“Name’s Spencer.” She eyed me up and down as she pulled off her gloves. “And you are…?”
“Uh, Kiera.” I couldn’t believe that I’d ridden off with these strangers without even knowing their names. Was I trying to get killed?
“Nice to meet you Kiera. The punching machine is Leo.” She nodded to her broader friend, who was pulling a cover over her own bike.
“Thanks.” I cleared my throat as I called over to Leo, fighting to keep the words flowing once she locked eyes with me. “For what you did back there. I appreciate you helping me out.”
“Any time.” She nodded, towering over me as she stood.
“He deserved worse, if you ask me.” Spencer’s lip curled ever so slightly.
Before I could ask what Spencer meant, her friend gave her a clap on the shoulder. “Let’s get inside. It’s late.”
She led the way toward the mansion behind us, and I had no choice but to follow, scanning the grounds one last time for any sign of where they’d taken me.
Despite the obvious heft of the ornate, oak doors, she swung them open like they were weightless, gesturing silently for us to step through.
The inside was just as stunning as the exterior, if a bit worse for wear. Stately marble arches bordered the room, sheltering the doorways and staircases that branched off into each hidden corner of this sprawling mansion. Across from the door was a freshly polished grand staircase. The lip of each step encased a small strip of lights that illuminated the stair below it, making it one of the only light sources in the room aside from the moonlight.
“What are you, fucking heiresses?” My words echoed off the stone, warping into something sharp as they bounced around alcoves.
My broader savior flinched at the sound, while the other moved to draw me through an arch to our left with a gentle hand on my elbow. Lowering her lips to my ear, Spencer murmured, “Do we look like heiresses?”
I was going to say no, but as I started to move I nearly lost my balance. When I looked down, a hand gripped my ankle, which was still wobbly from my fall.
Down on her knees, Leo looked up at me. “Kind of a no-shoes household.”
Spencer rolled her eyes as she slipped off her black Timberland boots.
With easy hands, Leo undid the clasp at the side of my ankle, gently pulling my heel off as she patted her shoulder for me to hold on.
I swallowed hard as her traps bulged beneath my fingers, trying not to whimper with relief as my aching foot met the cool floor.
Once both shoes were off, I smiled politely. “Thank you.” Looking down at Leo, I finally got a good look at her face. Her jaw line was sharp but wide-set, a low taper fade haircut made her face look even more chiseled than the muscles she’d been hiding under that jacket.
“Not too bad a view from here, Princess.” With a wink, she stayed on her knees as Spencer grabbed a hold of my arm and guided me forward.
I turned my face away, admiring the baroque sconces to hide my growing blush. Between my present company and the night I’d had, I couldn’t help the unease fluttering at the pit of my stomach.
But that wasn’t all it was — as we shuffled past plastic-tarped fainting chairs and chandeliers waiting to be rehung, I couldn’t quite reconcile how a place so abandoned could also feel so lived in. Every once in a while, between the wreckage of therenovations, I could see books sprawled across a table or laundry in a half-folded pile.
It had been a long time since I’d been in a house this nice, and dread was already brewing in the pit of my stomach.
I rolled my shoulders, trying to shake the feeling. As haunted as the mansion might feel, there were no ghosts here — the real monster was pacing the shadows at home, probably breaking dishes he’d expect me to clean in the morning.
But I wasn’t going back — not ever.
The relief of that thought settled over me like a wave.
Before I knew it, we were crossing into the warm glow of the kitchen light. The ambery overhead lights lent the coziness of a humble home. But a kitchen like this was fit for a king… or a queen.
Calacatta counters wrapped around every wall with a matching island at the center. Stand mixers, espresso machines, and blenders lined each surface.
Two sinks, a pot filler, an eight burner stove.
And a fridge hidden behind a matching dark cabinet front.
It was the nicest kitchen I’d ever seen, large windows pointing out to the darkness waiting beyond these thick stone walls.
