Dancing with Fire

by Susan Kearney

  Dean didn’t look happy. But he didn’t argue, either. Instead, he stood, signaling the end of the meeting. “All right. Let me see what I can do.”

  They exited the office and strolled to the car. All in all, Sawyer’s skill in handling the conversation had impressed her. He’d told Dean nothing. And that helped to protect her family. At the same time, he’d urged the man to make them an offer, giving them time to hunt down the missing laptop. Too bad she didn’t know where else to search.

  Not only did selling the business hinge on convincing Sawyer to sell, they had to find the formula. Kaylin’s cell phone rang, and caller ID told her someone was calling from home.

  Maybe Mitzy or Becca had come home early.

  “Hello.”

  “We’ve been robbed.” Lia spoke in a hysterical rush. “They tore the place apart. With hammers and shit. Our house is ruined. They broke everything and—”

  “Are you all right?” Oh . . . God. Lia should have been in school. Kaylin prayed she hadn’t come home in the middle of the robbery.

  “Yes, but—”

  “Where are you?”

  “At home. You need to be here.”

  “I’m on the way. Hang on, Lia. I’ll be right there. Give me twenty minutes.”

  15

  AFTER KAYLIN explained to Sawyer in a shaken voice that their house had been robbed, he drove back to the Danner home in ten minutes, running yellow lights and speeding. Sawyer knew Kaylin wouldn’t really believe Lia was all right until she saw her sister and checked her out herself.

  Glad that Lia was unhurt, his thoughts turned to the latest break-in as he drove. According to Kaylin, Lia had said that the robbers had torn the house apart—as if looking for something.

  The most valuable thing in the Danner home was Henry’s formula. It wasn’t like the women had expensive jewelry or art. Their electronics, cameras, and DVD player were old. And he didn’t believe it a coincidence that the house just happened to be robbed less than a week after the lab had exploded. Apparently the thieves hadn’t gotten what they wanted from Henry and had resorted to breaking in and trashing the place during their search.

  These were organized pros. He kept the chilling thought to himself. Kaylin was already upset. Until she knew her sisters were safe, he refused to alarm her any further.

  But Sawyer was kicking himself for not insisting on a more thorough search of the house for the laptop. They hadn’t checked the walls for secret compartments. Had the thieves found one?

  Sawyer pulled into the driveway. Deputies had yet to arrive. Kaylin opened the car door, and the scent of jasmine, fresh paint, and plaster dust hit his lungs. Lia and Billy sat beside one another on the stoop’s front steps. Lia clutched Randy to her chest. Her tears had dried, but the smeared mascara remained behind, evidence of her former panic. Still, she rose quickly to her feet and hugged Kaylin, her shoulders trembling.

  Red and blue lights flashing, a sheriff’s cruiser drove up. Deputy Bryant exited his vehicle and walked up, his eyes grave. “Is anyone inside the house?”

  “No, sir,” Billy answered. “The thieves left in a black van. They had a TV repair sign on the side of their vehicle.”

  “Any idea of make and model?” Bryant asked.

  Lia sighed. “Sorry. We couldn’t see it very well.”

  “Do you remember the name of the TV company on the sign?” Bryant asked.

  Lia and Billy both shook their heads.

  “Can you describe the intruders?” Deputy Bryant flipped open a pad and began taking notes.

  Billy shook his head again. “We never saw them. They broke in while Lia and I were on the roof.”

  “The roof?” Kaylin asked.

  Billy and Lia exchanged a glance. Lia finally spoke. “I came home from school. I . . . I’m not ready to go back. Billy came with me. I wanted to work on my tan.”

  “On the roof?” Kaylin asked again.

  “Yes.” Lia pointed. “My window opens up, and it’s easy to climb out.”

  “All right. Please continue,” Deputy Bryant said.

  Sawyer sensed Lia had edited the truth and knew that the cop and Kaylin suspected it, too.

  Billy bit his bottom lip but didn’t contradict her. Sawyer wondered what the boy would say if he took him aside and asked questions. He seemed to be hiding something.

  Once Billy started talking, he kept it up in a rush. “Randy started barking, and we thought the thieves might find us. But then Lia fed him a muffin, and he settled down. We didn’t go back into the house until after we were sure they were gone.”

  “That was smart thinking, son.”

  At the cop’s praise, Billy’s eyes lit up with pride. Sawyer clapped his hand on the kid’s shoulder. “You did good keeping Lia safe.”

  “I think there were two men,” Billy added.

  “I thought you said you didn’t see anyone?” Deputy Bryant shot Billy a curious look.

  Lia was quick to come to Billy’s defense. “He’s right. We didn’t see them, but we heard them talking.”

  “What can you tell me about their voices? Any accents?”

  Lia shook her head.

  Billy hesitated. “They were hammering and sawing and making a lot of noise, but they might have spoken French.”

  “French?” Kaylin sighed. “That would rule out a Middle Eastern conspiracy.”

  “Not necessarily,” Sawyer argued. “French is spoken in Morocco and Lebanon, and Lebanon can’t be the only Middle Eastern country where it’s spoken.”

  Billy’s eyes narrowed. “They went from room to room, as if hunting for something.”

  “Did they take anything to their van?” Deputy Bryant asked.

  “I don’t know.” Lia shrugged.

  “We hid so they couldn’t see us,” Billy explained.

  Lia added, “When we came out, it was hard to tell if anything was missing. The house is a wreck.”

  “All right.” Deputy Bryant snapped shut his pad. “I’ve got a forensics team on the way. We’ll dust for prints. See what we can find. In the meantime, I’ll take a look around. You folks stay here, please. We don’t want to contaminate the crime scene.”

  The deputy pushed open the front door, and Kaylin gasped. Sawyer didn’t blame her. The house looked as if a tornado had hit the interior. Lights had been ripped from the ceiling, and wires now dangled dangerously. Drywall, plaster, and debris peppered the foyer floor. The carpeting on the stairs had been ripped, the padding shredded. They had destroyed the banister and the wooden stairs beneath it.

  Kaylin’s knees seemed to give out, and she sank to the grass. She placed her head in her hands and took several deep breaths. Sawyer hurried to her side. “I know that house has been in your father’s family for three generations, but everyone’s okay, and the house can be repaired.”

  “You’re right. But property insurance won’t cover everything, and if the rest of the house looks that bad, we’ll need another place to live in the meantime.”

  “You can all move in with me,” Sawyer offered. “Gran would love to come home to a houseful of people.”

  Before she responded, her cell phone rang, and she answered. He didn’t think her face could go any whiter, but she paled even more, and her hand trembled. Then she snapped the phone shut and didn’t say a word.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice quiet.

  “Not now. We’re being watched,” she whispered.

  Watched?

  Sawyer placed an arm over her shoulder. Becca was the only Danner sister not present. Could she be in danger? What had happened to shake Kaylin so? And that reference to being watched? Was Kaylin talking about Lia and Billy, who were within earshot? Or Deputy Bryant, who was coming back outside?

  Hell. Sawyer could feel Kaylin trembli
ng beneath his fingertips. If only he could sweep her away for a day to relax. Maybe if he could get them all to safety . . . and have Kaylin to himself.

  THE FORENSICS TEAM took several hours to finish. Not that they spent much time at the Danner residence. They’d been busy on a murder investigation and had to process that first.

  So it was late afternoon before the Danners, Sawyer, Mitzy, and Billy trudged inside to see what they could salvage. Sawyer still hadn’t had a moment alone with Kaylin. After her initial reaction to the mess, she’d dismissed the destruction. Obviously something worse was bothering her, something that was taking her mind away from the utter chaos inside the house.

  They’d all gone upstairs, and Billy and Lia went to their rooms to check for damage and spare clothing. In the hallway Sawyer had his first opportunity to speak to Kaylin alone.

  He kept his voice low. “What’s happened?”

  Eyes anguished, Kaylin didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Someone called and told me that if I talked to the cops, they’d kill my sisters like they killed Dad.”

  So her father’s death had been no accident. Murder. Rage whipped Sawyer’s temper into knots. And now they were threatening Kaylin’s sisters? Every protective instinct caused his body to produce adrenaline. But there was no one to fight, not that he’d ever used his fists. Sawyer much preferred to use brains over brawn.

  Finally he settled down enough to ask, “What aren’t you supposed to talk about?”

  “They didn’t say.”

  “What did they want?” he asked.

  “They said they’d call again.”

  “That’s it?”

  Kaylin’s face tipped up to his, her eyes fierce. “Isn’t that enough? Whoever called probably murdered Dad and now they’re threatening . . .”

  “Dad was murdered?” Lia asked, Billy beside her.

  Damn. Sawyer had been so concerned with Kaylin he hadn’t heard the kids come up behind them. He turned to face them. “You’re both going to have to keep this a secret.” He waited for them to nod. After they did, he continued. “Kaylin got a phone call that said if she went to the cops, whoever did this might strike again.”

  Lia gasped. “They threatened to come back? But they’ve already destroyed everything.”

  But not everyone. Sawyer didn’t want to tell Lia they’d threatened to hurt her. He let Kaylin do the talking.

  “Even if they return, we won’t be here. Sawyer said we can all move in with him while the repairs are made.”

  “How will we know when it’s safe to come back?” Lia’s hushed voice rose to a wail. “Will we ever be safe again?”

  Kaylin hugged her sister. “Of course, we will. Maybe they just called to scare us.”

  “Well, it worked. Consider me scared,” Lia said.

  “We’ll be fine.”

  “Right.” Clearly Lia didn’t believe her.

  Kaylin looked to Sawyer for help. But he had no answers for them. “The only good thing to come of this is that they didn’t find Henry’s laptop.”

  “How do you know?” Lia asked.

  “We already looked for it. Unless Henry hid it in a secret compartment, we would have found it. But neither did the intruders.” He rubbed his neck and ear. “Because if they had found what they wanted, why make a threat?”

  “I don’t know.” Kaylin’s brow furrowed. “I think they came after Dad for the formula, and when he didn’t give it to them, they killed him. Then they came here to look for the laptop. Or maybe the lab explosion was an accident, and they figured without Dad here to protect us and the house, we’d be easy pickings.”

  “You don’t believe that,” Billy said with a perceptiveness far beyond his years.

  Kaylin’s eyes found Sawyer’s. “They said they’d call back. Maybe they’ll ask me for the laptop then.” Kaylin slumped against the wall and stared at Sawyer. “And then what do I do?”

  “You lie. Tell them you have it.”

  “And then what?” Kaylin asked, her voice confused and unhappy.

  Sawyer wished he had an answer. “I’ll think of something.”

  16

  KAYLIN LOOKED at the massive heap of plastic garbage bags filled with broken possessions and hoped the insurance agent who’d inspected the destruction would come up with a fair replacement value on the damaged items. The intruders hadn’t missed smashing one dish, glass, or coffee mug. Not that the kitchen cabinets would have held glassware even if they’d found something unbroken; the vandals had ripped the cabinets half off the walls, leaving them dangling dangerously.

  Obviously, no one expected to find her father’s missing laptop in a coffee mug or inside a dish. The destruction here was more than a search, it was malicious. Unnecessary. Was it possible the home invasion had had nothing to do with Dad? But what else could it be? She tried to think of possibilities—no matter how farfetched. Could Billy have gotten into trouble with drugs? Could Shadee’s brother have ruined the Danner home because he didn’t approve of Becca and Shadee? Could her grandmother have anything to do with this mess? Nothing made sense. Everything seemed implausible. Kaylin might as well have blamed Martians for the senseless destruction.

  While Kaylin swept broken glass from the floor, Sawyer nailed up the cabinets. Talk about helpful. Kaylin didn’t know how she would have managed without Sawyer. With her sisters and Mitzy upstairs going through their personal possessions, Kaylin stopped the cleanup for a moment and brushed aside the damp hair plastered to her forehead.

  Sawyer wore low-slung jeans and a carpenter’s belt filled with assorted tools. Whether hammering or sawing, he didn’t seem to have one uncoordinated muscle in his body. For a man who’d spent his life hitting the books, he had an extraordinary physique and coordination in spades. And unlike her father, he was proving himself amazingly practical. But it wasn’t just his physical help that she was beginning to rely on. He seemed to know when she needed to talk, when she just needed his silent presence. And when she needed distractions.

  When he spotted her staring at his body, she grinned. “For a nerd, you’re downright handy.”

  He winked. “Thank you, ma’am. You’ll still need to replace the cabinets, but at least they won’t fall and damage the countertops.”

  “I really appreciate your help.” She had to stop staring at him. The way the sunbeams played over his skin had her heart thundering, her blood sizzling as if she’d never seen him before. What was up with that?

  Nothing.

  Absolutely nothing. He was an inventor, a dreamer, a man who wasn’t for her. Even if he knew what to do with a hammer and screwdriver. Even if he offered them a place to live. Even if he offered them protection. He had to remain their business partner.

  Forcing herself back to work, Kaylin tackled the refrigerator. The entire contents had been emptied. Frozen meat, fresh vegetables, shelves, and drawers had been strewn across the broken glass. None of the food was salvageable.

  “Who would hide a laptop in the freezer?”

  Even his voice was deep and sexy. “Maybe they were after jewelry, and the vandalism had nothing to do with—”

  “You don’t believe that.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  Kaylin carefully picked up each drawer and shelf, wiped it down and replaced it in the fridge, but her mind wasn’t on her work. No doubt she was just feeling vulnerable, out of sorts—that’s why she was so preoccupied with Sawyer. About how helpful he’d been—from handyman, to negotiator to understanding their family dynamics, he’d been there for her. Carefully, she steered her thoughts away from the too-attractive Sawyer to much more important matters.

  Like what was she going to do when whoever had done this called back? Should she refuse to talk and hang up? Claim she had no knowledge of what they would ask? Or lie as Sawyer had suggested?

 
; Jumpy as oil skittering in a hot frying pan, she used the excess energy to wipe the fridge clean. She hated waiting for another phone call. Hated the threats made against her family. If the caller asked for the laptop, she couldn’t tell the truth. They’d never believe she didn’t have it.

  It worried her that whoever had done this might still be watching them. Should she risk going to the authorities about the phone call? She had to consider her decision with more care than any she’d ever made in her entire life. The sheriff’s office was still investigating the break-in, so would telling them about the phone call help them figure out who was threatening them?

  If she spoke up, the cops might protect them—but for how long?

  She did have proof of the phone call since her cell phone had recorded the number. But these men were pros. The call had likely been made from a public phone. So even if Kaylin risked telling the sheriff’s office, she doubted they could do anything more than they were already doing.

  But she didn’t know for certain. Did she have the right to make a decision that might place her sisters in more jeopardy?

  Was there anything else she could do to protect them? Would keeping silent do any good? Or would they be safer if she defied the orders in that phone call and went to the sheriff’s office?

  She wished her family was wealthy. She wished they could pick up, go somewhere, and hide. But she needed to keep the dance school open to pay the bills. They didn’t have any other resources or relatives or . . . wait. They did have one relative.

  For a moment Kaylin had forgotten that Mr. Lansky had told her that she had another family member. Although her grandmother had written a note, it seemed unlikely she would take them in, but Kaylin wondered if she should ask. She hated to go begging for help from a stranger, especially one who’d treated her parents so badly. Yet if they could find a place to hide, her sisters would be safer there. And for her sisters’ sake, Kaylin would do what must be done.

  “What are you thinking?” Sawyer raised an eyebrow, the sunlight streaming off his bare chest and incredible shoulders. It didn’t seem to matter how many times Kaylin saw him half dressed, the man’s hot body kept taking her by surprise. Because if she had to sum up Sawyer in one word, it would be gentle.