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I was at a loss, though one thing was clear. This did not bode well for anyone. Dane in particular. And I could see the toll it took on him. But he was obviously more worried about me.
Taking my hand, he said, “Come on. We’ll get some stuff from your house and then you’ll stay at mine until we’ve figured this all out.”
Panic seized me. “You don’t think—”
“I don’t know what to think, Ari. Except that you take that route when no one else does. So what the hell am I supposed to—”
“Dane, no one knows about us. Why would…?” Okay, Amano knew. But other than that … “No one outside this room knows about us. And I’m not involved in anything confidential at the moment. I’m just getting started with the launch preparation.”
“I’m not taking chances, okay? The media-room fire and now a snake in the stairwell?” His piercing emerald eyes left no potential for argument. “Just let me handle this, Ari. Let me take care of it.”
“How?” I asked, though my voice wasn’t very steady—like I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to know his answer.
“I have my ways.”
chapter 17
Snake-tat guy flashed in my mind again.
“I’ve seen you ‘handle’ things,” I told Dane. I got to my feet and stepped closer to him. “You’re talking about violence here, right?”
His gaze narrowed on me. “I’m talking about doing whatever I have to in order to protect the Lux—and you. Especially you, Ari.”
My heart pounded heavily. “Dane … I can’t … I mean, that’s—” I shook my head. Turned away. My eyes squeezed shut.
He was willing to go to any extreme to stop the attacks. To even the score. However he looked at it. And that disturbed me as much as it provided a hint of relief that he wasn’t going to let anything happen to the hotel or me. That whatever the threat, he could contain it.
At the same time, I worried over that extreme. How far he’d actually go. I’d caught enough glimpses of his angst to know a storm brewed within him. If anything went more haywire at the Lux—and involved me—what would be his breaking point? And how volatile would the tempest be?
I wasn’t a fan of rage. I’d grown up in a house full of fury and explosive tempers. There’d been a few too many instances in my life when I’d encountered someone on the verge of massive destruction.
“Ari,” Dane said as he laid a hand on my arm. “Just take a few breaths. Trust me.”
I opened my eyes and faced him. “I’m a little afraid of what you might be capable of.”
A bit of an understatement, but the truth nonetheless.
He nodded. “Try to understand why it’s so important to me to—”
“I don’t know why anything’s important to you, Dane!” I erupted. “Because you’re still not telling me everything!”
Amano moved in and said to Dane, “I’ll manage everything here.”
“I know you will.” Dane clasped the man on the shoulder, though Amano was a good three inches taller and maybe twenty or so years Dane’s senior. “I trust you. Thank you.”
I had no idea what their relationship was, how long they’d known each other, or what had bonded them together, but I couldn’t dispute that the expression in Amano’s eyes, the intensity exuding from him, confirmed he was a solid for Dane. On his side all the way. Mine, too, given my association with Dane. Amano had been worried about me. Maybe even before the snake incident, if his diligent shadowing was any indication.
Dane gathered up his laptop and some files and packed them in his bag. Then he put an arm around my waist and we left his office. In mine, the workers had finished and the new, slim corkboard cabinet was striking on my pristine white wall. But I didn’t have time to get all jazzed over it. Urgency radiated from Dane. He wanted me out of here. Fast.
I wasn’t inclined to dillydally. I still trembled from head to toe. He helped me get all the things I needed in order to continue working over the weekend, including carrying an enormous stack of catalogs as I slung the strap of the laptop bag over my shoulder. He grabbed my tote and we headed out.
The elevator arrived and he peered inside before letting me in. That freaked me out even more—was I going to have to watch my every step, peek around every corner, from now on?
“Dane.” I swallowed hard. “What else haven’t you told me?” Because I had a disturbing suspicion there was a deeper plot to this nightmare.
“Not now, Ari.”
I simmered. His angst set me on edge. There was more to what was happening at the Lux. I could feel it in my bones. The investment group mishap was not anything to be discounted; I knew that. But I could sense there were things he hadn’t told me last night.
