Capture Me: Alpha Billionaire Romance (Hollywood Dreams) by C.J. Thomas Page A
Authors: C.J. Thomas
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sea of ponchos and umbrellas.
“Of course he is, how else do you think I got here? He tried to leave me in his office but that wasn’t happening.”
Any other time, I would have laughed at the thought of Sadie barricading herself at our stuffed-up lawyer’s door to keep him from leaving the building. I was glad I wasn’t in that car coming up here.
A fireman stepped from my front door and crossed the lawn toward the Browns’ house. It seemed unnatural for someone not to step onto each stone to get to the driveway. Dad had helped Mr. Brown lay them out between our homes years ago. Not that they couldn’t afford someone else to take care of it. Dad had explained that it was good to do something with his hands after working with numbers all day. Every year, he took on a new project just to say he did it himself.
The Browns had come to the neighborhood about a year after my parents married. I couldn’t think of anyone my parents were—had been—closer to. The thought brought me back to the present, and seeing the fireman walk up the neighbors’ steps sent a cold chill down my back.
I nodded in that direction. “Something happen over there, too?”
Sadie shook her head. “Dani’s in there. I told them I’d wait out here for you and—”
Not bothering to hear the rest, I pushed my way through the crowd of wet ponchos. Nearly missing the first step, I went through the Browns’ front door and found everyone crowded in the first room of the house, which was also the last room I would have looked. I’d never seen anyone actually in the guest waiting area before. It was one of those done-up rooms that no one actually sat in.
But there they were, nearly a dozen wet people dripping on the pristine carpet. Mrs. Brown sat on the Victorian love seat, rubbing Dani’s back. She gave me a small smile as I stepped into the room. Sadie stepped beside me. I hadn’t even realized she’d followed me into the house.
“Hey, sis.” I sat on the other side of Dani and draped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m here now.” She turned to me and I wrapped my arms around her.
“I should have been here. Maybe then I would’ve . . .” The rest of her words were muffled against my shoulder.
“Dani, don’t. You were right. Then you’d also be—” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
The firefighter tipped his hat at me. “You must be Tessa. Sorry for your loss.” He gazed out the window to our house as if to prompt whatever he was about to tell us. “We did our air quality check and discovered that the CO detectors had been deactivated.”
I sighed. “I kept telling Mom that they weren’t connected to the smoke detectors.” I squeezed Dani’s shoulder, knowing he needed more of an explanation. I didn’t know how much she’d already said but I’d fill in where I could. The shock hadn’t hit me yet like it had her. “Every time Mom cooked, she set them off.” It was our family ritual. A bizarre tradition that started with a family gathering and ended with smoke billowing out the window. “She didn’t know which detectors were which so Mom always unplugged them all.”
The firefighter opened his mouth like he was about to lecture, but then looked at Dani. He nodded that he understood.
“He must have gotten tired,” Dani said in a raspy, faraway voice.
I frowned, wanting to connect what she was trying to say. “What—”
“Dad must have left the car running after listening to his tapes.” She wiped her nose. “Just left it running all night . . .”
Dad loved his old cassettes and had players installed inside both of his restored Mustangs—another of his pet projects. Mom always said those cars would kill him.
For once, I wished she hadn’t been right.
“I believe they’ve answered all your questions,” Edward said as he shooed the fireman out of the room. I hadn’t even seen the squatty man when I came in, but now he took control of the room in a flash with his booming voice. What he
“Of course he is, how else do you think I got here? He tried to leave me in his office but that wasn’t happening.”
Any other time, I would have laughed at the thought of Sadie barricading herself at our stuffed-up lawyer’s door to keep him from leaving the building. I was glad I wasn’t in that car coming up here.
A fireman stepped from my front door and crossed the lawn toward the Browns’ house. It seemed unnatural for someone not to step onto each stone to get to the driveway. Dad had helped Mr. Brown lay them out between our homes years ago. Not that they couldn’t afford someone else to take care of it. Dad had explained that it was good to do something with his hands after working with numbers all day. Every year, he took on a new project just to say he did it himself.
The Browns had come to the neighborhood about a year after my parents married. I couldn’t think of anyone my parents were—had been—closer to. The thought brought me back to the present, and seeing the fireman walk up the neighbors’ steps sent a cold chill down my back.
I nodded in that direction. “Something happen over there, too?”
Sadie shook her head. “Dani’s in there. I told them I’d wait out here for you and—”
Not bothering to hear the rest, I pushed my way through the crowd of wet ponchos. Nearly missing the first step, I went through the Browns’ front door and found everyone crowded in the first room of the house, which was also the last room I would have looked. I’d never seen anyone actually in the guest waiting area before. It was one of those done-up rooms that no one actually sat in.
But there they were, nearly a dozen wet people dripping on the pristine carpet. Mrs. Brown sat on the Victorian love seat, rubbing Dani’s back. She gave me a small smile as I stepped into the room. Sadie stepped beside me. I hadn’t even realized she’d followed me into the house.
“Hey, sis.” I sat on the other side of Dani and draped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m here now.” She turned to me and I wrapped my arms around her.
“I should have been here. Maybe then I would’ve . . .” The rest of her words were muffled against my shoulder.
“Dani, don’t. You were right. Then you’d also be—” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
The firefighter tipped his hat at me. “You must be Tessa. Sorry for your loss.” He gazed out the window to our house as if to prompt whatever he was about to tell us. “We did our air quality check and discovered that the CO detectors had been deactivated.”
I sighed. “I kept telling Mom that they weren’t connected to the smoke detectors.” I squeezed Dani’s shoulder, knowing he needed more of an explanation. I didn’t know how much she’d already said but I’d fill in where I could. The shock hadn’t hit me yet like it had her. “Every time Mom cooked, she set them off.” It was our family ritual. A bizarre tradition that started with a family gathering and ended with smoke billowing out the window. “She didn’t know which detectors were which so Mom always unplugged them all.”
The firefighter opened his mouth like he was about to lecture, but then looked at Dani. He nodded that he understood.
“He must have gotten tired,” Dani said in a raspy, faraway voice.
I frowned, wanting to connect what she was trying to say. “What—”
“Dad must have left the car running after listening to his tapes.” She wiped her nose. “Just left it running all night . . .”
Dad loved his old cassettes and had players installed inside both of his restored Mustangs—another of his pet projects. Mom always said those cars would kill him.
For once, I wished she hadn’t been right.
“I believe they’ve answered all your questions,” Edward said as he shooed the fireman out of the room. I hadn’t even seen the squatty man when I came in, but now he took control of the room in a flash with his booming voice. What he
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