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The SUV turned and August sat up in the back seat "Wow, are those gates? Where are we going?"
Tall, black iron gates fraranite pillars blocked the road Tenn pressed a re open Turning back to grin at August, Tenn said, "I told you our house was practically a castle"
Tapping the screen on his dashboard, Tenn pulled up a phone number labeled ‘Griffen’ and connected a call A distracted, sleepy voice answered
"Tenn?"
"You at breakfast?"
A h "Not exactly"
"Sorry to break up your ates, need you to meet me downstairs"
"Be down by the tiet here" The call disconnected and Tenn didn't explain I didn't ask We'd be at the house soon enough
I'd only seen aerial pictures of Heartstone Manor, and those hadn't done the place justice In the little research I'd ed before we left, I'd learned that Heartstone Manor had been built in the late 1800s by one of Tenn's ancestors to ease the holish bride The family had never opened it to tourists, never allowed it to be photographed
One of the few Gilded Age mansions still used as a private home, it was completely inaccessible to the public The art historian inat the chance to see the inside I was prepared to be ed
Wowed didn't cover it The narrow, paved drive wound through the forest, the asphalt cru to take over the road In some spots, it looked like sorowth, but in others, green shoots pushed right through the hard, black surface
The house itself appeared out of the trees between one blink and the next, so large it was hard to iranite, wings jutting out on each end, Heartstone Manor was majestic and looked oddly abandoned Sorass between the granite blocks paving the courtyard was neatly tri or flowers around the house there was only bare dirt It gave the house an unfinished feeling out of place on a home so old
Tenn noticed o after the rest of us moved out My oldest brother Griffen inherited the house He's working on getting it back into shape"
"Oh," wasto talk "How many of you live here? If you all moved out…"
"All of us It's a long story" He pulled the SUV to a stop in front of steps leading to tall, iron-strapped wood doors Juuy who'd driven my car from the Inn The driver jumped out, handed Tenn the keys, and disappeared around the side of the house, s from the trunk in hand
I watchedeven otten ates, but I was coust to protect When I got my hands on Thatcher…
August let Tenn help hi for us at the top Tenn ca the cuff fro it back on his wrist Crap
I kne to pick a lock, handcuffs included, but without oing to just hand over s Added to that co a lock with only my left hand? That, I'd never practiced Why would I?
I'd taught myself to pick locks partly for fun and partly to liberate the household funds ames Someone had to make sure there was food on the table and the power stayed on It sure as hell wasn't going to be him None of that ed to open the back door to the cottage, driven by desperation, but that was the apex of my skills
Even if I got the cuffs off, where was I going to go? I was miles froust could walk out of here even if I got us away fro facade of Heartstone Manor and at Tenn, a beust stood at the top of the steps Re to check in on me, I let out a breath