Deeper In You (The Phoenix Series Book 2)

by David S. Scott

  “Hmm… tomorrow is no good. I have another show. Sunday is the one day I don’t have a show or work right now, but I have to get up early the next day. How about Thursday?”

  “Thursday it is. Eight?”

  “I’m off at six-thirty, so that works perfectly.”

  “Good.”

  “What’s your schedule like, in general?” she asked.

  “To be honest, I’m not sure. Sam has it in his head that it would be a good idea for me to get back into the competition circuits. I’m so far behind, though. I have no chance of making the Olympic team. Besides, I’ve lost my edge. It’ll be a lot of hard work, and I suspect Sam is going easy on me until my next MRI.

  “Events could be anywhere in the world, assuming my sponsors give me the green light, which I doubt. Sam thinks they will, though, and he could sell snow to an Eskimo. I would be gone for days at a time. Even when I’m here, my schedule can get pretty brutal. And there’s the issue of the press. They are everywhere. People who’ll try to find dirt on each of us to feed their readers’ curiosity. People who will make up lies because it’s provocative. Are you sure you’re up to this?”

  Hell, I was already dreading some of that. Competing in other countries without her with me sounded like torture and it wasn’t even on the radar yet.

  Faith bit her lip. “Comes with the territory, I suppose. Reporters don’t scare me. I used to be one. Will you miss me when you travel?”

  “Of course I will.” In fact, the more I thought about it, I’d love to bring her with me to some of my events. But I stayed silent, afraid to overwhelm her more than I likely already had.

  A ping like the sound of a crystal bell rang out and startled us both. Faith grabbed her phone and swiped the screen, paling almost immediately. She held her phone out to me.

  From: Jacob A.

  Incoming text: Two-timing bitch! I know everything. How could you?

  Fuck! What new hell is this?

  Chapter Fourteen

  I turned on my heel and charged out the front door. I stopped at Faith’s car, placing my hand on the roof. I searched in every direction. I saw no sign of anything out of place, but the tree line at the edge of my property obscured my visibility.

  “How would he know? I never told anyone I was coming here.” Faith had followed me outside. Worry and nervousness marred her beautiful face.

  “What does Jacob do?”

  “He’s just a security guard for some agency.”

  “What?”

  “You know, overnight guard for a car dealer, backup mall security, school security, directs traffic for big events, or occasionally even a bodyguard for hire. That sort of thing.”

  “Rent-a-cop?”

  “Yeah, exactly. He hates that term, though.”

  A cold chill went down my spine as I was overwhelmed by the sensation that we were being watched. “He carry a gun?”

  She shook her head. “No. Never. The company never allows it, and he doesn’t know how to use one, anyway.”

  Good. “Okay. Let’s get back inside.”

  “Do you think he knows we’re here?”

  “Looks that way.”

  I locked the door behind us. Running my hands through my hair, I tried to collect my thoughts. Okay… Faith hadn’t told anyone, that much was obvious. She’d been with me the entire time. That meant that bastard had to have tracked her here. He’d probably stuck something on either her car or–more likely–her phone. That sounded like something a rent-a-cop would do.

  The sound of a dialing phone made my head whip toward Faith. “What are you doing?”

  She held up her index finger and hit the speaker button. I heard a clicking sound.

  “The fuck do you want, bitch?” Jacob snarled.

  I opened my mouth, but a glare from Faith kept me silent.

  “Jacob, what are you talking about?” she asked.

  “You know very well what I’m talking about. I know where you are, and I know who you’re with. You’re nothing but a slut! Did you tell him you loved him, too?”

  “That’s enough!” I roared. “You will not speak to her that way.” I grabbed for the phone, but Faith pulled it out of my reach and turned her back. My hands clenched hard into fists. My body vibrated with the intensity of my fury.

  “Phoenix! I fucking knew it!” His tone became threatening. “You’d better hope I never see you, asshole. You’ll both be sorry.”

  The line went dead.

  Why was my life never dull? Seriously, between crazy people drugging Lily over a job and Faith’s ex-boyfriend threatening me, I had enough material to write a book.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” said Faith.

  “Get him back on the phone!”

  “Xander…”

  “Get him back on the fucking phone, Faith.”

  “Xander, he’s not going to pick up. Not after that display. You shouldn’t have said anything. It only pissed him off more.”

  I closed my eyes and silently counted to ten. She was right, but I hated to admit it. No use in making a bad situation worse, anyway.

  The sound of the front door opening forced my eyes open. “Faith! Wait… where are you going? Why are you going?”

  “I have to get home and get ready… and I need time to think.”

  I stepped closer, almost touching her. “To think?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “About what?”

  “Us. You, Jacob. That insane testosterone-induced fight.”

  “I wasn’t going to let him talk to you like that, Faith. Why are you so pissed over that?”

  “I told you I wanted to handle it. I didn’t need or want your help. I’m not some helpless girl, Xander. I can take care of myself. Anyway, it’s a lot to process right now. I need to be alone.”

  My heart pounded. This was it. She wanted to think about us and whether she could stand my hotheaded temper and mouth. I couldn’t force her to give us a chance if she didn’t want to. I shut the door, trapping her between me and it, and inhaled deeply, breathing in her scent. I placed my hands on the door on either side of her head, careful not to touch her. “I’ll miss you, baby,” I whispered. “I’ll still see you tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t want you to leave. He obviously tracked you here. He could be watching for you.”

  “I don’t think he’d do anything stupid. He’d get caught and he knows it. Especially after what he just said on the phone. Look…” Faith sighed. “Jacob is a good guy. He’s not violent or manipulative. I don’t know how he found out I was here, but he wouldn’t do anything to hurt anyone. I’m positive of that.”

  I didn’t move, I simply stood stock still and gazed into her mesmerizing green eyes. I was so close I could feel her warmth heating me, teasing me. I hummed low in my throat, and the effect on her was instantaneous. Her eyes darkened and her lips parted as her breathing came faster. Her tongue snaked out to moisten her lips and I found myself staring. The desire to kiss her was overwhelming. There was something shadowing the depths of her eyes, though.

  Anxiety… and arousal. She was every bit as affected by my proximity as I was by hers. That much was obvious. That said, I could tell she wanted me to let her leave, hoped I would respect her wishes. Her eyes begged me to understand. Every instinct I had urged me to convince her to stay… but she wanted to go. Even after what Jacob had said, she trusted him. That should be enough for me. I wanted her to be happy, and I wanted her to trust me like that.

  I cleared my throat. “Better be a good girl and run along home now, before I consider making you stay.”

  She trembled but nodded, relieved. Slowly I backed away and gave her space. With a trembling hand, she opened the door and scurried out. I watched her climb into her car and drive away, then shut and locked the door.

  She may have said she needed to think about us, but her body’s reaction to me told me I was still in this game.

  I went upstairs and powered on my lapto
p to purchase a ticket to Faith’s show, then checked my email. Even though I’d told her I’d meet her after the show, I’d actually enjoyed the play the first time and wanted to see it again. Her passion drew me in, not only in the bedroom, but when she performed. It was important to her. That made it important to me, and I wanted to support her dreams, whatever form they came in.

  My back had started to feel stiff after everything today, so I wandered into the bathroom and filled the large Jacuzzi tub with hot water, stripped, and climbed in. It seemed as good a way as any to pass the time.

  The house felt strangely empty without Faith in it. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours. I thought over everything since she’d called me the night before, thought back to all the encounters we’d ever had. Hard to believe things had finally played out this way. I was a lucky bastard, and she was worth waiting for.

  The sound of footsteps downstairs sent all my senses on high alert. My ears strained, listening. Everything was silent now, but I was sure I’d heard it. I climbed out of the tub, wrapping a towel around my waist before I set off down the stairs.

  I found no one in the living room or kitchen, no one in the guest room or downstairs bathroom. I flung open the double doors to my gym, scrutinizing every inch of the place.

  “Hello?” I yelled, my voice carrying through the silent house. No response. I must have been hearing things.

  I walked out of the gym and saw something that made my blood run cold and set every hair on the back of my neck on end.

  The front door wasn’t closed all the way. I distinctly remembered shutting and locking that when Faith had gone.

  “You’ll both be sorry!” Jacob’s words echoed in my brain. What did he have planned? I flung open the door the rest of the way and stepped out, feeling goosebumps travel across my chest and arms. No one here. I watched an old Chevy truck turn off this street onto the next, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

  I began to doubt my own memory. Had I really locked that door? Maybe it just hadn’t latched all the way. I turned back and jiggled the handle; unlocked. Well, maybe I’d misremembered that, too. To be on the safe side, I carefully locked the door behind me and searched my whole house again. No one was here. Nothing seemed out of place.

  Weird.

  I’d never felt so exposed in my own home before. I didn’t like it. “Just so you know, I have a gun. I will shoot any intruders on sight.”

  No response.

  I shook my head, feeling foolish. Now, not only was I talking to no one, I was lying to no one as well. My buddy John had often tried to take me shooting with him, but I’d never gotten around to it. It’s not that I didn’t like guns, they were just a hobby I didn’t have time for.

  A glance at the clock informed me that it was half past five. I wanted to be at the theater early, probably by six-thirty, and it was half an hour away. I needed to get ready.

  Goosebumps covered my damp flesh. I could almost feel eyes on me as I ascended the stairs. Was it just my overactive imagination?

  Chapter Fifteen

  The auditorium was dimly lit, the stage dark. Patrons were already assembling and finding their tables or perusing the menus as the orchestra began warming up. I picked mine up and scanned the wine selections.

  “Are you ready to order, sir?”

  I glanced at the gum-chewing waitress. With as much effort as this place had made to make the menus and general ambience seem classy, you’d think it would be against policy to snap gum like that.

  “Uh, yes. I’ll have a glass of the Pinot Noir,” I absently pointed at the entry, “and an order of the pan-seared Atlantic salmon.”

  “You got it. I’ll be right back with your drink.” With a final pop, she was off to check on another table.

  I skimmed the program until I got to the actor biographies, and read Faith’s section as if trying to commit it to memory. I should have brought flowers again. I shook my head at my thoughtlessness. I checked my phone to make sure it was silenced. Fifteen minutes to show time. I shifted in my seat, glancing around for the waitress.

  I caught a whiff of a weird burning smell and scowled. That didn’t bode well for my meal.

  The room took on a slight haze, and the smell became stronger. A woman at a nearby table made a nasty comment about the cook and coughed overdramatically.

  Then the fire alarms went off. I jumped to my feet as the sprinklers doused the room in freezing cold water. Several women screamed and ran for the door. Orchestra members leapt to their feet and attempted to keep their precious instruments dry as they ran for the exit and the backstage doors. The waitresses all walked out of the kitchen carrying wine glasses and bottles, confused expressions on their faces.

  One look at the wait staff told me that this wasn’t a kitchen fire.

  I took off at a run toward the backstage area and burst through the door, working my way through the crowd of people. The smell of smoke filled the air and burned my sinuses. Not far from me, people hurried through the open loading dock door. Somewhere nearby a woman cried. Men shouted to each other as they tried to organize the evacuation efforts.

  “Excuse me, sir, you can’t be back here now,” a tall security guard yelled when he caught sight of me, barely understandable over the ear-splitting sound of the alarm. “The fire department is already on its way. Most people are clear. Only the dressing room is affected. Please leave through the front doors with the rest of the patrons.”

  “I have to find my girlfriend. I can take care of myself. I’ll just fall in with the crowd.”

  “Mr. Phoenix, I told you to get the fuck out of here.”

  The familiar sound of his menacing tone immediately demanded my attention. Jacob!

  “Where is Faith?” I demanded.

  His expression seemed to soften, even if only a little. “I don’t know.”

  “The fuck you don’t!”

  “I think she got out. I haven’t seen her. Now please let me do my job. I need to escort all guests–including you–off the premises.”

  “Not until I find her.” I started to walk past him, but he jabbed his finger in my chest.

  “Right now, I’d love nothing more than to beat the shit out of you, but I have to get everyone to safety, and that, unfortunately, includes you. Now move!”

  “Not a chance.” I ran past him, ducking under his arm. I made it to the loading dock and turned to look behind me, but Jacob was gone.

  I stepped outside. “Faith!”

  My eyes darted from person to person, finally falling on the crying woman. It was the girl who had thought I was Jacob the last time I had been here. Weird that she had mistaken us when he apparently worked as a guard here. Two large steps carried me to her. “Have you seen Faith?”

  Her only response was to cry harder and point back into the building. I turned to look but had no idea what she was trying to tell me.

  “Listen, I have to find her. Tell me what happened!”

  “I don’t know! There was smoke, so much smoke. We didn’t know where it was coming from. It was hot, but it’s always hot back there. Nothing was on fire, we checked! I came out to the hall to see if it was out there, and… and…”

  “And?”

  Her eyes took on a haunted expression. “The ceiling in the dressing room collapsed. I couldn’t see far inside, but I could hear the screaming. I–I ran.”

  Without hesitation, I turned and sprinted back into the building. I had to get in there. I had to hope she was okay.

  I raced down the hall and turned the corner. I had only been in the dressing room briefly, but didn’t remember any windows. That meant that most likely there had to be a second door or the fire marshal would have been all over this place. At least, I hoped so.

  As described, charred, broken remains of huge props and set pieces blocked the door. I didn’t know if I had time to move it all, especially with any possible help lost to the chaos. I decided I should keep looking. Black, ashy footprints on the floor leadin
g from around the corner confirmed my suspicions.

  My eyes and lungs burned from the smoke. I ripped the tail of my shirt, quickly tying the material around my nose and mouth as I hurried down the hall and around another corner. The other door was wide open and swinging outward, kicked free and dangling from a single hinge. Oppressive smoke and heat poured through the opening.

  For a moment, I hesitated. The footprints and condition of the door told me the room’s occupants had fled. I hadn’t seen anyone outside covered in soot, though, and I certainly hadn’t seen Faith.

  I braced myself and stepped into Hell.

  The room looked like a warzone. Smoke filled the space and the scream of the alarm was still deafening. Counters had been crushed, mirrors were shattered. Chairs were thrown around the room like so many children’s toys, and the racks of clothing were completely destroyed. The ceiling had collapsed. The destruction was so chaotic the floor had been almost entirely obscured. Flames licked the broken beams and consumed every flammable item in its path.

  I took a deep breath and immediately started coughing, gasping. It felt like there was no air left in here. I pressed forward, trying not to touch anything. When I had been in here last, I had entered through the other door. Faith had been to the far left, which should be the south side. I made my way over there, kicking rubble out of the way.

  There was no one in here. Why would anyone have stayed? This was stupid; I should have kept looking outside. I struggled to breathe. My head spun, woozy from the lack of air. The heat seared my skin. With a last scan of the corner, I turned to leave.

  Something in my peripheral vision made me pause. It was probably nothing, just a spare wig on the floor. Just in case, though, I stepped toward it and pulled. The black hair didn’t budge. I knocked some debris away and found that the hair belonged to a girl, one of the actresses, I guessed. She lay face down on top of something. By sweeping her hair back, I could see burns covered her entire face, making her unrecognizable. I couldn’t tell if she was dead or unconscious. Either way, I was getting us both out of here.

  I tried to lift her from beneath her arms, but she wouldn’t budge. Shit. A broken beam had come down on her legs. I set her down, trying to think of what to do next, when I saw a mass of soot-covered red hair.