“Did they ever figure out how the fire started all those years ago?” she asks softly.
I pull her back against my front. “No, sweetheart. But it won’t happen again. This time, no one will be able to approach us without our knowledge.”
She turns in my embrace and wraps her arms around my middle. “I didn’t think I would ever see any of you again.”
“We’re here now, sweetheart. And so are you. You’re safe,” I remind her. “You won’t be left alone anywhere on our property for a long time, but if and when I ever let you out of my sight, you’ll know all the places to hide in an emergency.”
“There are others?” She tips her head back.
“Yes. There’s a saferoom in our cabin. There’s one in every cabin. I’ll show it to you.”
“You think someone started that fire intentionally, don’t you?”
“Yes, sweetheart.” I cup her face and stroke her cheek.
“But why?”
“Jealousy? Revenge? Intended robbery? Hard to say. Our parents were worth a lot of money, and so were their minds. They had hoped to live in peace out here without anyone discovering them, but it backfired. They may be gone, but their legacy lives on through us. We have returned, and we refuse to be chased off our own land by anyone.”
I wonder if, at some point, Rebekah might feel like I duped her by marrying her without telling her the risks. I intend to prove to her that she will always be safe with me, and I pray she doesn’t grow to resent me. The last thing I want is for her free spirit to feel trapped. We may have nearly every luxury known to mankind on this mountain, but there’s a price to pay for our name and our wealth. Part of that price is the freedom to live freely out in the open.
My brothers and I have spent a decade separated and in various parts of the country. In that time, we’ve earned our degrees and done our best to stay under the radar, but eventually, we realized the publicity that came from people recognizing our name alone just isn’t worth it. We felt called to return to our roots, our mountain. This land is ours, and we fully intend to turn it into a safe haven. A place where we can live our lives without being under the public spotlight.
Rebekah is stunned, staring at me in silence. I can’t blame her. The more she learns, the more shocked she will probably be.
“Come.” I take her hand and lead her out of the control room and into the next office. Aaric is at his massive desk on one side of the room, and he stands. “What do you think?” he asks my wife.
She clings to me, leaning into my side. “I’m overwhelmed.”
“Yeah, it’s a lot,” he says.
I point to the desk opposite him. “This is my workstation. Aaric and I head up the developmental part of our family business. We come up with new ideas and turn them into reality.”
When she says nothing, I continue, “Aaron is our CFO. Andrew is our CEO. Basically, that means they run the company our parents founded. JNG Enterprises.”
“JNG… Jack and Naomi. Your parents.”
“Yep.”
“What does Asher do?” she asks, always the inquisitive one.
“He’s not directly involved in the business. He holds equal shares, but he prefers to live apart from us. His main goal is ensuring nothing like the fire that killed our parents ever happens again. He will have access to the monitors you saw in Adrian’s office as soon as Adrian finishes getting them all connected. I hadn’t seen that setup yet. It’s that new.”
“We don’t see Asher often,” Aaric adds. “The fact that he came to the courthouse yesterday was surprising to us.”
Rebekah nods. “That’s kind of sad.”
I give her a squeeze. She’s right, but Asher is his own person. The rest of us are just glad he’s here with us. He returned five years ago. He’s been here, mostly on his own, living off the land before the rest of us arrived and we started to build. We’re all hoping he will start to emerge more often and grow less reclusive.
Rebekah’s eyes widen. “He’s been here five years? I never saw him.”
I shrug. “He didn’t want anyone to know he was here. He’s stealthy.”
“Wow. I guess so.”
“I need to take care of some things, and then we’ll get out of here. Would you like to explore while I do so?”
She shakes her head. “I’d rather stay with you. Is that okay?”
