Twisted Fire Read online

  Twisted Fire

  by

  Joanne Ellis

  ISBN 1463677200

  EAN 978-1463677206

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

  'Twisted Fire' is published by Night Publishing who can be contacted at: http://www.nightpublishing.com.

  'Twisted Fire' is the copyright of the author, Joanne Ellis, 2011. All rights are reserved.

  All characters are fictional, and any resemblance to anyone living or dead is accidental.

  Chapter 1

  Charlotte

  Charlotte unpacked the last box and placed each item in its spot in her new room. She’d finally finished moving in; it had only taken a month. Two months prior, she’d applied for and then obtained an internship at one of the most prestigious vet clinics in the city. Charlotte was extremely excited about the opportunity to live and work in the city and felt honoured to be chosen over so many others. Dr Shaw had an excellent reputation and a large patient list.

  She was temporarily staying with her sister, Chelsea, and her fiancé, Lucas. They were getting married in a few weeks and Charlotte was looking forward to helping her sister with the preparations. The two story house was originally owned by their parents and Chelsea had been renting it from them with her room mate Elle who had been brutally murdered eight months earlier.

  After a turbulent start to their relationship, Lucas bought the house from their parents and they’d been living together ever since. Charlotte only planned to stay for a short time until she’d saved for a place herself. She felt a smidgeon like the fifth wheel living with the soon-to-be-newlyweds but Chelsea and Lucas insisted they didn’t mind.

  Charlotte walked through the sliding doors which led out onto a small private balcony. She stood gazing at the fantastic view which she’d already grown to love. The sight of the tall buildings in the middle of the city, surrounded by the beach to the right and mountains to the left, was spectacular. The location was perfect to observe all the nearby landscape. At night the view was definitely as impressive. Watching the sun set over the horizon of the ocean in a blaze of red, yellow and pink, while the lights glowed in sea of colour as far as the eye could see, was a sight to behold. Stillness and quiet existed despite the proximity to the hustle and bustle of an active city.

  The warm breeze teased at her curls as she pondered what exciting experiences awaited her. Her decision to move to the city and make a fresh start was the right one. She’d depended on her parents for too long, it was time to stand on her own two feet. Tomorrow she would be starting at the clinic and beginning her new life.

  On the two previous occasions she’d met Dr Shaw, they’d experienced an instant rapport. Even though he was kind and attractive, she’d already decided he was hands off. She never mixed business with pleasure. Having seen others make the mistake, it became Charlotte’s number one rule. She did however hope they would become a strong veterinarian team.

  As she walked back through her bedroom, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Charlotte towered over most people and growing up she always felt too tall and awkward. On occasions she was a little envious of her short, petite sister and mother. Although slim and well endowed, Charlotte still felt graceless and gangly. Her shoulder length strawberry blonde hair was always in disarray and a little unmanageable. Chelsea often remarked Charlotte was fortunate to have such beautiful hair but she begged to differ.

  Her large chocolate brown eyes, wide full mouth and angular face completed her unique appeal. Regardless of possessing an abundance of confidence, she’d never really thought herself beautiful. She was what she was and made the most of her assets.

  Advancing down the stairs towards the kitchen, she caught a glimpse of Chelsea sitting on the kitchen bench with Lucas standing before her, their arms circling each other. They exchanged kisses and appeared to be whispering to each other. Charlotte felt a stab of envy. She was ecstatic for Chelsea and after everything she’d been through she deserved to be happy, nevertheless her jealously surfaced a little. Charlotte wished she could feel for one day what these two did every day.

  She watched them for a moment before entering and thought once more that they made such a striking couple. Chelsea with her long dark wavy hair, emerald green eyes, small full lips and tiny petite frame and features, to Charlotte encompassed beautiful. Lucas, tall and dark with hazel eyes, rugged handsomeness and a lean strong physique was gorgeous in an unassuming way. They were picture perfect and, yes, she knew that was a little cliché.

  “Good morning, lovebirds,” she said as she strolled into the room.

  “Oh, morning, Charlotte,” Chelsea replied looking over Lucas’ shoulder. “Are you excited about tomorrow?”

  “Yes, it will be good to work for someone other than Mum, to see if I really have what it takes.”

  “I’m sure you will win everyone over, like you always do,” Lucas reassured her.

  “Of course I will,” she said. “I can also flirt with all these big city guys. There is a whole world of men out there for me to explore.”

  “They won’t be able to resist you.” Chelsea smiled at her sister.

  “I’m going to be late,” Lucas told them before he kissed Chelsea again. “You are too distracting.”

  “I try my best.”

  “Bye, girls,” he called as he headed out the door.

  “You have one sexy fiancé there, Sis.”

  “I know.” She beamed. “We have the whole day free today. Do you want to go shopping for dresses for the wedding?”

  “Absolutely, as long as you choose a colour that suits me.”

  “You can choose.”

  “What about Carrie?”

  “She can choose her own too. I don’t mind if the dresses are different colours and styles. I want you both to choose a dress you like and will feel comfortable in.”

  “Thanks, Chelsea. You know how some colours look with this hair of mine.”

  “Charlotte, you will look beautiful no matter what you wear.”

  “So will you. Do you know what style you want yet?”

  “I have a few ideas but they will have to hide my scars.”

  “Sweetie no-one will be looking at them because you’ll look so fantastic. Besides you can hardly see them anyway.”

  Chelsea’s scars had been sustained by the hand of the same serial killer who had murdered Elle. Chelsea’s ex-fiancé, Wesley’s, cousin, Andrew Smyth, had tortured and murdered five girls prior to kidnapping Chelsea. He began to perform the same unspeakable things on her before Lucas - a detective on the case - located her. She’d obtained two long, white scars on her chest that faintly resembled the letters S and P along with a faint line part way across her throat. Andrew had carved ‘Spoilt Bitch’ into the chests of his victims and callously slit their throats. He’d been obsessively jealous of Chelsea and the Summerville family’s wealth along with her relationship with Wesley, whom he had also murdered. He therefore chose his victims according to their resemblance to her. Fortunately he’d not carried through his final revenge on Chelsea.

  “Thanks, honey.” Chelsea offered a small smile and Charlotte knew Chelsea would still feel a little self conscious and tainted. Charlotte would need to convince her otherwise. “Are you ready to go?”

  “I’ll just go and get changed.”

  * * *

  Chelsea stepped out of the change room of the third shop they’d visited.

  “Oh my … ” Charlotte sighed. Proud tears stung her eyes.

  “What?” Chelsea asked her.

  “You look
beautiful. That is the dress.”

  Chelsea turned to gaze in the mirror. The dress was champagne in colour, strapless, with a tight fitting bodice gathering at the waist and flowing out into a hooped skirt, finished by a long billowing train and matching veil that sparkled in the overhead lights. Its simple but elegant style suited Chelsea perfectly as though it was designed for her.

  “You’re right, Charlotte. It’s exactly what I was looking for.” She beamed. “Now it’s your turn.”

  Charlotte chose similar style dresses in the three colours which complimented her colouring by way of red, emerald green and royal blue. She tried the red one first. Its plunging neckline and backless design in satin, to Charlotte appeared stunning on the hanger. After slipping the dress over her head, she looked down to observe the effect. It hugged her slim figure to her calves before swirling out around her ankles to finish at the floor. It then extended into a small train in the rear. When Charlotte walked out it was Chelsea’s turn to gush.

  “I don’t think you need to try anymore. That colour is gorgeous on you.”

  Charlotte turned to the mirror and upon seeing her reflection, agreed with her sister. The colour complimented her pale rosy skin, hair and eyes. The dress flowed and clung exquisitely to her generous yet slim figure.

  “Wow, I look hot!”

  “Yes, you do,” Chelsea smiled. “I think all round we’ve had a successful day after all. I’ll bring Carrie here tomorrow to find a dress for her and Mabel.”

  Carrie, Chelsea’s other bridesmaid, was Lucas’ sister. Mabel, Carrie’s eight year old daughter, was extremely excited about being a part of the wedding party. Tommy her six year old brother wasn’t quite as excited at the prospect of having to wear a suit.

  The girls made their purchases and decided to celebrate their successful shopping trip with coffee and cake at the café next door.

  * * *

  When they arrived home, Charlotte told Chelsea she had some studying to do and disappeared into her room. Knowing Lucas would be home soon, she used studying as an excuse to make herself scarce. Charlotte would never begrudge them their happiness but being around them only intensified her longing for love. In essence, she should have been studying so it wasn’t entirely untrue. Charlotte pulled a textbook from her backpack on the floor and turned to the appropriate page. Concentrating soon proved to be impossible. Her thoughts strayed to the image of Chelsea and Lucas in the kitchen that morning and she found she couldn’t shake it from her mind.

  Her love life had contained her share of boyfriends and flings but none of them seemed to persist. Granted, she on many occasions had been the one who ended the relationship. She’d yet to meet a man she’d cared to stay with long term, not like Chelsea had with Lucas. She’d simply never been in love.

  Charlotte knew she was an outrageous flirt but underneath was kind, compassionate and especially lonely, longing for someone to share her life with. Some mistook her flirting as a sign that she was frivolous but she would be as serious as the next girl when she found the right man. Yes, she loved to joke and tease but this was merely one side of her character. Charlotte was aware she possessed many layers but had yet to meet a man she wanted to reveal any of them to. Would she ever meet the right man, the one who could look beyond the flirty side, to discover she was actually much more than just a bubbly personality?

  She was often overlooked as ‘serious’ girlfriend material and, as a result, sustaining a long term relationship proved challenging. She hoped that moving to the city would help bring about fresh opportunities.

  Shaking herself out of her reverie, Charlotte decided to stop feeling sorry for herself. She had plenty to look forward to and love would find her when the timing was right. Returning to her text, she got stuck into the studying she was supposed to be focusing on.

  After putting in a few hours, she wandered downstairs to assist Chelsea with dinner, or rather keep her company. Charlotte wasn’t much of a chef. She located Chelsea in the kitchen organising ingredients and enjoying a glass of wine. Charlotte poured herself a glass and began chatting with Chelsea while she cooked.

  Lucas arrived home just as dinner was almost complete and, after getting changed, appeared in the kitchen to greet his fiancé with a big kiss before grabbing a beer from the fridge.

  “How was work today, honey?” Chelsea asked.

  “Well, fortunately there aren’t any new investigations to work on so we have re-opened a cold case. It was an arson that occurred just after … when you were in the hospital. There was a young woman found in an arson fire and we haven’t been able to find any leads on a suspect. All we know about her is her name and she was a student. It’s very frustrating.”

  “Well, on a happier note, we found our dresses today,” Charlotte told him. “Wait until you see how beautiful Chelsea looks, you won’t be able to breathe. I couldn’t.”

  “She makes me feel like that all the time,” he said tickling Chelsea to no avail as she wasn’t ticklish, at least not the ribs anyway.

  “How about you go and set the table, big guy, and let me get on with cooking,” Chelsea said shooing him away.

  “You’re so lucky, Chelsea, he’s so sweet.”

  “Yes, I know but I almost wasn’t.”

  Charlotte still found it difficult to believe that Lucas walked away from Chelsea after she was found alive. He thought the fear of losing her in the similar manner he had his parents was too agonising to endure. Fortunately for both of them he realised that living without her completely was much worse.

  “I know but now you’re getting married and I’m so happy for you,” she said giving her older sister a big hug.

  “You will find someone one day, Charlotte. I believe there is someone out there for everyone. You never know who you might meet at our wedding. Carrie’s husband Nathan has a couple of single brothers.”

  “Are they as hot as him?”

  “I assume they are. I’ve only met one of them. Mitch is overseas, he’s a freelance photographer and their younger brother is a fire fighter but I don’t know him very well. Both he and Lucas work different shifts so it has been difficult for all of us to get together often.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll just have to check them out myself, then.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Lucas stated as he came back into the kitchen. “I haven’t seen you let a good man get past you yet.”

  “I like to keep my options open and I just happen to appreciate a good looking man, nothing wrong with that.”

  Chapter 2

  Jared

  He was winning at poker again. A quiet day at the fire house usually entailed Jared successfully cleaning out his crew members, today being no exception. In between attending to fires, maintenance at the station and checking equipment, they played poker. It was the best way in his opinion to pass the time away as he rarely lost his money.

  His ability to read people and learn everybody’s tells while never giving away any of his own, was second to none. He was an accomplished player and his ability to bluff confounded many. His serious nature ensured a good poker face.

  “Montgomery, you have cleaned me out again,” stated Sam, his best mate. “I refuse to play with you anymore.”

  “Hey it’s not my fault you have no poker face, Sammy,” he grinned.

  “You’re too serious, man,” one of the rookies added. “I think you need to get laid and loosen up a bit.”

  “I don’t need your advice thanks, rookie,” Jared said with an unreadable expression. “Not that it is any of your concern but I don’t believe in casual sex and I just take life a little bit more seriously than you do.”

  Jared did take life seriously which was the reason he always envisaged becoming a fire fighter, perceiving it as an important service, something he’d always wanted to be part of. Fighting fires and saving lives was incredible rush as far as he was concerned.

  As he informed the rookie, he didn’t consider casual sex. He believed in respecting women and
he’d only ever slept with women with whom he was in a relationship, which hadn’t been many. Jared took pride in controlling his urges and emotions. He’d learned the hard way that any woman who enjoyed casual sex was not worth his time and effort.

  Most women found Jared abrasive, stoic and uncompromising, but in reality he simply brushed aside any unwelcome attention. He was looking for love with the right woman and simply hadn’t found her yet. Sure, he could take up with the women who flirted with him but he needed someone with whom he found a connection, not just an attraction. He longed to find the kind of love his oldest brother Nathan had found with Carrie. They shared everything in their lives together and had two great kids whom he cherished.

  Thinking about his family reminded him he hadn’t seen them for a week or so. Jared thought perhaps he should make the effort on his next days off to pay them a visit and also call his mother. He was incredibly proud of his brother Nathan, who’d created a great life for himself as a very successful lawyer and family man. Mitch, their middle brother, whom they occasionally saw in his passing visits was missed immensely. He travelled the world taking photos for various magazines and newspapers.

  Although the brothers all possessed very different dispositions, they looked similar. Nathan, easy going and compassionate, often became the mediator during heated discussions. Mitch, carefree and fun-loving, assumed the role of prankster in the Montgomery household. Jared, serious, sensitive and romantic, often became the brunt of Mitch’s jokes. Even though their differences were apparent when they were together, their bond was solid and they would always be there for each other. Their childhoods had been happy and they were fortunate.