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Everything was gone There was just a big black pile of charred concrete and brick where her home used to be

She kneas her fault

Her mother ran over to her, wrapped in a dirty blanket She had ses of soot on her cheeks and a lost look in her blue eyes Herthem both with the blanket, and it was al Lana could do not to shove her away It wasn’t safe to show her love like this in public She was probably being watched

Lana wondered if the tears roling down her ht Kara as much sick pleasure as her screams had

"Where’s Dad?" asked Lana "Is he okay?"

"He’s with the fire chief right now"

"Show me"

Madeline Hancock led Lana over puddles and through a crowd of neighbors Carter Hancock was standing near the front of the fire truck, staring over the ruins of his house

Lana hesitated for only ato hi back her tears She couldn’t stop herself fro him He looked so shaken, so devastated

"Lana," he said, as if he was surprised to see her

Lana checked hins of injury but found none He was pale and shaking but looked unhurt She knew that didn’ton the inside, rough, ragged screams of pain and loss She knehat that was like al too wel

"I think the roseshih away froet them If the water didn’t rip them apart, they may be okay"

Lana wiped away a soot stain from his wrinkled cheek "I’ave her an absent nod

Madeline took her husband’s hand, and together they stared at the charred remains of their ho the suffering she’d caused for even onebehind her a few feet aas Caleb He atching her, looking invincible and strong, and she struggled against the urge to go to hihtht, this was real, and she had to face it

Lana ripped her eyes fro to do?" she asked her retted the words the moment she said them No way could her parents stay at her place That would et than they already were

"We’l go stay with Jenny and Todd They have more room, and little Taylor wil take our mind off this randchild, and they doted and fussed over him as if he were the only child on earth

"Is there anything you need? Anything I can do?" asked Lana

"No Jenny’s on her way, and I know you’ve got your fundraiser co up You concentrate on that and don’t worry about us"

Lana nodded Her parents held each other She turned away

Lana puled herself together as tight as she was going to get and uard on my sister’s house And Stacie’s"

Caleb’s eyes narrowed "Does this mean you’re ready to talk to me?"

"Wil you do it or not?"

"I wil"

"Even if I have nothing to say"

"We both know that’s not true," he replied

"Answer my question Wil you do this or not?"

"Yeah I’l do it"

"No strings attached?"

"Is that what you want?" he asked her, and she kneas talking aboutabout theht

Lana shoved the thought away before it could take root One night of kiler sex did not equal a relationship She couldn’t let herself think otherwise, no matter how much she wanted to "Yes That’s what I want"

Caleb’s expression hardened, closed up He puled out his cel phone and pressed a button "Assign guards at the Cramer residence as wel as her sister’s house" He paused "Yes, twenty-four/seven Don’t let the at her with that sas attached"

Lana’s eyes closed in relief At least she’d et her family and her friend thatMore than she could have done alone "Thank you"

"This isn’t going to end here," he told her "Whatever is causing this is only going to get worse"

Not if she cut everyone out of her life Kara only wanted to hurt the people Lana loved, so al she had to do was pretend she didn’t love anyone She was good at pretending, and she was going to start with Caleb "I don’t want you folowing h shit"

"Iyou trail afterGo home Send someone else if you have to, but stay out of my way"

He stepped closer, and she had to tilt her head back to look into his eyes "I knohat you’re doing, and it won’t work"