He smiles and there is regret in his eyes, but all he says is, “Hurry up then. I’ve got a surprise for you after breakfast.”
I pop a kiss on his mouth and jump out of the deliciously warm bed.
He gets on his elbow, and drawls, “Come back fast, Sexy.”
God, I love him so much, it actually makes my stomach clench. I grin at him. “You can bet on that.”
I pull on his shirt, button up, and run downstairs where I find William coming in from the foyer.
“Good morning, Miss Delaney,” he greets crisply.
“Good morning, William. I wonder if it would be possible for me to take a breakfast tray upstairs?”
“I can send a tray up to you,” he suggests.
“Well, can it be sent up to Rocco’s bedroom?”
“Of course. What would you like?”
“Whatever Rocco usually has for breakfast and for me, a toasted bacon sandwich and a glass of orange juice please.”
He nods. “I will bring it up as soon as it is ready.”
“Thank you.”
He walks away and I run into the study where I had left my purse last night. I dig out my cell phone and call Brianna. She always starts early at the bakery and I know her days off are Monday.
“What’s up, babe?” she says.
“Hiya. Listen, remember how you said you were sick of the smell of vanilla and cinnamon and you wished you could work somewhere glamorous, like a gallery instead? You still think that?”
“Yeah.”
“Something’s come up and I have to leave Hunter’s Cross for good so I was wondering if you want my job.”
“Oh my God, yes. I do,” she says immediately.
“Great. Let me talk to Larry and get back to you.”
“Autumn, is everything okay with you?”
“Yeah, everything is just fine. I’ll phone back once I’ve spoken to Larry.”
I then call Larry.
“Autumn?” he asks in an oddly husky, sleepy voice.
“Yeah, it’s me. Look, I’m really sorry, but after what happened last night I’m too afraid to come back to work. I’m actually going to leave Hunter’s Cross.”
“What?” His voice loses its drowsy, dreamy quality. “You’re not coming back?”
“No. I’m really, really sorry about the short notice, but the good news is I’m not leaving you in the lurch. Brianna, the girl who works at the bakery, is more than happy to step into my shoes.”
“That blonde girl from the bakery?”
“Yup. That’s her.”
“Hmmm… yeah. Okay. Ask her to give me a call and I’ll set an interview up today. Now what about all your stuff? You have all your things in the backroom, right?”
“I only want the painting of the castle and the big white box with the green dress in it. I’ll send someone to pick them up this evening. The rest Brianna can have or she can just bin it.”
“Where is the painting and the white box?”
The painting is leaning against the wall on the right of the backroom, and the box with the dress is in the cupboard by the sink. Thanks so much, Larry, I’m really sorry to do this to you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I know it’s been hell for you, first with Sam’s accident, and then the shock of those men looking for you last night. Have you figured out what they wanted?”
“No,” I say, and wince. I hate lying to Larry. He’s been really good to me.
“I’ll miss you, Autumn. You’ve been one of the best staff I’ve ever had.”
“I’ll miss you too,” I say, and my voice sounds as small as a child’s.
“Keep in touch, huh? Let me know where you go and if you are okay.”
“Goodbye, Larry.”
“Take care, Autumn.”
I end the call and stare out of the window. One by one all my bridges were being burned. Then I left the study and went upstairs. Rocco and I have a large breakfast, and I lie back and enjoy my surprise. Afterwards, we go downstairs and I paint him until lunch. After lunch I go back to working on my painting. By tomorrow I will be finished. We have an early dinner then we set off for the Parallel.
Chapter 62
Autumn
The Parallel is located in a desert in Utah, right in the middle of nowhere. We fly to a private airport a few miles away then drive to it. At a certain point down a deserted road, Rocco turns into a narrow road marked Private No Trespassing. A few minutes on the bumpy dirt path and I see a structure rising from the horizon like a dark shape. But as we get closer, the car’s headlights show it to be an abandoned, dilapidated farmhouse. I had imagined the entrance into another world with electric fences and armed guards.
“This is it?” I whisper.
“This is it,” he echoes. “The best way to hide a secret is in plain sight.” He opens the car door and gets out and I follow him. The air smells dry. We go into the house and it is in total darkness, but it would appear Rocco can see in the dark because he takes my hand and walks confidently into the inky blackness. Somewhere inside the house, on the ground floor, he opens a trap door that leads to the cellar of the house. We climb down the steps into an area that is even more frighteningly dark. Here not even the shapes of objects will detach themselves from the darkness. It is also very cold. I switch on the torch on my phone and find Rocco pulling what seems to be a false wall aside. It reveals a metal door. He puts a key into the door and it opens into another room fashioned from wooden panels. There are two wooden boxes on the floor.