Page 89 of Billionaire's Coastal Haven

We follow Zoe to the empty library where she and I spread the artifacts across the folding table Collin usually uses for blueprints. She shows them the secret door, and we retell the story of finding the cavern, opening the crates, and flipping through the manifest.

Collin and Archer share a heavy look.

“What’s this about?” I point to their expressions. “You know what this is?”

“Mom’s not keen on us sharing family secrets.” Collin scrubs his fingers through the scruff on his chin.

“The Siren’s Callwas real,” Zoe says.

“It was.” Collin nods.

“Your grandfather was a bootlegger?” Her voice hits a high squeak that matches the energy bouncing in her toes.

“He was a lot of things.” Archer picks up the manifest and flips the first page open. His eyes scan the page. “Town lore muddied his reputation over the years. Especially after the bankruptcy.”

“Do you want to find out the truth? Clear his name?” I ask.

Archer replaces the manifest. “Does it matter? He’s been dead almost a hundred years.”

I rap my knuckles against the wooden bookcase. “There will be renewed interest in your family and this house when we open the resort. We can manage the narrative if we know what we’re dealing with.”

Archer waves a dismissive hand. “No one will care about the legacy of a bankrupt shipping magnate.”

“You’d be surprised.” Zoe’s mouth quirks with a suppressed smile. “Instead of being the Pirates of the Caribbean, they’ll be the Pirates of the Pacific Northwest. That is a story people will be interested in.” It’s a storyshe’sinterested in. It’s the entire reason she loves this house. Its lore ignites her curiosity in ways nothing else has.

“Great-grandpa Thomas was a lot of things, but I don’t think he was a pirate,” Archer says. “We should put everything back and forget it. Move on.”

“Move on?” Collin laughs mirthlessly, picks up a bottle, and holds it to the light. “This is why dad disappeared.”

“Collin, no.” Archer shoots a furtive glance toward Zoe and me. “We talked about this.”

My gaze jumps to Zoe. Her eyes are wide. She nibbles her thumbnail. What does she know about their dad? And what does it have to do with theSiren’s Call?

“I have the resources to help find your dad, if that’s what you need.”

Archer shakes his head. “We don’t need your money.”

“I know people who specialize in finding things that are lost.”

“So do we.”

I rock back on my heels at Archer’s harsh tone.

“What?” Zoe ignores Archer’s scorn and places her hand on Collin’s arm. “How?”

“It’s not important.” Archer scowls at Collin. He tugs him to the corner of the room and whispers in Collin’s ear.

Collin rips his arm away. “Mom didn’t tell us the truth. Something happened. We need to know why he left. Where is he?”

Archer’s jaw clenches. He braces his hands on his hips and paces the room.

“Arch, please,” Collin pleads. “We need help.”

“This doesn’t leave this room.” He points a finger at Zoe and me.

“Whatever you have to say, we’re with you.” Zoe nods.

“And you?” Archer’s gaze bores into me.