Flash Burned (Burned 2)

t,” said my bodyguard. “You might be right, but that doesn’t change the answer. It still is and will always remain no.”

I glared at Amano. Didn’t faze him in the least.

Kyle piped up. “I could do it.”

I gaped but recovered fast. “Put yourself in even hotter water? Did you not learn anything on those switchbacks?”

“Hey, if the FBI is involved, isn’t it just a matter of them wiring me and then me engaging Wayne in conversation that leads to my suspicions about everything that’s happened at 10,000 Lux and how I think he and Vale are behind it all?”

“Not a chance,” I said. “He’d never engage with you—you’re way too threatening. I’m the grieving widow.”

“He already knows that’s crap—he lured you to the house. Besides, he might not even know you’re married.”

“None of this means he knows Dane’s alive,” I reasoned. “He could have suspected, and he and Vale could have been attempting another kidnapping to draw Dane out, to confirm whether he really was behind all the evidence being provided for indictments.”

“He will chew you up and spit you out,” Kyle scoffed.

“And you’ll push too hard from the beginning, not getting any of the information we need.”

Amano stalked out of the room as though Kyle and I were bickering children and he couldn’t take it anymore.

Kyle grinned. “I’m threatening?”

I rolled my eyes. “We aren’t any good at this!” Throwing my arms up in the air, I said, “I’m no help to my husband at all!”

“Well,” Kyle mused, “it’s not like we really need the FBI wires. Cell phones have recording devices embedded.”

“So, we just give Wayne a jingle and ask him to confirm he blew up the Lux—oh, and by the way, we swear we’re not recording this conversation?”

Kyle let out a snort. “You are amusing. I meant that they have voice-recording apps—no need to be on the phone. We could do it in person. Accidentally bump into him somewhere.”

“Because I’m sure he’s spending his mornings enjoying a Grand Slam at Denny’s.”

“All right, stop.” Amano had returned. “There’s no point in continuing this, because you two are not getting involved.”

I eyed him curiously. “You can’t deny that chances are very good Vale is still in the game—regardless of family shame when he couldn’t pull off the kidnapping—and that means Wayne is likely still his go-to guy. Which also makes Wayne a contender for Lux bomber.”

“You’re a bit better at this than you give yourself credit for,” Amano admitted, albeit reluctantly. “Both of you. But I still want you to drop it. Forget about Wayne and Vale, except to keep an eye out for them.”

“Yeah,” Kyle said with a sudden hint of concern. “That high-voltage wiring won’t mean dick if they realize this is where we’re hiding out. They can rappel into the backyard from the helicopter.”

I shivered. “Thanks for blowing all sense of security I was feeling.”

“That’s not going to happen, Ari,” Amano assured me. “Watchtower, remember?”

“And what’s the guard going to do if the helicopter gets too close?” Kyle asked. “Shoot it down?”

“Let me take care of that. Jack Conaway told me about the aircraft when he called in the details of the chase. It’s already in my contingency plan.”

Kyle and I exchanged a look. Amano had a contingency plan?

And … yeah, I was pretty sure that plan was to shoot the helicopter down.

Who would have known launching a luxury hotel could turn so dangerous … deadly, even?

With the dark cloud hovering over us, we all went about our day. Kyle opted for a swim. Amano conducted whatever business it was he conducted on the landline, since his cell wouldn’t work out here. Occasionally, I stole a peek at one of the phone consoles and there’d be three or four lines lit at once. He had his own network of people—I hoped like hell they were more loyal than the ones in the society network Dane plotted to take down.

A couple days passed, and Kyle grew restless. He wanted to go to the retreat to do some landscaping and maintenance. One of the security guards picked him up in a rental—nothing flashy. A pale-blue Prius. Disposable was the word that popped into my head, yet again.