“I doubt Roman Finelli is concerned with keeping up security around the warehouse district because my safe house is set up there. I bet you he has other reasons. Like, say, wanting to make sure security is tight on the area when he and his wife have shady meetings with shady people like that guy in those photos.” Silas indicates to my phone which Gabe eventually hands back and the guys all start nodding in agreement to Silas’ comments. It makes sense. If Roman and Penelope Finelli were making more shady deals down in the warehouse district, they would want top security measures in the area for when they had to set up such meetings to begin with so that they could do their illegal deals in peace.
“Okay, Kass, how about your parents? Do you know anything about their funding towards pharmaceuticals outside of Crimson Valley? I have copies of documents with missing information on them. Like your parents bought trial drugs for patients at our local clinic to use on people with rare forms of cancer, but the documents are missing transaction amounts.” I pass over my phone to Kass when I find the documents in question and he scans through them as he sits forward and places his beer down between his feet.
A frown appears on his face next and he bites his bottom lip as his eyes scan over my phone. “I have no idea. My parents are involved in a lot of important imports and exports for Crimson Valley. My mother literally is the head of all trade in and out of town as far as goods go that we need without having to travel to the bigger cities and towns around us. Perhaps they are just trying to expand the clinic?” He asks, but he doesn’t sound convinced and I don’t feel convinced either. If that were the case, there wouldn’t be a need to blotch out the amount paid for those specific transactions.
“Unless your parents are trying to move illegal drugs through our clinic before reselling them either on the streets or to local towns and cities?” It suddenly dawns on me and I blurt this out without a filter. Kass’ face falls as he processes this and I know I’ve hit a nerve somewhere because who in their right mind would want to believe their parents, though clearly evil as they were, were capable of doing something like that. Most people will do anything for power and money though and Asuka along with the others, was just as power hungry as any crime syndicate would be.
“I can’t say I disagree.” He eventually sighs, rubbing his hands over the stubble on his jawline. “There is a reason why your parents saved these documents and I believe you are on track for something. My parents have been making a lot of purchases through various businesses in town and filtering them through to other towns. The amount they receive in payment for some of the trades is staggering but I just have never been privy to all the information like an heir should be.” He admits and I exchange a look with the other three as he bows his head. This is taking its toll out on all of us and I feel a pang in my chest for my broken knights who had to grow up in homes with parents like theirs while I got to spend my whole childhood with parents who loved me no matter what was going on in our lives.
The more time I spent with all of them, the more I realized how incredibly wrong I had been to run. I am not at all going to try and justify what I did, but as an adult now, living in the same world as them, I understand. I understand where they probably felt like they had no other choices. Overcoming a betrayal is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do and it is still going to take some time for me to fully let go, but I could see now how much stronger the boys and I were together.
“Hawk… I know you know about the documents I found indicating your parents were dipping their fingers into the school’s treasury.” I raised my eyes then to my brother and my friend and his face fell as I dredged up the memory. “Would there be any reason why your mother would be stealing from the treasury?” I press and he is silent for several long moments, taking swigs of his beer in the silence that stretched out between us. Finally, he sighs and runs his fingers through his hair, messing it up even more than it already was. “I mean, other than being totally shit human beings? I have no idea. As far as I know, my parents aren’t hurting for money so they shouldn’t be taking money from anyone let alone the goddamned school treasury.”
He spits this out, anger ringing in his tone as he clenches and unclenches his fist that isn’t clutching the beer bottle. I feel like all we were doing was speculating but it felt right to get all this out there and talk about. Even if we had no more answers going into this than we did yesterday, it was good to get us all on the same page no matter how much it hurt all of us to bring it all back up. The boys didn’t want to believe their parents were capable of half the things I am sure they are guilty of but they decided a long time ago that they were just going to let them dig their graves and lay in it when all was said and done.
Turning around to a silent Silas behind me, I sigh as he searches my face when we make eye contact. I take my phone and find the photos of Rebecca meeting with Penelope and handing over the shady envelope and he flicks through them, his expression almost unreadable before he hands me back my phone. “If you are wondering if I know what that is about, I don’t. I wish I could give you answers, little Honey, but the fact of the matter is… Our parents don’t tell us shit. And why would they? We made our loyalties clear when we chose your side after you came back here and it especially became clear when we all announced the things we have been doing around Crimson Valley in the past year at the Thanksgiving party.”
“I think that is going to become a problem, to be honest. I’m not saying I regret the side I chose but being close to Honey is going to make it harder for us to snoop around our parents’ businesses if need be.” Gabe points out and I rub at my temples. He has a point and I am starting to wonder if them turning to my side and making our relationships so public was such a smart move but we would have to make it work. “It needs to work because I refuse to give up any of you.” My filter got tossed right out the damn window apparently because I hadn’t meant to say that out loud but when I look up into their eyes, I know I can’t take it back. The air in the room seems to thicken with emotion and Silas snaked an arm around my waist again, tugging me back into him more fully and I absolutely let him, sinking back into him like I was born to be there.
“It’s settled then, Rosie. Because none of us are giving you up either.” Hawk says, voice firm and Kass and Gabe murmur their agreement. When Silas’ arm tightens around me and he nuzzles his face into my neck, lips brushing my skin and says, “You belong to me, my little Honey.” I literally spontaneously combust right then and there.
We had each other and we were a family. We were going to get through this, no matter the cost.
I woke the next morning after a decent night’s sleep. Well, I should say a few hours of sleep. It was peaceful so I wasn’t going to complain about it. It finally felt like everything was starting to fall into place. Like the board was under my control as ruling queen. I stretched and looked over at the window and sighed. I knew what was coming. The weather forecast had predicted storms all day and night. I got up and out of bed and stepped into my slippers and grabbed a robe and slipped my phone into the pocket before heading down the hall and making my way to the kitchen. I knew I was early for breakfast, but I needed to act fast.
Entering the kitchen Sam was setting the local paper down on the island countertop space where I usually sit and Vi was making me homemade bagels, the smell absolutely intoxicating as she took the finished product out. Sam looked up at me and gave me a hesitant smile. “Is everything alright Miss Locke?” The concern on his face was touching but there were more important things to discuss. I took a deep breath, “Listen, I adore both of you and it’s Sunday, why don’t you both go spend the day with your families. It’s going to storm all day and night and into tomorrow as well and then it’s going to freeze. You should be at home with your loved ones for this storm.”
They looked back and forth with one another and then turned and looked at me, puzzled. “Miss Locke, our duty is to be here for you, to help you and the estate in any way we possibly can. It’s just
going to be a little storm. I’m sure Vi’s family will be fine and mine will be too.” He finished and smiled at me reassuringly but I wasn’t going to hear any of it. Not today. Not with what the news was reporting on this massive thunderstorm that was going to morph into a snowstorm right over Crimson Valley. Winds hitting at eighty miles per hour, freezing rain, hail, flood warnings, power outages, and then a full two feet of snow on top of all of that ice. I was not going to lose either of them while they were trying to leave late at night to some fucking storm. Anxiety was eating a hole in the pit of my stomach just thinking about it all.
I took another deep breath and tried to be as gentle as possible. “I am asking you both to take the next two days off. Think of it as my Christmas present to you. Please.” I knew I must have looked slightly frazzled but I didn’t care. I couldn’t lose any more of my family. Vi looked at me and smiled warmly, “Sure, Miss Locke. We can do that for you if it means so much to you. But only if you promise us something in return.” I’m sure I probably nodded my head so fast that I got whiplash but at this point it was all about timing. The clouds were already becoming more ominous with each passing second. “You have to promise us that you will stay here and not venture out anywhere, even the yard. You may not remember but with some of the more dangerous storms that little stream that branches off the river tends to flood and has been known to sweep things away with how the estate is levelled out on this hill.” I actually hadn’t known that. Must have been due to erosion over the last decade.
This was going to suck. “Sure, Vi, you have my word as a Locke that I won’t leave the estate unless it’s an emergency. I promise. Now you guys have got to head out and please tell everyone they have the next two days, minimum, off. Once the streets clear up and get plowed we can resume normal operations, until then, stay home and stay safe, please.” Vi must have sensed my trepidation as she moved around the kitchen, she stopped in front of me and pulled me into such a tight hug. I felt a pang in my heart. This woman meant so much to me and was so dear to me. I hugged her back just as hard. “Be safe, Vi.” She released me and smiled softly before giving me instructions. “The kitchen is fully stocked to feed a group of eight for a week, should things get that bad, Miss Locke.” She headed towards the front hall area with me and Sam in tow. Sam had been alerting the rest of the staff to head out and stay home.
He turned to me as Vi gathered her belongings, “Miss Locke, everyone has departed except for us, and a small security team consisting of three men. Everything should be fine. If you need anything, please, call me.” He hugged me gently and stepped back to grab his jacket that Vi was holding for him and I walked them to the front doors. I watched as they both braced themselves against the wind and made it to their cars. I watched them leave until I couldn’t see them anymore before I closed the doors and locked them.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked the weather radar. Deep reds and oranges were heading our way. Right. Time to get to work. It was just me here and I was going to need to make sure I had everything prepped in the event that we would lose power. I needed to hurry and find all of the supplies. I quickly walked back into the kitchen to grab my coffee and a bagel and ate on the way back to my suite. Entering my room, I set my coffee and half eaten bagel down and then I grabbed some of the thicker blankets I had stored in my closet and set them out on my bed. I walked into my bathroom and found candles and a lighter and set them next to the blanket pile. I was beginning to feel erratic. Panic was seeping in, like the cold of winter seeps into your bones. I finished my bagel while trying to look for some thicker socks when I heard it.
Thunder. It felt like it was right outside. Just waiting for me. I felt myself shaking, my nerves were out of control. I stopped and counted to ten and focused on my breathing. This isn’t going to be like last time. Get it together, Honey. I walked back into my bathroom and splashed my face with warm water and put my hair up into a messy bun and grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste and added them to the pile of things to transport to the den. I looked at the clock next to my bed. It was already eight thirty in the morning. I only had a little over an hour before the worst of the storms arrived. I needed to hurry.
I picked up an old backpack and put the candles I could find in it along with the lighter, a phone charger, my laptop, laptop charger, and finally a little stuffed plush bumblebee that Hawk had given me on the first day of my teaching job here. I loved this little thing so much. I slung the backpack on and grabbed all the blankets and pillows I could before leaving my room and shutting the door. I walked back down the hall and through the foyer and kitchen. Off to the left of the kitchen was the den. It had always been our family room. We used to have family game night and movie nights here all the time.
Stepping into the room made my heart swell. It was exactly as I remembered it. Across from the entrance was a huge bay window that showed the side yard. In front of the window was a charcoal grey loveseat that I put all the blankets onto for now. To the right of me and tucked into the corner was a matching L shaped sectional couch that was probably the most comfortable couch I had ever sat on. There was a gorgeous coffee table in front of the large couch and it had a few travel magazines out on it. The left wall had a simple and delicate wood burning fireplace with built in shelves on both sides. A smart TV was mounted above the mantle. I moved to look at the things placed on the shelves and found family photos of my parents and I. I smiled at them, remembering easier times. I set the picture frame back down at the sound of thunder.
I grabbed the chargers out of my backpack and plugged my phone and laptop in to hopefully have them charged in the event we lost power. I moved back into the kitchen and found an empty cooler and filled it with ice and water bottles and some cold snacks and set it in the fridge to keep cool. I packaged up the bagels that Vi had made and stored them in the bread box and made sure that everything was put away. I moved out of the kitchen and went into my papa’s office in search of some candles and a flashlight. I searched through his desk and the storage closet and finally found a flashlight. I still needed more candles though. I checked the other office next to my father’s. Memories of my little sexual adventure with Silas a couple of weeks ago resurfaced and I felt a blush creep up the back of my neck.
I began looking in the closet that usually had board games and drawing supplies and found an entire basket full. I felt myself relax just a bit and as I picked up the basket something caught my eye behind it. Setting the basket on the floor I peered in and smiled broadly. Tucked away in the closet was the first gift I had ever received from Silas. It was a small white bear holding a rose that he won at a carnival for me before I turned ten. I couldn’t believe it was here this whole time. I placed it on the candles in the basket and closed the closet door and left the small office.
On my way back I strategically placed candles in the foyer on a small table there and then placed more candles in the kitchen in the event that I worked up an appetite. I could hear the rain pelting against the house. It seemed so loud in this large quiet house. It was setting me on edge. Back in the den, I started a fire and turned on the television. I changed the channel to the local news to see if anything had changed with the storm. They were now saying that the storm was going to just hover over us the rest of the day and build its strength. Fantastic. I glanced at the clock and saw that it had finally hit ten. I took a deep breath and braced myself for everything to start.
As if it was tuned into my anxiety, the storm picked up. I took my robe off and laid it down on the loveseat and then grabbed my pillows and blankets and bundled up with it in the corner of the sectional and looked out the bay window at the storm. The beautiful sugar maples were going to be bare after this storm. The wind was blowing so hard that the trees looked like they were going to be knocked over. It was practically impossible to see anything outside except for the closest sugar maple. The rain was sideways and the sky was so dark and dreary, I curled up even more in my blankets and directed my attention back to
the news. They were already reporting that some businesses had lost power.
I got up and added another log to the fire just to make sure that if I did lose power I would have enough light to find the candles and actually light them as well. As soon as I added the log and stepped back from the fire everything stopped. No sound or picture was coming from the TV and the lamp was off. Only an hour into the worst of the storm and I had lost power. I felt the panic rising in me once again. I took one of the smaller thin candles and lit it before wrapping myself up in a blanket to head into the kitchen and light some of the candles in there. Just to help make me feel less panicky and scared.
Everything was so eerily quiet, even my soft breathing felt amplified. I shivered. That feeling of something bad being right around the corner was back and all I wanted was to hide. I forced myself to be brave and made it through the kitchen and into the foyer where I moved to the left to start a fire in the main fireplace, to help keep the shadows from closing in and suffocating me. As I entered the grand living room, I set the candle on the table next to the fireplace and placed a couple of logs into it and lit it.
I felt like all of my senses were over stimulated and felt like I was hearing things and seeing things move in the shadows. I glanced around the large open room and swore that I saw someone out there. My breathing increased and I felt like I was spiraling. Fear was going to consume me. It was going to be just like that night over a decade ago. What if everything they had said was just a lie? What if this time they were going to finish the job? What if they were coming for me at this very moment?
My stomach lurched and I needed to hurry. I needed to get somewhere safe. I needed to hide; I couldn’t be found out in the open again. I blew out the candle and began to run towards the foyer so I could get to the den and get my phone. I made it past the corner of the couch and up the two-step entry way that led into the foyer and screamed. I backed up and everything felt like the temperature had dropped down to freezing in my house. He was here.
Whiskey & Honey: Crimes of Crimson Valley: Book One Page 29