Wrecked Palace

by Catherine Cowles

  Parker rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Understandable. It shouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, we haven’t found much.”

  A muscle in my cheek ticked. Were we going to find anything before it was too late? I held Caelyn a bit tighter but kept my gaze fixed on Parker. “What were you coming by for anyway?”

  “Hell, I almost forgot. A print came back on the first note. The one Caelyn found on her SUV outside the store.”

  She stiffened in my arms. “Whose?”

  Parker pulled out his phone and brought up a mug shot. “Darryl Kidman. He look familiar?”

  Caelyn studied his face carefully, and I did the same. He was thin, cheeks almost sunken in but covered with a beard. Brown hair and eyes. Nothing about him was in any way remarkable. Nothing that said he was capable of threatening the people I loved most in this world.

  Caelyn shook her head, letting out a frustrated growl. “I’ve never seen him before. Who is he?”

  “He rolled with your dad’s old crew. He’s been popped for possession countless times, but nothing violent.”

  Caelyn’s hands formed fists at her sides. “I don’t even know him. Was he caught up in the bust seven years ago?”

  “No,” Parker answered. “That’s what doesn’t quite add up. He’s never done hard time. There’s only one thing I can think of.”

  “What’s that?” I growled.

  “Rumor has it he was your dad’s right hand. Ran a lot of drugs for him.”

  Caelyn paled. “You think it’s my dad pulling the strings.”

  Parker’s jaw worked. “I think it’s looking that way.”

  “Hasn’t he done enough? He’s already traumatized his children. Left them to almost get killed. And now this? What did we ever do to him other than ask him to love us?”

  Parker looked from Caelyn to me and back again, unease filling his expression. “Because of you and your siblings, his face is in every police database. Because of you, he lost his entire network. I’m guessing that dealing made him feel like a big man even though he was the smallest of the small. You destroyed what he viewed as his kingdom. And that’s enough for a twisted man to seek revenge.”

  46

  Caelyn

  As soon as Parker and the rest of the officers left, I was moving, before I could even consider where I was going. I just needed to get away. From Parker’s revelations about my father. From the worried, probing glances. Even from my friends. I rounded the house, heading for the woods. For the quiet peace of the pond.

  I wasn’t running exactly, it was more of a furious power walk. As the wind picked up, it stung my cheeks. That was the only way I even realized that I was crying. Tracks of silent tears ran down my face. Tears because the man who was supposed to love me simply because I was his daughter wanted to cause me the most pain imaginable.

  As I reached the edge of the forest, I sank to the ground, leaning against the thick trunk of one of the trees and wrapping my arms around my legs as if somehow it could protect me from the knowledge that my father hated me down to his marrow.

  Footsteps sounded, muted by the forest floor. I kept my gaze focused on the pond. The slight rippling of the water. A bird that swooped down hoping to spot a small fish.

  Griffin lowered himself next to me. Without a word, he lifted me as if I weighed nothing and settled me in his lap. “I’m so sorry.” He whispered the words against my temple, his lips brushing across the tender skin there.

  I let myself melt into him, to try and soak up some of Griffin’s strength. “Why does he hate me so much?”

  “I wish I had the answer to that one. But some people just have ugly souls. I don’t know if it’s the life they’ve lived that rots their core, or if they were simply born that way.”

  I burrowed deeper into Griffin’s hold. I knew he’d experienced more than his fair share of people with rotten cores. People who wanted to use him and betray him in the worst possible ways. Yet somehow, he’d managed to keep his good soul. He hadn’t let the hurt that others had inflicted on him turn his core rotten.

  I traced a finger over his heart as if the action would somehow allow me to soak up some of that goodness. I wanted to drown in the light that filled him. I tipped my face up to meet his gaze. “Make me forget.” His brows drew together, puzzled. My hand slid up his chest to cup his jaw, and I brushed my lips against his. “Make me feel. Only the good.” He studied my face as if he were trying to decide if this was a smart move. “Please.” I wasn’t above begging.

  His hands skimmed down my body, sliding under the hem of my sundress. The glide of his palms against my skin created some sort of foreign energy that hummed around us. Something that would only ever belong to Griffin and me. I never wanted to lose it. It was safety and comfort, passion and want, hunger and complete satiation, all at the same time.

  Griffin’s fingers danced over my lace-covered core. I sucked in a sharp breath as he stroked me through my panties. I forced my eyes to stay open, to stay locked with Griffin’s. I didn’t want to miss a second of how his blue eyes seemed to change color in the late-morning light. How with each pass of his fingers, his gaze seemed to darken.

  My breaths started to come quicker, my heart hammering against its cage as if it wanted to take flight, to get to the man who owned it entirely. “Please.”

  “What do you need?” Griffin asked, seeming in no hurry. As if he could simply stay like this all day.

  “I need you.”

  His eyes flared, and his hand went to the side of his belt. To the multi-tool he always kept there. “Stay still.”

  I froze as he flicked open the knife and slipped it under my sundress. One flick of his wrist, and then another, and my lace panties were falling free. I gaped up at him. “That was a really nice pair of underwear.”

  Griffin grinned at me, holding the lace up triumphantly. “And I’ll cherish them as the precious gift they are.” He shoved the scrap of fabric into his pocket. “Come here.” Griffin lifted me so I was straddling him, his fingers going to the button of his jeans. His cock sprang free, and I smiled. Apparently, he wasn’t as unaffected as he appeared. “You’re gonna ride me. And I’m going to make you feel only the good things.”

  My expression softened, and I took his mouth in a slow kiss as I lowered myself onto him. The stretch and fullness had my eyes fluttering. There was an undeniable sense of completeness. Not that I wasn’t whole on my own, but that somehow with Griffin, I was so much more. My strengths were greater and my weaknesses not as noticeable. With him, I never felt alone.

  I began to rock against him, slow, testing movements. Griffin’s hands came to my hips, helping to guide my path. Together, we found a rhythm. The one we both needed. It was both tender and a little desperate. The need to know that the other was right here and that we were alive spurring us on.

  Griffin snaked a hand under my dress, his thumb finding that bundle of nerves and circling, drawing ever closer to where I needed him the most. His other hand tangled in the back of my hair. “Look at me. Keep your eyes on me when you come. I want to see that green spark.” Another pass of his thumb, and I was almost there. “I love you, Caelyn.”

  His words. His hands. His body. But most of all, the knowledge that I was wholly his. It was all I needed to fracture in his arms, the pieces of me splintering apart and reforming in a way that wasn’t exactly the same person I was before. Because now I knew that I was loved so completely by this man.

  Slowly, I came back to myself, my breaths steadying as my heart still struck out a staccato beat. “I love you, too. I wish you could reach inside my brain and heart so you could see how much.”

  Griffin’s face softened. “I don’t need to see it. I feel it every day.”

  My lip trembled. “Don’t make me cry when you’re still inside me.”

  He chuckled, sending delicious aftershocks through me. The tightening of my muscles had him groaning. “You are going to kill me.”

  “But it’ll be a good way to go, right?”r />
  Griffin brushed the hair back from my face. “The best.” He carefully lifted me off of him and placed a kiss to the corner of my mouth before settling me in his lap again.

  We were quiet for a moment, just enjoying the closeness and the peace. Griffin toyed with a lock of my hair. “I want you and the kids to move into the farmhouse permanently.”

  I froze. I’d held onto our little yellow house for so long. It was like a security blanket. For a long time, I’d thought if I just had that house, we were safe. But with Griffin, we’d found a whole new life. One that was even better than the one we’d created for ourselves in that little yellow home. I tipped my face up to his. “Are you sure this isn’t just sex endorphins? You did say it has been a while for you.”

  Griffin grinned and cupped my face. “Move in. Make this a real home. If you don’t, I’m just going to come live in that tiny-ass loft with you.”

  I giggled at the image of Griffin climbing the ladder up to my bedroom loft. “Okay.”

  His eyes widened. “Okay?” I nodded. “I really thought I was going to have more of a fight on my hands.”

  I shrugged. “I like to keep you on your toes.” I pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw. “We’re happy here. Even with all of the horrible things that have happened over the past few months, we’re the happiest we’ve ever been. And isn’t that what everyone hopes for? To have joy amidst all the trials. You give us joy, Griffin.”

  His gaze burned into me. “You have no idea the joy you give me. You made this wrecked palace a home.”

  47

  Griffin

  “We have additional cameras set up now. They’re placed at regular intervals over the entirety of the fence line. Now, you’re going to get a fair number of false alarms from wildlife. Likely deer jumping over your fence. But we can adjust the cameras once you’re not at a crisis point.”

  Crisis point was putting it mildly. I didn’t think I’d slept for more than a few minutes last night. Even with a deputy in a car outside the house. I’d take a million false alarms if it allowed me to know what was happening on my property. “We can deal with that,” I told the security expert, wrapping an arm around Caelyn.

  Cain nodded. “Good. All the alerts will go straight to your phones. You’ll be able to see live camera feeds and also rewind to see what triggered the alarm. There’s also a button in the app that you can press to alert the sheriff’s department immediately of an emergency.”

  Caelyn let out a shuddering breath. “Thank you. I hope we don’t have to use it. But I appreciate knowing it’s in place.”

  I reached out a hand to Cain, shaking his. “Thank you for hustling to get this all done so quickly.”

  Cain and his two-person crew had set up all the cameras and tweaked the security system in the house in a matter of hours yesterday. Now, it was all up and running. Cain released my hand. “No problem. I know what it’s like to worry about the people you care about. I’m just glad there’s something I can do to help you keep them safe.”

  Caelyn gave the gruff man a gentle smile. “It sounds like a good job to me. Are you going to get to stay on Anchor for a while, or do you have to head back to Oregon today?”

  A smile that I hadn’t seen in any of the hours I’d helped the man set up security stretched across his face. “I’m staying for a few days. As soon as my wife heard where I was going, she started planning a vacation.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Caelyn said. “Make sure you grab food at The Catch and Rocco’s. And stop by Second Chances if your wife likes antiques and refurbished furniture pieces.”

  Cain shook his head. “If I take Kennedy to that shop, we’re going to go home with a million little trinkets we don’t need.”

  Caelyn chuckled. “You probably will, but it’ll be worth it.”

  “Well, on that note, I better go find my wife. You have my cell number if you have any questions or issues.” Cain met both of our gazes. “Stay safe.”

  “We will.” I tightened my hold on Caelyn. “Thanks again, man.”

  “Anytime.”

  We waited as Cain climbed into his SUV and headed down the drive. When he disappeared from sight, Caelyn turned in my arms so she was facing me. Her smile was almost shy, but a little bit giddy, too. “Want to tell the kids we’re moving in?”

  I brushed the hair back from her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. This was real. A fresh start. A family. “Let’s go.”

  We headed back inside, towards the kitchen and the sounds of shrieking.

  “The pink one’s mine, Will,” Mia cried.

  “Will,” Caelyn warned as she entered.

  He shook his head but grinned. “I just wanted to see how much of a fit she’d throw if someone came between her and the pink donut.”

  Mia glared at him. “I’ll put your hand in warm water while you’re sleeping.”

  Will’s eyes widened, handing over the donut. “Vicious, I like it.”

  Ava looked up from where she sat at the kitchen table, reading her book. “They’ve been like this since you started talking to Mr. Hale. But while they’ve been fighting, I’ve been eating.”

  “Hey,” Will said, studying the box on the table. “Did you eat the Boston cream?”

  She shrugged. “You snooze, you lose.”

  I held out a hand to Ava, and she gave me a high-five. Caelyn groaned. “You’re all hopeless. A little sugar, and you turn into maniacs.”

  “What’s a maniac?” Mia asked with a mouthful of donut.

  “Someone who’s just a little crazy,” Caelyn answered.

  Mia grinned, her teeth pink. “I’m crazy for donuts.”

  I wrapped an arm around Caelyn. “Give up now. You’ll never win against sugar.”

  “Oh, fine,” she huffed and then looked around at the kids. “Griffin and I have something to talk to you about.”

  “Okay…” Will said, looking a little wary.

  “How would you feel about staying at the farmhouse? Not going back to our place?”

  Mia’s face looked as if it might crack in two, she was smiling so widely. “Stay here for good?”

  Her sheer joy sent a burning sensation through my chest. “As long as you want.”

  “Forever!” she cheered.

  “Forever it is, then.” My gaze met Caelyn’s in a silent promise. I might not be slipping a ring on her finger tomorrow, but I wouldn’t hold back for long.

  Mia launched herself at me, and I caught her with one arm, narrowly avoiding a donut to the face. I looked at Will, who was grinning. “Well, my music studio is here, so it is pretty convenient.”

  Caelyn rolled her eyes. “Easily bribed.”

  Our focus turned to Ava, who was quiet, her expression unreadable. I gave her a gentle smile. “What do you think, Avs?”

  Her lips pressed together as if she were holding something back. “You want us?” she asked without meeting my eyes.

  The burn in my chest intensified. I lowered Mia to the floor and crossed to Ava, crouching so that I was at eye-level with her. “I want you. All of you.”

  “Why?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears.

  “Because I love you. And you make this house feel like a home.”

  She gave me a wobbly smile. “I think the farmhouse feels like home, too.”

  “So, you’ll stay?” I asked. Ava nodded, and I scooped her up into my arms. “Then come on, tiny terrors. We need to decide what color to paint your rooms.”

  I led a parade of the people I loved most in this world up the stairs. We went from the girls’ room to Will’s, discussing what color options they wanted. Pink or blue for the girls. Green or gray for Will.

  Mia tugged on my hand. “Can we paint it today?”

  I chuckled. “I think we’re going to need to test out our options first. But I can run to the hardware store and pick up some samples.” I froze. In the joy of the moment, I’d forgotten what had happened yesterday. There was no way I was leaving them alone and unprotected.<
br />
  Caelyn seemed to understand my battle and squeezed my free hand, whispering in my ear. “We’re fine. We’ve got a security system that would make the White House jealous, and the panic room if anything goes wrong.” A muscle along my jaw ticked, and Caelyn squeezed my hand again. “I promise. Nothing is going to happen. Go get some paint so we can keep this happy train rolling.”

  I pressed a quick kiss to Caelyn’s mouth. “Okay, but keep your phone on you.”

  “Sir, yes, sir,” she quipped.

  My eyes narrowed at her. “I might be making you bring that back but in an entirely different context.”

  Caelyn blushed furiously and I chuckled. “Okay. I’ll be back in an hour.”

  The girls were already chattering away about what they were going to do with their room, lost in their plans and dreams. Will gave me a mock salute, and Caelyn shooed me out of the room.

  My trip to the hardware store had me adding all sorts of other things to my to-do list for the farmhouse. The kids needed a treehouse and a swing set. One that would make my little gymnast’s eyes bug out. And something with a reading nook for Ava. As I made the drive back to the house with a dozen paint samples in hand, I started designing the structures in my head. It would be the perfect project to tackle with Will. He could be in charge of the design.

  I rolled down my window to plug in the code for the gate. Just as I passed through, my phone beeped. An alert. Cain’s security system. My blood turned to ice as I pulled up the camera feed and saw two figures running away from the fence. Towards the farmhouse.

  48

  Caelyn

  I leaned back, bracing my elbows against one of the deck’s steps, and tipped my face up to the sun. Breathing deeply, I took in the scent of the pines, the hint of salt in the air. The giggles from Ava and Mia as they chased Luci around the yard.