accepted that it was time to step back and regroup. He looked at Rio. “Could you give me a ride?”
    “Sure.” She began a slow procession of steps that led her toward her car. “Where do you want to go?”
    “Maybe the federal building for starters,” he said, following along beside her. “I need to sit down and figure out what I’m going to do.” He paused long enough to slide into