Page 34 of Burning Escape

“But out there, I knew you had my back. If I had to be stuck with anyone—” She shrugged at him and smiled. “I’m glad it was you, Montana.”

Montana. Memories of their kiss swirled through his mind. Without thinking, he opened his mouth. “Is there any chance?—”

She reached out her hand like a crossing guard stopping traffic. He knew that look from the night they’d met. The look she’d given him right before she’d told him they should leave things the way they were.

“Never mind.” Seriously. What was he thinking? It wouldn’t work out between them.

But it didn’t stop the ache inside at that truth.

They reached the little downtown area of Copper Mountain. Tori led him through an alleyway that ran along the Last Frontier Bakery. Her car—with a new windshield, apparently—was parked behind the building.

“I see you got your windshield fixed. Have you had any more issues or threats? After all, I am your husband. Do I need to go out and put some hurt on someone?”

She laughed. “I haven’t had any problems since training started. If my ex was here, he’s long gone by now, probably.”

Tori used a magnetic hide-a-key hidden in a planter against the back of the building.

“So, you live in a bakery?”

“There are two apartmentsabovethe bakery. I rent one of them.” She led Orion up a set of stairs and to one of the doors on the second-story porch that ran along the back of the building. “I get to live with the smell of fresh-baked bread and coffee. It’s amazing.”

“I bet.” Orion looked out at the mountains in the distance. “Not a shabby view either.”

“Right?” She leaned over the rail and breathed deep. “I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this.”

The content look on her face brightened up…everything. She lifted her face to the sun, letting the light cast a glow around her. Orion had never known such beauty. But before she could catch him staring at her, he looked away. Sitting against her door was a withered bouquet of roses and a long skinny box wrapped with a bow.

“Looks like someone sent you roses. They must’ve been here a while since they’re all shriveled up.” Not that Orion had any right to the sudden haze of green that came over him. He and Tori had only pretended to be married. She could date whoever she wanted.

But Tori didn’t look happy to see the flowers. In fact, her tanned skin had gone rather pale.

“I don’t know, but usually my neighbor brings packages in while I’m gone.” She bent down and picked up the roses. “No note. And—ouch!” She stuck a finger in her mouth. “Great. As if I needed another cut.”

“Thorns?” Orion took the bundle from her while she inspected her wound.

“Yeah. One of many reasons I’ve never been fond of roses.”

Orion barely caught the muttered words. “Maybe the gift will be more thoughtful. It looks like it could be a necklace or something.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe.”

She opened the lid of the box and froze. The contents spilled out and clattered on the porch planks.

There, at Tori’s feet, lay a knife covered in dried blood.

* * *

A shock of cold—almost like being doused with a bucket of ice water—ran over Tori. But she didn’t want to fall apart in front of Orion. It was bad enough she’d woken him up last night with her stupid nightmare. It wasn’t his fault the messiness of her life kept coming back to haunt her.

“We need to report this.” His words helped waken her from the stupor.

She averted her gaze from the bloody knife. “Not until I get my shower.”

Yeah, it was dumb, but she needed to take control here.

Hold it together, Mitchell.

Tori tried to stop her hand from shaking as she inserted the key in the lock. Orion scanned the parking lot and the area around them before following her into the apartment.

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