Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
I picked up the first stack of totes and set them down near the wooden staircase while grumbling in my head, Like hell I’m letting him inside. Stupid, selfish, lying… I would pack up his belongings and set them on the back porch. He could pick it all up while I was at work.
I went back for the second stack and was about to go up when I noticed a loose board under one of the steps. I gave it a push with the toe of my tennis shoe to set it back in place, but the old wood crumbled into small pieces.
“Great. One more thing to fix.” I was about to turn away when something shiny caught my eye. I grabbed my cell from the back pocket of my jeans and turned on the flashlight app, shining the light at the object. Beneath a coating of cobwebs and dust was what appeared to be a small gold cup.
I reached in and grabbed it, cringing from the gunk. I hated spiders, which was hilarious because I loved old houses. They sort of went hand in hand.
I wiped the outside of the cup on my jeans and held it up to the lightbulb. The thing had a short stem and tiny glyphs all the way around. Someone had hidden it in this house, which meant there was a story here.
I loved a good story like I loved history. I loved a good mystery, too. Figuring out where this came from would be a nice treat to brighten my dismal day.
I set it inside the stack of totes and went upstairs to begin the task of breaking down my life so I could build it back up.
But, as I told myself I’d get through this, something dark pushed against my thoughts. If I had to describe it, I’d call it doom, almost like a part of me knew that Leo’s leaving was just the beginning of something bigger.
But what?
CHAPTER TEN
Around noon, I finished packing Leo’s clothes, toiletries, and books. Aside from those items, he had the furniture in his office. The rest of the house was fairly empty since we’d planned to furnish the place after renovations.
Needing a break from intermittent crying and dismantling my life, I pulled on my thick white sweater and decided to walk down to the deli to buy a sandwich. It was a foggy day, the air filled with drizzle and sad shades of gray. I hated when it was overcast, and somehow today was worse than any other.
See, another reason to move. But to where? Anything I did from here on out had to be for myself.
I stepped out the front door and ran straight into a man about to ring the bell.
“Ooph!” I stumbled back, but he grabbed my shoulders to keep me from falling on my ass. He was tall with thick black hair and intense gray eyes. He wore a sleek black suit that said he either had money or was good at pretending.
“I am looking for Draco,” he said.
No apology for startling me? Nor did he introduce himself, and those two things made my mind stall. Was this the person Draco had stolen all that cash from? Was he here to hurt him? Or me? Because this guy had a hard, displeased look in his eyes that instantly set me on edge.
“Who are you?” I asked, tipping back my head to see his face. A mistake because his pronounced cheekbones and elegant masculine features—perfectly straight nose, well-defined jaw, strong lips—instantly mesmerized me. He looked almost too perfect, like he’d been airbrushed. Real, but not from this world.
A cold shiver rolled through me.
The man ignored my question and advanced a step. “If you know what is good for you, Piper, you will not hide him. You will tell me exactly where Draco is.”
He knew my name.
I swallowed down a thick lump. “What do you want?”
“Draco is unwell. I am here on behalf of his family to see he gets the treatment he needs.”
I took another step back, foolishly thinking I’d somehow be safer standing inside my house. “Why? Is he dangerous?” Like you?
The man stared coldly. “Very.”
Of course, a part of me already knew that. I’d just been so overwhelmed by the Leo situation—his getting fired and dumping me without warning—that the entirety of Draco’s sketchiness had been pushed into the background of my mind. Strange, because that wasn’t like me. I’d always been naïve, or unrealistically altruistic, when it came to romantic trust but not when it came to everyday safety. I’d lived in New York. I saw what happened to people who didn’t pay attention. But for reasons I couldn’t comprehend, I’d let a stranger into my home, into my life. I’d told him he could stay as long as he liked, even after our odd run-ins.