Page 72 of Theirs to Rule

“Now I know what to tell Kage to get you if you ever deserve some serious gratitude again—art, art, art.”

Ty laughed. My god, who was this guy?

Whoever he was, my heart yearned for more of him.

“Humor me,” I began. “What’s your ultimate bucket list when it comes to art? The one thing you’d want above everything else?”

“You mean aside from an original Van Gogh?” He thought about it for a moment. “Do you remember that gallery I took you to in Italy, the painting of the couple staring up at the starry sky?”

How could I forget? It was the night of our first kiss. We’d gone to dinner at a cute little restaurant. Ty had ordered for me because the menu had been in Italian. Afterward, we’d taken a walk by the river and passed a small gallery. Ty had taken my hand and insisted we go inside.

“I remember,” I said, a lump forming in my throat.

“That is at the top of my bucket list.”

Thinking about how much fun we’d had back then made me sad. It was the happiest I’d ever been. There was a time I was sure I’d spend the rest of my life with this man; then he ripped that life away from me. Even now, with everything that had changed, even with Kage and Dante in my life, there was a small part of me that wondered if I would ever be that happy again.

“We had some good times together,” I whispered, as much to myself as to Ty.

He was silent for a moment, then he nodded. “Yeah, we did.”

We both stood there for a moment, lost in the memory. Then the moment was gone. Ty turned to me, his expression blank once again, his eyes clear of emotion.

“He could be home any minute. We shouldn’t have wasted so much time talking about shit that doesn’t matter anymore.”

Hearing him say that hurt, but I was quicker to recover this time.

“We need to split up,” he muttered.

I nodded. Whatever got us out of here faster.

I split off from Ty, heading towards the west wing of the massive house while he veered east. The plan was simple: search every nook and cranny for anything that might give us a clue as to what Silas and his brother had been up to and whether their dad was involved as well. My heart pounded against my ribs, adrenaline fueling my steps as I moved from room to room, my eyes scanning for anything out of place.

The opulence of the house was staggering, each room more lavishly decorated than the last. I rummaged through drawers, peeked behind paintings, and even lifted rugs, searching for safes or hidden compartments. Nothing.

As I entered what looked like an office, I glanced out the window and froze as a car turned into the driveway.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath, watching as Silas’s dad pulled up. I whipped out my phone and shot a quick text to Ty:He’s here. Hide.

Without waiting for a response, I darted into the closest hiding spot—a spacious walk-in closet filled with suits and leather shoes that smelled of money and secrets. I barely caught my breath when I noticed it: a faint outline in the wall that seemed out of place. Curiosity getting the better of me, I pressed against it, feeling it give way slightly. A secret door.

Heart hammering, I slipped through, finding myself in a tiny, windowless room. The air was stale, the space littered with filing cabinets, boxes, and a desk. My gaze landed on the cloth banner hanging along the back wall. It was adorned with symbols, each one meticulously detailed. It included symbols for different trees. I hurried up to it, recognizing an oak tree, a yew, redwood needles...

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks—thiswas the link between Silas, Ava, and Ty's family. But there were more symbols, too. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps just beyond the closet door. Panic set in, and I quickly shut the secret door, plunging myself into darkness. I pressed my ear against it. My breath hitched, and I willed myself to be as silent as possible. The closet door opened, and I heard someone moving around, the sound of hangers scraping against the metal bar. I was trapped, with nowhere to run if he decided to check here next. The tension in the air was thick, my every breath loud in my ears.

Then the door to my hiding spot began to open.

Chapter 33

Ty

Imoved through the dark house like a shadow, every muscle coiled tight. Camille’s text had set me off like a rocket:He’s here. Hide.That was all it said, but it was enough to make my blood run cold.

There was no way in hell I was letting anything happen to her.

The grip of the knife in my hand felt solid, steady, like an extension of me. My brain was running a mile a minute, trying to figure out how to get Camille out without a fight. The study was the last place I hadn’t checked, and my gut said that’s where she’d be.

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