“Yeah, a bit scratched up and a lot embarrassed, but apart from that, I’m fine.” I put my book back in the bag and stand up, brushing off. Voices behind Dad have him turning away from the edge of the pool.
“Harlow, Kai’s just getting his rappelling equipment set up. He’s going to rappel down, hook you into a harness, and they’re going to pull you back up.”
So, Kai’s here, but who does he mean by ‘they’? Before I can ask, Thomas and Holden both appear next to Dad, trying hard to hide their amused expressions, not that it’s going well. The minute Dad turns and walks away to supervise Kai, I guess, their grins break free as they both chuckle.
“Hey, Harlow, you are the furthest thing from a whale that I can think of,” Thomas shouts down to me, his accent strong with his uncensored emotions. I’m not sure I’ve yet seen him this gleeful since I got here.Though it’s a pretty damn good look on him.
“More like a mermaid or a siren, I would say,” Holden teases, smiling down at me.
Their easy going manner is a direct contrast to what the two of them have been like in the past, and my hackles rise a little bit. Is this the part of the program where they try to be friends with me just to destroy me once my trust in them is secure?
They must see the wariness in my eyes because the chuckles drop. “But seriously, are you okay?” Holden’s concern seems genuine, but I don’t know enough about any of them to be sure, not after Oliver. I’d thought the moment between us was genuine but look where that got me. “Emma was saying you thought you were pushed in.”
Bringing my hands to my hips, my temper rises. “Do you think I’m making this shit up, Holden?” I snap at him. “Or was this morning's little accident a part of my imagination as well?”
They look a little taken aback at my anger, and Thomas starts to shake his head. “Surely you can’t think any of us had anything to do with that?” His accent is still thick, his emotions changing from easy going amusement to what sounds like a healthy dose of shock in his attempt to defend himself and his siblings. Unfortunately for me, the sound has butterflies flipping around where they have no business flipping when I’m this angry.
“I saw the way you all looked at Jacinta when it happened. You suspect it was her too! Really, with the way you have all behaved since I arrived, I wouldn't put it past any of you.” Kai appears next to the two brothers, his mouth downturned as he hears the last of my words.
“Harlow, I swear to you I knew nothing about any of it.” He places his hand over his heart, and though I can’t see his eyes, I have a gut feeling he’s telling the truth. Last night, he’d insisted the same thing.
I scan down his body, noting he’s ready to climb down into the pool. He’s wearing a type of harness around his legs and ass that has a carabiner attached to it and a length of rope behind him, along with a helmet on his head. In his hand he has a matching harness that I guess must be for me.
“Look, I hear you. For now though, just come and get me and we can talk about it later.” I’m starting to feel worn out, and I hadn't realized how late it had gotten until just now that I’m noticing the sun has started to drop. Even though I didn't get to look in the house, I must have been exploring the back of the estate for hours.
With the sun dropping behind the large trees, shade slowly covering the pool, the air is starting to get as chilly as it was in the willow-covered front lawn, and goosebumps appear across my skin.
I watch as Kai exchanges some quiet words with his brothers before shooing them away. Thomas turns and leaves with a scowl on his face, but Holden argues a little longer before he too throws up his hands and disappears out of sight.
Dad steps up next to Kai, a reassuring smile on his face. “Don’t panic, Harlow. Kai knows what he’s doing; he’s very experienced with rock climbing and rappelling. We’ll have you out of there in no time!” Dad’s gentle words wash over me, bringing a sense of warmth. How sweet is he? I’m not going to burst his bubble and let him know that I’m more cold than anything. Rappelling or rock climbing is nothing compared to leaping onto the back of a 1200 pound horse when it’s coming at you at great speed. If I can handle that, I can handle this.
“Thanks, Dad.” I wave up at him, not wanting to discourage that gentle nature. It makes a nice change to the normal parental interaction I’m used to from my mother.
He disappears, and Kai starts to edge himself over the side of the pool. Once he’s got secure footing, he pushes off and slides down the rope before landing against the side again. Two more times he does this before he’s at the bottom. I make my way over to him, and he unhooks himself from the rope before running his eyes over me, looking for damage. He takes in all the scratches, but I wave him off. Nothing is deep or even in need of a bandage, just a good wipe over with antiseptic.
Finally, his eyes meet mine, the relief in them staggering. He reaches out and pulls me in tight, those damn butterflies coming back without any invitation from me. “I’m so sorry about all of this. I’ll put a stop to it,” he whispers before pulling away. My ear tingles where his words had brushed across it.
Blinking in surprise, I smile up at him. “The thing is, Kai, you can say that, but the person or people responsible are fucking adults who need to own up to their actions and accept that the consequences may be retaliation ten-fold.” I’m growling at the end of my response, and he nods his head, sadness clouding his eyes. There’s something about him that just seems more… open than his siblings. The rest of them have masks. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen each one hiding their true self already, but Kai has this openness about him that threatens to lure me in against my better judgment.
“I don't blame you in the least, Harlow. Today’s actions could have gone too far. They're lucky you weren’t hurt worse than you are.” He tucks a stray hair behind my ear, the sadness in his eyes replaced with something a little more cheeky that has my heart skipping a beat. The smile that crosses his face is big and bright and dangerously dazzling.
He waves the harness at me. “Let’s strap you into this and get you out of here. Holden was right; you may be pretty enough to be a mermaid, but with no water you’re pretty much high and dry.” I roll my eyes at his cheesy attempt at humor as he helps me into the harness, making sure it's correctly fitted before attaching me to the rope.
“Now, it might be best if you walk up the wall as they pull you. Otherwise, you’ll bang into the side and hurt yourself further.” With those instructions, he tugs on the rope and the tension increases as I turn and face the wall. Suddenly, I feel myself start to lift, so I put my feet against the wall and start walking up the steep incline. I move quite swiftly, but that’s no surprise with Holden, Thomas, and possibly my dad on the other end.
When I finally make it to the top, Dad hurries forward and assists me over the ledge. On my hands and knees, I breathe out a big sigh of relief before I let him help me stand.
Holden moves over to me, and without breaking eye contact, undoes the rope from my harness. “Incoming,” he shouts to Kai before launching it back over the edge. He still has a hand on my harness, though I can’t figure out why he’s not letting go. I can see a small frown on his face, his face creasing with concern as he studies me.
“We’ll get to the bottom of this, Harlow. I promise.” Right now, especially in the wake of Kai’s strange openness and that dangerous smile, I’m honestly tapped out, so I just smile my thanks before I step out of the harness and walk over to where Dad is standing with Emma. Now that I’m closer, I can see she’s gorgeous, and by the look in Dad’s eye he thinks so too. Seeing me safely out of the pool, he apologizes to Emma, thanking her for what seems like not the first time for being kind enough to help me out.
“He’s right, and I’m sorry. Abandoned buildings are my weakness, and when I saw this one, I couldn't help myself. Had I known there was a caretaker, I would have found a way to ask if I could explore. Thank you so much for going and getting help.” I hold my hand out, and she smiles, shaking it in return.
“I don't think anyone realizes there is still a caretaker. My father was the one before me, but he passed on a few years ago. We actually lived in the caretaker’s cottage on the far side of the mansion. He was sick for a long time, and I moved home to care for him. I guess I just continued the job once he passed on because I just didn’t have anything else to go back to.”
“Oh, no family or kids?” I not so sneakily fish for info for my dad.
“Harlow,” he scolds, but she waves it off.
