Page 88 of Burn

I was pretty sure there were more words, but I just curled up and went to sleep. The next time I opened my eyes, there was light showing around the edges of the blinds. My back protested when I shifted. Everything protested really.

The door to the room was closed, though the door to the bathroom was open. There was a faint hint of soap and dampness in the air. Like someone had showered. The bathroom was still humid. Someone had showered…

I glanced at the bed and it wasn’t that rumpled. I’d apparently curled up on my side and then not moved. After I peed, washed my hands and face and found a brush with my toiletries to ease any snarls from my hair, I studied the bedroom itself.

A queen-sized bed, a dresser, a place where a mirror used to be. A corner wardrobe for a closet. A wing-backed chair that was angled toward the bed, though there were rumples of the covers at the foot there, like someone had been sitting there…

I glanced at the chair again then back to the bed. Sitting in the chair and resting their feet on the bed? Had someone slept in here with me in the chair? The place didn’t feel like a hotel, that didn’t mean anything but still.

Honestly, after all the rest, I found it hard to findthatpart objectionable. At least not right now. I dragged on my pants and opened the door. It was unlocked.

Well, that was already an improvement over where we’d been. So the question was, where were we now?

Chapter

Thirty-Two

GRACE

Some ancient motor seemed to rattle to life as I stepped into the hall of what had to be a house. The layout, the flooring, everything… Definitely not a hotel. The whir of fans and the hum of electricity joined the faint vrooming sound that reminded me of those window units used in some dressing trailers, particularly when we were on set.

The air was cooler out here, but not by much. The bedroom was hardly too warm. Other than the knocks and pings from that cooling unit, it was quiet. I headed toward the brighter end of the hallway. The other direction seemed lost in shadows and since there was some light coming from my room, I had to assume any other doors were just shut.

Carpet muffled my steps, but it didn’t feel all that thick. Thankfully, it did smell clean in here. As I rounded the corner, I spotted Goblin flopped on a love seat. He was flat on his back, head turned toward where Alphabet sat working at a dining table. Mouth half-open, Goblin let out a faint snore but his eyes were also open. At least it looked like they were.

The dog was adorable.

Shaking off the distraction, I glanced back at Alphabet, who lifted his chin in greeting. Then he tapped his headset. Oh, hewas listening or talking to someone. Folding my arms, I crossed to his set up. There were three laptops, and a tablet, and a small circular device in the center that they were all plugged into, but I had no idea what it was.

I pointed to his empty coffee cup and Alphabet’s whole expression went lighter. He picked up the cup and pressed it to my hands, then he pointed to a plate that was also there. The plate was paper but the double-walled and insulated mug had to have come with us.

Before I could take the plate, he touched a finger lightly to the back of my hand then motioned to the screen. A text field popped up.

1-cup coffee brewer in kitchen. 3 dif types of coffee pods. No cream. Prefer the dark roast. Some sugar if you want. No sugar for me. In fridge are sandwiches. Same as on drive. Will talk 2 U as soon as we get a break.

He gave me a hopeful smile that practically gleamed in his sparkling blue eyes. The messy blond hair, that made me think all he did to tame it was rake his fingers, gave him such a tousled and sexy air. It was distracting as hell.

I offered him a thumbs up. Despite the absolute silence, I swore I could hear his cheer when he raised his hands. When I raised the paper plate and glanced at him. He shook his head, then signed “thank you” in ASL.

The moment he finished, he frowned. Oops. Worried I didn’t get it? I tried to hide my humor before I signed,“I understand.”

His grin widened, it turned up his magnetism by a thousand watts. My stomach bottomed out at the pure delight reflected in his expression. He gave a little jerk and focused on the screen. “I’m still here, Bones. Don’t get your tighty-whities in a knottey.”

I inhaled my spit trying not to laugh. The fact Alphabet winked didn’t do much to help me resist cackling. I could almost picture Boney Boy’s bitchy expression. With a mission in mind,I headed into the kitchen. The windows in here overlooked some rather yellow and ordinary hilly plains beyond. I found everything for coffee waiting right there on the counter.

Another one of those round devices had the coffee maker plugged into it, along with a toaster, and what looked like a dual hot plate that was plugged in but not turned on. I hadn’t seen any of this stuff in the van, but it could have been in their bags.

A sticky note on the ancient fridge saidUse only water in fridge except to shower. Even brush your teeth with this.

Did I use their water to brush my teeth the night before? I had to have. Well, I hoped I had. The water hadn’t killed me yet if I didn’t.

I pulled out a couple of bottles from the fridge and started coffee for Alphabet before I made one for me. I also retrieved one of the sandwiches. The last thing I wanted this early was a sandwich. Though, frankly, I had no idea what time it was, so maybe it was afternoon.

By the time both cups were ready, I’d finished the sandwich and cleaned up my small amount of mess. The trash bag attached to the door handle on the fridge needed no explanation.

“Scanning, hold position,” Alphabet said as I came back in. His computer screen showed a slowly, but steadily populating image of what looked like a parking lot with one side of a warehouse growing more and more visible. “Sixty more seconds.”

He didn’t wave me off, so I took a sip of the coffee while I watched the scanning lines add more and more detail.

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