problem."
"No," Mark said, with a definitive shake of his head. "I can't make anyone else a target."
"I think we should stay together," Ruth argued.
As her mom and Mark continued their conversation, Dante looked back at her. "You could stay with me at the inn. To sleep, nothing else. If that doesn't work, I'll go wherever you want to go, but I'm not letting you out of my sight."
She gave him a tired smile. "That sounds nice. Mom," she added, interrupting her mom's conversation with Mark, "Dante will take me to the hospital, and then I'll stay with him at the inn."
"All right. I guess Mark will go back to the lodge, and I'll stay with Erin," she said with an unhappy sigh.
Keira couldn't share her unhappiness. She would feel better knowing her mom was with the neighbors and not with Mark. Until Mandy was in custody, Mark was still a target, along with anyone who was with him. "We'll meet back here in the morning," she said. "I'm sure we won't be able to get in before then, if we can get in at all. Maybe there will be something left to salvage upstairs or in the garage."
"We'll figure it out." Her mother sounded stronger than she had in years. "Dante, you take care of my girl."
"I will," he promised. "You can count on that."
Dante helped her off the short wall and they made their way toward his car, which was parked across the street. She stopped to exchange hugs with all of her friends. Thankfully, they already seemed to know the story, so she didn't have to retell it. As she got into Dante's car, she took one last look at her house. The fire was just about out, but there was still a ton of smoke in the air.
"Are you okay?" Dante asked, giving her a concerned look.
"I'm angry and sad, but I'm also grateful that I'm alive. When we get to the hospital, I want you to get your arm checked out, too."
"It's going to be all right, Keira."
She really wanted to believe him, but she needed his arm to be okay, even if it made their choices more complicated. She couldn't be the reason he lost everything.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Dante didn't take a full breath until he helped Keira into his guest room at the inn just before midnight. She'd been diagnosed with a minor fracture in her foot, which had been placed in a boot. Luckily, she hadn't needed surgery or a cast, and the pain was treatable with medication. It could have been a lot worse.
Keira got on the bed, resting her back against a pair of fluffy pillows. She stretched out her legs and let out a long sigh.
He sat on the edge of the bed next to her, seeing pain in her eyes. "Can I get you anything?"
"No, thanks. I'm okay."
"You don't look it."
"You're supposed to lie and say I look beautiful." She smiled. "Just like you look handsome with chunks of plaster in your hair and soot on your face."
He grinned. "You do look beautiful. I'm hoping that smile means the medication is taking effect."
"My foot doesn't hurt too bad, but I feel exhausted."
"The adrenaline and shock are starting to wear off. You need to sleep."
"You must be feeling the same way." Her gaze moved from his face to his shoulder. "Are you sure the doctor said your shoulder is okay?"
"I'm sure." Hannah had come to the hospital and had the doc on duty take a look at his arm and shoulder while Keira was getting an x-ray. "If anything, I may have strained my arm, but it doesn't feel like a setback. I'll get it checked more thoroughly at the rehab center tomorrow."
"You better."
"And you don't need to worry about me." He grabbed his phone as it buzzed. "It's Adam."
"Hopefully, he has good news. Can you put it on speaker?"
"Of course. Hello? Adam?"
"Yes. Are you still with Keira?"
"She's right here. You're on speaker."
"Good. Lizzie gave me your number since Keira lost her phone in the fire. I wanted to let you know that Mandy has been taken into custody."
"That's great." He felt an intense wave of relief. "Where did you find her?"
"She made it to the north shore. She'll be transferred back here to the county jail tomorrow. We have video of her breaking into Keira's house from the neighbor's camera next door. We also have her buying gasoline earlier in the day on the north shore. The case against her will