Page 52 of Haunted Nights & Savage Sins
Mr. Hawkley sighs before he stands, holding my gaze. “Understood. I wish you the best.” He puts his hand out for me to shake, but I just stare down at it like it’s a piece of shit.
He drops his hand and turns on his heel to walk out. To my surprise, Maxim hasn’t gone back to his post but is waiting just outside the door for the so-called guest.
I’m going to have to do more digging into Maxim. He seems like a good man to have around.
“Make sure he gets to his car and off the grounds,” I order. I purposefully leave out the word safely. I don’t really care if he’s safe. He could have an accident. I’ve got insurance.
I don’t need to call my father for this. There’s no way that he would’ve sent this man here to check on me. No, apparently me taking a more active role is screwing up plans for people. People my father hasn’t been able to keep a closer eye on since he’s so far away.
This is no longer a suspicion; shit is about to get dangerous. I need to be prepared for it. I need to make sure Brenna is prepared for it.
Empires topple all the time in this life. Most of the time, it’s bloody and absolute.
With Maxim escorting Mr. Hawkley off the premises, I set out to find Brenna. I sent her to continue surveying the house for any spaces that need to be fixed up.
“Brenna?” I call out for her, rushing from room to room, getting more agitated when I can’t find her right away and she doesn’t answer me.
I check all the rooms on the first and second floor, but she’s nowhere to be found.
Instantly, I start pondering if the meeting with Mr. Hawkley was nothing more than a distraction. Maybe they sent someone in here while we were talking to do something to Brenna.
My heart clenches, and fire rips through my veins. My heartbeat booms in my chest, and the shadows grow larger in every corner of the house. “Brenna!” I shout for her again.
Taking a few breaths, trying to calm myself, I listen in the near silent house for evidence of her still being there. There’s nothing.
Then I hear a soft creak to the left.
A creak in the one part of the house no one is allowed in. East.
Moving slowly, I make my way over there, cautious just in case it’s an intruder.
I pray it’s a fucking intruder. At least that way, I’d be able to do something with all this rage building up inside of me.
I push open the heavy, ornate door taking me to the stairs that lead up.
The walls are still scorched from the fire that destroyed the back room and traveled like it had a life of its own down the hall. The stairs creak and moan under my weight as I make myway up. I’m the only one who comes up here. It’s private. It’s where I keep most of my weapons, some of the more important paperwork, the ghosts.
I make it to the top landing and look down the hall.
The whispering grows to a roar in my mind when I see Brenna standing there, head tilted, staring at an old family photo. One of the only ones that I have left of the five of us. My father looking angry as usual, Killian with a devilish smirk, Declan somber, nearly identical expression as my father, myself, clear-faced and smiling slightly, waiting for the picture to be taken. The star of the photo on all accounts is my mother. Her long dark hair curled perfectly around her face, her arms stretched around us as best she could, joy and innocence still present in her eyes.
The edges of the photo were scorched by the fire, causing the white background to take on a more yellow tinge. The frame is one touch away from crumbling to ash.
This was the past.
A past I didn’t want anyone laying their eyes on.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growl as I get closer to Brenna.
She jumps and presses a hand to her heart in shock.
“Cormac, you scared me. You need a bell or something.” She jokes, but there’s not one ounce of laughter inside of me right now.
“I asked you a question. What are you doing here?”
She shakes her head, the gravity of my anger finally hitting her. “I’m just checking the ceilings, remember, for the holes?”
“Not here. I’ve told you more than once that you were not allowed up here. Leave. Now.” I shout at her, and she visibly recoils.
