Fire and Ice: Book One: Burned (The Fire and Ice Series 1) Read online

  "It's..." Tears well up in my eyes as I focus in on the word 'Mom'.

  ******

  Hailey

  Today was the deadline for spring semester registration, and Georgia is well aware that I have put it off, and has been nagging me all week. As I stand in the bathroom of the bar, leaning my hands against the sink, I look at myself in the mirror, and think to myself, No going back now...

  I'm waiting impatiently for the familiar sound of the back door to signal her entrance for the beginning of her shift. She usually arrives early, and I decide I'll take the opportunity to tell her tonight that I'll be leaving town with Kellan to start our new lives together at the end of the week. I don't want to wait until the last minute. She's going to be upset as it is, and it will most likely take at least a day for her to stew, give me the cold shoulder, and finally relent. I would like at least a couple of days to enjoy her company before I leave. I don't plan to say goodbye forever, but there's no telling when I'll have the means to come back and visit.

  The door creaks open, and I immediately hear the all too familiar clicking of her heels on the linoleum floor, followed by the hard slamming of the door behind her. Sweat begins to gather on my forehead as I envision her ensuing fury. I feel as if I'm about to face a firing squad. Maybe I should have Kellan prepare me a last meal.

  Taking a deep breath, I prepare myself mentally, shake my hands and arms out in front of me, and loosen my neck, as if I am about to enter a boxing ring. I open the bathroom door, stroll down the hall, and turn the corner into the kitchen, finding Georgia preparing her shots for the evening.

  Upon first inspection, she gives me a polite smile, before it fades into a frown, as she takes in my nervous disposition. She stands bolt upright, saying, "What's up with you?" as she furrows her brow.

  This is it...the big moment of truth. No point in beating around the bush. I take in a deep breath before blurting out, "I'm leaving. We...Kellan and I are leaving." There. I've said it. And she's staring at me wide eyed with her mouth hanging agape. Silence is always a bad sign. Say something!

  She finally began to chuckle in a 'Ha-ha...Good-one...You-really-had-me-there' chuckle, as she waggled her finger in my direction. It saddened me to have to continue to assure her this was not a joke.

  "Georgia, I'm serious. Kellan got a job in Reno. We're leaving at the end of the week. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but we've been preparing for the move," I said morosely.

  Her eyes widened. "Wha? No...you can't. You start school next month. That's not possible.

  ******

  Kellan

  I rounded the corner, ready to enter the kitchen, when I heard Hailey and Georgia talking. I didn't want to interrupt them; Hailey had told me she'd planned to tell Georgia tonight that we were leaving.

  The conversation sounded heated. I was getting ready to jump in and defend my lady, when I heard Hailey say, "I can't right now, not with everything that's going on." My chest tightened. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

  "I thought this was what you wanted," I heard Georgia say. Had Hailey already told Georgia without letting me know? My mind was spinning in a thousand different directions.

  "It's too big of a commitment," Hailey confessed. I grabbed my hair with both of my hands. Jesus Christ, this was not happening!

  "So what?...you're going to throw you're whole life down the drain and work in some bar the rest of your life?" Damn, I never thought Georgia would be in my corner, much less the voice of reason when it came to me, but I was sure as fuck praying Hailey was listening hard and fast.

  Hailey immediately retorted, "If I have to, yes. It's a big decision, and I'm not ready to take the jump right now. There will be other chances."

  I hung my head in defeat, and walked past the kitchen, obviously unnoticed, as I stepped out into the quiet, lazy, wintery night. I didn't need to hear another word.

  I dug my cigarettes out of my pocket and lit one up, slamming my Zippo lighter shut with force before I slid it back into my pocket. I fished my keys out of my other pocket and realized I had left my jacket in the bar, leaving me only in my plain white t-shirt. Fuck it. Where I was going, I wouldn't need a coat. Damn, it was cold tonight, though. And in that moment, I realized all of the passion, the blazing fire that I had felt for Hailey evaporated, my hard, cold feelings rearing their ugly head, and in an instant, freezing over my heart like a solid piece of ice.

  Epilogue

  Hailey

  At first, we thought maybe we had run out of liquor, or beer, and that Kellan had gone on a run. When he hadn't returned after an hour, and a dozen frantic calls later, I sped to his apartment, only to find the empty remains of his closet; the rest of his apartment untouched, and his car gone.

  My mind raced with possibilities of where he could be, why he would leave without me, and if I would ever see him again. He had made all the arrangements for us to move to Reno. I didn't even know where to begin to look.

  As days flew by, to my surprise, Georgia hadn't said 'I told you so'. She was my rock, my shoulder to cry on. When I had nowhere else to go, I was forced to move back home, and it hurt like hell to face the memories that remained in that house by myself. I turned to Georgia, and asked her to move in with me to quell the loneliness, rather than sell my childhood home.

  Georgia stayed up with me night after night, as I lamented the loss of the only man I've ever loved. The man I still love, and will love until my dying day.

  As I sit in my driveway on this icy, late winter night, clutching my phone, I replay the events of the fateful evening, as I have done every night for the past three months. This is my nightly ritual. Inevitably, I will call him, get his pre-recorded voicemail, hang up, and mourn the loss of what could have been.

  I dial his number with shaky fingers, as the phone rings three times. On the fourth ring, it will go to voice mail and my night of sorrow will begin.

  Suddenly, a bubbly female voice comes through the other end of the line. "Hello?"

  I am speechless for a beat, having not expected a voice, other than the computer generated voice I have heard for months now. "Is..I'm looking Kellan. Haines," I muster up the courage to say.

  I can hear loud music in the background and voices filling the space behind the speaker of the phone. "Hey, Kellan!...Some girl wants to talk to you," the bubbly voice shouts, although it's a bit muted, as if she's holding the phone away from herself.

  "Is it Tanya?" I hear him ask, giggling with drunken amusement, slurring his words. Is it really him? God, it feels good to hear his voice.

  "You Tanya?" the female asked, brusquely.

  "N..no. This is Hailey. Tell him it's Hailey," I implored her.

  Again, she shouted, "Some girl, says her name's Hailey."

  "Hailey who?" he slurred. My heart stopped, and my whole world came crashing around my feet. Had he forgotten about me so quickly?

  "He don't know no Hailey, but you sound real pretty, honey. I'm sure he wouldn't mind one more if you wanna come over," she giggled. I wanted to vomit.

  "Um...I think I have the wrong number," I stammered out.

  "Ok, sugar," she drawled out before clicking off the line.

  I sat in my car, dumbfounded and numb, as I listened to the sad tune of "So Cold" by Ben Cocks, mirroring my thoughts and feelings. He had moved on without me, and the fire that had burned so hot between us, was snuffed out, seemingly in an instant. All that remained were ashes.

  To Be Continued....

  Soundtrack

  "Weatherman" by Dead Sara

  "Papercut" by Linkin Park

  "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" by Set It Off

  "Vicarious" by Tool

  "House Of The Rising Sun" by Five Finger Death Punch

  "Wrong Side Of Heaven" by Five Finger Death Punch

  "Stay With Me" by Sam Smith

  "Too Much/Heart" by Ourlives

  "So Cold" by Ben Cocks

  If you've enjoyed Fire and Ice please take a moment and leave a rev
iew.

  Thank you!

  Other books by Kiara Delaney

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  Chase 2

  Crave

  Ghostwriter

  Acknowledgements

  I'd like to thank my family for their support and encouragement, pushing me to write, even on days I just wanted to be a couch potato. A huge thanks to my street team for helping me promote not only Fire and Ice, but all of my books, and truly believing in me as a writer. You ladies rock! To my husband, you are my rock, and hearing you tell me I have something truly special when I write gives me immense joy. To my fabulous PA, Linda, I owe a debt of gratitude. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication each day, not only to make my life a hell of a lot easier, but by pushing for me to be as successful as I can be. To all the sexy bad boys out there, which us women seemingly can't resist, even though we know they'll most likely break our hearts in the end. And here's to the good guys who finish last, because last means forever.