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UP IN FLAMES 57
They rode in silence. When they reached the funeral home, the sight of the black hearse and limos made her breath catch in her chest.“It’s going to be okay, sweetheart.” Alaric patted her hand. “I’m right here.”She nodded. There were already a few other cars in the parking lot, even though the memorial service wasn’t for another hour. She and Christopher's parents had been asked to come early.Once Alaric parked, the three of them walked into the somber but elegant lobby of the funeral home. A tall, gaunt man wearing a suit that clung to his bones greeted them and directed them to the proper area.Vanessa's heart sank when she saw that Steven and Lois Wesley had already arrived. They were deep in conversation with Jeremy Blackenstock, who hurried over the instant he caught sight of her. She could have sworn he appeared relieved to see her.“There you are,” he said, his dulcet tones conveying the right mix of sympathy and comfort. “How are you holding up?”Dragging her gaze away from
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Shaking her head, she tried telling herself to snap out of it. While that hadn’t helped in the past and most likely wouldn’t now, she hated this perceived weakness inside herself.A plan of action. That’s what she needed. Except she had no idea what Christopher might have done with the money. If she couldn’t find it, she would be screwed.She decided to act as if the police or the FBI would catch the caller or find the money or whatever. Once they’d taken care of the threat, she could go on with figuring out a way to regain her life.When all this was behind her, the first thing she would do would be to sell the house she'd shared with Christopher. The place was too big and pretentious and had never truly felt like home. She’d move somewhere smaller. That way she’d be able to start over in her new life and finally figure out who she was meant to be. If Alaric crept into her thoughts here, she firmly pushed him away. As far as she knew, she and he had no future together. “Are you okay
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The instant they stepped into the kitchen, Alaric could tell something was wrong. Vanessa stood at the kitchen counter, an open bottle of wine in front of her, a half-full wineglass in her hand. Her dark eyes seemed huge in her pale face.“What’s going on?” Paul asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”“The early news just ended,” Vanessa said, her voice wavering. “They said the FBI is investigating Christopher for campaign violations. Chloe is, according to the news story, cooperating fully. I tried to call her and she wouldn’t take my call.”Alaric cursed. This was the first he’d heard of that. Usually, his boss made sure he stayed on top of things and kept him fully briefed regarding Christopher's case.Though Paul didn’t speak, but judging from his steely glare, he didn’t like the news either. “I knew that lady was bad news," he said, "You know she was fully involved." Alaric said, "She’s selling out her dead boss to try and save her own skin. Though I can’t really blame her,
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It took every ounce of self-control Alaric possessed not to go to her. “Are you okay?” he asked, managing to keep his distance.She nodded but didn’t speak. He could tell by the wobbly set of her mouth that she was trying not to cry.“They’re awful people,” Paul said. “Don’t let them get to you.”“All of this is getting to me,” she said. “I miss how my life used to be. There’s three million dollars missing and I have no idea where it might be. Oh, and someone not only calls and threatens me, but they shoot out my window and mess up my properties. Now this…. I honestly don’t know how much more I can take. All I want to do after this is over is move away from everyone and everything and start over. It seems to be the only way my life is going to ever get normal again.” Alaric edged out of the room. He didn’t want to hear any more.—--------Vanessa watched Alaric withdraw into himself and fought back tears. She could take the Wesleys enmity and rancor, she could take the whole world kn
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“You got blood on your pj’s,” Alaric pointed out. “You have to change.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s late, but if there’s any plywood around, I can get it nailed up over that window"Though privately she knew there was no way she could make herself go back into that room tonight, she nodded. Alaric seemed to read her mind because he said, “I can get them for you. Just tell me what you want and where to find them.”His compassion ignited a spark to warm her inner chill. “The third drawer down in my main dresser has my pajama bottoms. Any pair will do.”He nodded. “Wait right here.”As if she intended on going anywhere. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she watched as he disappeared into her room. Though the idea of his hands on her personal things made her feel slightly unsettled, she appreciated his offer of help.“Here you go.” Returning, he handed her a pair of black-and-red-plaid flannel bottoms. Since she didn’t have the heart to tell him those were for winter, she thanked hi
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Smiling, she refused to allow herself to think about her problems or the future, choosing instead to revel in this moment, in the pleasant way her body ached yet her inner turmoil felt calm and at peace. Her thoughts brought too much pain, and she wanted to allow herself to bask in her happiness, however temporary.Her phone buzzed, the insistent sound reminding her she’d left the ringer on vibrate like she always did when she went to bed. “Who could that be?” she asked, loathe to leave his arms.“It’s three in the morning,” Alaric commented. “Only bad news comes at this hour of the night. You’d better answer it.”Though she’d much rather just let the call go to voicemail, she reluctantly pushed up from the bed and crossed to the dresser. Alaric's room somehow felt cozier and more welcoming. Of course, a lot of that probably had to do with the fact that he occupied it.When she snatched up her phone, the Unknown Caller on the display made her groan. “If this is a wrong number…” she mu
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The fact that she’d allowed herself to do it before should have galled her to no end. Despite that, she wanted to march herself right back over there and crawl back into his arms.“I’ll pass.” She smiled to show him she meant no harm.Something in his gaze told her he knew her thoughts. “It’s three in the morning,” he pointed out. “We’ve already discussed this, so where will you go?”Relief flooded her, though she refused to acknowledge it. She hated that she felt she needed some sort of justification for wanting to be with him.“You’re right,” she said, shutting her mind down to all rational thoughts as she crossed the room and slid under the covers and next to the warmth of his very sexy, muscular body.He wrapped his arms around her, and she was still there the next morning when she woke. Savoring the moment, she allowed herself the luxury of studying his sleeping face. His rugged and chiseled features were softer in slumber. Moving slowly, she eased out from under his arm and slip
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As Alaric walked out of the office, his phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he nearly groaned out loud. It was his boss, and Alaric had a pretty good idea why he was calling."I knew you'd call soon. I rushed up here to see you." “I saw your pretty mug on TV this afternoon,” Bobby Brown drawled. “What the hell were you thinking?”“I had no idea those reporters would be there,” Alaric protested. “And I still have no idea why.”Bobby snorted. “Christopher Wesley again. Man, that guy had more secrets than even we knew about.”“What now?”“Someone leaked to the media a story that Wesley had a secret lover. A male lover. " Bobby paused, apparently to let that sink in.“It had to be Chris,” Alaric mused out loud. “That was Christopher's boyfriend, and we’re ninety-nine percent sure he’s the one who’s been threatening Vanessa. You heard about the exploding drone?”“I did.” Bobby went silent for a moment. “You mean you knew about Christopher being gay?”Alaric explained about the photo al
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