Free Ignite by Lily Paradis Page A

brick I’d ever put up with the look in his eyes.
    “It was about me,” he said intensely.
    I gulped and nodded, feeling like I needed to listen more than anything else in the world. I wanted to know. I wanted to be for someone what I didn’t have.
    “How bad?” I asked.
    He laughed sadly.
    “He made Tony Montana look clean.”
    I gasped a little bit. I’d never seen Scarface , but I got the reference. I didn’t want to say I was sorry, because I hated when people said that to me. Pity was what I hated the most.
    We didn’t say anything for a long time, and I started to realize that maybe running out into the cold with nothing but a bikini on under my parka and sweatpants wasn’t the best idea. The ends of my hair were still wet if not frozen, and the rest of me might as well be an ice cube.
    “I’m a dancer,” I said finally, shivering through my teeth. “Or, I was.”
    He seemed lost in thought, but turned to me with a slightly delayed response.
    “What?” His eyes still seemed far away.
    “Something true about me,” I said, balling myself up to try and contain my own warmth.
    He opened his mouth, and then shut it again before responding.
    “What kind of dancer?”
    He turned to face me.
    “Classical ballet,” I told him softly.
    “I could see that.”
    He nodded and seemed like he was impressed.
    “Are you shivering?” he asked, and I focused on how his breath hung out in front of him. It was definitely getting colder in here.
    No shit, Sherlock. It was my fault we’d been trapped by an avalanche.
    Who does that? Only really, really stupid people.
    I nodded, keeping my face tucked into my jacket.
    He pulled himself up from where he was sitting and looked around. It was still incredibly dark, but the snow outside created a strange, eerie glow that somehow made it so we could see a little bit on the inside.
    I followed him with my eyes as far as I could see him, but when he disappeared out of my line of vision, I tucked my head further into the neck of my parka and just listened. I heard him opening doors and moving things around.
    I was just so cold and so tired. Maybe I could just nap for a little bit, and I would wake up and we would be rescued. I let my eyes shut, thinking to myself that I was still in control as they fluttered open and closed.
    Seconds later, I was met with a loud voice. Why was it so loud?
    “Lauren,” he said close to me, and I heard the panic in his voice.
    My eyes shot open, and his face was hanging over mine, full of what seemed like concern.
    “Hi,” I said softly, somewhat annoyed because I knew he wouldn’t let me sleep.
    His eyes searched mine again, and then he set something on my knees. I pulled my hands out of my jacket to look at it. It was a packet of food.
    “I found a survival kit in that closet,” he said, ripping open a package for himself. “It’s not much, but it should get us by for a bit. There’s also a bathroom and the water’s running, but I wouldn’t count on that for long.”
    “Thanks,” I said softly, my voice coming out scratchy.
    “Also,” he said hesitantly, “I don’t want to scare you, but I found the phone.”
    I shot up.
    “Wait, that’s good! So we can call for rescue!”
    Thank god.
    His face was grim as he picked up something beside him.
    “It’s dead.”
    My heart sunk to my stomach. If it was dead, so were we. This was literally the worst case scenario. And I was probably going to hell, because not only was I going to be dead, but I’d also be responsible for Dean dying too. Electronics were turning out to be my personal nightmare.
    “I’m so sorry,” I said softly, my eyes welling with tears. I was already shaking from the cold, and I could barely keep myself calm when I started to panic.
    He moved to sit beside me.
    “Hey,” he said, acting strangely calm. “We’re going to be okay. Between Kenzie and Jed, they’ll find us and have us out of here in no time.” He smiled, but knew he was trying to convince