Bound by Light (7 page)

“I’ll ring the police on Monday,” Uncle Cary
promised. “Maybe they’ll have an update.”

“Thanks.”

Lucy linked her arm with Sydney’s and gave
her a bolstering smile, but Sydney didn’t feel particularly
bolstered. She felt frustrated and powerless. She just wanted
things settled so she could get on with her life.

Arriving home, she headed to her room and
changed for bed, grateful her family left her alone for the most
part. Lucy came in to say good night, but left quickly. Sydney
tried to sleep but her mind was on overdrive.

Just when she thought she might need to
resort to one of her sleeping pills, her phone buzzed on the
nightstand. She grabbed it and smiled down at the screen.

*Are you awake, beautiful?*

Thane’s message was incredibly sweet and
Sydney bit her lip, debating on how to respond. She decided to try
for funny.

*I’m sorry, who is this? I hope you’re not a
stalker who lurks in movie theaters*

*I only lurk when the stalkee is trying to
avoid me by hiding in the loo*

*You got me, darn you. But I’m not
accustomed to big movie stars stalking me*

*I should bloody well hope not*

Before she could respond, the phone rang and
Thane was calling her. She took a deep breath and answered, closing
her eyes as his voice floated over the line. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she whispered. “Shouldn’t you be in
bed?”

He chuckled. “Who says I’m not?”

Sydney laid her hand on her chest in an
effort to calm her heart. The thought of him in bed did something
wicked to her. “How much longer did you stay?”

“About an hour after you left and then a few
of us went out for a nightcap,” he said.

Sydney sank further into her pillows and
smiled. “Sounds fun.”

“I’d rather have been anywhere else with
you, but tomorrow will come, even if it takes forever.”

Her stomach fluttered. “About that.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“I...well, I’m not sure ominous is the right
word.”

“Are you telling me we can’t go out
tomorrow?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then what is it, love?” he asked. “Because
your uncle and I have already spoken briefly about the security
issue.”

“You have? When?”

“Just a few minutes ago.”

“Oh.”

“Tell me, love,” he pressed.

“I guess I just don’t get why me.” She shook
her head. “And I’m not saying that in a woe-is-me kind of way. I’m
just a little confused. We’re so different.”

“Because I’m Scottish and you’re
American?”

“Cute.” She giggled. “You’re this mega-huge
movie star and I’m just some girl from California who has no idea
what she’s going to do with the rest of her life. I have a degree
in communications, but right now, I have no desire to communicate
anything to anyone.”

He chuckled. “Well, that might all be true,
technically
, but it doesn’t change who we are on the inside,
and I’d love to get to know you.”

“I guess I can’t argue with that.”

“No, you can’t. So, what time am I picking
you up tomorrow?”

“I think I should meet you.” Sydney picked
at a feather making its way out of her comforter. “My uncle will
insist on one of his guys driving me.”

“Like I said, we already discussed it. I
have sent him my men’s dossiers and he’s doing a further check, but
barring any issues, it’s already settled.”

Sydney chewed her bottom lip. “Okay, that
works.”

“What are you worried about, love?”

“You think I’m worried?”

“Aye, lass, I do.”

“I guess I am, but how would you know that?”
she whispered.

“I can feel it.” He sighed. “We’ll talk more
tomorrow, but you can trust me, Sydney. If you need me, I’m
here.”

“But I don’t know you.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Am I stupid if I do?”

“Do you think you’re stupid?” he challenged.
“I don’t mean to double-talk you, but have you ever been a bad
judge of character?”

“I’m not sure I’ve been alive long enough to
know that definitively, but I’m typically pretty good at figuring
out who isn’t honest. I get a vibe, I guess you could say.”

“And do you get a vibe with me?” he asked.
“A bad one, I mean.”

“Honestly, no. But it’s easier to say that
over the phone.”

“How do you mean?”

She picked at the feather again. “It’s
dumb.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s just that when you touch me, I’m
totally calm. I feel like myself and don’t feel nervous or like
we’re different. I feel completely in sync with you. Almost like
we’re meant to be together.” She groaned. “Oh my word, I can’t
believe I just said that out loud. I don’t mean we’re meant to be
together in—”

“Sweetheart, it’s all right,” he interrupted
with a chuckle. “I feel the same way.”

“You do?”

“Aye, lass, I do.”

“Oh, good.” She smiled. “So, you’re just as
crazy as me, then.”

“No doubt in my mind.”

Sydney forced back a yawn somewhat
unsuccessfully. “Sorry.”

“You should sleep, love.”

“I don’t really want to.”

“But you should all the same. I’ll ring your
uncle tomorrow and we’ll get a game plan for security, okay?”

“Sounds good.” She suddenly felt a little
sad that they were ending their phone call.

“Hey.”

“Hmm?” she whispered.

“Can’t wait for tomorrow.”

“Me neither.”

“Sleep, love.”

Sydney grinned. “I’ll try.”

“I’ll ring you tomorrow.”

“Okay. ’Bye.”

“’Bye, love.”

He hung up and Sydney snuggled under the
covers, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

“So, how did a nice American girl end up in
rainy old England?” Thane asked, after they’d been seated by the
hostess.

Sydney smiled wistfully. Such an innocent
question with so many complicated layers of emotion.

After Thane’s conversation with Uncle Cary,
her uncle had given the green light for him to pick her up.
Apparently, he was comfortable with Thane’s legion of
bodyguards.

“Sorry, love. I didn’t mean to bring up
something difficult.”

Sydney shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I
guess I just haven’t had to tell anyone the story before.” She
sighed. “I’m actually British. I was born here. Dad was American,
though, and he had this brilliant opportunity to move to California
to work for a tiny little company called Monarch.”

She knew Thane would have heard of
Monarch—it had been acquired by the largest social media company in
the world.

Thane let out a quiet whistle. “Wow,
really?”

Sydney nodded. “He was employee number
seven. And, yes, he made a stupid amount of money… not that it
saved him.”

Thane laid his hand over hers, calming
her.

She blinked back tears. “He died six years
ago of lung cancer.”

“I’m so sorry, love.”

She gave him a sad smile. “Non-smoker,
tragic story, pretty much sucked. Mom did her best to keep life
going. I was still in college, so she decided not to move back
here.” When Thane released her hand to reach for his handkerchief,
she felt the heart-wrenching pain come fast and hard. “I’m sorry. I
need a minute.”

Standing, she walked as quickly as she could
without running, past the hostess desk and into the cold of early
evening. Her cheeks froze almost immediately and she realized she
was crying. She hadn’t cried since her mother died... at least, not
in the sense of mourning her. Watching sappy movies and crying at
Hallmark commercials didn’t count, in her opinion. The warmth of a
coat settled over her shoulders and she wiped her cheeks quickly.
“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, love,” Thane said, and
turned her face him. “We can go if you like.”

Sydney shook her head and blushed. “I feel
like an idiot.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “Because it’s our first date
and I’m crying. I didn’t even cry when my mom died.”

“Shite, lass. Yer mum died too?” He frowned.
“When?”

“One month, three days, and”—she checked her
watch—“six hours ago, West Coast time.”

He pulled her into his arms and held her
close. “How?”

“Drunk driver,” she rasped. “She was almost
home and the guy crossed into her lane and hit her head-on. She was
dead on impact.” She let out a sad chuckle. “I’m an orphan at
twenty-four years old. How pathetic is that?”

“Och, sweetheart, it’s not pathetic at
all.”

She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms
around his waist. He was so incredibly warm, and not just in
temperature. He made her feel instantly at ease, like she’d come
home. “She wanted to come back here right after Dad died, but she
refused to leave me. It’s so stupid. I could have finished school
anywhere, or lived in the dorm and finished there. I didn’t need
her to stay, but we were so close and she wanted to give me time to
grow up a bit. I should have made her come back. I shouldn’t have
let her—”

“Shhh. If your mum was anything like you, I
doubt you could have made her do anything, sweetheart.”

“But it’s my fault she died,” Sydney sobbed.
She’d never said those words out loud before, but she’d felt them
deeper than anyone could have guessed.

“It’s not,” Thane whispered.

“It feels like it is,” she whispered.

“I know.”

He stood and held her in the middle of the
sidewalk in front of the busy restaurant. She didn’t know how long
they stood there, but it was long enough to stop the incessant
hiccupping that came with crying jags.

He lifted her face and wiped the tears from
her cheeks. “It’s not your fault,” he stressed.

“I know that logically, but sometimes… I
guess I just forget.”

“Happens to the best of us, love.” Thane
smiled. “Do you want to go?”

“Not unless you want to.” She licked her
lips “I’m actually starving. I want a steak as big as my head and
at least one bottle of wine.”

He laughed. “Right, come on then.”

She took his hand and let him lead her back
into the restaurant. He held her chair while she sat down and she
removed his jacket and laid it across the back of her seat. “Thanks
for that.”

“Better?” he asked, and sat down.

“Much.” Sydney managed a small smile and
took his hand. “You know, I really didn’t cry.”

“When?”

“When Mom died. I did after Dad, but then
the tears just kind of dried up.” She shook her head. “It’s
silly.”

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “It’s not
silly, sweetheart.”

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, thank
you.”

“Thank you for driving you to tears?”

“Yes, exactly.” She grinned. “I quite like
you, Thane Allen.”

“I quite like you as well, Sydney
Warren.”

The waiter stopped by and took their order,
returning quickly with the wine. He poured it into their glasses
and then left them.

“How long are you staying with your aunt and
uncle? I take it with different last names, he’s your mum’s
brother?”

Sydney nodded. “I’ll be staying with them
until I figure out what to do, I suppose. Uncle Cary saved me in so
many ways, so I’m in no rush to leave his protective bubble.”

“How did he save you?”

“I was so confused after Mom died. I still
am, I guess. But I was also just kind of numb. They flew over
immediately and went into ‘solve Sydney’s life problems’ mode.” She
grimaced. “They took care of the memorial service, cremation
details, helped with the will and financial planning. My uncle
organized everything and put it together on this lovely little
flash drive that I can access anytime I need to. Lucy had been
bugging me for years to come and live with them and doubled the
effort after Mom’s death, so I did.”

“But?”

“
But
, I’m not used to the heightened
security and the cloak and dagger stuff that comes with it. Uncle
Cary says he wants security with me until the final police report
comes back on Mom’s death, but he hasn’t really given me a reason
why. Am I in danger? I’m shocked he let me go out with you
tonight.”

Thane smiled and squeezed her hand. “Your
uncle trusts that I will keep you safe, and my job is to make sure
you have so much fun, you forget that you have security following
you. I take my job very seriously.”

Sydney giggled. “I’m picking up on
that.”

“Will you let me distract you?”

“Don’t you have a home or job to go to?”

“I’m done with the promo tour for the movie
and I haven’t committed to anything new, so I’m at your disposal
for as long as you’ll have me.”

“What if it’s forever?”

He leaned forward and winked. “Then I’m at
your disposal forever.”

She shivered and smiled. What a beautiful
prospect.

“Excuse me?” a feminine voice asked.

Sydney glanced up at two teenage girls
giggling and blushing as they stared at Thane. “Can we get a photo,
please?”

“Do you mind, sweetheart?” he asked
Sydney.

“Not at all,” she said. “Go right
ahead.”

Thane took a few minutes to sign autographs
and take photos, but his agreeing to do so for the girls meant they
were inundated with requests from other diners.

Just when Sydney thought they’d never get
the chance to eat, the restaurant manager shooed the fans away and
ushered her and Thane into a private room overlooking the
Thames.

“Thank you,” Thane said, and sat down after
Sydney. “We probably should have done this at the beginning.”

“It’s okay,” Sydney said. “I know you were
trying to make me feel comfortable by keeping me in a public
place.”

He chuckled. “I suppose that’s true. I’m
trying to shake my stalker reputation.”

“I thought
I
was the stalker.”

“I guess that’s closer to the truth,
eh?”

The sound of Fallen Crown’s single for the
new movie piped in and Thane shook his head. “Do you think they did
that on purpose?” he mused.