Page 216 of Wild Embers
“I think everything keeps leading back to Blake.”
The hallway falls quiet.
Walker stares past us, his mind working. “If that’s true,” he says slowly, “then Blake was never caught in the middle.”
“She was always the center of it,” Santiago finishes.
Santiago pulls out his phone. “I’m going to call Javier. He needs to know what’s going on.”
I’m more determined than ever to solve this, to find the person behind everything and put him in the ground.
Permanently.
CHAPTER 52
BLAKE
The logical side of my brain understands why they left me here.
There is absolutely no reason for me to be involved.
Unfortunately, the logical side isn’t as loud as the other side. The louder side is pissed as hell, pacing the living room, and threatening mutiny.
The house feels too large when everyone else is gone. A fire crackles in the living room. A clock ticks somewhere behind me. Bear follows each lap I make past the windows, his nails clicking against the hardwood like he’s counting how long it takes me to lose my mind.
Javier sits on the couch in the living room reading Levi’s veterinary journal as if the entire world hasn’t gone sideways. Every few minutes, I glance at him, hoping he’ll suddenly be as antsy as I am and want to do something else.
He doesn’t.
Apparently, Levi’s academic journal on veterinary practices really is interesting like he claims.
“You’re wearing a path in the floor.”
I stop in my path. “Then at least he’ll develop a hobby. Renovations.”
Whipping out my phone, I tap on the most recently added contact and move to another room. It only rings a few times before the other end picks up.
“Hello,” Ángel answers.
“Got room for company?”
Ángel answers immediately. “Always.”
Bear grumbles at me as he watches me pace along the back window in the kitchen. “Plus one judgmental dog.”
“The boys leave you behind?” Ángel assumes correctly.
“They left me under Javier’s supervision like a suspicious package.”
“I can hear you,” Javier hollers.
I peer out the back window. “I’m going crazy in this house.”
“I’ll pull out the bourbon.”
My shoulders relax at his answer.
“My kind of guy,” I return, the smile on my face evident in my tone. “I’m coming on Shadow.”
