Only Mine (Fool's Gold #4)(41)

“Fire, as in flames?”

“They’re lighting them right now. Geoff thinks it will be great for the show. I’m scared Sasha will get hurt.”

Dakota was already getting out of bed. “Finn’s at his hotel. Do you have his cell number?”

“No.”

Dakota gave it to her. “Tell him I’ll meet him at the hotel.”

“I will. Hurry,” Karen said.

There might have been more, but Dakota didn’t bother to listen. She shoved the phone back on the base and turned on the light. Seconds later, she’d pulled on jeans and shoved her feet into athletic shoes. After grabbing her car keys and her cell phone, she was out the door and heading for her car.

DAKOTA DROVE AS FAST as she could up the mountain and pulled into the parking lot. A car jerked to a stop next to her, and Finn got out of his rental. He was already swearing.

“I’m going to kill him,” he growled, taking off toward the back of the hotel, where the pool was located.

Dakota raced after him. “They’re filming. Just so you know.”

Finn scowled as he grabbed her hand. “Meaning Sasha will resist any attempts to help him.” He swore under his breath. “I want to blame Geoff for this, but my brother is the real idiot.” He looked at her. “They don’t call it Fire Poi because it only looks like fire, do they?”

“Karen said there were actual flames.”

Finn picked up the pace. By the time they got to the pool, he was almost at a dead run. She had no way to keep up with him and arrived a few seconds later, barely able to breathe.

Note to self, she thought as she gasped for air. In the morning, she was really going to have to consider some kind of exercise program.

Any other thoughts on the exercise issue disappeared the second she stepped onto the patio area by the pool. About a half dozen Tahitian dancers stood by the water. Two of the guys were spinning balls of fire at dizzying speed. Sasha held a single ball of fire, connected to a chain. As she watched in horror, he raised his arm level with his shoulder and began to turn the fire.

What should have been darkness was illuminated by the lights from the two cameras. All that was missing was an insistent jungle drumbeat. That, and someone who knew what he was doing.

Urged on by the other dancers and Lani, Sasha spun the chain faster and faster. The fire created eerie circles of light. Dakota thought of Geoff lurking by the bushes. If Finn got a hold of him, there would be hell to pay. Normally she didn’t condone any kind of violence, but Geoff made it clear that all he cared about was the show. The fact that Sasha could be seriously hurt was of no interest to him.

Finn stalked toward the dancers. Dakota followed, not sure if she was going to interfere or not. While she strongly believed Finn should let his brothers live their own lives, this was different.

“What the hell are you doing?” Finn asked as he approached. “Do you want to get killed? Put that down.”

Sasha turned toward his brother. It seemed as if, just for a moment, he forgot he was holding a chain with a ball of fire on the end. He stopped turning the chain and the ball swung toward the ground. The arc of movement swept perilously close to Sasha’s side.

She wasn’t the only one who noticed. Even as Finn dove toward his brother, Lani screamed and one of the dancers yelled out a warning.

But it was too late. Sasha’s T-shirt caught fire. He instantly dropped the chain and yelled. In the time it took Dakota to register the horror, Finn barreled into his brother, and they both tumbled into the pool.

“I’M GOING TO KILL HIM,” Finn said as he paced the length of Dakota’s living room. He’d showered and dried off, but hadn’t cooled down.

“I don’t care about the consequences. I’ll plead guilty. I’ll face the judge. Do you think there is any judge in this country who wouldn’t understand why I have to kill my brother? And Geoff. What the hell. If I’m going to jail for murder, what difference does the second one make? Doesn’t everyone like a two-for-one sale?”

Dakota sat on the sofa. For once she wasn’t sure what to say. She believed Finn was hanging on too tight, but tonight Sasha had crossed the line. Legally, he was an adult. Apparently a stupid one. What kind of idiot started swinging around a ball of fire in the middle of the night? Sure it made good TV, but he wasn’t going to have a career if he ended up with third-degree burns.

Although the paramedics had said he was going to be okay, they’d taken him to the hospital to be checked out. Dakota had been relieved when Finn hadn’t climbed in the ambulance. She’d been concerned about having them alone in such a small space.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Finn said. “I’m going to tie them up and throw them on a plane. I know you think that will land me in jail but I’m good with that. If I get them back to Alaska and back in college, I will happily go to jail.”

“If you’re in jail, they’ll just leave college. As for tying them up, they’re about your size, Finn. You could probably take one of them but you can’t take both.”

He paused by the window and looked at her. “Want to bet? I’m mad enough to take on a Kodiak bear.”

This probably wasn’t the time to point out that the Kodiak bear would win.

“I can’t believe Sasha did that,” she admitted. “I can’t believe he was that stupid.”