Wrecked Palace

by Catherine Cowles

  Crosby cleared his throat. “Before Griffin gives you his present, I have something else for you.”

  Will’s brows drew together. “But you and Kenna already gave me that game.”

  Crosby swallowed, looking at Kenna, who gave him an encouraging smile. “This is actually from Harriet. When she had me draft her will, she asked for this to be given to you on your seventeenth birthday.”

  The table was instantly quiet. Mia looked at Caelyn. “Harriet sent him a present from heaven?”

  Caelyn’s eyes glistened. “It looks like she did.”

  Crosby handed a card to Will. Moving with care, Will opened the envelope. As he scanned the page, his body went rigid. When he looked up, his eyes were just a bit red. “She left me a college fund. It’ll pay for wherever I want to go to school.”

  Caelyn gasped, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at Kenna. “Did you know about this?”

  Kenna shook her head. “Not until today.”

  Will stared down at the paper. “I can’t even thank her.”

  Caelyn wrapped an arm around him, but it was Kenna who spoke. “She knows, Will. That’s why she gave it to you. Because she knew how much you’d cherish it.”

  God, I’d fallen into such a good group of people. One I probably didn’t deserve but wasn’t giving up for anything. I cleared my throat. “You can still tell her.” Will met my gaze. “I talk to my parents and sister all the time. Maybe there’s a place you felt close to her. Go there and tell her how grateful you are.”

  He nodded and looked at Kenna and Crosby. “The beach at The Gables. Maybe I could come by sometime and say thank you.”

  Kenna’s smile was a bit wobbly, but she managed to hold back the tears. “You’re welcome any time.”

  Ava looked at me. “What about Griffin? He still has something for Will.”

  I smiled at the girl whose comfort around me was one of the best gifts I’d ever received. “That’s right, I do. We’re going to have to take a field trip, though.” And what I had couldn’t exactly measure up to a full-ride to the college of one’s choosing, but that didn’t matter. What was important was that Will felt loved and cared for and seen.

  I pushed up from the table and motioned for our group to follow me to the workshop. Caelyn found her way to my side, and I wrapped an arm around her. “You okay?” I whispered.

  She nodded. “I can’t believe Harriet did that. She’s already done so much for us. Without her, I never would’ve gotten on my feet.”

  “She loved you, and this was just another way she could show you.”

  “You’re right.” Caelyn pressed a kiss to the underside of my jaw. “Now, are you going to tell me what you’ve been working on all day?”

  “That would ruin the surprise.”

  “Oh, fine,” she huffed.

  As we reached the workshop, Crosby pushed Will to the front of our group and then joined me at the sliding barn doors. We each took hold of one. With a nod, we slid them open. There were a few gasps, and Mia let out a shriek. “Will! Look at all the instruments.”

  Will stood in stunned silence, gazing around the room. He took in the drum set and the baby grand piano. The electric guitar and the bass. The acoustic guitar and the banjo. There was some basic recording equipment, too. He slowly took one step forward and then another, his eyes jumping from one thing to another. Then he turned to me. “This—this is all for me?” I nodded. “Why?”

  The single word broke something in me. “Because you should chase any dream you have.”

  He flew at me, his arms engulfing me in a fierce hug. “Love you, Griffin.”

  A burn took up root in the back of my throat. “Love you, too.”

  44

  Caelyn

  “Pancakes?” Mia asked hopefully as she entered the kitchen.

  My mouth curved. Never had I been happier to get that question. Griffin and I had sat the girls down a few nights ago to tell them that Mom had passed away. Mia had been confused, but Ava had been angry, slamming doors until she finally broke down and had a good cry. They’d both been quiet since.

  Nothing could break my heart more than knowing that my tiny terrors were hurting. Worse, there was nothing I could do to fix it. But Mia asking me for pancakes said that at least she was on her way back to life as normal.

  “Sorry, Mi. You’re going to have to settle for egg bake and muffins.”

  She eyed me suspiciously. “Bran muffins or yummy muffins?”

  Griffin choked on a laugh as he lifted his glass of orange juice. I turned, pointing my spatula at him. “Don’t encourage her.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, taking a swig of his juice.

  Will grinned. “Yummy ones.”

  Mia let out a little squeal. “What kind?”

  “My bran muffins taste yummy,” I argued.

  Ava appeared in the doorway. “Sorry, Cae Cae. They taste a little like cardboard.”

  I scowled at all of them. “If my muffins taste like cardboard, then maybe I shouldn’t share these snickerdoodle ones with you.”

  “Snickerdoodle!” Mia shrieked.

  “Did you go to The Mad Baker this morning?” Ava asked.

  “Nope. Jules shared her recipe with me so I could make some for you hooligans. But I guess I’ll just have to eat them all myself.”

  “No!” Mia cried, tugging on my free hand. “I’ll eat all the vegetables you want if I can have one.”

  I grinned down at her. “I’m going to remember that at dinner tonight.”

  She scrunched up her face. “I shouldn’t have said all. I should’ve said I’d eat one vegetable.”

  Will popped a piece of egg bake into his mouth. “Rookie mistake.”

  I huffed as I brought the basket of muffins to the table and took a seat. “You’d all probably be vitamin deficient if it wasn’t for me.” I handed the basket to Griffin. “And you’d probably be halfway to a heart attack with all the crud you put in your body.”

  He brushed his lips across mine as he took the basket. “Thank God I have you to keep me alive.”

  “Are you guys gonna get married?” Mia piped in.

  Griffin and I both froze, our eyes widening. I cleared my throat and looked around the table. Will was turning red, trying to hold in his laughter. Ava simply looked curious. But Mia…she appeared hopeful. I took a quick sip of my juice. “Mia, people usually date for a long time before they get married. Griffin and I haven’t known each other that long.”

  The words tasted like a lie. It felt as if Griffin and I had known each other forever. We’d fallen so easily into this pseudo-family life. But he’d not once brought up the future. Whether he wanted marriage and babies or if he was happy with things as they were now.

  Mia looked back and forth between Griffin and me. “Well, if you do get married, I want to be a flower girl. Or a junior bridesmaid. Lisa’s mom got married, and she got a really pretty new dress. It was all sparkly.”

  I couldn’t hold in my laughter. Mia wasn’t confused or worried about the relationship status of her sister or whether her life was about to change. She simply wanted a new sparkly dress. I glanced at Griffin, who was grinning down at his plate. “We’ll keep that in mind.”

  “I think it would be nice,” Ava said softly. “If we were always together like this.”

  I reached under the table and grabbed Griffin’s thigh. My grip was so tight, I was surprised he didn’t at least mutter a curse. Instead, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and met Ava’s gaze. “I like being together like this, too. You make this house a lot more fun.”

  “That’s ‘cause we’re awesome,” Mia added helpfully.

  Will smiled. “She’s not wrong. We are pretty rad.”

  I swallowed the emotions gathering in the back of my throat. “Well, my rad friends, hurry up and finish breakfast so we aren’t late for school.”

  The kids hurried to finish up what they were eating, and Mia asked for a second muffin in her school lunch. I ass
ured her there was already one in her rainbow lunchbox. As they ran to get their backpacks, I turned to face Griffin. “So, that was, um, interesting.”

  He trailed a hand down the column of my throat. “Mia’s love of sparkly dresses knows no bounds.”

  I couldn’t help the flicker of disappointment that rose at his words. Not that I expected him to drop to one knee, but a hint of what he saw for our future would’ve been nice. I stood, pushing my chair back. “That she does.”

  Griffin followed me, grabbing my hand. “Hey, is something wrong?”

  I shook my head. “No. I’m just tired. My coffee hasn’t kicked in yet.”

  He studied me carefully. “If you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure.” The last thing I wanted to do was put pressure on Griffin to name what this thing between us was. To promise me things he wasn’t ready to give. I gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll see you after work.”

  I started down the hallway and pulled open the front door. “Tiny terrors, I’ll meet you in the car.” A chorus of agreements met my ears, and I started towards my SUV parked in the drive behind Griffin’s truck.

  I came to a stop as I saw a paper fluttering against the windshield, held in place by only the windshield wiper. A chill skittered up my spine. It was probably just a drawing Mia had made me. I told myself that over and over as I walked slowly towards my SUV. There was no way someone had gotten onto the farmhouse property. There were locked gates and cameras and alarms.

  My hand shook as I pulled the paper free. The blood drained from my head. There was a photo tacked to the note, one of me and the kids two Christmases ago in our matching PJs, but Will, Ava, and Mia’s faces were all scratched out. And written in block letters was: You stole my life from me. Now I’m going to take yours from you.

  45

  Griffin

  I chuckled as footsteps thundered down the stairs. You would’ve thought a herd of elephants was heading off to school instead of three kids. “Got everything you need?”

  “Yep!” Mia called. Ava nodded, smiling. And Will offered me a fist bump.

  I met his gaze. “Remember what we talked about?”

  “Avoid Drew whenever I can.”

  “Good man.”

  Mia pulled open the front door, but was met by Caelyn barreling into the house as soon as she did. “No, go back inside right now.”

  Her sharp tone had Mia scrambling back, colliding with my body. I wrapped my arms around the little girl. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Caelyn slammed the door, locking it. “Are all the other doors locked?”

  I quickly passed Mia off to a worried Will, who wrapped her in a hug. I strode to Caelyn. “I don’t know. Tell me what’s going on, right now.”

  She was pale, trembling, and her gaze jumped from child to child and then around the entry as if someone might pop out at any time. “We need to lock the doors.” Her hand shook as she handed me a piece of paper. “It was on my car.”

  I scanned the page, my body locking. “Come with me right now.” I hurried them into my office, pulling open the bookcase and heading for the panic room. I entered the code in a flash and turned on the lights. “Go downstairs. I’m going to lock you in until the sheriff’s department can get here. Don’t come out unless Parker or I come get you. Do you understand?”

  Mia whimpered. “Luci. I don’t have Luci.”

  “There she is,” Will said, darting into the office to grab the kitten.

  Mia kept shaking her head and tugged on my arm. “I want you to come with us.”

  I crouched, framing her face in my hands. “I need to wait for the sheriff, okay? Everything’s going to be fine. And there are games down there. Will is going to play with you. Right, Will?”

  He nodded, Luci squirming in his arms. “Yeah, Mi. Let’s see what he’s got.” Will ushered Mia and Ava downstairs, but Caelyn remained.

  She was still pale, but her jaw had tightened. “I’m staying with you.”

  “The hell you are. You’re going down there and you’re going to keep those kids calm.”

  Her hands fisted in my shirt. “What if something happens to you?”

  I pulled her to me. “Nothing is going to happen to me.”

  “Swear it.”

  “I swear.” I released her, heading to the gun safe on the wall. I punched in the code, and it unlocked. I grabbed my Glock and shut the door. “See, completely protected. Now, go downstairs. Keep them calm.”

  “Griffin?” she asked.

  “Yes?”

  “I love you.”

  I froze. The knowledge of her words seemed to zing through my body as if someone had lit a series of fireworks in my bloodstream. “What did you say?”

  Caelyn pressed her lips together. “I love you. I just needed you to know that. I know you might not be ready—”

  I kissed her, quick and fierce. “I love you. I think a part of me loved you from the first moment I saw you. Some part of me recognized that you were the one person who could understand me. Who could help me find my way back.”

  Caelyn’s eyes filled with tears, but a sharp knock sounded on the front door. We froze. I brought a finger to my lips and then pointed down the stairs. She paused for a moment, but when I squeezed her arm, she followed my instructions. As quietly as possible, I closed the door to the panic room, then slid the bookcase back in place.

  Another knock sounded. I eased towards the doorway of the office but stayed protected by the wall. “Who is it?”

  “It’s Parker.”

  The tension in my muscles eased a fraction. “You alone?”

  “What the hell is going on?” he barked.

  I quickly made my way to the door, unlocking it and creating just enough of an opening for Parker to slip inside. As soon as he passed the threshold, I shut and locked it behind him. He scanned me from head to toe, his gaze lingering on the gun in my hand. “What happened?”

  I realized I’d let the note fall to the floor in the entryway in my rush to get Caelyn and the kids to safety. I bent, picking it up and handing it to Parker. He let out a litany of curses and then pulled out his phone, calling it in. “The Anchor deputies will be here in minutes. But more backup is coming. Where are the kids? Caelyn?”

  I hesitated for the briefest moment. I didn’t share with anyone that I had a panic room. They worked best when they were a secret no one knew about. “They’re in my panic room.”

  Parker’s eyes widened a fraction and then he nodded. “Think you can handle sweeping the house with me?”

  I tightened the grip on my gun. “Let’s go.”

  We moved from room to room on every floor, and it wasn’t until we returned to the entryway and saw another sheriff’s department vehicle racing up the drive that I relaxed a bit. I glanced at Parker. “Did you leave my gate open?”

  He looked a little sheepish. “I didn’t think I’d be here long.”

  I shook my head. I’d given him the code in case there was a true emergency. “I’m going to get Caelyn and the kids. Keep the deputies outside for now.”

  Parker nodded, heading out the front door. I strode back into my office, moving through the bookcase and to the reinforced steel door hidden behind it. I plugged in the code and called downstairs. “It’s Griffin. You can come up now.”

  Caelyn was first up the stairs, practically tackling me. “You’re okay? Tell me you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Parker’s here with some other deputies.” I looked at the kids. “You guys okay?” They nodded, but Ava and Mia appeared more than a little shaken up. I crouched, pulling them both into my arms. “Everything’s okay.” I held them for a long moment and then released them both. “Can you guys do me a favor?”

  “Sure,” Will answered.

  “Don’t tell anyone about that room. It’s our secret hiding place, okay?”

  Mia looked up at me thoughtfully. “Like a fort.”

  I forced myself to smile at her. “Exactly. Like a secret fo
rt. Only we can know about it. Got it?”

  “Got it,” she agreed.

  I looked to Ava, and she nodded.

  “Okay, let’s go talk to Parker.” I ushered them out of the small space, closing the door behind us. The next hour flew by. We’d checked camera footage but didn’t have the right angles to catch whoever had jumped the fence and left the note on Caelyn’s SUV. Before long, what felt like the entire sheriff’s department swarmed my property, looking for clues. Kenna, Bell, Crosby, and Ford showed up once Caelyn called to let them know what was going on. Kenna and Bell were a godsend, taking the kids upstairs to cuddle and watch a movie. Will hadn’t wanted to go but when I mouthed, “Please. Look out for them,” he’d gone without another word of argument.

  I kept Caelyn in my arms, unable to let her go. Somehow, I reasoned that if I just kept touching her, it would be impossible for her to come to any harm. She stood quietly, her back pressed to my front, and hadn’t said more than a handful of words since we’d sent the kids upstairs. I pressed my lips to her hair, breathing her in. “Do you need anything?”

  She shook her head, turning in my arms so her cheek was pressed to my chest. “Just you.”

  “You’ve got me. Always.”

  Her hands fisted in my shirt. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Ford tapped away on the screen of his phone. “My friend’s security company is supposed to do the install today, right?”

  I muttered a curse. “Yeah.” I’d completely forgotten.

  “Do you still want him to come?” Ford asked.

  I scanned the property around us, seeing most of the law enforcement officials heading for their vehicles. I couldn’t imagine anyone would be working much longer. There couldn’t be a piece of the property they hadn’t investigated. I waved Parker over. “I’m supposed to have new security going in this afternoon. And given the circumstances, I really don’t want to cancel that install.”