"It's a lot like a castle, yeah. And you're right, living there isn't hard. Except there are conditions. One of them is that I can only leave for fourteen days every quarter. If I'm away for more than that, I lose my inheritance."
"Like whatever's in the trusts? How much is it?"
"Thatcher! You can't ask that! It's rude!" My cheeks were on fire with embarrassment. He knew better than to ask someone how much money they had. Tenn put his hand on my leg, squeezing.
"It's okay, Scarlett." Looking up to the rearview again, he said, "The truth is, I don't know the exact number. According to the terms of the will, Griffen isn't supposed to tell us. In the video he left, Prentice told Griffen to take it all. I think he didn't want us to know how much there was. He liked to play games."
"Sounds like it. He wasn't a nice guy?"
Tenn was quiet for a long moment. "No, Thatcher, he was not a nice guy. And he wasn't a good father, either."
"No wonder you guys can't figure out who killed him. Must be a long list."
Tenn laughed. "It's a very long list," he agreed.
Thatcher digested all of this before he put it together. "You were already gone for the fourteen days this quarter, weren't you? And if we don't get back by eleven, you lose your inheritance? That's crazy."
"Not just that," I added. "If we don't get back by eleven, he doesn't only lose the money, he's banned from all the family property, including the house and the inn where Tenn works. He'll lose everything."
Thatcher stared at us, at a loss. "Why? Why would you take the risk? Your house? Your job? And it has to be a lot of money, even if you don't know how much. That's crazy."
Tenn shook his head, a bemused smile on his lips. Letting go of my leg, he reached over and took my hand, resting it on the center console, his fingers wrapped around mine, his thumb absently stroking my skin.
He sent that bemused smile my way before he answered. "First of all, we miscounted, and I thought I had forty-eight hours left, which is slightly less crazy, though I take your point. And second, I don't know exactly how much money we're talking about, but Griffen implied it was a hefty amount and he's not a liar."
"And third?" Thatcher pressed.
"Third, you were missing with some very scary guys after you. I don't care what was at risk for me, there was no way I was letting your mom go after you on her own."
"Couldn't you have waited until the quarter was over?"
"Did you forget what happened in that motel room? How do you think that would have gone down if we hadn't been there? Your dad would have done his best, but he wouldn't have been able to keep you safe. Not when they planned to use you for leverage."
"What did that mean?" Thatcher asked, and I was so grateful he hadn't had to find out.
Tenn's expression darkened. "I'll explain that later."
"So, all we have to do is get to your house by eleven? How much of the drive is left?"
I checked the clock. "Two hours and fifteen minutes. We should have an hour to spare."
Should, but didn't.
Thatcher stretched out in the back seat and dozed off again. I sat beside Tenn, holding his hand and watching the road, willing us to move faster. We left the rolling hills and gentle mountains behind, passing into a narrow stretch of highway that curved tightly through the mountains. According to the map, it was only a few miles until we'd leave the highway for the road to Sawyers Bend.
As we emerged from a long tunnel, the sun setting over the mountains, Tenn slammed on the brakes.
A line of cars stretched in front of us, red lights a snake winding around the curve ahead. Frantic, I scrambled for my phone, pulling up the navigation app. Our section of the highway was a thick red line. Tapping it, I saw the one thing I hadn't considered.
Rockslide.
And just like that, our hour to spare began to slip away.
Chapter Thirty-Six
SCARLETT
Thatcher slept on, unaware of the precarious change in our circumstances. I was sick with worry, but Tenn appeared unbothered.
"I should have thought about this," Tenn said, his voice far too even and calm. "We had a ton of rain last week. It destabilizes the tree roots, and when the trees come down, the mountain comes with them. We haven't had a rockslide in a while, but it happens."
"How long does it usually take to clear?" I asked, my voice taking on a frantic edge. I may have sounded a little unhinged.
Tenn shrugged. "Depends. Looks like there's a crew working right now. And the cars ahead are moving. We should be good."