Ignited Page 5

  “Yep.” I nodded. Since I rarely ordered anything other than my preferred bottle of beer, it was a no-brainer for Mason.

  “You, too?” he asked Cade.

  Cade slapped me on the shoulder. “Since I’ve got a driver, I think I’ll try something with a little more knock-me-off-my-ass.” He tapped the bar with his fingertips like he was beating a tattoo on a drum. “What do you suggest?”

  Mason grinned, revealing dimpled cheeks. “Scotch? Bourbon?”

  “Bourbon,” Cade confirmed.

  “One Old Fashioned coming right up.” Mason shot a glance at Seren. “How ‘bout you?”

  She held her hand up, her palm facing him. “I’m good.”

  Mason nodded and walked away.

  “I went to see Amber a couple of days ago,” I said, tracing the edge of the coaster.

  “How was she?” Seren sipped her martini.

  “She’s better.”

  “That’s a relief,” Seren said. “I thought about stopping by to check on her, but I didn’t want her to think I was stalking her.”

  Cade barked out a laugh. “Hawk’s in no such quandary.”

  I frowned at him. “I’m not stalking her.”

  “I think it’s sweet,” Seren defended me. “Every girl needs a Hawk to check on her.”

  “You need a man to come check on you?” Cade asked her.

  Before she could answer, Mason interrupted us. He set a beer on my coaster and placed the Old Fashioned in front of Cade. “This is one manly drink,” Mason promised him. “You sure you can handle it?”

  Cade scoffed. Clearly amused, Mason beamed as he turned around and walked to the other side of the bar to help a server with a drink order.

  Cade tasted the drink.

  “Well?” I asked.

  “It’s definitely strong.”

  “Let me taste,” Seren said.

  Cade lifted the drink and handed it to her. She took a tiny sip and wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Yuck! That’s awful.” She handed it back to Cade. “It needs some fruit in it.”

  “No!” Cade barked. “That’s what makes this a manly drink. No damn fruit.”

  “Fruit makes it good,” Seren countered. “Mason and Lexi got me hooked on Pear Martinis.”

  “Exactly. Women love them. That’s why no self-respecting man orders a Pear Martini.”

  Seren rolled her eyes. “That makes absolutely no sense.”

  “It does in the man world.”

  Her mouth gaped. “The man world?”

  “That’s right. The man world. It does exist, doesn’t it, Hawk?”

  I chuckled. “I guess on some level, at least as much as a woman world exists. But I’m not sure that “No Pear Martinis Allowed” is one of the rules.”

  Cade glared at me. “You want me to order you one?”

  A grin shot across my face. “I’m the DD, remember?” I held my beer up in the air. “This is it for me.”

  “Maybe next time,” he replied with an air of sarcasm.

  “I don’t think so. I like my beer.”

  “You can buy me one next time,” Seren suggested.

  “Done,” Cade promised her. “We should all get together and go out to a movie or something.”

  “Who?” Seren asked.

  “Me, you, Hawk. Maybe Amber. Hell, if Mason and Lexi can get someone to cover for them maybe they could come, too.”

  “We should totally do that,” Seren agreed, pushing long tresses of strawberry-blond hair over her shoulder while she took another sip of her drink. “What do you think, Hawk?”

  I took a swig of beer. “I’m not sure Amber would be up for that.”

  My phone rang, and I glanced at the screen. “It’s a number that’s not in my phone. This could be Amber now.”

  “Is that her?” Seren asked. “See. She would go. She’s totally into you.”

  “Hello.”

  “Hawk?” she whispered frantically into the phone. “Hawk, can you hear me?”

  I straightened up in my chair, wondering what was wrong with her. “Yes, I can hear you. What’s wrong?”

  “I think someone’s following me. I’m scared.”

  Silence.

  Adrenaline shot through my body. “Amber?”

  “I’m still here,” she whispered. “I hate to bother you, but I don’t know anybody else. Could you come and pick me up?”

  “Where are you?”

  “Do you know that little bookstore on Main Street?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m in there. The manager let me use the phone, but she said they were closing in five minutes. I don’t want to go back outside.”

  “Stay right there. I’m on my way.”

  Cade and Seren gawked at me.

  “What the hell?” Cade asked.

  “I’ll explain later. I’ve got to go. I’ll come back and get you in a little bit.”

  “I could take Cade home,” Seren volunteered. She looked at Cade. “If you want me to.”

  “Yeah, that’s fine,” he agreed.

  “Great. Then I’ll see y’all later.” I threw some money down for my beer and left.

  I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but I had to find Amber.

  Amber

  My heart pounded.

  My palms sweated.

  Maybe I was just being paranoid.

  I’d tried so hard the last few months to just disappear. I was tired of people telling me what I should do, how I should feel. Good intentions or not, the pressure was unwelcome, and it only added to my misery as I struggled to overcome the worst tragedy that I had ever experienced.

  Add to that the nightmare of dealing with my almost-mother-in-law and it was imperative that I escaped before I became someone that I didn’t want to be.

  I’d needed time to think, to sort through my feelings, to accept what had happened.

  Peering around the edge of a massive bookshelf, I gazed through the small plate glass window, scanning the artificially-lit parking lot for the small white car that seemed to be following me home from work.

  My chest rose and fell rapidly despite the fact that I was trying to take deep breaths. Was it someone I knew? A stranger? Or was the driver of the white car completely oblivious?

  No, not oblivious. That was impossible. The driver had taken too many of the same turns for it to be a coincidence. That left two options. It was someone I knew or some psycho looking for an easy target.

  Rubbing my palms down the front of my pant legs, I leaned over, gripped my knees, and drew in a deep breath.

  “Miss.” The elderly owner’s unsteady voice carried over the bookshelf. “I’m clos…are you okay, dear?”

  Glancing up, I saw the concern on her face as she stood at the end of the aisle, pulling her beige sweater tighter around her delicate frame.

  “I’m fine,” I reassured her. “I’m just waiting for someone.”

  The cowbell attached to the glass door rang loudly, and I straightened as I wondered whether it was Hawk. What if it wasn’t? What if it was the guy who’d been following me?

  “Amber!” Hawk’s deep voice rang out through the small store, and relief flooded me.

  “Hawk,” I called, hating how weak my voice sounded.

  The owner of the store smiled as she smoothed bright silver locks away from her forehead. “Looks like he’s here.” She gave me a brief smile and walked away.

  Stepping into the aisle, Hawk quickly approached me and placed his palms on my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  I took a deep breath and exhaled, attempting to calm my nerves. “I am now.”

  “Was it a man?”

  Nodding, I answered, “I think so.”

  Did you get a good look at him?”

  I shook my head.

  “The car? The license plate?”

  “It was dark, and I was panicking.”

  Without hesitation, he grabbed my hand, his fingers warm against my palm. “Come on. Let me get you out of here.”

/>   I squeezed his fingers, reveling in how safe I felt with him. “Wait! My bike’s parked behind the store. There’s a narrow alley beside the store that leads to the back.”

  He led me out of the store, thanking the bookstore owner as he gave her a little wave. Once the glass door closed behind us, he asked, “Have you called the police?”

  “No.”

  “You should.”

  “What would I tell them? That I think someone may have been following me?”

  When he didn’t respond, I knew that he agreed with me. He had police officers in his family. He knew the drill. I didn’t have enough information to make it worth their time. Besides, even though I felt like the driver of the car was watching me, I couldn’t be sure.

  We walked along the alley, the old paving bricks uneven beneath our feet. Sirens wailed in the distance, flooding my brain with images of the night I first met Hawk.

  Once we turned the corner to the back of the building, he released my hand as he walked to the only bicycle in sight. I immediately missed his warmth, and I shivered as I thought about the car that had been creeping along behind me.

  A gentle breeze swept through the space, the foul odors of the dumpsters that had been placed haphazardly behind the businesses filling the air.

  He pushed my bike into the narrow alley toward the parking lot as I trailed along behind him.

  “Thanks for coming.” I scooped my hair into my palms as if I were putting it into a ponytail and released it. “I may have just been overreacting. I don’t know. But that car terrified me.”

  “You did the right thing. No sense in taking chances.”

  As we exited the alley, the light from the parking lot spilled over him, silhouetting his frame against the brightness. His pullover shirt stretched across his muscular build, untucked as it overlapped his worn jeans.

  When we reached his SUV, he opened the hatch and lifted my bike with little effort as he angled it in the back and closed the cargo door with a thump that shook the entire vehicle. He walked swiftly to my side of the vehicle and opened the passenger side door for me as he scanned the parking lot.

  Nervously, I looked around, too, wanting to make sure the car was gone but half-expecting to find the guy sitting in a dark corner as he watched me.

  Hawk placed his hand on the small of my back, ushering me into the passenger seat. “The coast is clear,” he assured me.

  Pursing my lips together, I glanced around one more time, and then climbed into the SUV, eager to be swept away.

  He climbed into the driver’s seat. “Have you ever seen the car before?” He started the ignition.

  “No.”

  I could tell he was thinking as he drove through the parking lot and pulled onto the main road. “Do you know who it might be? Is anyone looking for you?”

  I remained silent, mulling over how much I should tell him.

  “Amber?”

  I looked out the passenger-side window, absentmindedly reading business signs as they glowed in the darkness. As Hawk drove through town, I tried to decide what I wanted to say. I had come here, so I wouldn’t have to talk about the last few months. I desperately wanted to pretend like they hadn’t happened, even though I knew it was a foolish thought. Everyone had to face reality sooner or later. I had been hoping for later.

  The silence was deafening, and dread began to build in my chest, knotting and twisting my insides.

  He pulled into a parking lot. Glancing out the windshield, I saw light spilling from tall lampposts onto a paved walking track, and I realized that we were in a park. After he backed into a parking spot and turned off the ignition, his gaze swept across the parking lot and the street in front of it.

  It dawned on me that he was making sure he hadn’t been followed, and I was thankful he hadn’t driven straight to my house.

  “What are you not telling me?” He turned and focused on me, making me uncomfortable. “Are you wanted by the police? Do you owe drug dealers money?”

  I studied my hands in my lap intently.

  He groaned softly. “How can I help you if you don’t talk to me?”

  “No.” The word burst from me like a cork exploding from a champagne bottle, and I could do nothing to prevent the onslaught of words that erupted from me. “No, I don’t do drugs. And I’m not wanted by the police.” I was going to say more, but a horrifying thought dawned on me then, bringing my tirade to an abrupt halt. “Not unless….”

  His lips pressed into a thin line. “Unless what?”

  “You’re not harboring a fugitive,” I whispered, imagining all the things that must have been going through his head as I put my misplaced anger in check.

  “Well, that’s a relief.” He stroked his fingertips across my hand, which was splayed across the seat between us, and I drew it back into my lap.

  “The police could be looking for me…if someone has filed a Missing Persons report.”

  He breathed in deeply and exhaled. “And are you missing?”

  A myriad of emotions rushed to the surface: sadness, anger, guilt. As I thought about the life I was trying to escape, hot tears filled my eyes, causing the lights outside the windows to blur and streak. I needed to say something, but fearing that any explanation would come out garbled in my current emotional state, I didn’t trust my voice to speak.

  Feeling myself losing control, I held my breath. I didn’t want to break down in front of him.

  “Amber?”

  His voice sounded incredibly gentle as he coaxed me to speak. I blinked, and the tears spilled over my lower lashes, improving my vision ever so slightly for the briefest of moments. Deciding that he was too kind to disregard his questions, I opened my mouth, sucking in a shattered breath as my chest heaved with the irrepressible feelings that churned within me.

  My voice wavered, and an incoherent sound escaped me. I meant to explain my situation, but sobs racked my body, instead.

  Glancing at him as the tears tumbled down my cheeks, I could see the stunned expression on his face. My outburst hadn’t fazed him, but he obviously hadn’t expected me to break down. I hated that I hadn’t been able to compose myself before I’d gotten to this point.

  I buried my face in my hands, second-guessing all the decisions that I’d made that led me to this moment.

  Panic washed over me as I realized I didn’t want to be confined in the vehicle with him, with his questions, with my thoughts.

  I opened the door and ran toward the park. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I had to escape.

  As I sprinted across the parking lot, I heard his door open and shut. I pushed myself to run faster.

  I could hear his footfalls on the pavement. If I could just make it to the row of trees that surrounded the park, I would be enveloped in darkness.

  He was getting closer.

  I ran faster.

  His arms encircled me from behind as he lifted me from my feet, slowly coming to a stop.

  “What the hell are you doing?” he asked as he whispered in my ear and lowered me to my feet, his arms still firmly around my torso. Only his word choice cued me that he had lost any patience. His voice was still soothing, reassuring, and it beckoned me to trust him.

  Strangely comforted by his embrace, I lifted my hands and curved them around his biceps. “Hawk, I’m a mess.”

  “That’s why you shouldn’t be alone.” His breath tickled my ear as he spoke.

  “I’m not going to kill myself if that’s what you’re afraid of. What I said the night of the wreck…I was just having a bad day, and I’d drunk too much.” I could feel more tears rush to the surface, and I quickly blinked them away. “I’m just having a hard time coping. That’s all. It happens to a lot of people.”

  “Most people don’t run from their lives.” He released his hold and rested his palms on my shoulders as he turned me until I was facing him. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but promise me that you won’t do anything stupid.”

 
I nodded. “I promise.”

  He studied my face a moment, the moonlight highlighting his strong jawline and casting shadows over his eyes.

  I sucked in a tiny breath as he brushed his thumbs across my cheeks, wiping away my tears. Then, he pulled me to him, leaning his cheek against the top of my head.

  Barely knowing him, I was uneasy at first, but once I relaxed, I realized how much I craved the security that he offered. Before I realized what I was doing, I had wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek against the hard muscles of his chest. Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply, allowing his clean scent and the comfort of his arms to lull me into tranquility.

  Chapter 7

  Ventilation

  Hawk

  I had seen the panic in her eyes. Holding her close until it dissipated, I wondered why she was running. I knew she had lost her fiancé, but didn’t she have other family? Surely she had someone who could offer her the emotional support she needed.

  From my own experiences, I knew what it was to suffer from an unexpected trauma, and while her situation was nothing like mine, I could relate to her difficulty dealing with it.

  Her arms tightened around me, and as a means of comfort, I stroked her long silky hair. She was scared and lonely and an emotional wreck. And my need to rescue her from her sorrow was just as strong as it would have been if she had been trapped in a burning building.

  Images of flames flashed in my mind. I forced myself to concentrate on her, pushing the unwelcome memories to the past where they belonged.

  “Are you okay?” I whispered in her ear.

  She loosened her grip, and I took a step back, studying her upturned face in the glow of the moon. Remnants of her tears glistened, and the sadness I felt in her demeanor made me more determined than ever to bring hope into her desolate world.

  “Not really.” She released me and rubbed her hands over her face. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m fine.” She threaded her fingers through her hair, pulling it back and releasing it. Her silken tresses immediately fell back into place. “Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow,” she mumbled to herself.

  I couldn’t help the slight grin that touched my lips. “Rainbow?”

  “I keep telling myself that when the big black rain clouds finally blow away, I’ll see the rainbow.”