Blaze (Deceit and Desire Book 6) Read online

  And it was pointless to worry about it because Lane would never agree to it. At least I didn’t think he would. And I was afraid to ask, afraid to give him the heads up about the appointment. If he disagreed as I suspected he would, he’d keep a closer eye on me than usual.

  What to do?

  As I came out of the bathroom, I caught sight of Lane crouched in front of the safe. He glanced at me, then down at the phone in his hand. “It was ringing.”

  I didn’t ask to see who’d called.

  He shoved the phone back into the safe and locked it.

  But he left my shoes out.

  I deliberately didn’t look at them as he straightened and came to me.

  “I know this isn’t easy for you. I’m figuring out a way to get you out of this, okay?” He rested his hands on my shoulders and waited for me to look up at him.

  I met his eyes and nodded. Hopefully, he didn’t see anything on my face.

  I hunted down my socks and pulled them on. When he gave me a curious look, I said, “I’m cold for some reason.”

  “I can turn the air down some,” he offered.

  “That would be great.” I smiled in appreciation and curled up on the bed with a blanket pulled up around my shoulders, the TV remote in hand.

  A few minutes later, he disappeared into the bathroom.

  I listened.

  The toilet flushed.

  The water in the tub started to run.

  I didn’t move just yet.

  It wasn’t until the water started to splash that I moved. Then I darted for my shoes, hurriedly jamming my feet inside and tying the laces. As I rose, something caught my eye, and I froze.

  His phone.

  I needed a phone.

  He carried his inside one of those wallets with slots for credit cards. I sucked in a breath, and without giving it another thought, I grabbed it and then scrawled a quick note before racing to the door. I opened it quietly and pulled open the security latch, so when it closed, the latch would keep it from closing – and clicking – all the way.

  Then I took off.

  The elevator doors were opened, and I came to a stop there, smiling at the couple who gave me a puzzled look.

  “Running late for my flight,” I lied.

  Everybody moved aside to make room for me, and I wedged in there, holding my breath as I watched the door to our hotel room.

  It stayed closed.

  I didn’t go to the first drugstore I saw.

  I went out through one of the hotels side entrances, away from where we’d entered – away from valet parking – and headed west, moving away from the hotel as quickly as I could.

  While I walked, I nosed around with Lane’s phone.

  I’d seen him use his password, and hoping I had the right numbers, punched them in.

  8946.

  It didn’t unlock.

  I knew I had the 89 right. I tried again, swapping out the six for a nine.

  8949.

  Eureka.

  It opened.

  Suria had a similar phone, and she’d let me play around with it before she’d gone and upgraded my phone without telling me, so I had an idea how this one would work.

  Going into settings, I found the GPS mode and made sure it was turned off.

  It was.

  I looked at the messages and missed calls – there were a few of them, but not a lot.

  Silencing the phone, I cast a casual look behind me as I came to a stop at the crosswalk.

  So far, so good.

  There was a drugstore up ahead.

  That was my destination.

  In the same lot as the drug store, a fast food place took up the other corner.

  I wasn’t at all hungry, but I needed some place to take the pregnancy test, so I ducked inside and took the middle stall.

  The phone vibrated.

  I ignored it as I tore the box open, my hands shaking.

  It vibrated again.

  I darted a look at it where it sat on the toilet paper dispenser, but the cover was closed so I couldn’t see the screen.

  The phone went silent after a few more buzzes only to start up again while I read through the directions. It was distracting, but I had a feeling I knew who was calling, so I blocked it out.

  Basically, I had to pee on the stick. That couldn’t be too hard.

  And I did have to pee.

  My bladder seemed to have shrunk in the past few days, and man, did I have an idea as to why now, although really, did it happen that quick? I had no idea.

  Nerves jittered inside as I tore the foil package open.

  The next few minutes seemed to take forever. It didn’t help that the phone wouldn’t quit ringing, and I finally dared a look at it. I recognized the number. It was mine.

  Lane was using my phone to call his.

  I had no doubt about it.

  Agitated, I tried to pass the time by counting mentally, but I was so distracted, I kept losing count and having to start over. Finally, I gave up and hoped it had been enough time.

  I peeked at the test.

  The bottom of my stomach fell out.

  It was positive.

  I read the directions again, looked at the test again.

  Two lines.

  I was pregnant.

  Panic started to well inside me, but I shoved it aside. I could handle this. I buried the pregnancy test in the box, then left the stall. Luckily, the bathroom was empty, so I shoved the test, box and all, into the garbage can before furtively adding a handful of paper towels over it. It wasn’t like anybody dining at the golden arches cared if I was pregnant or not but leaving it there on top for all the world to see left me feeling too exposed.

  After washing my hands, I hurried out of the restroom and bought a soft drink, getting a lemon-lime soda to settle my nervous belly. I used the twenty I found tucked behind Lane’s driver’s license. I’d already used his credit card to buy the pregnancy test. Might as well use his cash to get me a soft drink.

  As I sat in a corner booth drinking it, I did a google search for women’s health clinics. Maybe I was being silly, but I wanted to make absolutely sure I was pregnant. Those tests could be wrong, right?

  There was one a few blocks away – and fortunately, in the opposite direction of the hotel.

  Once I took care of that, I had to get to the courthouse. I wasn’t scheduled to be there until noon, but I wanted to get there and get it over with. After it was done, I’d call Lane and…hell. I had no idea what I’d tell him, but I had to tell him something, and I wanted to let him know I was okay.

  I trudged toward the courthouse, the heat of the sun beating down on me and draining what little energy I had.

  I checked my watch and saw that I only had an hour. I’d hoped to get there with a little more time so I could rest some, but I’d barely have time to freshen up and find wherever I was supposed to go in that mammoth building.

  I was so tired, I didn’t notice the van as it slowed down at the curb a few feet ahead of me.

  I was so tired, when a familiar voice said my name, I actually stopped and looked.

  I was so tired, when Croft peered out at me and quickly flashed a gun before tucking it back against my mother’s side, I could do little more than gape.

  At least for the first few seconds.

  Finally, my brain kicked in, and I took a step toward the van. “Let her go,” I said, my voice breaking as I spoke.

  “Get in the van, and she’ll be fine.” Croft crooked a grin at me.

  “Liar. You want me to trust the man who’s been looking to kill me?” I stayed where I was. There had to be cops around. There had to be. This was the courthouse. Where were the cops?

  “Well, that was before I had some words with your people. You’re more valuable to me alive…and I’ve been assured you aren’t going to be causing us any trouble once I turn you over to your frantic fiancé, Farrar.”

  A cold shiver broke out over my spine, and I flicked a look at my
mother.

  Was this really happening?

  “Can’t wait all day, cupcake,” Croft said, leaning in and pressing a kiss to my mother’s temple.

  She didn’t even blink, sitting there as still as a doll.

  I couldn’t even read the emotion in her dark eyes.

  Was there emotion?

  I took a step toward the van, although my instincts were screaming that I get away.

  Croft’s face creased with a smile.

  “Thatta girl.”

  I climbed inside.

  Croft grabbed me and shoved me to the corner. My head smacked against the interior wall, and I blinked, trying to clear the ringing from my ears.

  Croft let Mom go, and he patted her shoulder. “You did good. Told you it would work.”

  “I…”

  Mom didn’t even look at me. “Let’s go. Ephraim is waiting for her.”

  Despondent, I curled up against the wall and stared down at the tips of my shoes. What in the hell had I done?

  Seven

  Lane

  I came out of the shower, knowing something was wrong. I was still wet as I dragged my jeans on and grabbed my wrinkled t-shirt from the counter. I should have had Zeb bring me some clothes when he picked up something for Trice.

  Barefoot, I moved out into the main room of the hotel, and I knew immediately.

  She was gone.

  Memory slammed into me, and I looked at the floor by the safe in the closet, remembering that I’d forgotten to shove her shoes back in there when I locked her phone back up.

  Damn it!

  I rushed to the door, noticing that she’d left the security latch out so the door caught on it, keeping it from making that obnoxiously loud click as it closed.

  Smart move.

  I couldn’t believe she’d run away.

  I’d thought she’d started to trust me.

  A look up and down the corridor told me she wasn’t anywhere nearby.

  Although I’d made it a quick shower, I’d been in there a good five minutes. She could already be out on the street by now. Jamming my feet into my boots, I went to grab my phone and the valet ticket.

  It took only a few seconds to realize she’d taken my phone – and in the phone’s place was a small notepad with the hotel’s logo on it.

  The bottom of my stomach dropped out as I grabbed it.

  I’m sorry, Lane. I have to go to the courthouse. I’m supposed to go over the testimony in my uncle’s trial. If I don’t, my mother could be charged. It’s important.

  Trice

  Underneath her name, in a hasty scrawl, she added,

  I took your phone. Please don’t be mad.

  “Don’t be mad?” I muttered.

  Mad didn’t touch what I was feeling.

  Furious, maybe.

  Scared shitless?

  Yes.

  But mad? Nah, that was too tame a word.

  Furious, I unlocked the safe and pulled her phone out. I dialed my number, but she didn’t answer.

  I hadn’t really expected her to.

  But that didn’t keep me from calling her again.

  And again.

  And again.

  I was lucky.

  At least a little.

  The valet ticket to claim my bike was on the floor by the door.

  She either didn’t notice it had been tucked inside my phone’s case or hadn’t worried when it fell out.

  I was able to get my bike, and I wasted precious time riding around the general area of the hotel as I tried to figure out what to do.

  I had to find her before Croft did.

  I spent way too much time searching the streets for her before I finally gave up and headed toward the courthouse.

  I knew where to go, at least. When I talked to our contact at the DA’s office, he’d mentioned where the trial would be for Gabriel Marks. At the time, I hadn’t paid much attention to the info, but now I was glad he’d tossed it out there.

  I got there too early.

  I knew the name of the attorney handling the case and found his office easily, but the assistant manning the desk in his office told me that the DA was in court for the next few hours.

  She wouldn’t answer questions about Trice.

  Of course not.

  Let’s not be easy about any of this shit.

  I dropped down onto the long bench just outside the door and pulled out the phone, tried to call mine again.

  It went to voicemail.

  Just like before.

  Brooding, I stared at the floor and tried to figure out the next course of action.

  I could comb the city looking for her, but she was supposed to be here.

  If the DA had court this morning, then maybe Trice wasn’t supposed to be in until later.

  As much as the inactivity killed me, I decided to wait.

  She’d show up.

  She had to.

  I spotted the DA coming from a mile off.

  I’d never met the guy before, but some people gave off attitude and charisma so strongly, it was like a live current in the air around him, and I could practically see the energy dancing off this guy. Two people, a guy in a suit and a woman tottering on her heels as she hurried to keep up, moved with him. He seemed to speak to both of them simultaneously as he checked his watch and pulled out his phone. I went to cut in front of him.

  He eyed me. “Excuse me, son.”

  “I need a word.”

  “Make an appointment,” he suggested, and none too politely shouldered past me.

  He was a big guy, and I was tempted to grab him, slam him against the nearest hard surface, but that wouldn’t help me get information on Trice any sooner.

  It would probably get me arrested.

  Sucking in a slow breath, I edged my way into his office, ignoring the suit and the lady’s attempts to shew me out.

  “I won’t take up much time,” I said, my voice short.

  He ignored me completely. “When is my witness due in?” he asked, looking at the woman behind the desk.

  She nervously glanced at me. “She was supposed to already be here, sir.”

  I tried to pretend that a knot of nerves didn’t just settle in my belly.

  Trice should have already been here?

  The DA checked his watch. “How late is she?”

  “Just a few minutes.”

  Okay. She would probably show up any minute then. Making it across town wasn’t as easy as one might think, so she was probably just running late.

  But a few minutes stretched into ten, then twenty.

  I sat on the bench, brooding and eying the phone I held. It still had several bars on the battery so I wasn’t worried about it going dead, but if I kept trying to call her, my phone might go dead. Where was she?

  Was she safe?

  “I understand you were here asking about Trice Dollard,” a voice said from the doorway.

  I rose and turned, meeting the intense gaze of the DA. “Yes.”

  He took a few slow steps toward me, taking in my measure. I held his gaze steadily, and he came to a stop about two feet away. “You got any idea why she isn’t here? She was supposed to meet me almost thirty minutes ago…and something tells me she wouldn’t have wanted to be late to this appointment.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t answer that,” I said, struggling to keep my voice relaxed. I managed a smile and a nod. “If you’ll excuse me…”

  I turned to go, and he stepped in front of me, blocking me.

  “Do you know where she is?” he asked.

  “No.”

  But I was going to see a man about finding out that very thing.

  “I need to talk to you two.”

  Zeb and Sully had their heads bent close together over the beers they were sharing. At the sound of my voice, they both looked up. Sully started to smile, but one look at my face had the smile sliding sideways off his face.

  “Problem?” Zeb asked.

  I glanced around, not wanti
ng to discuss it out here.

  As if he could read my mind, Zeb said, “TU’s in the back. Quieter out here.”

  Probably the truth.

  Fewer ears listening too.

  I grabbed a chair from a nearby table and hauled it around, putting it up against the wall so I could see everybody coming in and out of the bar. It wasn’t busy this time of day, but there were a few guys from the club and some of the women who hung around.

  Dallas manned the bar.

  “You two remember that girl Trice?”

  Zeb just gave a short nod, while Sully scoffed. “I remember you almost taking my head off about her. What’s the deal now?”

  “TU sent Croft after her,” I told them. Keeping the details short, I brought them up to speed on what had happened over the past few days, including what I’d found out from the DA. “And now she’s missing.”

  “Croft’s been gone all day,” Zeb said, his voice low. His eyes roamed over the people gathered in the bar, taking in everything. “Haven’t seen hide nor hair of him.”

  “What’s going on in that head of yours?” Sully asked.

  “I’ve got to find her, make sure Croft doesn’t hurt her,” I said simply. “I got her into this mess. I’m not going to let her pay because I’m an idiot.”

  “All right.” Zeb’s gaze flicked my way. “What do you need from us?”

  I had no fucking idea. I was hoping Zeb might have some ideas, but before I could start prying into that canny brain of his, the door to the back opened.

  I leaned back, instantly on edge. TU had that effect on me, but as his gaze slid my way, a sly smile creased his face, and something sick settled inside me. He ambled toward me, looking smug and satisfied with the world.

  “Been a busy day for some of us, Lane,” he said, pulling out a chair and dropping down into it. “How about you? You been doing much?”

  I hitched up a shoulder, silencing the voice that told me I needed to move, needed to do something.

  I didn’t know what to do yet, and I couldn’t let on to TU that something was wrong either.