Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
ISABELLA
A hand slid over my mouth and squeezed. I thrashed, trying to get out of their hold. Another arm slid around my waist, locking me to them. I kicked, tried to bite, but it was no use.
“He says hello,” a voice whispered but it wasn’t a voice I knew. It wasn’t William’s. But I thought it had to be. Because who else would be there? Who else would be holding me? I kicked out, but it was no use.
And then I blinked, and we were no longer in the garage, but at the hilltop facing the lake. And this time I knew the voice was William’s.
“You think you can get away? He never got away. I’ll come back for you.
I always said I would. Don’t you like my letters?
You’ve been waiting for them, haven’t you?
” he whispered, and I scratched my nails down his face.
But William only laughed, and then it shifted once again and I was holding on to the cliff side, screaming for help.
And familiar blue eyes blinked down at me, but he didn’t hold out his arm.
“Dad! Daddy. I need you. Help me!”
“Why would I? You know I have to leave. I always leave.” And then he wasn’t my father anymore, but Weston. Staring down at me, before he got up off his knees and walked away without a second glance.
My fingers slipped, blood on my skin, a scream ripped from my throat, and then I sat up in bed, sweat soaked and shaking.
I ran my hands over my face, annoyed with myself.
“Well, I don’t need to go too far into the symbolism of that, do I?
” I asked myself before I swung my legs over the side of the bed and forced myself to get up for the day.
I glared at the alarm clock since it wasn’t even six a.m., but I didn’t care.
I turned off my alarm on my phone and set out to get ready.
I had a few more places to visit today. While Hudson usually got it done for James if James couldn’t visit the town, now I was the one in charge.
It felt odd to have that part of my family position on top of everything else, and yet it felt right.
Years ago when the town had been founded, it had been by a few families who needed a refuge.
There were dozens of small mountain towns within the area.
Some that had been for coal mining, others for gold.
Cage Lake had been for a few different reasons.
Yes minerals, but it also had a large water source that came from the natural tributaries from the mountain peaks.
So it was one of the coveted land spots for travelers.
The Cages had been one of the founding families, and then it had turned from a small grouping of families into an actual town itself complete with a sheriff, firehouse, and all of the municipalities that a small town could need.
It didn’t have everything, and some things were shared with other towns, but it was one of the larger ones. Yet still a small town.
So very different from the city. Even though I was a suburb girl, and my job was in downtown Denver, I was still used to highways.
Hell, my old job used to be in Centennial, and those high rises were trying to rival Denver, just like Parker was.
The area was growing so much that the I25 corridor was all one giant grouping of homes and businesses and city. Cage Lake was different.
And because the Cages owned so many of the properties, they did their best to make sure that they weren’t the overbearing landlords who took and didn’t give.
From what I was gathering from the town residents, that hadn’t always been the case. Dear old Dad had left behind so many broken promises, and not just within our family.
I quickly got in the shower and washed my hair, trying to also wash away that dream.
I still didn’t know who that voice was at the beginning.
The man who had attacked me. The authorities didn’t know, and while I could go back home and try my best to act normal, I wasn’t sure what normal was anymore.
Yes, I was afraid he was still out there, and frankly I didn’t know if it was connected to William at all.
William was still situated in Wyoming, far closer to the woman he had attacked brutally.
It was odd to think I had gotten off easy, and it made me ill to even say those words.
But I had in the end. So I wasn’t sure if I was ready to go home.
And it didn’t have everything to do with William.
No, I had given into temptation. I had taken Weston into my bed, or rather, the guest bed, and I hadn’t wanted to let him go.
It had been rough and erotic and everything that had been missing in my life.
And I had no idea what it meant. Because not only had we slept together, but I had also ended up at his house, helping the girls get ready for prom. We had fallen into a situation that others would call a relationship so quickly, and yet, it didn’t make any sense.
Because we hadn’t spoken. Not really. And now I wasn’t sure what the timeline was. Because my time here was finite. I did not live in Cage Lake. I didn’t have one of the many homes the Cages owned. I didn’t work at any of the businesses that I was speaking to today. My life wasn’t here.
And Weston’s, once again, was.
I finished showering, and then got out, drying myself with my fluffy towel.
Aston only liked the best things, and for that I was grateful.
I knew I had to work today, to visit the actual town, but that wasn’t all.
The other Cages would be joining me today, because tonight was the infamous Cage family dinner.
I didn’t know exactly who would be showing up, but it was on the spreadsheet, and there would be enough of us.
We weren’t going to let dear old Dad win.
Yes, maybe following his will seemed like he was winning, but in the end that wasn’t it.
We were not going to let this town down.
I finished getting ready and made my way to Main Street.
It wasn’t a far drive, but because of the chill in the air and the rocky landscape, I hadn’t walked.
Some people could easily walk to Main Street and Cage Street, and it was such an interesting concept to me.
The town itself called to me in a way I didn’t understand.
Each block had flower beds and topiaries that were made of native plants that alternated depending on the season.
The front facing buildings had an old mountain town feel but were crisp and cream.
Each building had its own unique feel, but there was a theme to it all—including art pieces by certain local residents and other artists the Cages brought in.
I knew they’d built and decorated the resort on the outside of town to be the same.
It was a small town yet inviting for tourists so they could keep the place running.
The first thing I did was walk into Caged Bean and got myself a coffee.
The owner grinned at me, and I also went over a few paperwork things with them.
There were items that they needed for the building itself, and while that wasn’t underneath my authority at all, it felt good to know that they trusted my family to at least look at it.
Because I knew that hadn’t always been the case with Dad.
Next, I went into Rise and Cage and grinned at two familiar faces. There was an older woman named Melody, and a woman a little younger than me who was the owner and manager of the place.
“Hi Isabella,” Harper said, a bright smile on her face. “I see you went to the Caged Bean for coffee, what’d you get?”
I looked down at my latte and felt a little odd.
“Am I okay bringing other businesses in here? I realize you guys sell coffee as well.” I didn’t know if there were any business rivalries or competitiveness going on.
This was something I was going to have to learn, even if I didn’t plan on living here for long.
I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
Melody had gone to the back to work, so Harper just grinned at me. “Oh no. We don’t mind. We actually work together. They do more of the lattes and the fun drinks. They even have a flight of flavored themes.”
A smile spread over my face. “Blakely was telling me about that.”
“I love Blakely. She and Aston are so adorable together.”
“It’s so odd to think that you guys know everybody so well.” I shook my head. “That’s not what I’m used to.”
“We don’t know everybody that well, but I try. Plus, Aston did help me set up the business along with James. And Dorian of course,” she added quickly, a blush staining her cheeks.
I didn’t question that, and I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on there. Though I knew Harper was a few years younger than Dorian. And Dorian was in a serious relationship. Or maybe I was reading too much into it.
“Anyway, it’s a caramel br?lée latte with oat milk and some vanilla drizzle thing. But it’s as sugar-free as they could possibly make it for me.”
“That sounds amazing. I’m going to have to try it. We do have coffee here, because some people don’t need all the fixings, but we are mostly here for the baked goods. That’s why it helps that we try to be sister businesses.”
“I love it. You guys really know what you’re doing.”
“Honestly it was James’s idea, I think. Or one of the Cages. Once their dad died, they had more freedom to do things like that.” Her face paled, leaching of all color, and she put her hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry.”
I smiled and reached across the pastry case, gripping her hand softly. “It’s okay. Yes, he was my dad as well. But it’s been a while now, and complicated emotions doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling. It’s okay. I promise.”
“I still feel terrible even mentioning it so casually.”
“You don’t have to. I promise. Now, I have something for you to sign from James. And while most of it could be done electronically, we needed a notary for this.”
“Oh, do we need to go to municipal hall to make that happen?” she asked.