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Wasn’t it bad enough that I’d been blown up all those years earlier when I’d walked into that barn.
Damn. Why did I walk into that barn?
To impress the Saints. To get closer to them. To be a part of them.
And now, here I was, getting back at them for what they’d put me through.
Argh.
I rolled onto my back, sat up and after a tired breath, stood to go to the window.
I wanted to blame the Saints, after all, I knew them to be devious and devilish.
But... shaking my head, I knew it didn’t make sense. But... the barn fire... and now the studio fire... was there a connection? There had to be.
And yet I knew Rector had nothing to do with it and I couldn’t imagine how Bishop would ever have it in him to do such a thing.
Deacon?
He’d been cold to me for so long.
An explosion? A fire?
Whoever started that fire knew that there was the risk of hurting some of the other girls. The panic alone when the alarm rang could have left girls scrambling for the door and getting injured in the process.
No. Deacon would never be so reckless.
Besides, he’d warmed up to me lately.
Thinking of him, my finger found its way to my mouth, running over my lips as I quickly grew hungry for him.
Oh, Deacon. You certainly are the mysterious one. I still don’t know what to make of you.
Friend or foe?
Time will tell, I suppose.
The door to my room suddenly opened and Deacon rushed in. Not leaving me time to question his bold intrusion, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me. Feeling slightly underdressed in my short nightie, I pulled back, but he held me firm.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered into my ear. “I wanted to come sooner. I wanted to check in on you but...”
“Deacon,” I said, pulling away from him. “What’s going on? What are you talking about?”
“The fire,” he said, breathless with emotion. “The explosion.” His eyes full of earnest concern, he scanned my face as if looking for any sign of injury.
“Oh,” I said, a little coquettishly. “So, you do know about that.”
He offered me a tired grin.
“When you didn’t come to check to see if I was all right, I thought...” What did I think? My sad eyes met his gaze. “I thought you just didn’t care... you know... what happened to me.”
He pulled me in for another long hug. “Don’t you think that for a minute.” He kissed me, his fierce affection for me coming through from his fingertips to his lips. “The minute I heard about the fire... I knew all the cheerleaders were at that dance studio. My heart stopped.”
Cocking my head to the side, I looked up at him with a doubting grin.
“Literally,” he said with a reassuring nod. “My heart literally stopped for a second as I thought of you.”
Then, where have you been since then? I wanted to ask.
