Page 29 of Blaze

I push to standing and head for Victoria’s car.I never even locked it yesterday.There was no reason.We don’t lock any of our vehicles.No one can get to them when they’re on the property anyway.

As soon as I open the trunk, Brody and Haden approach.

“Need any help?”Brody asks.

“I won’t turn it down.”

Haden holds up a finger.“Looks like most of her things are loose.Let me grab some boxes.”He jogs toward the giant garage and returns moments later with several flat boxes and a roll of packing tape.

With the extra hands, it takes less than half an hour to pack up everything from the car and get it all upstairs.We pile it outside our bedroom door to avoid disturbing her.

The three of us also look around under the hood and frame for any sort of device.Haden even Googles what we might be looking for, but we find nothing.

I don’t feel relieved by that fact, though.We aren’t qualified to discover tracking devices.

By lunch, I’m back in the room with a new phone and a tray of food, and just in time because Victoria wakes up as I set it on the dresser.She pushes onto her elbows as I approach.“Did I sleep two hours or twenty-six?”

“Two.I would have panicked if you’d slept all day and night again.”I sit on the edge of the bed next to her and stuff several pillows behind her to prop her up.

She’s still wearing my shirt, and her hair is a wild mess of curls.I love this look on her.Frazzled as if she were recently fucked.I guess in a way that was the last thing that happened before she went to sleep.

I grab the cell phone from the tray and hand it to her.“I don’t like you up here alone with no way to get in touch with me.I programmed my number in here, but also all my cousins, their wives, and a few of the staff.”

She stares at it.When she lifts her face, her eyes are watery.“Thank you.”

I stroke a curl from her forehead.“Haden and Brody helped me get your car unpacked.We put everything in boxes.It’s all in the hall.”

“Thank you for that, too.You didn’t have to do that.It was such a mess.They must think I’m a giant slob.”

As I rub her thigh, I smile.“No one thinks anything, baby.I promise.I’m sure living out of your car was challenging.Tell me how you ended up in Wilde.”

She shrugs.“I’ve been picking cute small towns to stop in as I make my way south.They fascinate me.I’m even more fascinated now that I know some of the backstory about Wilde.Explains why things are rundown.The center of town looks half deserted.”

I nod.“It is.We’re hoping to bring it all back to life.That’s the plan.”

“Big job.”

“Yes.It will take years.One of my cousins, Brody, is a contractor.He’s managing the restorations in town.And I told you about Haden.He was working for Brody in San Antonio, Texas.He came here to manage the restorations at the mansion.The scale of the job is tremendous.I’m glad he’s decided to stay indefinitely because no matter how quaint this old monstrosity might look, it’s in tremendous disrepair.”

I point toward the window.“First thing Haden did was get all these old windows to open.They were painted closed.Then he attached roll-down ladders to each one in case of a fire.We were living in a death trap.”

Victoria lifts her head and points toward the ceiling.“Do the sprinklers work?”

“They do now.We’re safe.”

“That’s good.But the floor might fall through,” she teases.

I shrug.“Let’s hope not.You said you were heading south.Did you have a destination?”

“I have a job interview lined up in Phoenix in a few weeks.”

I stiffen.She hasn’t told me this part before.“Phoenix?”

“Yeah.It was the only interview I got when I graduated, and they weren’t looking to fill the spot immediately.I never mentioned it to my stepmom.It’s a long shot, but it’s all I have.If I don’t get the job, I guess I’ll be waitressing or something in Phoenix.”She chuckles.“I worked in the cafeteria in college, so I had some savings, but I cleared out my bank account when I left Portland.I’m going to run out of money eventually.”

I swallow.“Maybe you’ll stay here instead.Lord knows there’s enough history in this monstrosity to keep you busy and using your art history skills for the rest of your life.”

“Maybe…”