Page 31 of Risky Obsession

Kane scoffed. “That’s a collector’s item.”

“Not by me it isn’t.” I shuddered. “Unless there’s something else you want to show me, I’ve had enough.”

Shadows crossed his stunning eyes. “After you.”

When we emerged back into the fading daylight of the ruined castle, Idrew in a deep breath, thankful for the fresh air after the suffocating darkness below.

Kane led the way through the ruined castle’s main hall, and I hugged my arms against the chill. The wind outside had picked up, howling through the ruins, and filtered sunlight cast long shadows across the dead leaves at our feet.

I had loads of questions for Kane, but his jaw was set, and his steps were deliberate as if he was carrying the weight of a dreadful decision on his shoulders. My questions could wait until we were well away from this hellhole.

As we walked in silence, each lost in our own thoughts, the wind howled as if screaming at us to get out of there.

We returned to the path where the surrounding bushes provided some reprieve from the bitter wind, and I forced my legs to match Kane’s strides. He was taller than me and each of his strides took two of mine. I gritted my teeth against the pain in my wounded leg and focused on returning to the car as quickly as I could.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked with my lips numb from the cold.

He swept his gaze to me, and he seemed to take a couple of beats to compute who I was. “Because it’s important.”

I was about to press him to elaborate when he added, “We need to keep moving. It’ll be dark soon.”

“No argument from me.”

As we reached the car, he held back as if waiting for me to decide which seat I would choose. I climbed into the passenger side.

“Where to now?” I asked as he started the car.

“I don’t have an agenda. Do you?” He glared at me.

I fiddled with the heater knob, then rubbed my hands together. “It’s been a long day. How about we find a village nearby and spend the night there?”

“Sounds like a plan.” His jaw was set tight as if he was fighting an alternative option.

We stumbled upon a tiny village tucked away in the shadows of the surrounding forest and parked in front of a weathered inn. The heavy wooden door creaked as we opened it, and inside, an elderly couple was behind the counter. Their silver hair glinted in the dim lamplight, and theirfaces registered surprise at our appearance.

“Hello.” I attempted to break the ice with a tired smile. “We’d like two rooms for the night.”

“Sprechen Sie Deutsch?” The man turned to the woman and muttered something unintelligible, and she nodded.

Kane pulled out his phone, accessed a translator app, and engaged in conversation with the elderly couple.

The lobby was so warm, the inn’s dark walls seemed to close in on me, and I was tempted to step back out into the cold air.

“There’s only one room available,” Kane said with a mischievous grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. “Really? Is there another hotel?”

“Just this one.” His eyes seemed to twinkle.

I groaned. He’s enjoying this.

He turned back to the couple, and they went through the motions of completing paperwork via Kane’s translation app. They looked about eighty years old. Still too young to have any first-hand knowledge of what went on at Carinhall. It was unlikely we would find anyone in that category. But maybe stories were handed down through generations that could help us follow the clues to that gold.

I returned outside and scanned the street for a sign of more lodgings but couldn’t see one. While Kane was busy, I sent a quick text message to Aria with a note that we didn’t find anything at Carinhall, but we would ask around the area tomorrow.

My phone vibrated with a reply:Thanks for the update. Cooper can afford a lot of spies, so watch your back. Hughes is still a ghost.

“Damn it,” I muttered, shoving my phone away.

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