LITMIR.BIZ

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a beer. Wiling away the time until my sister got home.” Ashley sauntered into the room, munching on the nuts. “Do I need an invitation to pay a visit to my middle sister?”

      “Of course not.” Mia smiled weakly. “You scared me, that’s all.”

      “My car’s parked in front of the your house. Didn’t you see it?”

      “No. I must have been daydr—”

      “Oh my God, Mia. Is that a gun?”

      Mia looked down at the revolver she had clutched in her hand, her expression blank. A moment later, she returned her gaze to her sister’s, cheeks pink. “Yes.”

      “What are you doing with it?”

      “Nothing.” Looking uncomfortable, Mia turned and stuck the weapon back into the decorative box in the center of the big glass and brass coffee table, then shut the lid with a snap.

      “Nothing?” Ashley crossed the room, stopping to stand before her sister. She searched her gaze. It hurt to see her sister’s bruises, the yellow and blue that no amount of makeup could hide. “Why do you need a gun, Mia? Planning on getting rid of your husband the old-fashioned way?”

      “Don’t be stupid.”

      “I don’t think it’s stupid.” Ashley set her beer on the table, then reached around Mia. She opened the box. Inside rested a pearl-handled, snub-nosed revolver. Without even touching it she could tell it was the real thing, not a toy. “If the bastard were my husband, I’d be tempted. Though I doubt I’d shoot him. Too easy to get caught.”

      Mia made a sound of exasperation. “Stop it. The last thing I would even think about is killing my husband.”

      “That’s where you and I differ, love. If my husband had done that to my face, he’d be history. And in short order.” Ashley reached for the gun, then stopped. “Is it loaded?”

      “Of course not.”

      She lifted the gun out of the box, weighing it in her hand. It wasn’t nearly as heavy as she had thought it would be. Not nearly as cold. In fact, she rather liked the way it snuggled into her palm. She gripped it in both hands and held it out, police-style. “Stop, motherfucker! Or I’ll blow your brains out!”

      Mia started to laugh, though her expression was horrified. “Ash, you’re too much.”

      She laughed, too. “I could get used to carrying one of these. What a rush.” She handed the gun back to her sister and for the second time, Mia set the weapon back in its box. “Do you think that’s the way Melanie feels every morning when she straps that baby on? All macho and stuff?”

      “Knowing Mel? Probably.”

      Ashley reached for her beer and took a sip. It was already warmer than she liked. “So, what’s with the gun? Seems like a dangerous thing to have hanging around if you’re not planning to whack somebody with it. Loaded or not.”

      Mia’s smile faded. “Boyd’s been … out a lot at night, and I just thought … for my own protection …”

      Her words trailed off. Ashley sobered. “You don’t have to pretend with me. Melanie told me everything. About your suspicions. What Boyd did to you.”

      Mia brought a hand to her bruised face, wincing, though whether in pain or at the memory, Ashley wasn’t sure. “It was awful, Ash. The way Boyd … I was afraid. I still am.”

      Ashley shook her head. “You don’t need a gun, Mia. Just leave him.”

      “I can’t.” She shook her head. “I’m afraid of what he might do. He said if I ever tried, he’d … that he’d hurt me.”

      Ashley drew her eyebrows together, growing more concerned by the moment. More unsettled. Her brother-in-law had always seemed like an arrogant little prick to her, but he’d never seemed violent. But then, their father had been a pillar of the community.

      “Being afraid all the time, you can’t live that way, Mia.”

      “I know.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “When I met him I thought he was … everything. A real Prince Charming. Just for me.”

      “Almost a god.”

      “Yeah, almost.” She sighed. “In my eyes he was perfect. My knight in shining armor. I thought the rumors circulating about him were based on jealousy, not fact. All that stuff about his wife’s mysterious death, about his being questioned by the police, I ignored all that.”

      “So did I.”

      “Melanie didn’t,” Mia murmured, her tone bitter. “But then, Melanie always knows best.”

      Ashley looked away. It did sometimes seem that way. Melanie was always the smart one. The strong one. The one who made the right choices, good decisions. And even the rare times she did make a mistake—her marriage to Stan being the most notable—she corrected the mistake on her own, without help from anyone. Even her sisters.

      Ashley’s gaze landed on the pile of shopping bags by the front door. “Looks like you dropped major bucks today. Anything spectacular?”

      A brilliant smile lit her sister’s face. “A little black dress. I’d show it to you but Boyd—”

      “Is going to be out late tonight. A meeting. He left a note on the refrigerator.” At Mia’s wounded expression, Ashley made a sound of regret. “Sorry, sis.”

      “It’s not your fault.”

      “No, but I can still be sorry.” Ashley touched Mia’s arm, heart breaking for her sister. “You’re too good for him. Dump his ass.”

      “I wish it were that easy.” She looked at Ashley, her expression suddenly fierce. “And don’t you dare say it is. Don’t you … dare. I’ve already heard that from Melanie and I’m sick of it.”

      Turning, she strode to the shopping bags, snatched them up and started down the hall that led to the bedrooms.

      Ashley stared after her, stunned. Her sister had always kept her emotions safely hidden—from others and herself. Ashley had decided long ago that Mia found it easier to deny her feelings than to deal with them. And a lot less frightening as well.

      So, where had that very unMia-like outburst come from?

      Ashley went after her. She found her in the master bedroom, unpacking her purchases, laying each lovingly out on the champagne-colored satin spread. She didn’t acknowledge Ashley’s presence with so much as a glance.

      Ashley leaned against the door frame watching her for a moment before speaking. “Okay, so it’s not easy. It’s bloody complicated. Happy?”

      “Don’t be a bitch.”

      Ashley arched her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest. “Seems to me I’m not the one who’s hormonal here. Which is okay, I applaud you expressing your emotions. It’s high time. But I’m not the one who hit you. So don’t take it out on me.”

      Mia’s movements faltered, but she didn’t look up. “I know. I’m sorry. I guess I’m just mad at the world.”

      “I can dig that, Mia. I really can.” Her sister looked up, her expression defiant. “But?”

      Ashley drew in a deep breath, choosing her words carefully. “The man hit you. He threatened you and frightened you. Maybe I’m simpleminded, but it doesn’t seem like you’re facing that tough a decision here.”

      “I know, but Boyd promised he wouldn’t do it again and … and it was just that once.”

      Ashley made a sound of dismay. “My God, Mia. Wasn’t once enough?”

      Ignoring her, Mia returned her attention to her purchases. Ashley watched her, silently tallying what her sister must have spent. It added up to hundreds of dollars,

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