Burned Hearts by Calista Fox

laugh at that one. “I fear you’d only be disappointed I didn’t make a dent in the bank account. Not much of a shopper. Well, except for this kid.”
    â€œYou know what I’m saying.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThis isn’t ideal, Ari.”
    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 wasn’t Dane’s fault.
    I said, “You once tried to convince me you weren’t the bad guy. When you’d beat the hell out of Vale for what he’d 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 he’d hurt me.”
    Turning my head into Dane’s rigid muscles, I kissed his smooth flesh. Then whispered, “You’re not the bad guy. And I know it.”
    â€œI’m a bad husband, then.”
    That just plain broke my heart. Tears sprang to my eyes.
    â€œNo,” I was quick to say. “You absolutely are not. I respect your convictions. You are solid as oak, Dane. And I love you even more for that.”
    â€œI want your life to be perfect, Ari.”
    â€œ Nobody’s 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€œThat was something I had no control over. This—”
    â€œIs something you don’t 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. I’m here because you’re my husband and I love you more and more with every breath I take—and I’m not going anywhere.”
    The tears spilled a bit faster. His hand covered mine, clasped around his midsection. He gave them a gentle squeeze.
    I added, “When you’re here with me, I have everything I want.”
    It tore me up that he was so conflicted. That such a confident, steadfast man could think for even one second that he didn’t 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 he’d feel he wasn’t doing his marital duties justice.
    I simply said, “Finish this, Dane. Come home to us. That’s my idea of a perfect life.”
    *   *   *
    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 didn’t need to imagine their fright—I’d 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 hadn’t even discovered yet. That didn’t bode well for tracking him down anytime soon. Yet I caught the glint in Amano’s dark-brown eyes during the discussion. He lived for shit like this—the 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 situation—not 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, “We need to dig up more on this guy, find out if he was the one to plot Ari’s kidnapping and plant the bomb at the Lux. The