Page 98 of Red Hot Harmony

I felt claustrophobic and restless.

The reception was shit and the map didn’t load up well when I steered the Jaguar toward the first left turn I saw, but I pushed the car forward, waiting for the device to reroute.

A sense of wrongness engulfed me from head to toe.

I couldn’t explain why I felt like I was racing against time. Ally wasn’t my kid. I’d known her only a few months, but the hole inside my chest grew only bigger with each passing second.

And then the phone rang and though I didn’t hear the conversation, I knew it was bad from the look on Camille’s face.

I caught only bits and pieces before she finally ended the call and turned to me, her cheeks completely leached of color.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, only allowing myself a quick glance on account of the thick wall of smoke stretching across the valley that made it seem as though we were driving through a tunnel.

Somehow, my mind was aware that the sun had slid behind the horizon long ago, but the sky had been nothing but black all day, and unless I consulted the clock, I was no longer certain what time it was.

I felt utterly lost.

“My mother has a flat tire,” Camille said.

“Okay.” My eyes remained glued to the road.

“She was taking the last batch of dresses to Doug’s house. They closed the streets because the fire jumped over and now she can’t get roadside assistance.” Camille paused as if to give me a chance to absorb the information before telling me more, “She’s stranded on the shoulder with thousands of dollars’ worth of merch, and neither Dad nor Harper can get to her.”

A shiver ran down my spine.

Somehow, I understood this wasn’t about the dresses.

Why did I even care about these people I hardly knew? Why did I worry about someone who hated me already?

My phone buzzed and I spied a notification that told me it was a photo message from Malik. When I clicked on it, I saw a picture of him and Snowflake.

“Where is she?” I asked. “Your mother?” My brain kicked into overdrive, started working.

“Lindero Canyon.”

I pulled up to the curb and studied the map for a few minutes, then told Camille to turn on the radio.

Static filled the car, followed by a news report.

“Dante?” She was biting her lip when I looked up, her eyes big and scared and unbelievably stunning.

I felt my breath catch in my throat. My hands reached for her face and cupped her cheeks on their own accord. “We’ll figure it out, mama. Okay?” I told her quietly, my voice shaking a little, but for her sake, I was trying.

I was trying my best to be what she needed me to be right now. Her rock.

Camille nodded. Once. Seemingly unable to speak.

“Malik can pick her up.” I showed her the map on the phone, tracing a crooked line that indicated one of the mountain roads. “This pass should be open.” My finger jammed into a blank spot on the screen, north of Calabasas, pointing at the areas that were burning.”

“But they won’t be able to cross back to Woodland Hills,” Camille whispered, listening to the news. There was a patch near the freeway that had begun spreading south and threatened to jump over.

“It’s fine.” I turned up the radio. “They can take them to my place. It doesn't look like there’s an evacuation order for any of the properties near Mulholland.”

“All right,” she agreed.

I steered the Jaguar back on the road, dialed Malik, and asked him if he was up for a drive.

“You mean, do I want to get out there right now after my wife broke up with me for the hundredth time while the entire fucking state looks and feels like the ninth circle of hell so I can rescue a dozen wedding dresses and some old cow who hates your guts?”

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