Burned Deep (Burned 1)

I pulled the comforter over my head. The very disturbing reality of the situation was that as long as I was devastated I’d keep the living, breathing reminder of what I’d once had. I’d be able to hold on to the beauty of Dane and the way he’d loved me. Fiercely, possessively. Sweetly, tenderly.

But there was so much crimson that seeped around the edges of that beauty. So much darkness.

The night Vale Hilliard had kidnapped me could have ended fatally for me, for Vale. For Dane and Amano. Anything could have happened. That continued to scare the shit out of me.

But I also continued to miss Dane. To crave his touch, burn for the intimacy we’d shared.

Throwing back the covers with a frustrated sigh, I climbed out of bed and went into the kitchen. If I were the type to believe in a soothing glass of warm milk, I might have gone that route. Instead, I dug my phone out of my tote and placed a call.

It was picked up on the first ring.

“I need a favor,” I said. “A ride, actually.”

* * *

“Are you all right?” It was the first thing Amano asked as I pulled open my front door.

“Not even close.” Why lie? He’d lived the nightmare with me.

Dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a white oxford with a tank top underneath it and wearing lip gloss and mascara, I knew that—other than the scar on my forehead—I didn’t look as torn to pieces as I was. But I still felt it inside.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked.

We’d had a sparse conversation when I’d called. I’d asked the favor; he’d said he was on his way. That was all.

“I never got the gate code.”

“Right.” With a sharp nod, he turned. I followed him out, locking up behind me.

On the drive to Oak Creek Canyon, I asked, “How did you find me that night?”

“The guard at the gates called me to say the plate on Dane’s car was from the wrong state—and that he’d flown out of there quicker than normal.”

So I’d been right about that. “I hope you gave him a raise.”

It wasn’t Amano’s style to crack a smile, so I didn’t expect one. “Naturally,” was all he’d said.

I dug around a little deeper in my head. “How did you know where to find me?”

“We didn’t. Except that on the drive back to the hotel Dane noticed tire marks veering onto a dirt road. Neither of us had seen them before. Someone took that turn ridiculously fast.”

“Indeed,” I muttered, recalling my scream as the car had shimmied and I’d feared it would roll. “What did you do about the car, by the way?”

“Had one of my guys locate the owner based on his plate number and return it in excellent condition, with a bit of extra cash for the delay in getting it back to him. He didn’t seem to mind.”

Considering that bit of extra cash had likely been in the six-figure range, I didn’t think he would mind.

“So Vale’s brilliant plan to keep me hidden in that box canyon so close to the Lux, where I had no way of reaching you or Dane by cell, actually foiled his kidnapping attempt.”

Amano’s jaw clenched. “I wouldn’t say it was totally foiled.” He spared a glance my way. I winced.

“Point taken.”

I was tempted to ask how Dane had fared through all of this, but I’d already gotten the irritated zombie report from Kyle. And, really, it’d be too painful to hear it from Amano. I’d come to see the bond between them, which stemmed from three decades of camaraderie and Amano’s devotion to Dane and his family. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an indirect father-son connection, given how close they’d always been. And Dane had no other paternal presence in his life, since he’d once told me his aunt Lara had never married.

I was suddenly compelled to ask, “How are you doing with all of this?”

He scoffed.