We’d been here for the gala but that was a separate entrance leading to the ballroom, now we’re taking the main driveway to the main portion of the…mansion?!
I knew that Thornton Tech had plenty of money, but this place is way bigger than I expected. Manor isn’t even the right word; it’s so much more than that. I’d only ever heard of the home, situated on the edge of town, but I’d never seen any of it until the day of the gala. I never had a reason to be in this area since I didn’t know anyone here, had no business here, and my station didn’t report to calls this far away.
Now I’m staring out the window at what I’m pretty sure is the biggest front door on the planet. It’d be a big door even if it wasn’t a double door. But this thing belongs in a medieval castle or something.
This part of the house has the same structure as the ballroom’s entrance, with stone pillars flanking the door andivy crawling up them. More ivy trails up the walls of the home, tapering off near the massive windows on the second floor.
Warm light spills from inside like something out of movie. Despite its size and opulence, it looks homey. Welcoming.
I sit there for a second just staring as Alex parks in front of that giant front door. Pip’s carrier sits on my lap in the front seat as he spins circles, ready to get out. Alex rushed us into an unmarked squad car so fast that I barely got a look around the neighborhood, or more importantly, the multitude of emergency vehicles littering the block. He and Mason had a quick, hushed conversation while I tossed my bag in the backseat that I’m sure was about me considering the way Mason was looking sideways at me.
As Alex climbed into the vehicle, I offered to help the EMTs, partially to get an idea of what had happened and partially to help my fellow paramedics. But Alex assured me they had it handled.
He wouldn’t tell me anymore about it the whole drive here and was probably thankful when I went dumbstruck quiet as we pulled onto the property.
But the quiet is about to end.
“MEROOOOOOOOW,” Pip hollers in his carrier. He’s so done with being in there.
“Alex,” I say slowly, patting the carrier on my lap as I stare up at the manor. “What the hell is this place?”
He parks, killing the engine, like this is normal. “It’s my dad’s place.”
I let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh. Yeah, I gathered. “Your dad liveshere?”
“Yeah.”
I shake my head, looking back at the house as he grabs my bag from the back seat. I climb out, slinging the carrier’s strap overmy shoulder. “This isn’t a house,” I say. “This is, like, if a tech billionaire and a castle had a baby.”
That earns a faint huff of amusement from him. “Something like that.”
The door opens as we approach becauseof courseit does. I hesitate, because suddenly I feel every difference between us. The clothes in my bag, the scuffs on my sneakers, and the fact that I still smell faintly like antiseptic even though I showered after I got home before Alex showed up suddenly and sent everything into a spiral.
But he sees it immediately, because he’s Alex. “Liv.”
I look at him.
“You’re okay,” he assures.
The reassurance almost works. But I force myself to fake it. I nod, “right.”
It’s quieter here than in the city, even in my haphazard neighborhood that seemed so quiet but now I realize it wasn’t actually, at least compared to this.
The heavy oak doors swing open, and the air changes instantly, becoming cool and still. My breath catches in my throat. The floor looks like a single expanse of white marble so polished it mirrors the crystal chandelier hanging from a ceiling three stories above. A grand staircase curves up into the shadows, its banister a gleaming, dark wood that looks like a waterfall against the stark white.
I don’t touch anything, I’m too afraid to.
“This way,” Alex says, taking Pip’s carrier from me before I can protest.
“I can carry him,” I say automatically, watching him carry my gym bag and the cat carrier now.
“I know.” But he doesn’t give it back.
I follow him up the stairs and down a hallway that’s bigger than my entire apartment.
“This is temporary,” he soothes. “You’ll have your own space. The security system covers the whole property. Between the cameras and the restricted access, no one’s getting in here without us knowing.”
His words aren’t as comforting as he thought they would be.
