Page 31 of Burn For Me

Smoke

Lydia was going to have a field day with this. I thought about what she would say as I put pasta into a saucepan to warm it up. I could have put it in the microwave, but it would make it greasy. Besides, I wanted to give Lillian a few minutes to settle in.

It was almost done, when I went to let her know. I knocked softly on the door, but there was no answer. I turned the knob slowly and poked my head through the opening. When I saw her lying on the bed, I opened the door more and stepped in. I stood at the entrance for a few seconds and stared at her.

Lilly was lying on her side, curled up in the fetal position with her hands tucked under her chin, and breathing slowly. Apparently, she was sound asleep, so I went to the closet and removed a blanket. I laid the blanket over her, and she didn’t even move.

Standing beside the bed, I felt the pull in my chest to lay down beside her. That would have been a very bad idea. Instead, I brushed a soft kiss over her forehead and left the room, closing the door quietly behind me.

In the kitchen, I turned the burner off and moved the pan off the heat. I had a feeling that Lilly was not going to eat tonight. I collected my cellphone and went into the living room, pouring myself a drink before I sat down and stared at the dark sky, and the city lights.

I sipped my drink, then pulled up Lydia’s number. It rang twice before she answered. “Is something wrong?”

“No, why?”

“Because you don’t normally call me at eleven at night unless something is wrong.”

I glanced at my watch. “Sorry, I didn’t realize it was so late.”

“Yes, well, it is.”

“How is Kari?”

“She’s okay. I have a sitter for her tomorrow, so I’ll be at work on time. Are you still heading to Texas?”

“Yeah, I’m still on for that, but I wanted to let you know something.”

“What?”

“Before you freak out, I want you to listen to the whole thing.”

“Why am I already worried about what you will say?”

“Because that’s what you do, Lydia. You worry, but you don’t need to.”

“Fine, what’s up?”

“Lillian is staying at my condo for a little while.”

“Oh, Jesus, Zack! You couldn’t keep your dick in your pants for at least a week!”

“Hold on. I told you to listen to the whole thing.” I told her what had happened, and she asked several questions along the way. “She’s safe, and that’s what matters.”

“Do they know who did it?”

“No, but I have a feeling it was her ex-husband.”

“Why? I thought he was the one who filed for divorce.”

“He is, but from a few other things she has said, he sounds like a controlling bastard. He’s probably unhappy that she moved on to start a new life.”

“Maybe, but it could be someone else.”

“It could be. It could be random, but I didn’t like it, and I wasn’t going to let Lilly stay there.”

“Well, I have to admit that was smart. Where is she now?”

“Sleeping. She was going to settle in her room while I warmed up food, but when I went to tell her it was ready, she was sound asleep.”

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