Burn (The Sinclair Falls Novels Book 1)

by Shae Mallak

  Damn him.

  SIXTEEN

  "Are you, uh...sure about this?" I asked for probably the fifth time since we left the cottage. Ahead of me, Jonah was easily trekking up the rocky incline like he was strolling down the street. A short hike in the forest, he said. It will be easy, he said. Bull. Crap.

  "You're doing fine," he said, glancing over his shoulder at me. I scrambled up onto a rock he had used as a step a few minutes before, pausing to catch my breath and glare at him. It only made him laugh, however, which only made me more annoyed. "We're getting close!"

  "Close like around the corner or close like I still have to hike another half hour?" I asked, eyeing the path from me to Jonah. I wasn't exactly physically fit but Jonah didn't seem to notice, turning back to the path and continuing forward. Well, forward and up.

  "Somewhere in between," he called back to me. I scowled at the back of his head and, reluctantly, kept going.

  "This special spot of yours better be good," I shouted at him. "Or you're carrying me back down this stupid mountain."

  "I think I can do that," he laughed. "But going down is the easy part. Besides," he hefted the cooler he carried that held our lunch. "I'm the one with the baggage!"

  I looked down at my thick thighs and pinched the fat around my stomach. "I'm pretty sure I've got a little baggage of my own," I muttered.

  "I promise we're close," he assured me again. He stopped again after a few more minutes on a wide, flat ledge and waited for me to catch up with him, which, admittedly, took several minutes longer than it probably should've. "You doing alright?" he asked, handing me a bottle of water from the cooler.

  "Dandy," I said after a long drink. "Are you sure this doesn't fall under cruel and unusual punishment?" I teased.

  "I'm fairly certain that argument will not hold up in court," he chuckled. "Although, if anyone were going to prove me wrong, it'd be you."

  "I don't know about that," I scoffed. "My dad, maybe, back in his day."

  "Well, you are your father's daughter," he grinned, shaking a finger at me. "The only difference is he went to law school."

  "Exactly. That's one major difference there, Jonah."

  I took another swig of water and took a few moments to take in my surroundings. I'd been so busy huffing and puffing my way along the path I didn't have a chance to look around. It was, admittedly, beautiful. We were surrounded by evergreen trees, none of which I could identify apart from another, and the sky was bright blue above us, dotted with a few fluffy clouds. The air smelled like Christmas used to when I was younger, back when we bought a real tree every year. Back when Mom was still around.

  "You know," Jonah said, interrupting my nostalgic thoughts. "You can change that," he said carefully.

  "Change what?" I asked, not following.

  "Law school," he said. "You said you started college but never finished because of your mom," he continued when I didn't immediately reply. "And, granted, life has been a little crazy for you since, but now—" he paused and shrugged a little. "There's nothing stopping you from going back to school, Evelyn. If you want to."

  Of course there was something stopping me. A couple of things, actually. One, the large—albeit hot—man beside keeping me sequestered on a mountain. Two, an even larger—and hotter, but in a different way—and terrifying dragon that was to be my executioner. Whenever that was going to happen. What was the point of starting up classes again if I was just going to die anyway? It'd just be a waste of his money and a waste of my time. Time I would rather spend with my family...if only Fate would allow it.

  "I don't know," I shrugged, trying to act casual and indifferent. I was pretty sure I was failing at it, but Jonah didn't call me out on it.

  "Just think about it," he encouraged instead, frowning at me full of concern. "Okay?"

  "I'll think about it," I agreed. I could think all I wanted. It didn't change anything. Ava's friends were never wrong and their message was clear—the dragon was going to get me on the mountain. He was coming for me. He may be taking his time, but I could feel the heavy foot of doom hovering over my head, ready to squash me like a bug.

  "Come on, just a little longer," Jonah said, starting to climb up the mountain path again. With a weary grumble and an eye roll I followed after him.

  The entire hike took us about an hour, although I was pretty sure my ineptitude slowed us down quite a bit. Eventually we reached a vista, stepping out from the trees to a wide, flat ledge big enough to park half a dozen cars beside each other. From above us a little trickle of water flowed down over the rocks through a channel worn down long ago and then disappeared over the edge. And the view—wow, the view!

  "In spring," Jonah said, gesturing to the little waterfall, "This overflows its little rock bed and this place becomes a lot more dangerous. But during the warmer summer months—" he gestured widely to the landscape and the picturesque view of the surrounding hills and valleys. I spotted Sinclair Falls nestled below, looking small and vulnerable in the shadow of Ash Mountain.

  "It's pretty amazing," I admitted.

  "Worth the hike?" he smirked at me. I rolled my eyes. I hated admitting he was right.

  "I mean, I guess," I moaned dramatically. "You know, if you like this sort of thing," I shrugged, then cracked a teasing grin. "I take it you're not, uh, scared of heights, then?" I ventured, eyeing the drop off.

  "No," he chuckled. "Are you?" I shuffled a little closer to the mountain than the ledge. "I won't let you fall, Ev," he promised. "Come on," he set down the cooler and lifted the lid. "I'm starving."

  Our meal was simple but delicious and I was glad Jonah didn't feel the need to show off too much for my sake. His choice of location was more than enough of a show off to compensate for the simple fare. Some men took women to restaurants or the movies or mini golf—Jonah took me to a waterfall.

  "How did you even find this place?" I asked, taking a seat across from him on the ground. He handed me a sandwich and another water bottle, setting a dish of cheese slices and a bag of grapes between us on top of the closed cooler.

  "I tend to wander," he shrugged. "It helps me clear my thoughts, think through my problems. During my wandering, I stumbled across this place. After that, I kept finding my way back."

  "I don't blame you," I agreed. "It kind of has a way of putting your own problems in perspective."

  "Exactly," he smiled. "Stuff doesn't seem so bad when you're looking at all of this." He took a bite of his turkey sandwich and gazed thoughtfully at the beautiful panorama of wilderness.

  He was right. Looking at it all, my problems didn't feel heavy. Well...maybe a little—impending death has a way of weighing on you—but, I noted, my anxiety levels were lower than they'd been in days and I felt a strange sense of calm about everything. The problems didn't go away, just sort of...faded into the background a little more.

  "I'll admit," I grinned at him, "It's a damn good first date." His head swiveled to look at me, searching my face for something and, based on the brilliant smile he shot me, evidently found it.

  "I'm glad you like it," he said after a moment.

  "I do," I nodded. "Thank you for showing me."

  "And forcing you to hike up the mountain?" he niggled.

  I sighed in defeat. "And forcing me to hike up the mountain," I droned back.

  "You're very welcome," he replied smugly, sitting straighter and puffing out his chest.

  "Don't ruin your good streak by being a pompous ass," I glowered, tossing a grape at him. He caught it with one hand against his chest and looked at me with delighted surprise then popped the grape into his mouth.

  "I'll do my very best," he said around his food, then swallowed. "Not to be an ass."

  "A pompous ass," I corrected, pointing a finger at him.

  "I don't promise not to be a little pompous," he grinned. I threw another grape at him, which he caught and ate like the last one. "You gotta aim a little higher to get in my mouth," he said with a laugh.

  I smil
ed and threw another, aiming for his open mouth that time. It wasn't a great throw but Jonah moved enough to get it to drop into his mouth, then held it between his teeth for me in triumph before popping it back into his mouth followed by an exaggerated bite.

  "Your turn," he said, taking a grape from the bag.

  "No way," I shook my head. "I'm not good at that," I warned him.

  "I am," he said, "Just open your mouth—I've got good aim. Unlike you."

  "I never claimed to aim straight," I griped, but opened my mouth for him anyway. As promised, the grape dropped right between my lips without me having to move even a little. "Impressive," I praised. "But can you do it again or was it just a lucky shot?"

  "No luck needed, sweetheart," he grinned. "I'm just that good."

  After several more minutes of target practice, the ground around us was littered with grapes that missed their mark and we were both laughing heartily at each other. I couldn't remember the last time I laughed so hard like that. Weird.

  Our levity was interrupted by Jonah's phone. He apologized and reached to turn it off, pausing at the caller ID, which I couldn't see from my position. "Sorry, I should probably take this," he said, and excused himself, deftly hopping over the little waterfall to speak to the caller at the other end of the outcropping, out of earshot from me.

  His sudden secrecy with his conversations bothered me. Why did it bother me so much? I'd known the man for a few days and suddenly I was suspicious about a few private phone calls? It's not like I knew much about him anyway; the man was certainly allowed to have private conversations. Wasn't I just complaining the day before about a lack of privacy at the cottage? Maybe Jonah felt similarly in some ways. It wasn't unheard of.

  But he didn't care before about me overhearing his phone calls, so why start hiding them now? He promised me he wasn't working with Kinney anymore and did say I would never have to worry about the police at the door for something he did—but that didn't mean he wasn't using his word choice to his own advantage. I mean, that's what he did! Finding his way around the fine print was a classic Jonah Carson move... so what barely-legal sort of business was he getting into that he didn't want me to know about?

  Why should I care if I was just going to die anyway, right? I wasn't going to be around to care about the consequences either way, so why was I getting upset about it? Damn it, and we were having such a nice time, too.

  While Jonah paced and grouched at someone on his cell phone, I pulled out my own, finding several text messages and one missed call from an unknown number who left a voicemail.

  -hey this is greg- the first text message said. -addis gave me your #. mentioned video calling?- he sent in a second message. I quickly typed back a reply and then added Greg to my contacts list—"Greg the Babysitter".

  The third and last text message was from Trent. I almost forgot I even had his number saved in my phone. Usually I saw him every day, twice a day; there was no real need for messaging. Obviously, a lot had changed in my life.

  -gonna miss u in carpool on monday. jessica will b a nightmare. any idea when u will b back? Carson still holding u hostage? say the word and I call 911-

  I smiled at my screen, chuckling to myself about Trent's nightmare. A chatty, flirtatious woman would be welcome instead of the real fiery nightmare threatening my own future. What I wouldn't give to be back to the simpler days when my biggest problems were Jessica from the carpool, getting dinner ready before my second job, and making sure Dad wasn't passed out dead somewhere....

  Now that was Greg's job, I guess. Greg and Jonah's, anyway. Would they keep watching them after I was gone? I hoped so. I didn't trust Dad to become the responsible parent anymore.

  -turn on that hard rock radio station she hates- I typed back to Trent. -that will keep her quiet maybe. sorry i wont b there 2. IDK when im back and no u dont need to call police. lol.- Although, I mentally added, the fire department might be necessary.

  "Sorry about that," Jonah apologized, rejoining our little picnic.

  I hit send on my message and quickly turned off the screen and slid my phone back in my pocket. Jonah made it abundantly clear how he felt about Trent—hated his guts. As protective as he'd been acting with me the last few days, I was sure it was better he didn't know I was talking to Trent. For all I knew, he would toss my phone over the edge in order to sever my contact with him. Trent was my only connection left to ordinary life; I needed that little life raft of normalcy. Not to mention my phone was my connection to the twins as well.

  "It's okay," I replied, popping a grape in my mouth. "Not another emergency, I trust?" I asked, arching my eyebrows with teasing curiosity.

  "No," he shook his head. "Boring business. Where were we?"

  "Nowhere," I said, tossing a grape at him.

  "Right," he chuckled, easing back onto the ground across from me again, ignoring the fruit graveyard we'd created a few minutes before.

  "Is this what you would've done?" I asked. He cocked his head, not following. "For a date," I prompted. "If things were different, you said you would've stalked me at work and then asked me out on a date."

  "I didn't say stalk," he scowled, the edges of his mouth twitching in a suppressed smile. "And probably. Eventually," he shrugged. "Although I think, under normal circumstances, hauling a woman up a mountain to a secluded spot in the woods is a little..."

  "Creepy stalker trying to kill me?" I finished for him.

  "Yeah, a bit," he laughed. "For the record, I have no intention of killing you," he assured me with a smirk. Yeah, the dragon is going to do that bit for you.

  "But the creepy stalker part is accurate?" I said instead.

  "I...may have checked up on you a little more than an average, interested bystander," he admitted reluctantly. "But I have my reasons."

  "Which are?" I pressed.

  "Ah-ah," Jonah shook his finger at me. "That is a third date revelation," he teased. "At the earliest."

  "Who said I agreed to a second?" I retorted.

  "Who said you had a choice?" he replied with a smirk.

  Right. Because I was being held sort of against my will on an isolated, lonely mountain in a one-room glass cottage with a powerful—and dangerous...and attractive—man. How on earth could I forget that little tidbit? Thanks, Jonah, for bringing it back to my attention. Remind me to throw your stupid contract over a cliff next time I get the chance.

  "I haven't really had a choice about a lot of things lately," I murmured. Jonah's face immediately darkened, all humor gone. So much for having a good time.

  "I told you why I had to do it," he said.

  "No, actually, you didn't," I denied hotly. "You said you were protecting me, and I read the contract and all the legalities of the deal, blah-blah-blah," I rolled my eyes, dismissing his flimsy excuses with a wave of my hand. "You never actually mentioned, Jonah, what I was in danger from," I pointed out. Did he know about the dragon thing before? Was that how this whole thing got started? And what did it have to do with my father and Kinney? Or were they just lucky circumstances?

  "It's complicated," he hedged.

  "No its not, Jonah!" I cried. "Just tell me! What on earth is so dangerous for me that you were forced to drag me up a mountain, away from my family and everyone I love, to this place with you?" I gestured widely to the wilderness around us. I was pushing him and the fury was evident on his face, but I couldn't stop myself. "Why here? You're rich—you could've paid bodyguards or special detectives or whatever to keep me safe in Sinclair Falls—why here? Why this? What the heck is going on that you're not telling me?"

  Jonah glared at me for a while, not giving an answer to the demanding questions I had assaulted him with. "I think it's time we headed back," he said finally.

  "Just tell me, Jonah!" I shouted.

  "No!" he roared back.

  The force of it echoed off the rocks and flung me back a little in surprise, leaning back on my hands and gaping at him. He didn't apologize or explain, he just repacked the co
oler and stood, glaring at me, daring me to defy him.

  It was abundantly clear to me in that moment why he was as powerful, as feared, and as dangerous as he was. All hints of the joking, teasing, smiling Jonah were gone and in his place was a fearsome, terrifying beast of a man looming over me, ready to throw me over his shoulder and carry me back to the house himself if I refused to go with him.

  Slowly, I stood and silently followed him, neither of us saying a word the entire hike back. Not a single complaint escaped my lips as he stormed down the path ahead of me and I trailed behind. He didn't stop to wait for me to catch up, just glanced over his shoulder at me every few yards to make sure I was still there and still alive. I almost wished the dragon would kill me already and spare me from the fiery wrath of Jonah Carson. Almost.