laugh at that one. âI fear youâd only be disappointed I didnât make a dent in the bank account. Not much of a shopper. Well, except for this kid.â
âYou know what Iâm saying.â
âYes.â
âThis isnât ideal, Ari.â
I was quiet for a few moments. My arms tightened around him. I could feel his pain. His disconcertment. His need to give me the moon and the stars. Not nightmares.
But it wasnât Daneâs fault.
I said, âYou once tried to convince me you werenât the bad guy. When youâd beat the hell out of Vale for what heâd done to me. It scared me, Dane. Everything about that night and the way you responded scared me. But you rescued me. And the only reason you went off on Vale with such rage was because heâd hurt me.â
Turning my head into Daneâs rigid muscles, I kissed his smooth flesh. Then whispered, âYouâre not the bad guy. And I know it.â
âIâm a bad husband, then.â
That just plain broke my heart. Tears sprang to my eyes.
âNo,â I was quick to say. âYou absolutely are not. I respect your convictions. You are solid as oak, Dane. And I love you even more for that.â
âI want your life to be perfect, Ari.â
â Nobodyâs life is perfect, Dane. You have all this money, these gorgeous houses, limited-edition books and cars. But you never knew your parents. You never once got to speak with them, tell them your hopes and dreams and let them admire your successes. Your strength. Your brilliance.â
âThat was something I had no control over. Thisââ
âIs something you donât have full control over, either. I chose to be with you. I knew from the beginning it was going to be dangerous. Less than ideal. But I committed to this. To you. With no blinders on, no delusions. You laid it all out for me, Dane. I am here because this is where I want to be. Iâm here because youâre my husband and I love you more and more with every breath I takeâand Iâm not going anywhere.â
The tears spilled a bit faster. His hand covered mine, clasped around his midsection. He gave them a gentle squeeze.
I added, âWhen youâre here with me, I have everything I want.â
It tore me up that he was so conflicted. That such a confident, steadfast man could think for even one second that he didnât give me everything I needed, everything I desired.
But I could also understand how someone who was accustomed to being in charge of his destiny and environment would falter when it came to having the rug ripped from underneath him. And how heâd feel he wasnât doing his marital duties justice.
I simply said, âFinish this, Dane. Come home to us. Thatâs my idea of a perfect life.â
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
The FBI showed up mid-afternoon. Agents Daugherty and Strauss had found Candace and Ruby Talbot, handcuffed to exposed pipes in an abandoned warehouse. I didnât need to imagine their frightâIâd suffered it once myself.
Wayne Horton, who Strauss informed us was merely a person of interest at this point, had reportedly disappeared again. According to Daugherty, our menacing ghost kept no permanent address and had numerous aliases. And likely some the FBI hadnât even discovered yet. That didnât bode well for tracking him down anytime soon. Yet I caught the glint in Amanoâs dark-brown eyes during the discussion. He lived for shit like thisâthe hunt was his forte. Kyle seemed to catch the fever, because he appeared equally willing to take a stab at sniffing out Wayne.
I fretted over the whole situationânot wanting to invite more trouble into our lives.
Dane did more pacing, this time in front of the fireplace in the great room. He said, âWe need to dig up more on this guy, find out if he was the one to plot Ariâs kidnapping and plant the bomb at the Lux. The
Michael Fowler
Chad Leito
Sarra Cannon
Sheri Whitefeather
Anthony de Sa
Judith Gould
Tim Dorsey
James Carlson
Ann Vremont
Tom Holt