Page 116 of Red Hot Harmony

We fell into silence. It stretched and vibrated and hummed between us as if it had a mind of its own, a vicious, living and breathing thing.

“So I am a consequence then,” Ally concluded a good minute later, avoiding looking at me.

“No, you’re not,” I reassured her. “You’re my whole life, Bug. Everything I do is for you.”

“Well.” She inhaled sharply. “Then you should stop being pissed at Dante. I don’t want him to leave.”

12 Dante

From the back terrace of Frank’s house, the one facing the ocean, the black mass spreading across the sky and heading west wasn’t visible, but the air had that telltale acrid smell indicating the fires weren’t far away now.

Neither were a pair of circling helicopters and a roaring truck. The sounds were distant, muffled by the rumble of the Pacific, but real. As real as the beating of my tattered heart in my chest.

I patted my pockets, needing to sate my nicotine craving badly, but came up empty and this emptiness seemed symbolic, not just a lack of a piece of candy or cigarette pack.

Coincidentally, it felt almost like I was finally waking up from the nightmare the last forty-eight hours had been.

My mind wasn’t racing anymore, just jogging lazily, taking inventory of all the things that had been said and all the glances that had been exchanged.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been standing there, leaning against the railing, staring at the crashing waves below, gaze following the occasional flakes of ash as they swirled through the air and met their end down in the foaming water.

Eventually, I remembered that I hadn’t checked with Malik since last night.

I pulled out my phone and dialed his number.

“Hey, brother.” He cackled. “How you holding up?”

“I’m fine.”I wasn’t.“How areyouholding up?”

“Hanging in there. Your pool guy stopped by to see the damage. Said you’d have to wait until the fires are over.”

“Did she-monster leave?”

“Yeah. She took off. Nice old lady.”

“Nice?” I wanted to ask him if he was high again.

“She signed up for my one-on-one sessions.”

What in the world?“Are you shitting me?”

“You know, a lot of seniors go to the gym. It’s important to keep exercising at that age, more than ever.”

“If you say so.” I was still a little stunned by the fact that not only had Eloise Rockwell failed to kill Malik with her sharp tongue, but she’d also fallen for his charm like a swooning teenager.

Who knew?

He was laughing. “You underestimate my powers of persuasion.”

“I don’t anymore. I haven’t even met that woman, but she’s nuts.”

“That she is. She tried to teach Yanneth how to properly store vegetables in the fridge so they last longer.”

“Is my housekeeper still alive?”

“Yep. She’s hard to crack.”

“Is my dog alive?”

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