Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 135300 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 541(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135300 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 541(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Especially if I’m the reason his vacation gets ruined. The selfish, stupid Babins, clawing at Gramps’ ghost for revenge, and all for some ridiculous grudge from generations ago.
Seriously.
Just how small are these people?
“Are we going to be safe tonight?” Sophie’s voice is so small.
“Safer than ever, Soph. Once the cameras are up, we’ll see everything. They’re motion sensing, even in the dark.” Kane gives her a reassuring smile. I ache at the deep worries he’s hiding. “We’ll be sleeping like logs. No one will get past. I have notifications set up to ping me awake.”
“No one? Really?” She brightens.
“Absolutely.”
“So with the cameras, does that mean we’re good to stay?” Dan asks, more cheerful again.
“For now. After tonight, we’ll see, Danny boy,” Kane says.
The twins whoop, but Kane’s face settles back into a hard line when they’re not looking.
At least the kids are happier, I suppose, but I want to believe we’re better off with this fancy security system. I don’t bother staying mad that he went ahead and got one before I could call a local place.
In this case, I’m glad he acted.
I just want yesterday.
I want Kane to smile like he believes it’ll be all right.
I want to get back to kissing him without a care, before our time runs out.
I want to believe we’re fine—and dammit, we will be.
I just need to be patient.
Wait for cameras, wait for the cops to update us, and wait for this man to keep screwing me up against my better judgment.
Just for a little while longer.
14
THE LONG WAY HOME (KANE)
As the kids peck away at their history papers, Margot and I head outside to check the cameras one more time.
I bought the best stuff money could buy, Enguard grade units shipped in from a world-class security firm out of California. They’re damn near bombproof and impeccable with their AI-backed night vision, but the bells and whistles still don’t stop my gut churning.
If the Babins were behind all this, they’re persistent.
They also planned their break-in, watching the house so they knew when we left.
Also, let’s face it, people gab in this little town, so they easily might’ve known where we were, how far away.
And I left us wide fucking open.
I download the app on Margot’s phone and set it up for her. She frowns as she searches for the signal, waiting impatiently for it to connect.
“There!”
“Is it working now?” I eyeball the last camera discreetly mounted above the front door.
Having them peppered across the property makes me feel a smidge better.
No, they aren’t armed. They won’t magically stop anyone hell-bent on breaking in, but if they do detect movement, at least I’ll catch them in the act.
I chose the subscription plan that saves all footage uploaded to the cloud for two weeks before deletion.
That’s enough to hand rock-solid proof to the police if this prick makes a third visit. And if they come, I will nail their asses to the wall with charges, assuming Margot doesn’t beat me to it.
No one threatens my kids or my woman.
No, I don’t care if I’m talking her up into something she isn’t.
The way she frowns, her bottom lip twisted in a pout as she focuses, just makes this too real. Headstrong or not, she’s a rich girl with zero experience dealing with nasty fucks willing to break the law and get physical.
She’s lucky I’m here, and I’m going to make sure her luck translates into action.
If anyone wants to get to her, they’ll go through me, and they will need a hell of a lot more than mere fortune. They’d better come fucking dripping four-leaf clovers.
“One more sec. Looks like I can flip the first few streams. We put up eight cameras, right?”
“Yeah, eight.”
“Okay.” She swipes through her livefeeds, then turns her screen to face me. “Number eight. Looks clear. I think we’ve got it.”
Once I’ve confirmed all eight feeds work on her phone, I go through and help her label them the same way I did so we’ll know where they are.
“Thanks for your patience,” I say, glancing up.
“No, thank you. I should’ve been the one buying these cameras.” She teases her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m so sorry. This isn’t what you guys came here for.”
“Duchess, stop. You shouldn’t be apologizing.”
“But being here puts you guys at risk. You can’t just kick back and enjoy yourselves, and it’s because of me. I just know it. The bad blood here…”
“Shut it,” I say gently. “The Babins made their choice, or whoever the fuck. Nobody twisted their arm. You can’t blame yourself over something your grandfather never let you in on.”
“Well… maybe.” She clears her throat.
My phone buzzes in my hand and I glance down to see Daria calling.
Damnation.
She always did have the world’s shittiest timing.
Margot’s eyes widen when she sees the name on my screen. I’m sure the little hairs on the back of her neck stand up like thorns, and I don’t blame her.