Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
I didn’t know Bend very well, but I knew it well enough to realize within minutes that Kenna wasn’t driving me back to Mug+Shots. Kenna remained silent as she drove, not saying a word as she missed the turn and then passed two more opportunities to turn around.
“Are you kidnapping me?” I asked as the surroundings quickly changed from urban landscape to pastoral fields and copses of trees.
Kenna laughed.
“No,” she said. “Well, kind of. I just need to make one little stop and then I’ll take you right back to Mug+Shots, I swear.”
“I’m going to die,” I replied. “You’re going to kill me.”
Kenna only laughed again, shaking her head as she turned onto a long dirt road.
It was lined with trees and hard packed with gravel to keep potholes from filling in.
Fields stretched out in all directions, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how she thought this was going to be a solution to my personal housing crisis.
Then, the road dipped into a valley that was filled with trees, the light filtering through in a strobing effect as we drove between them.
Before I could ask where Kenna was really taking me, the trees opened up abruptly and a stretch of lawn ended at the edges of a two-story cottage covered in vines.
“Whoa,” I said, appreciating the picturesque scene before me.
“Nice, right? I thought you might like it,” I could hear just how smug Kenna was in that one statement.
“It’s a nice house,” I said, glancing up at the place through the window but not bothering to get out. “But why are we here?”
“To see if you think it would be a good fit.” Kenna smirked. “It’s a nice place to stay, don’t you think?”
“Sure,” I replied. “It’s, uh, definitely out of my price range, though.”
“Trust me,” Kenna said. “It’s not.”
“Why?” I asked warily. “Was a family brutally murdered inside?”
“Just an elderly couple,” Kenna’s cryptic reply rang in my mind as she unbuckled her seatbelt, impatiently motioning for me to get out of the car and follow her.
“Wait, are you serious?”
She laughed, answering my question.
I got out but hesitated to get any closer. The last thing I wanted to do was fall in love with a gorgeous house that had all the security that isolation could afford and then have to leave it all behind afterwards.
“Come inside,” Kenna prompted. “Let me show you around, and then you can decide whether this is the kind of solution you’d be willing to try.”
“Okay,” I said, still skeptical, but she seemed so excited and confident that this would work. Besides, Rogue wanted out of the car, and he had no compunctions about heading straight through the front door as she held it open for the two of us.
Inside, the place was cozy and gorgeous.
The entryway opened to a living room with a vaulted ceiling and massive glass windows that looked out on a fenced back yard.
I pivoted in the center of the room, scanning the space.
There was a kitchen to the right, an open floor concept with a massive island and a navy-and-white color scheme.
To the left was a fireplace built into the wall with floor-to-ceiling shelves on either side, just far enough to keep the books from being damaged by the heat.
There was even a ladder that rested against the far side of the shelves to reach the top.
There was a door to my right that I assumed was a guest bathroom and a hallway that led to the left.
Behind me I found that there was a guardrail that ran the length of the upper floor that looked down on the first level.
It was unclear how you were supposed to reach the upper level as there were no stairs in sight.
“The library is through that door,” she said as she guided me down the hallway, because of course the place had a library. Why wouldn’t it? “The laundry room is through there, and this is the guest bedroom.”
I peeked my head into the room and found a lovely queen-sized bed with a white comforter and walls painted in light blue.
The window looked out at the driveway but had thick dark blue curtains.
I stepped back from the room, mentally chastising myself even as I imaged trying to curl up on that bed with Rogue.
“How do you get to the second floor?” I asked, eyebrows furrowed. She gave me a sly grin.
“Family secret,” she replied.
“Wait, as in your family? This is your place?”
She nodded. “What do you think?”
“It’s nice, really,” I said. “But I don’t know why you brought me here. I couldn’t even afford a fraction of a place like this.”
“Well,” Kenna said, sending me a sly, conspiratorial grin. “It’s a good thing I’m not asking for any money, then.”
“What about your husband?” I asked, leaning on the door jamb of the guest bedroom and staring out at the living room.
The couches looked so soft, and the house being tucked away on at least an acre of land made me feel extra secure.
Beside me, Rogue had lost interest in sniffing at the thick carpet and had laid down, unable to go far while still on his leash.
Kenna sighed. “I don’t tell this to everybody,” she said.
“But considering the circumstances, I figure a secret for a secret is fair. Alistair and I aren’t married anymore.
We annulled the marriage almost immediately, but we keep up the pretense for our family’s sakes and to ensure that he doesn’t get disowned for his…
proclivities. I only live in Cavanaugh Cottage when he’s out of town, otherwise I stay at his place, for appearance’s sake. ”
Rich people are weird, I thought, but didn’t dare say it aloud for fear of offending her. She was offering me a place to stay, entirely free. It seemed too good to be true.
“You do realize I am hiding from some dangerous people?” I asked instead. “The landlord may have just been a creep, but he’s not the reason for all this. Whoever’s looking for me isn’t going to be fooled by me just moving in with you.”
“Well, then,” Kenna said. “It’s a good thing I’m not trying to fool whoever’s after you. I’m just trying to give you a little security, and Cavanaugh Cottage has some of the best security money can buy. It’s the safest place you could stay, outside of getting locked up in solitary confinement.”
“Well, I don’t really want to be in prison,” I said, hesitant but knowing that returning to that atrocious apartment wasn’t an option and neither was staying on Trick’s couch.
At least, not a long-term option, and the way my case was going it seemed that I was going to need a long-term situation. “Seriously, what’s the catch here?”
“No catch,” Kenna said, and then tilted her head and considered.
In my experience, there was always a catch. “You do realize you were ready to throw me to the wolves not more than four hours ago,” I said. “What changed?”
She gave me an appraising look, as if I were a specimen to be studied before a small smirk broke out along her lips.
“Let’s just say I have a soft spot for hard luck cases.
Maybe I was too quick to judge. Because from the looks of it, you’re either the worst undercover FBI agent I’ve ever met… or you really are in trouble.”
“Wow, thanks, that makes me feel so much better,” I said. “But seriously, thank you. This almost feels too good to be true.”
“Well, there is one, tiny condition, actually.”
I knew it. No such thing as a free lunch. Ever. “And what condition is that?” I asked warily.
Kenna beamed. “I get as much cuddle time with Rogue as he’s willing to give.”
“Deal,” I agreed, shaking my head at her and grinning back.