I nod and then turn on my heels to head for the tunnels. I don’t hear anyone following me, so they must be staying. We all have rooms at Bishop’s house for nights like this. But I’ve always been the loner of the group. Mostly it has to do with the scars on my face, but I like the quiet, and the twins are always making noise.
When I get to the SUV I drive through the tunnels back to my place and climb the stairs. I have my orders from Bishop and I’m supposed to follow them. But the scent of roses hits me when I walk through the door and suddenly all bets are off.
Seven
Juliet
“There’s nothing,” Dove huffs as she leans back in her chair, more frustrated than I am.
We’ve been poring over old news articles and searching the internet for any sort of clue but have come up with less than zero. Well, except that the home is owned by some company that owns a handful of mini mansions around here, some I didn’t even know exist because they are nestled back into the woods. Hiding in plain sight is what Dove had said.
I let out a long sigh, knowing we aren’t getting anywhere tonight. “I’m not giving up,” Dove mumbles, more to herself than me. She has a determined look on her face.
“We should call it a night,” I tell her, knowing the sun will be coming up soon and we don’t want to get caught sneaking out of the library in broad daylight. I know Dove has a key to the place, but it doesn’t mean she’s supposed to be here at all hours. I don’t want either of us to get in trouble.
She looks at her watch and must have the same thought as me. She squeaks then stands up so quickly she almost knocks over her chair. “Mr. Benson always gets here super early. We have to get out of here.”
We get our shit together and haul ass back to our dorm room. When we finally crawl into bed, Dove is out like a light and I can hear little snores coming from her side of the room. As for me, I’m still wide awake and unable to get any sleep. My mind won’t stop focusing on Kane and wishing I knew more about him. I keep wondering why this ache inside of me isn’t going away.
After an hour or so I give up trying to sleep and throw the covers off me. I dig through my closet to find something to wear but do my best to be quiet so I don’t wake up Dove. I grab my yoga pants, sneakers and a hoodie. When I’m dressed, I pull my hair into a ponytail and slip out quickly because I know if she wakes up she’ll try to stop me.
Maybe there’s a last name on his mailbox or something. If we had a last name, maybe we could find out more about Kane. At least that’s what I tell myself while I wait for my taxi to pick me up.
As the driver pulls up to the gates, I notice that ache in my stomach has started to ease now that I’m back here. I hop out of the taxi and walk up to the gate. I stand there like I did just hours ago, but this time there’s no fear. My fingers wrap around the bars, and before I can think about what I’m doing I’m climbing the gate all over again. Something is pulling me towards this house. Towards Kane.
When I hop down I make the long walk to the front door and knock. I’ll ask if I left my cell phone here. I repeat it over and over in my head so I don’t forget when the door opens. But after a few minutes go by I’m disappointed when no one answers. It’s probably for the best because I’m knocking on the door at five in the morning like a crazy person. Still, I can’t pull myself away. In an act of complete lunacy, I grab the door handle and to my surprise the thing freaking turns. The door slowly opens with a loud creak when I push on it.
“That’s not creepy at all,” I mumble to myself as I step inside and shut the door behind me. I should probably be more afraid, but I’m utterly calm. That weird feeling that had been hanging all around me since I left here is gone, and weirdly it feels like I’m home.
I stand there a moment and look around. This place is more than beautiful, and I wonder about the rose garden Kane told me about. It’s a dream house, really. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my life or ever thought I would. It reminds me of a grand estate built in the nineteen twenties.