Bound by Light (15 page)

“No, Sydney. We
will
find them. I
promise.”

Sydney sighed. “I feel like I’m just finding
out she’s dead all over again.”

“I know, love.”

She bit her lip. “You make me feel
calm.”

“I know, love,” he repeated.

“That’s not a good thing,” she accused.

“I know that as well.” He smiled and stroked
her cheek. He held her for several minutes until she finally
relaxed against him. “What do you want to do?”

“Honestly?” She wrinkled her nose. “Right
now, I want to eat my feelings.”

Thane chuckled. “What do you need?”

“Chocolate and wine.”

“Lucky for you, I have both.” He patted her
bottom. “I’m going to stay close to you tonight, love. I know you
want to feel everything, but I can’t watch you go down that road
again. Do you understand?”

She nodded. “I don’t really want to
either.”

“Good. Come on, let’s have some chocolate
therapy.”

Sydney followed him back out to the kitchen
where he found some form of delectable chocolate pastry his
housekeeper or whoever had left for him in the fridge.

Just before midnight, he helped her fall
asleep and Sydney prayed it would last the night.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

T
WO WEEKS LATER,
Sydney’s irritation at being relegated to Thane’s or her aunt and
uncle’s homes was beginning to wear on her. There were still no
updates from the police and she wanted out, so Thane reluctantly
agreed to dinner with Lucy and Zach. Of course, it had to be at a
restaurant he approved of, meaning, it had to be one he had the
star power to shut down for an evening.

Sydney didn’t much care what he had to do to
give them a night out with her cousin, so she didn’t voice her
opinion on the amount of money he was spending by shutting down a
popular restaurant for an evening... well, she didn’t voice it
much
.

“Sid, are you ready?” Thane called from the
hallway.

She stepped out of the bedroom and smiled.
“I’m coming. Keep your pants on.”

“Two more weeks, love, and I’ll be ripping
them off.”

Sydney giggled and kissed him quickly.
“Promises, promises.”

Thane ushered her out of the apartment and
down to the garage where Wallace waited with the car. Arriving at
the back entrance of the restaurant, they were secreted in and
showed to their table where Lucy and Zach already sat.

Lucy jumped up and made a run for Sydney.
“You’re actually here!” she exclaimed as she hugged her. “I didn’t
know if it would happen.”

Sydney chuckled. “Sorry it’s been so
nuts.”

“I get it.” Lucy smiled and hugged
Thane.

“I’m Zach.”

“Oh, sorry,” Lucy said with a laugh and
faced him. “Yes, this is Zach.”

Zach was tall with dark hair and deep brown,
almond-shaped eyes. To say he was gorgeous was an understatement.
His Asian features and height gave him model good looks and the
fact he obviously worked out, made him all that more
attractive.

Careful, love.

Sydney smiled up at Thane.
You’re still
hotter, but stay out of my head, mister movie star.

Thane shook Zach’s hand and Sydney followed
suit.

“Come and sit,” Zach said. “Apparently, we
have the place to ourselves. Must be nice to be the biggest movie
star on the planet.”

Thane chuckled, but for a second, it was a
little awkward.

“Zach, love. Filter,” Lucy ordered.

Zach laughed. “Right, sorry. I tend to say
what I’m thinking.”

Sydney sat across from Lucy while Thane sat
across from Zach and, once the server took their drink orders, they
studied the menu.

“So, Lucy tells me you’re from Cali,” Zach
said. “Which part?”

“San Jose.”

“No shit?” he said. “Me too. East side.”

“Oh, wow, close. We lived in Willow
Glen.”

He chuckled. “You were on the good side of
the tracks.”

Sydney smiled. “Is there a bad side in this
day and age? Everything costs a fortune.”

“That’s true. Did you go to Willow
Glen?”

“No, Valley Christian.”

“Oh-hoh, private school. Nice.” He chuckled.
“For me, it was Silver Creek.”

“That’s a good school,” Sydney said.

“Yeah, it was okay.”

“What made you come here?” Thane asked,
laying his menu on his plate.

“I needed a change. Thought I could do a
college exchange for a semester, but now that I’ve met this
gorgeous woman”—he smiled at Lucy—“I’m thinking of making it a
yearlong exchange.”

Lucy blushed. “Which would be
wonderful.”

“It totally would, babe,” he said, and
kissed her.

Sydney focused on her menu again, a little
surprised by the public display of affection... well, no, perhaps
it was more that it was shudder-worthy PDA. The kiss showed so much
tongue, Sydney wasn’t sure if Zach was kissing her cousin or trying
to find out how many licks it took to get to her chewy center.

Ugh, gross.

“Zach,” Lucy admonished. “We’re being
rude.”

“Right, sorry. You totally just carry me
away, babe.”

Oh, boy.

Thane squeezed her hand.
Romance is lost
on you?

That’s not romance. That’s just
creepy
.

He grinned, lifting her hand to his
lips.

Oh, good, honey, perpetuate the creepy.

“So, Thane,” Zach began again. “How’d you
get into acting?”

“I kind of fell into it, to be honest, and
it took off.”

“Yeah, dude, that’s an understatement.”

Thane smiled. “I’ve been very lucky.”

“Did you know Zach was a competitive
surfer?” Lucy said.

Sydney smiled at her cousin’s attempt to
take the focus off Thane.

That explains the “dude” talk. I feel
like I’m trapped inside
Bill and Ted’s Excellent
Adventure
.

“Where’s your favorite place to surf?” Thane
asked, squeezing Sydney’s thigh.

“Whoa, man, that’s hard to answer.” He gave
a stoner chuckle.

Stoner chuckle?

Sydney glanced at him.
Well it
is!

“There’s this totally gnarly beach in New
Zealand,” Zach continued. “It’s called Piha and the waves are
righteous. Not as big as some places I’ve been, but totally worth
it.”

Lucy grinned. “Zach managed to travel all
over the place for next to no money.”

“That’s impressive,” Sydney said, a headache
forming rapidly.

“Yeah, I got some sponsorships, stayed at
youth hostels... that kind of stuff. It was awesome.” He sipped his
beer. “Even if I had the money to do it differently, I don’t think
I would have. What about you, Sydney? Growing up with such a rich
dad must have meant travel, right?”

Really? Rich dad? Who is this guy?

Lucy gasped. “Zach!”

“What? It’s just a question. Her dad’s like
the sixth richest man in America... it’s not like it’s a
secret.”

Thane threaded his fingers with hers, easing
the pain in her skull.
Patience, love. Your cousin loves
him.

Sydney tried to stamp down her irritation
“Dad traveled a lot for work, so we didn’t have much family
vacation time. Mom and I were kind of our own team.”

“Hmm,” he murmured. “You think he was
“traveling,” or steppin’ out?”

“Zach!” Lucy snapped again.

Sydney scowled at Zach.

“I’m just kiddin’,” Zach said.

Sweetheart, you okay?

Yep. Dandy
. She forced a smile before
facing Lucy. Lucy was studying her closely, but Sydney was glad her
cousin didn’t ask any questions.

Sydney suffered through dinner, rethinking
her need to be out of the house. She wished she could click her
heels together and be anywhere else, but Thane was right, Lucy
adored this idiot, so she needed to at least try.

Idiot?
Thane choked on a sip of wine
and gave her a sideways glance.
Warn me next time you’re feeling
feisty.

Or how about you just stay out of my
head?

“Are you all right, Thane?” Lucy asked.

“Yes, lass, fine. Thank you.”

He raised an eyebrow and kissed Sydney’s
cheek gently.
Behave.

Suck it.
She gave him a saccharin
sweet smile and sipped her wine.

Dessert arrived and Sydney plowed into her
cheesecake in an effort to get the night over with. If she had to
endure Zach’s inane Spicoli speak for much longer, she was sure she
might snap. It was Lucy who called the dinner to an end.

“Is anyone up for a walk?” Lucy asked.

“I’m actually really tired,” Sydney lied.
“Raincheck?”

“Of course.” Lucy hugged Sydney and
whispered, “You hate him.”

“I don’t
hate
him.”

“Yes you do.” She pulled back with a frown.
“Shit.”

Sydney noticed Thane guide Zach away from
them and focused back on Lucy. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she said with a sigh. “Now I
have to dump him.”

“No! Don’t do that on my account.”

“Lovey, you were the one and only test. I
knew if you had an issue with him, he was gone. Remember when you
visited freshman year of high school and totally hated George?”

Sydney nodded.

“Well, George got arrested for three rapes.
Then, there was the Ellie thing, oh, and the Mr. Murray incident of
two-thousand-and-seven.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Sid, you have this uncanny ability to get
to the soul of a person. If they’re rotten your body literally
reacts to them. You’re a human litmus test.”

“How am I a human litmus test?” she
asked.

“Because you get all emotional and headachy
when you meet horrible people.”

Sydney rolled her eyes. “Don’t be
dramatic.”

“Sid, you met Ellie and immediately asked
for ibuprofen, just like with George. You also refused to touch
her. Same with George. Ellie had just stolen diamonds from a
jewelry store, and then, you remember Mr. Murray right.”

Sydney shuddered. “The creepy teacher?”

“Yes. He was sleeping with multiple students
in exchange for good grades. You know who’s good and who’s bad just
by meeting them.”

“I’m sure Zach’s fine, Luce. He’s just kind
of a dooooood.”

Lucy giggled. “Nah, he’s gone. He wasn’t
very good in bed anyway.”

“Lucy!” Sydney admonished. “Way TMI,
babe.”

She rolled her eyes. “I just wish you could
have met him sooner. Now he’s going to be a pain in the arse about
me cutting him loose.”

“Luce, really. Don’t make your decision
based on me.”

“Okay, love.” Lucy hugged her again.

“I’m serious,” Sydney pressed.

“I promise.”

Sydney narrowed her eyes, but knew she
couldn’t control what Lucy did, so gave her a quick nod and walked
with her back to join the men. Thane wrapped an arm around her
waist and pulled her close.

“It was great to meet you, Zach,” Thane
said, and shook his hand.

“You too, man. If you ever need a hot Asian
guy for a movie, hook me up.”

Thane chuckled. “I’ll keep that in
mind.”

Like hell you will.

Thane patted Sydney’s bottom before hugging
Lucy. “Good to see you, Lucy.”

“You too, Thane. I’m sure I’ll see you
sooner than later.”

Thane smiled. “That’s the plan.”

Sydney tried not to stiffen as Zach pulled
her in for a bear hug, falling against Thane in relief when Zach
released her. She waited until she and Thane were in the car before
groaning out loud. “That was gross.”

Thane threw his head back and laughed. “You
look like a toddler who just ate a lemon for the first time.”

Sydney blushed. “Sorry. I know I’m being
dramatic, but that guy gives me the willies.”

“Willies, eh?”

She grimaced. “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t
mean to be so ungracious to him.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. He was
kind of a jerk.” He squeezed her hand. “Shall we head back? Are you
tired?”

“A bit, but...”

Thane chuckled again. “Making out before
sleep?”

“Well, duh.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

S
YDNEY PULLED HER
hair into a ponytail as she walked down the hallway and into the
living room. She’d just changed into pajamas and washed the makeup
off her face and now she wanted wine and make-out time with Thane.
He was standing by one of the windows, his phone to his ear, and he
appeared to be listening intently.

She made her way to him and he opened his
free arm for her to slide against him, which she did. He gave her a
gentle squeeze and she settled her chin on his chest so she could
watch his expression.

“Aye, no. Aye. Pam, it’s done, don’t let
them bully or manipulate you. They knew what they were doing and
now they’re going through you to try and change it. Aye. Full
authority.” He chuckled. “Aye, lass. Turn your phone off. Aye.
We’ll talk in a couple of weeks. If I need you, I’ll send you an
e-mail. Okay. Good. ’Bye.”

“Everything okay?”

“Pam’s getting some pushback from a few of
the magazines and she’s trying to be nice about it. I just gave her
permission not to be.” He stroked her hair. “Now, I have a question
for you.”

“Ask away.”

“The little prince turns one just about a
week after your birthday and Samantha wants to know if you’d like
to go through the conversion at the castle. Pepper will be there,
along with the staff who have all gone through the process with
them, so they can keep you comfortable.”

“Translation: if I go with you to their
castle, it’s an impenetrable force, and that means I will be safer
there than anywhere and you’ll feel better.”

Thane chuckled. “Exactly.”

Sydney smiled and looked up at him. “I’m
fine with that as long as it’s not inconvenient for anyone.”

“She wouldn’t have offered if it was.”