Flash Burned (32 page)

“It's supposed to be generational,” I mused, not really certain in which direction my jumbled thoughts ran. “So if Vale wasn't the sharpest tool in the toolshed, but could still prove his worth to the society—namely the five corrupt members—he might get a seat at the table. But he'd really have to pull off some spectacularly masterminded schemes. Like … gently fuck things up at the Lux, initially, to get Dane, Ethan, Qadir, and Nikolai to consider bringing the original investors back into the fold.”

As I ruminated over this, Amano joined me at the island, sliding onto a stool, obviously intrigued.

I said, “When that didn't work, Vale had to come up with a more insidious plot. Kidnap me and hold me for ransom, basically twisting Dane's arm until he cried uncle. But that didn't work, either. And Vale nearly got the life kicked out of him. Which wouldn't go over well with Daddy and the others, so his only saving grace would be to take the ultimate, drastic approach. Not just to save face and secure his seat at the secret-society table but also for personal revenge.”

Hadn't I been thinking of that a lot lately? And understood how it affected people such as Vale?

Amano said, “I'd warned my security staff about Vale after he'd kidnapped you. They all knew what he looked like—there was no way he could get on-property without being seen by a camera, monitored by my guys.”

I didn't doubt that. Amano was very thorough—especially after what had happened to me. Still …

“Vale wasn't doing the dirty work, remember?” I said. “It was Wayne Horton. And he knew every square inch of that property, every nook and cranny of those buildings. He had experience with IT, the security procedures and access points, the camera locations and angles.… And let's face it, he's one sneaky bastard.”

Wayne's devious smile flashed in my mind. I cringed. The last thing I really wanted to think about was that terrifying day right here on this land. All similarities had been cleared away and a new house and grounds replaced the old, and yet this was the very spot where Vale had brought me. With Wayne Horton's help.

“It's impossible, Ari. I fired Wayne after you told me he'd purposely distracted you when you got into the F5, so that you didn't look over to see that it wasn't Dane driving the vehicle.”

“Yeah, there is that.…”

“All of the access codes were changed. Every employee badge was reprogrammed with different rule sets. He wasn't privy to any of that. He couldn't have gained access to the lobby to plant the bomb.”

I understood what Amano was saying. But the clicking in my mind happened again. “That you know of. He's a hacker, Amano. He hacked the Web site, taking it offline at the most critical point of hiring for the Lux. He deactivated my badge so that I couldn't get out of the stairwell, where he'd planted a diamondback on the landing below me. He was responsible for the damaged security wires. Not beavers.
Wayne.
”

Amano's eyes darkened. Took him mere seconds to jump onboard with me. “He could have figured out how to hack your cell phone. Mine as well.”

“I did try to call you when we were in trouble.”

“No calls came through.”

“So, he … what? Jammed or blocked me somehow?”

Amano smacked his hand on the counter. “Damn it, he probably hacked Kyle's phone, too.”

“Mr. Conaway thought of that. He had Kyle pitch it into the canyon, along with mine.”

“That wily bastard,” Amano said of Wayne. “He must still be working for Vale.”

“And planted that bomb at the Lux.” My blood chilled.

Amano got to his feet. “We need proof.”

I groaned. “That's impossible. First of all, the guy's a wraith, like Dane. He's all over the place, but no one sees him. There's no evidence of him being here, there, or anywhere. And it's like he just …
knows
things.”

“Chances are good he discovered you were meeting Dane at the house and it was him in the Camaro that chased you and Kyle.”

“And what? Vale was in the helicopter?”

“He certainly has the resources, now doesn't he?”

“He, who?” Kyle asked as he came into the kitchen, a towel wrapped around his neck, perspiration dotting his skin from what had apparently been a rigorous workout. His muscles bulged and he breathed heavily.

“Vale,” I said. “We're thinking he was in the helicopter and it was Wayne Horton in the Camaro.”

Kyle scowled. “That lowlife asshole? Someone should shoot him and put us all out of our misery.”

“Kyle.” Appealing as the idea was, I didn't condone violence.

“Just sayin'.” He crossed to the fridge and yanked on the handle. While he selected which variety of Gatorade he wanted, he added, “Look at what he did to you, Ari.”

“And to the Lux,” I said in agreement.

He pulled out a bottle of orange and downed half of it before asking, “So is someone going after these two thugs?”

“Not you,” Amano asserted.

I drummed my fingers on the counter, then ventured, “What about me?”

Both sets of eyes burned into my skull. Seemed I was back to having flashes of crazy.

Amano said, “That's not even worth answering.”

“Why not?” I insisted. “I mean, come on. I'm harmless. If I tried to get a confession from Wayne, he'd never see it coming. My life was destroyed, remember? I can play the lost little lamb to his big, bad wolf.”

“Absolutely. Fucking. Not.” This from Kyle as he stared incredulously at me. “He's willing to kill you, Ari. Did you not learn
anything
on those switchbacks? If we had gone over the edge, it would have been
sayonara and good riddance
on his part, and he would have simply washed his hands of you.”

“It's not an issue, Kyle,” Amano told him in a tone that held crystal-clear finality. “Dane would never stand for it.” His gaze shifted to me. “Neither would I.”

Planting my hands on my hips, I ignored the
case closed
voice of reason and reminded them both, “Dane is working with the FBI. Wouldn't they help us? They'd want to bust Wayne—they'd want his confession. We need to find him and get it!”

“Simmer down there, Lara Croft,” said my bodyguard. “You might be right, but that doesn't change the answer. It still is and will always remain
no
.”

I glared at Amano. Didn't faze him in the least.

Kyle piped up. “I could do it.”

I gaped but recovered fast. “Put yourself in even hotter water? Did
you
not learn anything on those switchbacks?”

“Hey, if the FBI is involved, isn't it just a matter of them wiring me and then me engaging Wayne in conversation that leads to my suspicions about everything that's happened at 10,000 Lux and how I think he and Vale are behind it all?”

“Not a chance,” I said. “He'd never engage with you—you're way too threatening. I'm the grieving widow.”

“He already knows that's crap—he lured you to the house. Besides, he might not even know you're married.”

“None of this means he knows Dane's alive,” I reasoned. “He could have suspected, and he and Vale could have been attempting another kidnapping to draw Dane out, to confirm whether he really was behind all the evidence being provided for indictments.”

“He will chew you up and spit you out,” Kyle scoffed.

“And you'll push too hard from the beginning, not getting any of the information we need.”

Amano stalked out of the room as though Kyle and I were bickering children and he couldn't take it anymore.

Kyle grinned. “I'm threatening?”

I rolled my eyes. “We aren't any good at this!” Throwing my arms up in the air, I said, “I'm no help to my husband at all!”

“Well,” Kyle mused, “it's not like we really need the FBI wires. Cell phones have recording devices embedded.”

“So, we just give Wayne a jingle and ask him to confirm he blew up the Lux—oh, and by the way, we swear we're not recording this conversation?”

Kyle let out a snort. “You are amusing. I meant that they have voice-recording apps—no need to be on the phone. We could do it in person. Accidentally bump into him somewhere.”

“Because I'm sure he's spending his mornings enjoying a Grand Slam at Denny's.”

“All right, stop.” Amano had returned. “There's no point in continuing this, because you two are
not
getting involved.”

I eyed him curiously. “You can't deny that chances are very good Vale is still in the game—regardless of family shame when he couldn't pull off the kidnapping—and that means Wayne is likely still his go-to guy. Which also makes Wayne a contender for Lux bomber.”

“You're a bit better at this than you give yourself credit for,” Amano admitted, albeit reluctantly. “Both of you. But I still want you to drop it. Forget about Wayne and Vale, except to keep an eye out for them.”

“Yeah,” Kyle said with a sudden hint of concern. “That high-voltage wiring won't mean dick if they realize this is where we're hiding out. They can rappel into the backyard from the helicopter.”

I shivered. “Thanks for blowing all sense of security I was feeling.”

“That's not going to happen, Ari,” Amano assured me. “Watchtower, remember?”

“And what's the guard going to do if the helicopter gets too close?” Kyle asked. “Shoot it down?”

“Let me take care of that. Jack Conaway told me about the aircraft when he called in the details of the chase. It's already in my contingency plan.”

Kyle and I exchanged a look. Amano had a contingency plan?

And … yeah, I was pretty sure that plan was to shoot the helicopter down.

Who would have known launching a luxury hotel could turn so dangerous … deadly, even?

With the dark cloud hovering over us, we all went about our day. Kyle opted for a swim. Amano conducted whatever business it was he conducted on the landline, since his cell wouldn't work out here. Occasionally, I stole a peek at one of the phone consoles and there'd be three or four lines lit at once. He had his own network of people—I hoped like hell they were more loyal than the ones in the society network Dane plotted to take down.

A couple days passed, and Kyle grew restless. He wanted to go to the retreat to do some landscaping and maintenance. One of the security guards picked him up in a rental—nothing flashy. A pale-blue Prius.
Disposable
was the word that popped into my head, yet again.

I guessed they'd drive it once and then it'd disappear. They'd likely use a different one to return Kyle.

It made for boring times not having him around, given that Amano was always deep in secret-service mode. Playing Wii solo wasn't all that thrilling, and I didn't want to overly exert myself because of the baby.

So it was an even more pleasant surprise and relief when Dane came strolling into the living room, from the back patio, while I read.

Peering at him over the top of the book, I said, “Please tell me you're not a mirage.”

He joined me on the sofa, lifting my curled legs onto his lap and stroking my bare skin. “Not a mirage.”

“Thank God.” I set the novel aside and pulled my legs from where they rested, sliding my butt onto his lap instead. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “To what do I owe the unexpected honor?”

He kissed me softly. One arm circled my waist. His free hand combed through my long, plump curls. “Aside from the fact that it's impossible to stay away?”

My fingertips grazed the side of his neck, down to his collarbone. “I think about you nonstop. I'll never get through this book, because my mind keeps wandering to you and then I have to go back and reread. Nothing but you registers.”

His lips tenderly tangled with mine. Then he whispered, “I'm dying a very slow death.”

Tears stung my eyes. “Don't say that.”

He grunted painfully. “This needs to be over.”

My gaze lifted from his tempting mouth to his clouded green eyes. “Amano's been on the phone to you all this time, hasn't he?”

“Not all the time. I've had meetings, depositions to give, more evidence to turn over.”

“What did he say?”

“We talked about Vale Hilliard and Wayne Horton. I have to stop them. But they've both covered their tracks well. Vale because of his money—he can easily create a layer of anonymity. Horton's like—”

“A ghost. I know.” I sighed. “But at the end of the day, doesn't someone with that sort of brilliance want people to know how clever he is? That he could sabotage a world-class, multi-billion-dollar business venture?”

Dane nodded. “It wouldn't be out of the ordinary. A lot of criminals get caught because they brag to friends or family, post something incriminating and stupid on Facebook, whatever.”

“Like Walt on
Breaking Bad
.”

“What?”

“A show Kyle and I streamed when we were at the retreat and had WiFi. So this guy is a meth cook and he's like, the absolute best of the best. When his brother-in-law DEA agent tries to help find this ‘best of the best,' Walt gets sort of jealous that someone else is going to get credit for his recipe. Even though that guy would go to prison, not Walt. His ego takes over his sensibility.”

“And that's why you think you could get a confession out of Horton? That he'd want to brag to you about everything he's pulled off?”

I shot a look out the open patio doors, wondering if my bodyguard was out there. “Amano tells you everything, doesn't he?”

Dane nodded.

My nerves jumped. It was only a matter of time before Amano discovered I was pregnant. I hid the pre-natal vitamins in my bathroom—wholly off-limits to him. I'd already devoured every book and magazine I could get my hands on when it came to parenting, so I didn't keep any around the house. I had gradually begun wearing looser clothes, subtly, so as to not draw attention. But eventually, the baby bump would give me away. And I'd need to see my OB-GYN soon. Not to mention, I wanted to start planning for the nursery. Though … I wasn't sure where that would be set up. Here? At our creek house? Somewhere else?