“I looked at pictures,” Evers said, “but I still wasn’t prepared. This place is like a castle. I stayed in Rycroft Castle for a job when Summer and I got together, and I thought that was over-the-top, but it still has nothing on Heartstone Manor.”
“Yeah, well, Rycroft was a good try, but it’s still not a genuine Gilded Age mansion,” Cooper reminded him. “Most of the houses like Heartstone Manor have been abandoned or opened to the public.”
“That was one the conditions of my father’s will,” Griffen said. “He left us money to maintain the place, and God knows we’re going to need it, but one of the restrictions is that we can’t, as he said, ‘turn it into a tourist attraction’. He was an asshole, but he loved this house.”
“It’s amazing. It’ll be even better when you have it back in shape, but it’s going to be a nightmare to secure,” Knox said, getting straight to the point.
“I’m aware,” Griffen said, wryly. “We’ll walk the house and the property tomorrow, but I’m already thinking Hawk is going to need help.”
Hawk hadn’t said much since he’d walked in. His dark eyes were alert, taking in everything. Thick dark hair fell across his face as he studied the French doors to the sunroom. I had a feeling everywhere he looked he saw a potential security breach.
Lifting his face to look at Griffen, he said, “Calling this place a nightmare to secure is an understatement. I’m going to need at least two more on-site. Four would be better. We can make up some of that with electronic surveillance.”
Griffen pulled a pad off his desk and sat with his whiskey, leaning forward to take notes. “I’ve already thought of that. I agree a team of four would be best. I need to check with Harvey—our lawyer and the one who holds the purse strings on the house budget—but I already said I’ll cover what we need out of my own pocket if I have to.”
“We’re not draining your savings account to keep you from getting shot in your own house,” Cooper said with annoyance.
The nonchalant way he mentioned Griffen getting shot sent a chill down my spine. I suddenly wished I was having dinner with the rest of the family. I wasn’t sure I was up for hanging with these guys who threw around the threat of a bullet like it was no big deal.
Griffen shrugged. “My whole family is here, and we have no fucking clue what’s going on. Someone has it out for us. We don’t know why or what they want. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get to the bottom of it, but until we do, I don’t care how much it costs. I want my family safe.”
“Harvey will free up the money,” I said quietly. “I’ll call him tomorrow morning and get specifics.”
Griffen smiled at me. “Thanks, Buttercup.”
Knox snorted at the endearment, but Cooper and Evers just smiled. Hawk looked vaguely annoyed. Griffen wrote something on his pad and then said, “So, here’s what I’m thinking —”
I zoned out as they ran over ideas for security. It sounded like it would take years to install. Sensors on every window and door, motion detectors, cameras everywhere. A room on the lower level would be repurposed for surveillance, and there would be someone walking the grounds and someone on cameras twenty-four hours a day. Just the idea of that made me feel safer. If Harvey balked at the budget, whatever it turned out to be, he’d have to answer to me. I’d make it my mission if I had to.
By the time dinner was ready, all I wanted was bed. I hadn’t slept well the night before, visions of Griffen dripping blood waking me over and over. He hadn’t been hurt aside from some bumps and bruises and the cut on his head, but when I’d walked in, there had been so much blood.
I knew I’d fallen for Griffen all over again, but I hadn’t realized how hard I’d fallen until I saw him dripping blood and thought I might lose him. In the night, as he slept beside me, I stared at the ceiling and came to a realization.
Our marriage had a time limit.
Fine. Everything in life has an ending.
At least I knew when ours was.
But Griffen was mine for now, and miracle of miracles, he seemed happy about it. I wasn’t his true love, I was the wife he’d been forced to marry, but he cared about me. He was sweet, and kind, and fun, and a better husband than I’d imagined he would be—and trust me, I’d imagined a lot back in the day.
I had five years with him before it was over. I was going to make the most of every one. If leaving felt like ripping out my heart, I’d deal with it then. For now, I was going to enjoy every day like we didn’t have an expiration date.