All Chapters of Echoes of Desire; Dance of Deception: Chapter 41 - Chapter 45

Zane led me to a blacked-out SUV, and as we drove away from the airport, I watched the lights of the city stretch out before us like a never-ending sea of stars."You okay?" Zane's voice was gentle, his hand briefly touching my arm before retreating to the steering wheel.I nodded, not trusting my voice. The lump in my throat was too big for words."We've got a safe house set up for you. It's not much, but it's home for now."Home. The word was foreign on my tongue. I had left my real home behind, trading it for a life in the shadows. But as we pulled into the quiet, nondescript neighborhood, I knew that for now, this was where I had to be.For the sake of my baby, and the love I had for Nathan, I had to play this game. I had to be strong, and I had to survive.As we pulled into the driveway of the safe house, Zane turned to me. "You can trust me, Brianna. I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe."I nodded again, my eyes misty with unshed tears. "Thank you."He helped me insid

ONE MONTH LATERThough I’d known it wasn’t wise, I’d been unable to cut all ties back in Texas, and had reached out to Minx once I’d settled in L.A., even reaching out to Arizona. Then came the dilemma of Nathan.After everything was over, I’d powered up my phone and found my voicemail practically filled with his messages. With each one he left, I’d fought myself not to listen, instead, before weakness could overtake me, I’d hit the delete button and blocked his number. The temptation not to call him was still a daily struggle. I’d managed to find a job as an assistant for a private investigator. It differed from the hectic activity I’d become accustomed to at the agency and was nothing more than answering the phone and setting up appointments—but it filled in the empty hours. As the days continued to pass, I found I liked my boss. Linda Spelling had turned out not only to be a wonderful employer but a great friend. We spent almost every morning before work drinking decaffeinated c

Turning, I took a step and heard a pop and crack. To my horror, I saw the ceiling coming down at me. With a scream, I threw myself down beside the couch, riding it out there until the shaking stopped. When everything stopped rocking, I began to shift; however, I couldn’t as my legs had become pinned beneath what I could only assume were large chunks of the ceiling and support beams. The quake must have knocked the power out of the whole neighborhood, for the house had settled into a shroud of darkness. Not even the moon penetrated the blackness that now surrounded me and prevented me from seeing how much debris I lay beneath. I tried pushing at the heavy material to remove it from my legs. However, I had to stop as another contraction tore through me. Panting, I worked my way through the pain. When it had subsided, I pushed again at the debris, which held me, prisoner, beneath it.As I pushed and shoved, I became frantic. Fear skittered up my spine and claimed my mind. This couldn’