House of Fire (Unraveled Series) Read Online Free PDF

Ryan had snapped up the fixer-upper in a heartbeat, though, pouring
all his hard-earned money into the purchase. Without a family to support, Ryan
had nothing to lose.
    He slipped off his
undershirt and shoes, the aroma of the sea lingering in Evie’s nostrils. She
would miss that smell. She would miss him, but she wouldn’t leave without
giving it her last, exhaustive breath. She didn’t know if she would be able to come
back.
    “It has to be.
Gunnar’s gone, and he’s out of control. His tight ring is spiraling. Holston
picked the wrong guy to kill. Too many connections,” she said as she scanned
through the article for the twentieth time. The police had no leads. Kurt Dodd
had simply disappeared one day. Although the paper hadn’t reported on his
background, Evie guessed that either they didn’t know yet or were choosing not to
divulge all the personal details so she had done a search herself. Kurt Dodd
had an extensive background of incriminating cases, yet none that had landed
him in jail. He had skirted charges of assault and prostitution due to his lawyers
weaseling their way into bargains and community service. A joke , Evie
thought. The unjust criminal system let villains walk, free to entangle themselves
among good, law-abiding citizens. Kurt Dodd had up and vanished from his job as
an insurance agent, abandoning his wife and house. Kurt Dodd was missed, unlike
the rest of Holston Parker’s kills.
    “Evie,” Ryan started.
His body, thick from years of manual labor and fishing, moved toward hers.
“Look, I know this is hard, staying here in Norway, but I never asked you to
stay, and I just can’t leave. It’s just too much to go back. Nothing is going
to take that pain away. Even if your father is dead, it’s not going to bring
back Elizabeth or my dad. It’s just not.”
    Evie flinched at his
words, your father . She had removed herself from him, creating an idea
of him that she no longer was connected to. He wasn’t her father. She wasn’t
his daughter. She couldn’t be a product of the monster she knew him to be. As much
as she knew she couldn’t bring Elizabeth or Joe back, the revenge would be
sweet. To know that Holston Parker was dead, gone from this earth and unable to
hurt anyone else was what mattered.
    “I’m doing this alone
then.”
    Evie stared into
Ryan’s deep eyes, the pause telling of his response.
    “I guess you are,”
Ryan replied, feeling the finality of the statement. He had known she wasn’t
going to stay in Norway forever, although Ryan hadn’t expected what was
developing between them and, from what he could tell, neither had she. He
didn’t want her to go, but knew it was time. She would never be able to move on
with her life with Holston Parker still alive.
    “Will you come back?”
    “Do you want me to?”
she replied, leaning against his bare chest as his arms wrapped around her thin
shoulders.
    “Of course, I do,” he
said, kissing the top of her head. She bent her head upward, searching his eyes
for the truth in his words. His warm lips pressed against hers before he
slipped down the strap of her beach dress, revealing a bare breast.
    “I’m leaving
tonight,” she murmured as her nipple hardened with the graze of his hand.

    5
     
    June
14 - 7:30 p.m.
     
    Delaney swept the brush against
the duck cloth, the sound of rain pattering against the window behind her. She
had closed the books on her first year, finalizing the grades and enduring the President’s
luncheon. It would have been a tolerable lunch had it not been for Holston
Parker and his beady, black eyes that had slashed through her skin. James. Painting.
Her life. It would all be so much better without Holston Parker in it.
    She stared at the
dingy beige walls in front of her; her office needed a major renovation, the
whole building did. Her walls needed a fresh roll of honey-coated yellow and
artwork. The space was desperate, only housing a small desk, a half empty
bookshelf with her favorite