Page 57 of Blindsided
Rory pulls up to a set of ornate iron gates, their design featuring intertwined dragons with ruby-red glass eyes that catch what little light remains. Beyond the gates, a cobblestone drive leads to the castle’s main entrance.
“Those are new,” Kane observes, pointing to a heavy chain and padlock securing the gates.
“Not that new,” Rory counters, examining the lock. “There’s rust on the chain. Been here a while.”
Kane gets out of the car, and I follow, eager to stretch my legs after the long drive. The air is cold and damp, carrying the earthy scent of moss and decaying leaves. In the distance, I hear the faint call of birds settling in for the night.
“They’re here,” Rory announces, nodding toward a pair of headlights approaching from the other side of the valley.
We wait as the second car pulls up beside ours. Declan emerges first, followed by Wren and Kat. They all look tense, especially Declan, whose jaw is set in a hard line.
“Any problems?” he asks Rory.
“None. Road was clear the whole way. What happened to that tail?”
“We took care of them,” Declan nods, then turns his attention to the gates, looking at the chains. “These weren’t in the photos I found of this place.”
“Someone’s been maintaining the property,” Wren observes, running her hand along the ironwork. “These gates have been repainted within the last few years.”
“So much for being abandoned,” Kane mutters.
Declan examines the lock, then pulls something from his pocket—a small leather case containing what look like lock picks.
“You know how to use those?” I ask, surprised.
He gives me a look that makes me feel incredibly naive. “Of course.”
As Declan works on the lock, I move closer to Kane, who’s staring at the castle with an unreadable expression.
“Are you okay?” I ask softly.
He starts slightly, as if pulled from deep thought. “Yeah. Just... processing.”
“Second thoughts?”
He shakes his head. “No. But standing here, looking at a place that’s been in my family for centuries—a family I didn’t know was mine until the other day — it’s a lot.”
“I can imagine,” I say, though in truth, I can’t. My family drama, painful as it is, seems straightforward compared to the MacGallan complications.
“Got it,” Declan announces as the lock springs open with a click.
He removes the chain, and Rory helps him push the heavy gates inward. They swing open with a haunting creak that echoes across the valley.
“That’s not ominous at all,” Kat mutters as they yawn open.
Chapter 21
Kane
I swallow hard as we all stare at the open gates. This place has been in the MacGallan family for generations. The weight of that history presses down on me as darkness creeps across the valley.
“Let’s move,” Declan says, all business as usual. “We should search the place before it gets completely dark.”
We leave the cars parked outside the gate and proceed up the winding cobblestone drive on foot. The castle looms larger with each step, its ancient stones almost absorbing what little light remains. Most of the structure has crumbled away over the centuries—collapsed walls, caved-in roofs, sections reclaimed by nature—but one tower stands defiantly intact against the darkening sky.
“That must be the east tower,” Rory says, pointing. “According to the old plans, it was the most fortified part of the castle.”
“And most likely where anything importantwould be hidden,” Declan adds.
