UP IN FLAMES

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 muttered, before answering with a muted hello.

“Did you like my drone?” a familiar voice taunted. “I wanted to attach a note, but couldn’t figure out how to do that since the entire thing was going to explode. Everything-the gunshots, the break in’s, the drone-they’ve only been warnings. I’m done playing around. Do you have my money or not? If not, I’m afraid I’m going to actually have to kill you.”

“But you said-”

He cut her off. “It will be awful to leave that boyfriend of yours so soon, wouldn’t it?”

Though that sentence felt like a punch to the gut, something he’d no doubt intended, she refused to reveal her reaction. “Why are you doing this?” she asked, letting at least the internal weariness she felt creep into her voice.

Alaric sat up in the bed, instantly alert. She nodded, pointing to her phone and shaking her head.

“I need my money. Now. I’m done playing around. If you don’t pay up, your life is over, along with that pretty-boy bodyguard of yours. Do you follow?”

“I do.” She took a deep breath and then decided what the hell. “Once again, I don’t have the money. I have no possible way of even getting a tenth of that sum. You weren’t the only one Christopher stole from. He emptied all my bank accounts.”

After a few seconds of silence, the caller cursed. “I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t care. And for your information, killing me still won’t get you your money. I’ll be dead and you’ll be out of luck. I’m sorry, I don’t know what to tell you.”

More curses, some of them virulent enough that they were new to her ears.

As he wound down, she decided to go ahead and give voice to a suspicion that had been growing steadily in her thoughts. “Maybe you should let it go. By the way, Chris-if this is you-I know all about your relationship with my husband.”

“He told you?” the caller gasped out, apparently before he thought better of it. “I find that impossible to believe.”

Though she’d known the truth deep inside, learning her gut instinct had been right shook her. “No. I found a photo album of the two of you that he kept in a safe in his office. Also some documents. At one point, he must have contemplated marriage. He had a prenup drawn up.”

Silence. “Hello?” she pressed. “Are you still there?” Again, no answer. Pressing the end call button, she faced Alaric, grimacing. “He hung up.”

“Did he admit to being Chris?”

“Pretty much, though he didn’t come out and confess it in so many words. He’s now threatening to kill me if I don’t come up with three million.”

“He’s an amateur,” Alaric said.

“How can you tell?”

“First off, his attempts have been pretty ineffective so far. And they’ve all been the kind of thing someone who has no idea what they’re doing would try.”

Intrigued, she eyed him. She loved the way he caressed her naked body with his gaze, making her wonder if he wanted to go another round. Focus, she reminded herself. “If shooting my window out, destroying my stuff and then sending an explosive drone at me makes him an amateur, what would a professional do?”

Alaric grimaced. “Are you sure you really want to know?”

Maybe she didn’t, but there was no way she’d be admitting that now. “Yes.”

“He would have sent a small group of men to grab you. You’d have been blindfolded, maybe drugged, and taken to some remote and secure location where they would hold you prisoner and torture you. They’d make a demand for ransom, and maybe they might let you go free. Most likely not though. Guys like that prefer to tie up any loose ends.”

His comments, delivered in a dry tone, made her shudder. “Then I guess I ought to be glad he’s not a professional.”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“Yes, definitely. But that’s what the cartel will do to him, if they suspect him of having something to do with the money disappearing. And there’s a strong possibility he knows it.”

“But why does he think I would have any idea where Christopher might have stashed the money?” She swallowed hard as a horrible thought suddenly occurred to her. “What if the cartel thinks that too?”

“To answer your first question, in law enforcement, when a husband steals large amounts of money, the wife usually is in on it.”

“Which is why you had me arrested when we met?” she asked, genuinely interested.

“I hate to say it, but yes,” he countered, shrugging.

Dragging her hands through her hair, she prowled the confines of the small room. “I just want this to stop. All of it. Christopher’s been buried, I’ve contacted an attorney and made an appointment to start the probate process, and I want my life back. I don’t understand why we are not getting anywhere on locating this guy. Seriously.”

Alaric nodded. “I agree. Like I said, I’ll make some phone calls in the morning. Come back to bed.”

The sexy rasp in his voice made her go weak inside. Still, she hesitated. They’d enjoyed each other in a physical way. Continuing to cuddle or curling up beside each other to sleep would not only be foolish, but painful.