Page 6 of Hearts of Stone

He hadn’t been before, that was what was getting everyone so excited. I’d caught his stare across the expansive cell. I’d stared into those stony eyes as I got closer. I’d lost eye contact the closer I got, so I hadn’t caught the moment his head tipped down.

Except statues didn’t do that.

My gaze was jerked back over my shoulder as the sounds of the tour group got louder and louder. Phones were out and recording and everyone was talking at once. But all of that came to a stop as a tall man wearing a uniform of beige work clothes shouldered forward.

“The tour’s over,” he announced, staring at everyone with a vaguely bored expression. “Should’ve finished ten minutes ago. Ms Jennings…” Everyone wanted to say something and I watched them suck in breaths, but he just clicked his fingers, resulting in the big keyring being handed back over to him. “Thank you all for coming and I hope you enjoyed your visit, but it's time for everyone to leave now.”

“But, Harry—” the guide began to splutter.

“Now,” Harry said, much more firmly.

Part of me expected the gargoyle to move, to stop me from leaving, but when I looked up, I saw he was exactly as I had first seen him, staring endlessly at the door. My cheeks flushed hot as I yanked my hands down and walked hurriedly away from the statue.

“Ohmigodohmigodohmigod…” Daniel hissed as we beat a hasty retreat, our feet fairly skimming across the grass as we rushed towards the car. “That gargoyle. It moved!”

“It did not.” I jerked the car door open and slipped inside. “It can’t have. It’s—”

He just looked at me, then held out his phone and tapped on the video he’d last taken. There I saw the grainy footageof the room. Of me walking towards the gargoyle like it was a long lost lover. And the statue? The footage wasn’t especially clear, because it was super zoomed in and Daniel wasn’t exactly holding it still. But I saw it. The moment that thick stone neck bent so he could look down at me. And somehow I knew.

That look, the way he stared down at me while I stood within his arms. I knew what it was, because I’d felt it before. Back when we were still young, and Trevor had long stringy hair rather than a close cropped short back and sides, he’d looked at me just like that. As if I was his whole world and nothing else mattered. Daniel and I stared at the screen, and as we watched the video unfold, we were forced to consider the impossible.

That gargoyle wasn’t made of stone, it was alive.

Harry

I stabbed my finger at the screen of my phone. I had the Whiteley family lawyer on speed dial for just this reason, though I’d never fucking thought I’d be forced to call him.

“Hello…” James Mellors answered in that posh voice, that small hint of irritation that spoke volumes, but I pushed past it. The snotty bastard would lose the attitude real quick in a second.

“I found her.”

“What?” The prick’s voice sounded like he’d come to attention right then, all sleepiness driven from his tone. “The heir? How do you—”

“Walked into Z Ward on one of those ghost tours you sanctioned. Waltzed up to Wulfstan, bold as brass—”

“And?”

There he was. The imperious bastard was back.

“And Wulfstan moved. Just enough to get a whole pack of ghost hunters’ panties in a bunch. You’ll need to throw some estate money at them to keep them quiet.”

“Yes, yes, but get to the point. Wulfstan moved for this woman?”

“She stepped into his arms like it was the one place on earth she was supposed to be, and he let her in, like that’s what he wanted.”

“Gods above…” I heard the rapid sucking in of his breath. “I need you to contact the tour guide, Mavis Jennings?”

“On it,” I said, shooting the woman a sidelong look. She looked far too pale and was all fidgety.

“Find the contact details of the heir and forward them to me,” Mellors said crisply. “I expect them within the hour. Jennings knows she’s to keep accurate records of all tour attendees.”

“Will do, boss,” I said, ending the call and then turning to the woman. “I need the name of the girl, the one who went up to the gargoyle.”

“You’re not going to hurt her, are you?” she asked, her lips moving so fast she was falling over the words. “She seemed like a nice girl.”

“Hurt her?” I snorted. “That girl? She’s the heir of this whole estate and I just need to find her to let her know the news.”

Chapter 5

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