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UP IN FLAMES 60
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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“That was the FBI,” she replied. “They’ve located Chris—Christopher's Chris—and brought him in for questioning. It's quite funny how they even have the same name. They said he won’t answer anything. Now he has an attorney and is trying to make some sort of deal.” She took a deep breath. “He also is demanding to meet with me face-to-face.”Instantly alert, Alaric resisted the urge to swear. “Damn Paul. He told me he'd handle it. Are they going to allow you to do that? The guy has been trying to kill you, after all. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about that idea.”"You knew," "Yes, Paul called me on my way back. I just wanted to check up on you first. I'm just not okay with you talking to someone who has been threatening you," “They assured me I’ll be safe.” She looked down at her phone as if she expected it to have the answer. When she lifted her chin again, he saw determination in her gaze. “I want to talk to him. He must be pretty desperate to have been threatening me lik
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“We’re only holding him for the Feds,” he said, his expression pained. “He’s facing a multitude of charges, from racketeering and money laundering to attempted murder.”Alaric spoke up for the first time. “If that’s the case, then why is Vanessa here?”“Good question.” The sheriff nodded his approval. “I asked Mrs. Spencer here for two reasons. One, because Mr. Wuncler here assured me that he wanted to apologize.” He shot Chris a hard look of reproach. “And second, I’m guessing the FBI will need to ask you a few questions.”“Not without her attorney present,” Alaric quickly responded."He's right," Vanessa added, “While Christopher never involved me in his business dealings, now that I’ve been made aware he committed several crimes, it’s probably best that I obtain legal counsel.”Chris burst into laughter, surprising them. He began an insulting slow clap, eyeing her with what appeared to be begrudging approval. “Look at you,” he chortled. “Pretending to be a saint. Why did you get m
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“True.” She made a face. “After his numerous attempts to kill me, he’s now trying the equivalent of saying just kidding.”“Maybe we need to take another look in Christopher's office. Though she’s probably scrubbed it clean of anything that would even remotely implicate her, there’s always the possibility that she might have missed something.”Vanessa brightened. “Good idea. Though I’m thinking the Sheriff or the FBI would have gotten a search warrant by now.”“I’ll double-check.” Privately, he thought if they hadn’t, then no one was doing their job. He noticed the worry written on her face and tried to cheer her up, "It's going to be over soon," he assured her, "Things are like this now because we're closing up on them and we're coming to the end of all this. You've been strong and brave the entire time. You can't stop now," —------------Alaric returned from the station and Vanessa could tell from the look on his face that something was up. Alaric looked as if he had been run over b
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