Flash Burned (39 page)

Authors: Calista Fox

BOOK: Flash Burned

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Honestly, I wasn't sure what had urged me to come here. There was nothing to gain from it, nothing to glean. Literally, it was what it was. A dream lost. One stolen, really, but devastated all the same.

We drove back to the fortress and I changed into yoga pants and a tank top. I couldn't sleep, though. I was restless and agitated. Maybe because Dane was gone again. And because I had no idea when I'd see him.
If
I'd see him.

I hated the variables. But they remained constants in my life. Nothing I could change.

With a heavy heart, I wandered into the living room, the reflection from the pool flickering over the inner walls of the archway-lined patio. It was quiet and peaceful. Tranquil. I liked the serenity because it reminded me of the retreat.

I tried to not feel so lonely, since Amano and Kyle were there with me, though they were engrossed in whatever secret-service stuff Amano now allowed my best friend to participate in.

I didn't see the point of self-pityâI had a bit too much on my plate to wallow in lonesomeness.

StillÂ â¦ There was a peculiar emptiness that crept in on me because Dane wasn't there. And because of what I'd encountered earlier at the Lux. A gnawing pang I couldn't shake.

Gazing up at all that nothingness that had once been something spectacular served as an agonizing and ominous reminder of how fleeting life and its significant pieces were.

I made a mug of tea and opened the patio doors to let in the cool evening breeze. I inhaled the scent of jasmine Kyle had planted, a soothing complement to my tea.

In the back of my mind, I told myself I only had days, maybe weeks, to endure the separation from Dane. Then we'd be together. All of this would be behind us. Life would go on.

I smiled, forcing out menacing thoughts.

We were so close, I convinced myself.
So very close.

I crossed to the pool to turn off the waterfall for the evening. The sound of the sprinkler in the quiet night air made me draw up short. My gaze flashed to the edge of the pool. A second rattle went off.

I stared at the diamondbacks, coiled and hissing. Warning me of their deadly presence with the rapid-fire rattle of their tails.

My heart leapt into my throat.

One snake was random danger. But two?

Another nightmare come to life.

The mug slipped from my hand and I jumped back several feet. Then I whirled around and raced across the patio to the doors. I slammed them shut. And screamed at the top of my lungs.

Amano barreled into the room, followed by Kyle.

“What?” they both demanded at the same time.

My pulse raged. I couldn't tear my gaze from the uncoiling snakes.

Pressing a palm to the glass pane, I wanted desperately to put my hand through it and use the shards to sever the never-ending torment.

Resisting, I spoke slowly, a haunting chill in my voice.

“Vale's still alive.”

epilogue

KYLE

Who
are
these people?

I'd done some research online when the first indictments had rolled in and Ari had figured out that Dane was alive. Like him, these guys were experts at controlling their global exposure.

They didn't decorate society pages or have their PR people post photos of them holding million-dollar checks written for charity. They were mysterious and operated in the shadows. That shadow had darkened our doorstep one more time.

Any day now, DNA samples would prove that it hadn't been Vale Hilliard in that high-speed chase in Flag. That car crash was pivotal to this whole insidious situation. To the depths of my soul, I believed it was Wayne Horton splattered across the front of a freight train.

With him dead, I wondered how easy it would be for the corrupt members of Dane's secret society to claim they knew absolutely nothing about the bombing and that Horton acted alone. Certainly Vale would corroborate that story and attempt to wash the blood from his hands, too.

Ari's blood.

If Vale could never be placed at the scene of the crime, if there was no evidence of his connection to Horton, would they all get away with this? Would tax evasion and whatever crimes Dane helped the FBI to unearth be enough to keep these assholes in prison for the long haul?

Or would their vast wealth and influence have them walking the streets, untouched, exonerated?

Free to continue coming after us if they chose to?

I had to find a way to talk Ari out of all of this. Wasn't she convinced by now that being married to Dane and living in his world was too damn dangerous?

If I couldn't do that, then I needed to track down Vale myself.

And seek my own revenge.

For her.

read on for a preview of the final book in the trilogy

coming fall 2016

burned

hearts

Danger lurks behind every shadow for Dane and Ari.â¦

“Remember all that's at stake, Ari.”

“Yes, of course. I really am sorry. I didn't mean to make either of you worryâor piss you off. It just felt like too good a setup to let slip by. And it was.”

Even Dane couldn't dispute that. Yet his scowl deepened.

“You don't seem to understand that this family doesn't work without you.”

I sucked in a breath at his intensity. “It doesn't work without you, either.”

We stared at each other for endless moments. Finally, Dane nodded.

“Okay, then,” I added. I stood and crossed to where he'd stopped pacing. Fury still oozed from him, but I surmised it had more to do with circumstance and the big picture than what Kyle and I had done about Wayne Horton.

I splayed my hands over Dane's abs and stretched on tiptoe to kiss him. A tentative gesture, to gauge his mood. When I pulled away, he smirked. The sexy, bad-boy one that made my insides sizzle.

“Really?” he challenged as he crooked a brow. “
Now
you play it safe?”

“Just testing the waters. You can be very intimidating when you want to be. Which is, like, all the time.”

A heartbeat later, he swept me into his arms and marched off to the bedroom.

The baby wasn't in his bassinet, so I figured Rosa had him nestled somewhere close to where she worked. Her current vice was sewing clothes for him. Given her creativity and skill set, I was on the verge of offering to help her financially launch her own clothing line, if that was what she wanted. I didn't even bother shopping for my child, because he had a new outfit or two every week, thanks to Rosa.

Dane kicked the door shut behind us. He set me on my feet and then swiftly pinned me against the wall, his hard body pressed to mine. Gripping my wrists, he raised them above my head. His eyes burned with heat, rage, need. The heady combination made my blood sing, my body tremble.

“Don't defy me again,” he said in a low, territorial growl.

Exhilaration rode magma through my veins. “Promise.”

“I can't live without you.” His green irises were piercing, hypnotic.

“I can't live without
you
.”

With his jaw set in a hard line, he said, “I'm seriously pissed, Ari.”

“You have every right to be.”

“I love you too much to lose you. We can't take chances like this.
No more.
”

“Understood.”

His mouth crashed over mine, claiming me in a possessive kiss filled with lust and fury.

A mix I found thrilling. ScintillatingÂ â¦

also by
calista fox

burned deep

acknowledgments

My deepest gratitude to my fabulous agent, Sarah E. Younger; my wonderful editor, Monique Patterson; and everyone at St. Martin's who has contributed to the development of this trilogy. I couldn't be happier with the process and the support!

For my family and friends, I thank you once again for your love and your patience while I'm inside my head with all these characters.

And to my readers, you are never far from my mind when I'm writing. I greatly appreciate your continued support of my dream career and the kind e-mails that come my way!

about the author

Calista Fox
is a former PR professional, now writing fast-paced, steamy books to set your pulse racing! Her debut St. Martin's Griffin trilogy opened with
Burned Deep
and there will be a fourth book, starring the trilogy's secondary hero! She has won many reviewers' and readers' choice awards, as well as best book awards and other competitions with publication as first prize. Calista is a past president/advisor of the Phoenix chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Visit her at
www.calistafox.com
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