Burned Hearts by Calista Fox Read Free Book Online Page A

concern.”
    â€œDane.” I knew he was just being ornery. Of course he wouldn’t want any harm to come to two innocent people. “Tom did what he had to—and his wife and daughter are going to pay the price?”
    â€œAri.” Dane sighed in frustration, because I pulled all the right strings. I knew him too well. With his good hand, he gestured for me to join him. “Are you expecting me to save the world?”
    â€œNo. I already told you that, because you’ve been the one to take on all the burden of an epic ordeal you didn’t even start.” Sitting gingerly on the bed, I asked, “There is something you can do, though, right? For Candace and Ruby?”
    He gave me a look that clearly said he knew leaving that potentially fatal situation up to Tom wasn’t possible—if he wanted to please or pacify me.
    â€œThe FBI is searching for them. It’s out of my hands now, but I did give them some leads I thought might be useful. Amano had some ideas as well.” His head rolled back and forth against the pillow as he added, “Problem is, my network has been compromised, as we learned today. So I can’t pinpoint a specific direction in which to go with this. I don’t know who to trust at the moment.”
    I inhaled deeply. Tried not to panic any more than I had been all morning. He didn’t need me crazed on top of everything else he dealt with—including his latest society-inflicted wound.
    â€œHow do you feel?” I asked. “Aside from wanting to rip the heads off of a hell of a lot of people?”
    He snickered. “It’s a little hard to see past that at present.”
    â€œI can believe that. But, Dane, you have to concentrate on healing.”
    â€œThat’s the doc’s job—why I pay him so damn much. All I can think of is how I’m going to get my revenge on Bryn Hilliard.”
    I swept away some wayward strands from Dane’s forehead. He usually kept his dark hair shorter but still wore the mussed style perfectly, even though it was a bit longer than normal. Sexily rakish. “I don’t like you adding another layer to all of this.”
    He crooked a brow at me.
    â€œI know. I hear you without you even saying a word. At the same time, you agreed to legal retribution. Not bodily harm.”
    His emerald gaze was a steely one. “You can’t even begin to imagine how furious I am. How much what just happened—what could have happened to you and our child—terrified the hell out of me.”
    â€œYes, I can.” I swallowed a lump of emotion. “Because you were in the line of fire, too. So was Kyle.” I fought the churning of my stomach. “There is nothing worse in my mind than losing you. Except—”
    I spared a glance at my belly. A peculiar thought gelled in my head. One I wasn’t sure he’d understand.
    I said, “I don’t really know how to say this, because it won’t come out right. But I would sacrifice myself for you; the way you did for me. It’s just that, in doing so, I’d put our son’s life in danger. I wouldn’t want to hurt him. Or leave you without him.”
    The waterworks started. All this tension couldn’t be good for the baby, which aggravated me further. Made me a little irrational, so that I wasn’t quite thinking straight.
    I told Dane, “You’d be upset if anything happened to me, I know. But this kid…” I stared up at Dane and saw the raw pain in his eyes. “That would be pure hell for you.”
    â€œ All of this is pure hell for me.”
    â€œBut it’s necessary, Dane.” I emphasized the importance of what he was doing, even though it bordered on disastrous. Yet there was so much good that would inevitably come of us sticking to the plan. “I chose to travel this path with you. I’m perfectly aware of the risks. I had plenty of opportunities to step away from