Page 15 of Prince of Storms
“Sure likes his privacy, that’s for certain,” I murmured as I stopped in front of the gate, staring at the stone wall spread out on either side, running the length of the property as far as I could see. It towered over me, preventing me from seeing anything on the other side except the trees, many of which were veritable giants stretching up toward the sky as far as they could.
Returning my attention to the closed gate in front of me, I noticed a black box cleverly concealed among the hedges. “Hello?” I called. “It’s Mia? I’m here to clean.”
Just saying it, I felt so stupid. There was probably an army of people inside who took care of a property that size. Why on Earth had he called me, then? Surely he could afford to employ housekeepers. Except, he’d mentioned that the house hadn’t been lived in for some time. So perhaps he was in the process of hiring staff.
“He better not expect me to become his full-time house cleaner! I did not sign up for that,” I hissed under my breath as I waited for an answer or for the gate to open. Any sign that I was welcome to enter.
None came. I called again, several times, asking for Tor and then Torrent. But the box remained silent. Irritated, I pulled up the picture of his invoice from my work to double-check the address.
I was in the right place. But nobody was home. Had he forgotten that I was coming or something?
“Hello?” I called louder. “Anybody home?”
Getting angry at the waste of my time, time I could have spent cleaning and getting closer to buying the car, I got out of my vehicle and approached the gate.
“Open up!” I shouted, banging a fist on the metal.
To my surprise, it swung open easily under the impact. It wasn’t locked. I peeked my head through, looking to see if anyone was on the other side.
The first thing I noticed was the lack of upkeep. The lawns were overgrown, tall weeds as high as me stuck up among grass that came to my waist. Several dead trees were nearby, at least one of which had fallen haphazardly to block half the driveway. Dead leaves and other plant debris swirled around in the idle winds that swooped underneath the canopy of the living trees.
“What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” I said, questioning my decision to come out there a little stronger with each discovery. The place was in a bad state. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see the inside.
“Who the fuck are you?”
I shrieked and stumbled backward at the snarled question as a man emerged from behind a nearby tree, his eyes ablaze. He came at me, raising both his hands. I swore I saw sparks shooting from his palms, but he abruptly lowered his arms before I could be certain.
“You’re not Rica,” he said in a calmer tone.
“What? No,” I said, wondering who the hell Rica was and why they warranted such a hostile greeting.
“Well, then, who are you? Why are you here?”
He stepped fully out of the undergrowth. Tall like Torrent, he looked as at home in his multi-colored flannel button-up and dark blue jeans as Torrent did in his suit. His hair was cropped short, a complete contrast with Torrent's, but they had similar sizes and builds. Not to mention the gray eyes.
“Are you Torrent’s brother?” I asked before I could stop myself.
The man shook his head. “No. I’m Ty. How do you know Tor?”
“Um, he hired me,” I said. “To come clean? My name is Mia.”
His face brightened. “Oh, so you’re the hu—” He coughed. “The humble saleswoman he talked about. He’s giving you a car for it or something?”
“Sort of,” I said with a half-smile, wondering what Ty had been about to say. It certainly wasn’t humble. Nobody used that to describe another.
“Well, come on in,” he said. “You’re more than welcome. Just follow the road up. It goes between the ends of the house, so follow it to the front door. You might have to ring the buzzer several times, but he’ll get there eventually. I’d guide you, but I have other things to do.”
I eyed his outfit and the overgrown property around us. “Yeah, I can see that.”
Ty grinned. “It’s been a bit neglected, but we’ll get it handled, you’ll see.”
“Sounds good,” I said, backing away to my car. I was both more at ease and more curious at the same time. Something was a little off about those two, Ty and Torrent, or Tor, as he liked to be called. I just couldn’t put my finger on what was so strange about them.
Ty busied himself with hauling open the gates for me, and I waved at him as I went past, driving slowly around the downed tree, then following the driveway as it rose and fell while twisting through the trees. Apparently, the house was built in the middle of a forest, or so it seemed.
Then, after what seemed like a mile-long drive, I emerged at the bottom of a slight incline that led up to the house.
“What the actual FUCK?” I shouted as I caught sight of the residence.
