Page 13 of Keeping Caroline
For the next few moments, I watched the three dots on the screen as she appeared to type, hesitate, and then type again. When her message finally came through, a weight dropped in my stomach. “I think I’m being watched.”
Cursing under my breath, I kicked my blankets off and dropped my feet to the cold wooden floor, replying to her message. “Did you say anything to Ethan yet?”
By the time I pulled my duffle bag out of the closet and stuffed it with clothes, she still hadn’t responded, making me wonder if she regretted her decision to message me at all. The urgency of the situation stripped away any lingering drowsiness as I grabbed Houdini and put him into his carrier, my mind racing with possible scenarios. I couldn’t fathom why she would reach out to me instead of her brother, but if she was concerned enough to do so, I had to take it seriously.
When she finally did send a reply, I was already loading my car. “I called, but they didn’t answer their phones. Look, I’m probably just being paranoid, and with the baby on the way, I didn’t want to worry him if it was nothing, but they didn’t answer, so now I’m even more worried.”
Heart still in my stomach, I pulled out of the parking garage with my equipment and cat in tow. I couldn’t leave him at home, not if I didn’t know how long I would be. Already behind the wheel, I couldn’t send a return text. Instead, I tried Ethan’s number, but he didn’t answer. The moment I ended that call, I called Caroline, the sound of rustling meeting my ear before her voice did.
“H-Hello. Tristan?”
The fear in her voice broke my heart. I hated that she was dealing with so much. “I’m on my way there. Why do you think you’re being watched?”
She cleared her throat. “There’s been a black SUV on the street outside my house for the past few nights. I just thought… I just thought that you could maybe look into it. And maybe you can check Ethan’s security system and make sure they’re safely at home?”
Even knowing she couldn’t see, I shook my head. “We aren’t finished hooking everything up, but Ethan’s security system isn’t hackable—even for me.”
I knew my response wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth. When Ethan’s security system was completely set up, I would have a backdoor into it, but only because he trusted me to oversee its operation. He trusted me with his family’s safety, which I knew wasn’t easy for him.
Caroline blew out a breath, her voice dropping. “Oh. Okay. Well, maybe I could—” A slight break in the connection told me she was receiving another call, which lessened the tension inside my chest—if only a little. “It’s Ethan. Thank goodness. Hang on, Tristan. I’ll be right back.”
For several minutes, the line went silent, leaving me with my thoughts. I debated turning around and heading back home, but with some of the security equipment already having been delivered, and with all my stuff already in the car that was traveling down the freeway at eighty-five miles per hour, I figured I was pretty much committed to keep going.
When Caroline returned to the line, her tone was audibly calmer. “I’m so sorry to bother you, Tristan. I guess I should have known my brother was probably busy, um...getting busy.”
The awkwardness within her statement made me chuckle. I wanted to respond lucky him, because it had been a while since I’d gotten laid, but I figured it would only make the moment more uncomfortable. Instead, I cleared my throat, doing my best to hide the grin in my tone.
“It’s really fine, Caroline. I needed to head back soon to finish the work he’d needed me to do anyway. Although...” Pausing, I glanced toward the seat beside me, where glowing eyes stared back at me through the mesh of his carrier. “I’m not sure if Houdini was excited about a road trip.”
“Houdini?” The way her voice pitched up made my smile widen. I had to admit, with some of the worry gone, at least the worry of whether Ethan and Scarlett were safe, it was nice to have someone to talk to while I drove. Leaving the city lights behind, the darkness enveloping me was lonely. “Who’s Houdini?”
Hearing his name, my black furball meowed. “Oh, uh, Houdini is my cat. I wasn’t sure how long I would be gone, and I didn’t have anyone to watch him.” I shrugged, changing lanes so I could pass an eighteen-wheeler. “I just hope the only hotel in your town allows pets.”
Caroline hummed, the sound telling me she was thinking. “I can check for you, but if I’m honest, Evie would absolutely love to play with him, and I have a spare room. There’s no need for you to go to a hotel, at least not tonight...especially since I’m the reason you’re on the road at three in the morning.”
I nearly choked at her unexpected offer. “That’s really not necessary. I’m sure I’ll find something if they don’t allow pet—”
“Nope.” She cut me off. “I’ve already checked, and they don’t allow pets. At least for tonight, you’re coming here.”
For a moment, the line went silent, and I thought she may have changed her mind, which would have been completely fine. She didn’t know me and had no reason to open her home to me, but when she spoke again, it sent my heart back into my stomach. “To be honest, Tristan, I don’t quite feel safe in my home right now, and I don’t want to burden my brother more. Plus, Evie’s school is right down the street, so I don’t want to pack up and go stay with him.” She blew out a breath, and I hated how it rattled. “If you were here, I think I would sleep better, even if it is for only a few days.”
After getting Caroline’s address and putting it in my navigation system, I only spoke to her for a few minutes longer. To both of our relief, the black SUV was not parked outside on the street, and Ethan had thankfully called her back, undoubtedly offering to go to her house. I didn’t see his vehicle in the driveway when I pulled up, but I was glad she’d finally gotten in touch with him.
Although she was adamant about not wanting to burden her brother, I knew that she was not even close to a burden for him. Ethan thrived on taking care of his family. In a way, I believed it was his way of cleaning his soul of all the blood he’d shed. There wasn’t one part of him that found annoyance in being there for Caroline and Evie. He didn’t need to say it out loud for me to know it was true.
Just like the time before, it took two hours for me to arrive at the small mountain town Caroline and her family called home. The street she lived on was only about three miles away from the bookstore. It was a low-traffic street, just like in the rest of the town, with only a few cottages spread out on either side of the road. Both sides of the street were lined with trees, the area around each house cleared to allow a small yard. Caroline’s cottage was more than midway down the street on the left.
Pulling in beside her car, I sent her a text, letting her know I was there. The last thing I wanted to do was wake Evie by knocking on the door.
Once the message was sent, I slipped my phone into my pocket and climbed out of my car, inhaling deeply. Something about the smell of pine, mixed with everything else that grew in the dense forests, had a way of transporting me somewhere else altogether. I may have only been a couple hundred miles from Atlanta, but I felt like I was a world away.
Before unpacking my car of my cat and both of our belongings, I scanned the street, but all was asleep, and there was no black SUV in sight. If it had been there earlier, it was now gone, but I hoped they would return while I was there, so I could get a better idea of what they were doing there. Caroline shouldn’t feel fear in her own home, and although I wasn’t as intimidating as her brother, I would make damn sure she was safe.
Chapter 9
The Phoenix
The moment I stepped onto my front porch and saw Tristan’s very tall silhouette standing there with a cat carrier in one hand, several bags over his shoulder, and a litter box on the porch by his feet, my heart skipped a beat. A crooked smile lifted the corner of his mouth, and I couldn’t help but smile back. I’d almost forgotten how damn attractive he was, in such a disarming way that it scared me.