Page 39 of Her Captor's Secret Heir

“He’s with us.” I motion for them to stand down.

Jack Murphy, also a Fed, hops out of his car. A shock of red hair sticks up wildly, pointing in fifty directions. If you didn’t know the guy, you’d think he slept under a bridge. Never gets a fucking haircut. Or maybe he does, but I’m not sure the person knows what they’re doing.

“Man, good to see you.” He shakes my hand vigorously. “This must be your lovely bride.”

I introduce Carra and Ariel. Then Jack tosses me a key on a sleek round leather key fob. “Ceremonial key. The house has an all-digital entry system as you know. But there’s something about having a real key.”

The weight of the key in my hand feels important. For a few seconds, I rub my fingers over the smooth leather. Grateful.

“Shall we?” I say, grinning, holding the key out to Carra.

“I’m in a bit of shock here, right now. You’re saying this is your house...ourhouse. The place where I’ll live?”

“It’s all yours. We’ll be here when we’re not traveling or living in one of our other homes.”

She makes a choking sound.

I wrap my arm around her. “Wait until you see the pools.”

Her eyes widen as her smile returns. “Plural?”

“Indoor and outdoor. Plus, a lazy river, two hot tubs, a sauna, and a lap pool. Gorgeous, all of it.”

After a minute, Ariel’s eyes finally go back to normal size. “I might sound dumb, but I have to ask what a lazy river is.”

Jack laughs, and scoops up Ariel’s arm, drags her toward the front of the house. “We shall show you, my dear. Imagine sitting on a comfy float and sipping your favorite beverage while you glide along amongst the flowers and sculptures.”

She looks back at Carra. “Come on, girl. If this house has all that, I can’t wait to see the darned kitchen.”

“Kitchens,” I say. “Three.”

Carra grabs my hand. “Holy smokes. Come. Enough standing around.”

I enter the code on the keypad to disarm the alarm, Carra uses the key, and together we push open the gigantic front door.

The moment I’ve waited for. I’ve been dying to see her expression when she sees the inside of the house. From the outside, it looks like a stately Chicago style mansion. On the inside, it’s completely remodeled. Modern and stunning.

The minute I saw it, I knew this was the one. There’s nothing remotely similar between this place and the Coghlan Estate. That wastheselling point for me. I wanted something open and fresh.

Selling point two—the place comes completely furnished.

We step into the wide foyer. A large round marble table sits in the center. A fresh flower bouquet the size of a small forest flows out of a giant blue glass vase.

“This place is not real,” squeals Carra.

I throw my head back and laugh. “It’s real, sweetheart. Go on. All of it is yours.”

She balls up her hands and hops on her toes. “I don’t know where to start.”

I know where I want to start. But... “The bedroom?” I offer with a laugh.

She chuckles, “I should have expected you to say that. But no. We have company with us...”

I circle her shoulder with my arm and pull her to me. Letting my voice drop, I get close to her ear. “Up the steps. We’ll just have a quick look. I promise. Really quick.”

She growls, “I’m not sure with you...”

“Promise.”

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