Page 23 of Raging Inferno

Presley followed Dominic through the entry. The foyer was enormous, with large windows, high ceilings, and intricate plasterwork. A sweeping stairway led to the second and third floors. Presley would never want to live in such a place. It was, for want of a better word, cold.

Dominic stopped and motioned for her to precede him into a room bathed in sunlight from several windows. The furniture was carved and tufted, with wood trim. Presley was sure it had a name, but she didn’t know it. She took a seat, and Dominic joined her.

“You seem to know a lot about Jessie and her house.” She tried to keep the envious tone out of her voice.

“She and Sam host several parties a year. I usually have to attend.”

“Ah.” That didn’t sound like a close, personal relationship . . . not that it mattered to Presley. She wasn’t jealous.She wasn’t.

“Dominic.”

Presley glanced up as Jessie Hooper entered the room. For a moment, she was transported back in time to when Gwen, Jessie, and the crew had been larger than life. She had desperately wanted to be one of them, to be as old as they were and hang out with them. She’d been so lucky they’d treated her as part of their crew. Other kids had athletes or movie stars as their heroes. The Cheerios had been her idols.

Presley stood as Jessie grabbed Dominic’s hands and air-kissed his cheeks. Her hairstyle was the same shoulder-length, straight curtain of silky black from high school.

“It’s good to see you, Dominic.” Jessie turned to her. “And who do we have . . .” Her jaw dropped open. “Presley Parrish? Oh, dear Lord baby Jesus, is that you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, my God.” Jessie grabbed her and yanked her in for a fierce hug. Presley got a whiff of expensive perfume mixed with alcohol. “I’ve thought of you so much over the years and wondered what happened to you.” She pulled back to study Presley. “My gosh, you’re stunning. You were such an adorable kid. I always knew you would turn into a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you.”

“I hated I lost track of you after . . . well, you know. You were so important to me, and I felt like I lost you that night, too.”

Again, tears crowded Presley’s eyes. What was wrong with her?

“You know, I thought of you last week. Someone asked about you.”

Presley blinked back the wetness. “Oh?”

“Yes. He was researching his family tree and said you were on it.”

“Really? What was his name?”

“Andy something. Strange man, but he was nice enough.”

Presley would have to ask her parents about any relatives named Andy. She couldn’t think of any off the top of her head. “What did he look like?”

“Average height and weight. He wore glasses and had one of those funky beards.” She drew an arch around her mouth.

“A Fu Manchu?”

“Yes, that’s it. Oh, and he had a scar here.” She pointed to the side of her face.

“Do you have a way to contact him?”

“I don’t. He said he was only in town for a couple of days.” Jessie glanced between Presley and Dominic, and a smile crossed her face. “Are you two together?”

“No, absolutely not,” Presley sputtered.

Dominic frowned at her. Maybe her protest had been a tad too forceful.

“Presley is only in town for a few days,” Dominic supplied evenly.

“Oh? What brings you home?”

“Margy Binder.”

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