Page 137 of Risky Obsession
Her joy was like igniting a firecracker inside me.
“Look,” she said. “Kane, over there.”
Christ! She never shuts up.
“I see it,” I said.
“It looks okay. Maybe we can climb that tower.” Her childish glee was both fun and fucking infuriating.
A massive stone wall appeared through the bushes ahead, marking the perimeter of the castle land. The stones were mottled with dark green moss,and one section was missing from either crumbling away with age or being demolished during the war.
I adjusted my direction and headed toward it.
“There’s a wall,” Lacey said through ragged breaths.
Shoving past a spindly branch, I stepped onto a small clearing and took in my first uninterrupted view of Ünetzburg Castle.
“Wow. This is amazing.” Lacey’s eyes dazzled.
With her beautiful enthusiasm grating on my nerves, I strode toward the breach in the wall.
She chased after me.
Ivy clung to the stone fence that stretched all the way to the corner towers where a circular turret stuck out from the bricks like a koala clinging to a tree trunk. Would the Navy port still be visible from the turrets at the ocean end of the castle?
I left Pops’ duffle next to the wall and Lacey dumped her case next to mine.
“Where do we start?” She tugged off her beanie, and her wild hair added to her look of excitement.
The ancient rocks that had once formed part of the fence were a jumbled mess of different sizes and shapes, and I stepped onto a massive brick.
“You know, you can be angry at me all you want, and I deserve it, but if we work together, you’ll get rid of me quicker.”
I groaned at her.
“We both want the same thing, Kane.”
“No, we don’t. I want you to piss off.”
“I know. And you’ll get your wish once we find this gold.”
I halted on a rock to face her. “Ifthe gold was stashed here in 1945, there’s slim to no chance it’s still here.”
“Maybe, but I’m pretty sure if some lucky bastard just happened to find a hundred bars of gold stashed in this abandoned castle, then it would have made news headlines all over the world. But it didn’t. So, I’ll take your slim chance and bet we’re celebrating tonight.” She jumped onto a rock in front of me and put her hands on her hips. “Want to take my bet?”
I stepped around her. “Just stay out of my way.”
“Likewise, mister. I’m getting good at this treasure-hunting business.”
Fighting a grin, I stepped into a large central courtyard covered withovergrown weeds and wildflowers living through the field of stone pavers. Several trees had put down roots between the stone floor and were taller than the perimeter of the castle. On the opposite side of the courtyard, the thick stone wall was crumbling, and gaping holes dotted along the length.
“This is amazing.” Lacey spread her arms wide and did a slow turn. Her enthusiasm was contagious, sweeping me up in the marvel of the ancient building. “How old is this castle?”
“About five hundred and fifty years.”
“Wow. I can’t believe I’m here.”
“You shouldn’t be.” I marched toward the main castle building where a mixture of dead and thriving vines twisted across the gray stone exterior walls.