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“I didn’t think about them. I was so focused on setting them at different spaces, so they’d go off at different times, depending on the speed of the fire. It was so I knew when to get us out and how bad it had gotten.”
“That’s stupid.” I point out, although it had been smart-ish.“They could have melted.”
“I realized that when I heard you screaming for me. It did say flame resistant on the box, though.”
I’m not going to delve into why I had been screaming. “Thesmarterthing would have been to tell me about the plan. I could have helped.”
“Please, Snow. You wanted to tell Officer Beyer about the drugs. You would have slowed me down, and I was working with a short time. Plus, I don’t really see you getting on board with insurance fraud and burning up the place down. You wanted to ship the books.”
Had he told me, I would’ve told him there was no insurance. I had not paid it. There was no point, if I couldn’t afford to keep the fire extinguishers up to date and add in the security system the insurance company had insisted on.
But I can keep secrets too.
“You lied.”
“Yes, and I will lie again if it keeps you safe. We didn’t have time debate the moral clauses. My guy should be getting close any minute now.”
Fine.
“People were watching us.”
With a quick peek over my shoulder, I notice the view is partially blocked at this incline and that Styx had no doubt dragged the dumpster a few inches.
The heavy paint cans stopped the wheels from moving.
“So you set the Suspiro Room on fire, and you what? Expected us to leave through the front door?”
“No. Those are the distraction points. But the window in the bathroom—”
“My ass would not have fit there””
“Your ass did fit…It was your shoulder I may have hurt.”
Instinctively, I rub at it while glancing down at Styx’s shirt, for the first time realizing it was stained in the abdomen. That also wasn’t the shirt he had on before. “You dragged me out and shoved my heavy body through a window?”
He snorts and sarcastically adds. “You make it sound so romantic.”
As I descend the ladder, Styx’s hands wrap around my waist and bring me into a crouching position. “So, you didn’t plan on leaving me?”
“Did you think I did?”
“Maybe.”
“Snow… I’ve learned one thing about myself today.”
My brows arch as I keep my head down and massage my sore shoulder. “That shoulders are just as wide as hips?”
“No…” He flicks something off my hair—hopefully, something not living—and says, “I learned that I would walk into a burning room, butonlyfor you.”
Okay. See, he’s not supposed to be all sexy when I’m mad.
Mad adjacent.
“You don’t believe me, Snow?”
I want to, but …. “What about the blood? I saw the drag marks.”
“It’s mine. Just in case for evidence. If the police find it, they will think the mobsters took us. I was going to add yours… then you fell asleep.”
