Page 4 of Keeping Caroline
“Like in spy movies?” she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet. I had to admit, she was an adorable kid.
Loving the lightness that bubbled inside me at her exuberance, I grinned. “Exactly like a spy movie.”
The air was crisp, carrying with it the scent of the forest after it rained. I followed behind Ethan and Scarlett as they walked hand-in-hand through the grass of their expansive property. Up ahead of us, Evie skipped with a stuffed llama in her arms, powered by a seemingly endless supply of energy. Beside me, Caroline walked quietly, the floral scent of her shampoo nearly sending my eyes rolling back in my head. I couldn’t imagine what Ethan would say if he knew I was already crushing on his sister, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I cared.
Although I didn’t know anything about Ethan’s finances, I was privy to what Scarlett had received after her husband’s death, as well what she’d received when her trust fund was finally released by her father, and it was clear some of it had gone into the property we toured while the heat of the day cooled. She’d brought quite a bit of wealth into her marriage with Ethan.
Tucked within the towering pines, the sizable wooden structure seemed to be part of the forest—beautiful in its simplicity. Aside from the cabin, there were three other structures on the property, including a barn, all of which blended into the landscape.
“Big place,” I said, gazing out at the sun as it made its way behind the endless peaks. “It’s really peaceful. How many acres do you have here?”
Ethan smiled, letting go of Scarlett’s hand so he could wrap his arm around her waist and pull her close. There was no question as to how much they loved each other. It only served to make me feel lonelier—an awareness that always seemed to cut deeper when you were around others than when you were truly alone. For a moment, I wondered what Caroline’s story was—what had happened to Evie’s father—but it wasn’t my business, so I had no intention of asking.
“In total, about forty acres,” Ethan responded, pointing toward the distant ridge, where the setting sun painted the sky in a prism of pastels. “But protected forests border us on the other side of that ridge for thousands of square acres, so it gives us a lot of added privacy.”
I nodded, appreciating the seclusion for what it was worth but knowing it could never be for me. All I kept thinking was about the lack of cellular signal I’d had ever since we’d arrived at their property. With all the trees, and being so far from town, getting any kind of reliable signal was a challenge.
“It’s a lot to secure.” Although we both knew it, my words still came out. The grounds were getting dark, but there was already a fire burning in the backyard that he’d started before we’d left for our walk. Scarlett’s chin dipped in a nod, but it was Ethan who answered as he turned left on the path, leading us back toward their home.
“It will be, and I hope it’s not necessary, but after everything my wife has already been through, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”
As we approached the large back porch of the cabin, Scarlett kissed Ethan on the cheek and let go of his hand, heading into the house, Evie, and Caroline at her heels. Instead of following the others inside, Ethan approached the large outdoor grill, glancing at me before lighting the burner.
“New Orleans is heating up,” he said, his eyes flicking up to meet mine before glancing toward the back door. “Victor Delacroix’s gang isn’t going to lie low forever. You know the FBI’s poking around, and if they connect the dots back to Scarlett or her father…” His words trailed off, but the unspoken threat hung in the air, dense and foreboding. I could almost hear the click of a hammer being pulled back, ready to unleash chaos. “If he discovers this haven, if something hap—”
“I won’t let them find out.” Despite the storm starting to brew inside me, and although we both knew it wasn’t a promise I could make, I still meant the words with every fiber of my being. If it was in my power to lead Victor’s gang astray, I would. “I’ll fortify this place… make it invisible to anyone who doesn’t know where to look.”
“Appreciate it, man.” Ethan’s nod was filled with gratitude and the knowledge that the line between protector and predator was one he had walked many times. “Scarlett’s got enough to worry about with the baby on the way. She doesn’t need the sins of my past—or her father’s—to come knocking on our door.”
Chapter 3
The Phantom
The evening air held a chill in the mountains that we never got in the concrete jungle I called home. I stood beside Ethan at the grill as he flipped steaks on an open flame, breathing in the fresh scent of nature that mingled with the aroma of seared meat.
“After killing Victor Delacroix… there’s no turning back now,” Ethan muttered, his light blue eyes reflecting the fire’s glow. “His mob won’t take it lightly. I didn’t have a choice, but they’ll want revenge.”
I nodded, his words sending a shiver through my body that had nothing to do with the temperature outside. “Even with the FBI potentially watching, you think his people will retaliate?”
“Retaliation is a given,” he replied, his gaze fixed on the darkness beyond the halo of light surrounding us from the bonfire and porch lights. “But it’s not just them. I don’t want Scarlett getting dragged into this thing. There shouldn’t have been any evidence left of her in the torched scene, but I’m hoping the feds don’t come sniffing around.”
The mention of the feds stirred a different kind of unease within me. My mind instinctively began to race, considering all the angles, all the potential digital trails that could lead to an unwanted knock on the door. “How hot do you reckon the trial is? I mean, I haven’t seen much on the news yet. Seems like they’re keeping it all close to the vest right now.”
Ethan exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders becoming more pronounced. “Although Scarlett has no contact with her father, we do know they’ve been digging. Victor’s operation was vast—drugs, weapons, you name it. And after what went down with Scarlett’s father…” He trailed off, the unsaid words hanging heavy between us.
“Well, I’ll do my best to make sure there’s no electronic trail of Scarlett being involved, and as far as the remaining members of Victor’s gang, all we can do is try to find out if they know who you are, and if they know what Victor had planned for her. There’s always the chance that his plans were kept to a small following.” Hesitating for a moment, I glanced toward the cabin only yards away, where I could just barely see Scarlett and Caroline through the window as they moved around the kitchen. “This isn’t the same location the two of you ran to last time, and everyone who was at that compound… They’re—”
“Dead,” he cut in. After everything he and Scarlett went through—after everything I was a part of—I understood all that he’d had to do in order to save the woman he loved, but I did not think I could ever get over the idea of taking a life, or if I could ever do such a thing myself.
I nodded, meeting his stare. “Right. They’re all dead. So, there is a chance the rest of his gang has no idea that you and Scarlett were involved.”
Turning back toward the grill, Ethan flipped the steaks, the sizzling steam making my stomach grumble. “I think there’s a higher probability they at least know Scarlett’s father was involved, and perhaps may, once again, try to use her to get to her father. But,” he said, using the tongs to point to a pan which I held out for him to place the meat on, “we have been doing everything we can to cover our tracks—especially Scarlett’s tracks, including changing her name and purchasing the store and home under a different entity altogether. Unless they come here and run into her in the street, they shouldn’t be able to easily find her, but that doesn’t mean they won’t. We just must stay vigilant and be prepared.”
With the food cooked, the conversation about Victor Delacroix and the events that had happened in New Orleans ceased. I followed Ethan back inside and we sat down at the long, wooden table where Scarlett, Evie, and Caroline were already seated. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, the cabin itself a true home. It was such a contrast to eating in my dark computer lab from take-out containers. Although I had the ability to toss ingredients together and have them taste half-decent, I didn’t cook often. Nobody enjoyed cooking for one. Back when I had a girlfriend… Well, it had been a while. Two long years.
“So, what do you think of our little town so far?” Scarlett asked, passing me a dish of steamed vegetables.
“It’s beautiful here,” I said honestly, my eyes flicking to Caroline’s for a moment, surprised when her cheeks flushed a rosy shade. “The scenery is breathtaking, and the people seem genuinely kind.”