Risky Obsession (Wolf Security #3)

7. Lacey/Tory

CHAPTER 7

Lacey/Tory

I stared at my reflection in the cracked mirror of the café bathroom, barely recognizing the woman gazing back at me. The more time I spent with Kane, the more it felt like a noose tightening around my neck.

The ghosts of my past undercover job echoed in my mind. Back then, I’d needed to take down a man I’d thought I loved, who had ruined so many lives. Kane was nothing like that. He seemed nice and genuine.

It didn’t matter. This was undercover work. Lying was a pre-requisite.

My name is Tory, and my obligation is to Aria.

“Get it together,” I muttered, gripping the bench as I tried to shove away the guilt staining my mind. Aria was adamant that Kane couldn’t know who I was. She must have a good reason for that. It didn’t make lying to him any easier, though.

The door creaked open, and a woman walked in, jolting me into moving again. I took a deep breath, preparing myself to face him once more. Why couldn’t Kane be an asshole? That would be much easier to deal with than Mr. Nice Guy. Then again, maybe he had me fooled.

I’d fallen for a man’s charms before, and it had nearly ruined me.

I crossed the café toward him. Why did he have to be so damn good looking too?

“Everything okay?” he asked as I took my seat across from him again. His piercing blue eyes searched my face .

“Fine,” I lied, keeping my voice steady. It seemed like he was growing more suspicious of my behavior by the minute. “You ready to get going again?”

“Sure. My turn in the restroom, and I’ll grab the bill.” He stood.

“Oh, I’ll pay.” I swiveled my bag across my hip to grab the credit card I’d been authorized to use. “Actually, not me, Aria.”

“It’s okay. I’ve got this.” He flicked a credit card between his fingers as he walked away.

Trying to ignore the increasing guilt gnawing on my insides, I stepped outside into the brisk afternoon air. Hunching against the cold, I strode to the car and climbed into the passenger seat. Kane could have a turn driving. Maybe then he would be too distracted to ask me questions.

The passenger door opened, and he jerked back.

“Your turn to drive.” I grinned up at him.

He shut the door and made his way around to the driver’s seat. With Google Maps open on his phone, he pulled onto the main road.

We had at least another forty minutes to reach our destination, although I still had no idea where we were going.

The small-town streets were eerily quiet as Kane drove us through the main road and the soft hum of the car engine was the only sound. It was a stark reminder of how much the world had changed in the wake of Covid.

“Feels like a ghost town.” I pointed at three empty storefronts and an entire row of vacant parking spaces.

“The last couple of years have been tough on a lot of countries,” Kane replied with a sigh.

As we continued along the road, the town faded behind us and the buildings were replaced by a dense forest that stretched as far as I could see. At the top of a rise, Kane pulled the car over, and we both stepped out. The heady scent of pine needles and damp earth enveloped me as the afternoon sun filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Kane asked.

“Sure is.” I breathed in the crisp air, feeling an unexpected connection with nature. As the distant squawks of birds hidden among the branches called for my attention, the weight of my secrets and the burden of my guilt seemed to lift.

I was always too busy working to take notice of nature like this. Since I’d moved from the crazy condensed streets of Sydney to Rosebud, I hadn’t even been to the beach, which I could actually walk to from my rental apartment. Maybe I should learn to take time out every once in a while. Especially if it made me feel alive like this.

“Sometimes, we just need a break from all the chaos,” Kane said. His eyes met mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. “We often forget what’s really important.”

Is he reading my mind?

“Okay, Confucius, enough of the philosophy. We have treasure to find.” I headed back toward the car.

As he climbed into the driver’s seat, I had to tear my gaze away from him to take another close look at the forest. Frowning, I studied the swaying branches, wondering if it was those trees that gave me such a powerful sense of peace or if it was Kane. I’d never met a man who seemed so insightful or calm. He actually seemed to care for me, yet we barely knew each other.

I hadn’t been to bed with a man for years, and I hadn’t had a serious relationship since I’d put my last boyfriend in jail. Maybe my dormant libido was messing with my brain.

As Kane drove down the winding hill, we were surrounded by an ocean of greenery that stretched endlessly in every direction.

“I didn’t think we’d go to places like this,” I said, adjusting his scarf around my neck to shift the scent of his divine cologne away from my nose.

“Where did you think we’d go?”

“I thought we’d be exploring old buildings and digging through ancient archives.”

“Sometimes, the best treasures are hidden where you least expect them.” Kane cast me a sexy look.

I squirmed in my seat.

What the hell is wrong with me? I’m acting like a randy teenager.

He smirked like he knew exactly what he was doing to my body. “Patience, Tory.”

I’ll give you patience, you cocky bastard.

At the bottom of the hill, he made several turns without consulting the GPS. After a few more miles, his confidence seemed to wane, and a dark frown drilled across his expression.

On a long stretch of road which was flanked with vegetation so dense I could barely see four meters beyond the asphalt, Kane abruptly yanked the car onto a gravel shoulder, sending a spray of stones flying.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, pushing myself back onto the seat.

He killed the engine and pointed to a massive rock on the side of the road. “Found it.”

The word ‘Carinhall’ was carved into the moss-covered boulder.

“Carinhall? As in, the Carinhall!” I blinked at him. Thank goodness I’d read about this place in Yasmin’s father’s journal.

He grinned like I’d passed some kind of test, and I grinned right back at him.

“Looks like we’re walking from here though.” He indicated to the right of the rock where a tangle of vines and undergrowth obscured what might have once been a driveway.

His expression darkened with worry.

“What?” I asked.

He glanced at me with an unreadable expression, then opened his door and stepped out.

The cold wind whipped around me as I followed him, sending a shiver down my spine. We were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but wilderness that had seen some truly gruesome events.

What have I got myself into?

“Lead the way,” I said, wishing I had my Glock tucked into the bag across my chest.

Kane set off at a brisk pace and his long legs easily navigated the overgrown path. My leg wound stung like hell as I struggled to keep up, reminding me that I was overdue for a painkiller. I hated taking drugs, a legacy from my chemistry degree that got me into a hell of a lot of trouble, but the aches in my leg and my wounded fingers were beginning to dominate too much of my attention.

The wind whistled through the trees, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and something else . . . decay, maybe. A small creek covered in dead leaves ambled along the edge of the path, its gurgling waters adding to the crunch of dead foliage beneath our boots.

“Are you sure this is the right way?” I asked, unable to suppress my curiosity any longer.

“Positive,” Kane replied, yet his tone contradicted his statement and fueled my growing unease .

I wanted to know what was worrying him, but something told me that even he didn’t know. Instead, with my breath visible in the frosty air, I focused on keeping up with him.

The hike along the non-existent path seemed to stretch on forever and each step took us deeper into the forest. Every flutter of wings overhead sent my heart leaping into my throat, and I couldn’t shake the feeling we were being watched.

“Kane,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “This can’t be right.”

“It is. We’re almost there.” The muscles along his jaw bulged as he clenched his teeth.

But we didn’t reach ‘there’ any time soon, and my damn leg was aching like hell.

“Kane.” The wind seemed to tug at my voice. “This can’t be right.”

“It is. Look.” He pointed ahead. A ruined castle loomed in the distance.

A chill crept down my spine. The castle had crumbling turrets, and the commanding stone structures were charred and broken.

The remains of the massive building, in the middle of nowhere, were a haunting reminder of the darkness that had once thrived within its walls.

Kane’s gaze fixed on the devastated remains of the main section of the castle.

“You know the history behind this place, right?” He stood on a stone that was remarkably rectangular in shape.

I searched my memory. Yasmin’s father, David, had dozens of journals filled with notes on his specialty . . . Hitler. Thankfully, Yasmin and Cobra had helped me focus on the clues David had pieced together on the gold bars.

“Carinhall was Hermann G?ring’s country residence.”

“That’s right. Hitler’s right-hand man and best man at his wedding.” The muscles in his jaw worked furiously as if he were grinding his teeth. “He built this place in the early 1930s on this sprawling hunting estate.”

I shivered, not only from the cold but also from the thought of the atrocities that occurred within these walls. Yet, there was a sense of satisfaction with the destruction, like the crumbling, ash-covered walls deserved to be disfigured and grotesque. Vines had taken over one of the turrets, like nature was trying to crush the remains.

Kane led me toward the massive entrance, that had no signs of what I imagined were once massive wooden doors. Beneath his steely exterior, Kane seemed to have a storm of emotions raging within him that I had no hope of deciphering.

“If you’ve already been here, why did you bring me here again?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he scanned the ruins as if searching for something amidst the rubble. The wind rustled through the overgrown vegetation that had claimed the castle, tumbling leaves along the broken stones that made the floor. Over the top of the crumbling turret, the sky was a canvas of darkening blues and grays. A storm was brewing.

He strode deeper into the ruins and stopped at a pit that was barely visible amidst the debris and overgrowth. I reached his side and was surprised to see a set of stone stairs disappearing into the void.

“What’s down there?” I’d been inside several places that were more terrifying than this derelict castle, yet there was something about these stone walls that made unease settle in my gut.

Kane’s expression was a mixture of determination and apprehension as he turned on his phone flashlight and lowered into the ground.

I followed him down the stairs that disappeared into the darkness below. The dim afternoon sunlight barely penetrated the space, and I added my phone light to Kane’s.

The air was thick with dust, and the smell of dampness and decay intensified as we descended. My claustrophobia threatened to claw its way out of my chest, but I pushed the panic down, forcing my legs to keep pace with Kane.

At the bottom of the stairs, we entered a massive chamber, and the wind outside howled down the stairs as if chasing us. On the far side, a large section had caved in, allowing sunlight to stream in like ghostly fingers reaching into the space. Shadows danced along the walls, casting eerie shapes that were doing a damn good job of spooking me.

Kane moved with purpose, his expression grim and determined. As we ventured deeper into the chamber, the sound of dripping water echoed in the enclosed space.

“What are you looking for?” I asked.

He turned to me and his eyes seemed to carry a burden. “This is where it all began.”

“What began?” A chill ran down my spine at the somberness in his tone.

“The gold bars.” He swept his hand toward a stone bench that had a divot carved along the middle of one-third of it. “This is where the Nazis melted down some of the looted gold and molded them into bars.”

He pressed his finger into the dip in the stone and swept it to the end where it fell away.

The bench looked ordinary, just a simple piece of stone worn down by time, yet it represented a vile past. Our phone lights cast eerie shadows in the chamber, and again, I had a rotten feeling someone was watching us.

The weight of the gruesome history pressed down on me as if the castle ruins wanted to shed their secrets of greed and horror.

“Why did you bring me here?” My voice trembled, and I hated showing my unease.

“I find it helps to start at the beginning.”

“But you’ve been here before. Did it help you last time?”

The flashlight cast eerie shadows across his features, accentuating the angle of his jaw and the sharpness of his eyes.

“No,” he finally replied, his voice low and tinged with sadness.

My claustrophobia was clamping around my chest, telling me to get the hell out of there.

Kane crouched down near an old stone wall, brushing away layers of dust and debris. He stood with something pinched between his fingers.

“What’s that?” I asked.

He tossed it toward me, and I caught it midair. “A Nazi uniform button.”

The swastika embedded in the middle of the brass button made my fingers tremble. The gravity of this find hit me like a sledgehammer. Gold bars, molded from treasures that were stolen by a regime built on hate and power, were made right here.

A distant rumble of thunder echoed from outside. I jumped as the decaying walls seemed to shift around us.

I need to get out of here.

I tossed the button onto the stone bench.

Kane scoffed. “That’s a collector’s item.”

“Not by me it isn’t.” I shuddered. “Unless there’s something else you want to show me, I’ve had enough.”

Shadows crossed his stunning eyes. “After you.”

When we emerged back into the fading daylight of the ruined castle, I drew in a deep breath, thankful for the fresh air after the suffocating darkness below.

Kane led the way through the ruined castle’s main hall, and I hugged my arms against the chill. The wind outside had picked up, howling through the ruins, and filtered sunlight cast long shadows across the dead leaves at our feet.

I had loads of questions for Kane, but his jaw was set, and his steps were deliberate as if he was carrying the weight of a dreadful decision on his shoulders. My questions could wait until we were well away from this hellhole.

As we walked in silence, each lost in our own thoughts, the wind howled as if screaming at us to get out of there.

We returned to the path where the surrounding bushes provided some reprieve from the bitter wind, and I forced my legs to match Kane’s strides. He was taller than me and each of his strides took two of mine. I gritted my teeth against the pain in my wounded leg and focused on returning to the car as quickly as I could.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked with my lips numb from the cold.

He swept his gaze to me, and he seemed to take a couple of beats to compute who I was. “Because it’s important.”

I was about to press him to elaborate when he added, “We need to keep moving. It’ll be dark soon.”

“No argument from me.”

As we reached the car, he held back as if waiting for me to decide which seat I would choose. I climbed into the passenger side.

“Where to now?” I asked as he started the car.

“I don’t have an agenda. Do you?” He glared at me.

I fiddled with the heater knob, then rubbed my hands together. “It’s been a long day. How about we find a village nearby and spend the night there?”

“Sounds like a plan.” His jaw was set tight as if he was fighting an alternative option.

We stumbled upon a tiny village tucked away in the shadows of the surrounding forest and parked in front of a weathered inn. The heavy wooden door creaked as we opened it, and inside, an elderly couple was behind the counter. Their silver hair glinted in the dim lamplight, and their faces registered surprise at our appearance.

“Hello.” I attempted to break the ice with a tired smile. “We’d like two rooms for the night.”

“ Sprechen Sie Deutsch ?” The man turned to the woman and muttered something unintelligible, and she nodded.

Kane pulled out his phone, accessed a translator app, and engaged in conversation with the elderly couple.

The lobby was so warm, the inn’s dark walls seemed to close in on me, and I was tempted to step back out into the cold air.

“There’s only one room available,” Kane said with a mischievous grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. “Really? Is there another hotel?”

“Just this one.” His eyes seemed to twinkle.

I groaned. He’s enjoying this.

He turned back to the couple, and they went through the motions of completing paperwork via Kane’s translation app. They looked about eighty years old. Still too young to have any first-hand knowledge of what went on at Carinhall. It was unlikely we would find anyone in that category. But maybe stories were handed down through generations that could help us follow the clues to that gold.

I returned outside and scanned the street for a sign of more lodgings but couldn’t see one. While Kane was busy, I sent a quick text message to Aria with a note that we didn’t find anything at Carinhall, but we would ask around the area tomorrow.

My phone vibrated with a reply: Thanks for the update. Cooper can afford a lot of spies, so watch your back. Hughes is still a ghost.

“Damn it,” I muttered, shoving my phone away.

Kane exited the creaking door carrying a large skeleton key attached to a wooden keyring shaped into a number eight. “Let’s get our bags.”

At the back of the car, he popped the trunk.

“How can they only have one room available?” I said. “The town looks deserted.”

“Apparently, there’s an antique festival starting tomorrow in the next town over, and they get the overflow guests.”

“Right.” I tugged my case from the trunk.

“What’s wrong, Tory? Don’t you want to share with me?”

How can he have such a spectacular grin ?

“Actually,” I said, “I kinda like my own space.”

“So you can fart in peace?”

“Really? We’re at the fart jokes already?”

He chuckled and I hated how much I enjoyed watching him laugh.

“Don’t make me hurt you, Kane.”

“Oooh. This is going to be fun.” He shut the trunk.

I pushed back through the heavy door and the elderly couple had gone. Kane gestured for me to follow him up the rickety staircase.

“Second floor, room eight,” he said as we ascended the narrow staircase. The floorboards beneath the weathered carpet creaked under our feet.

As we entered the tiny room, my chest caved. The dim light from the bedside lamp cast shadows on the peeling wallpaper, making the cramped room feel even more claustrophobic. My jaw dropped. “One bed. Are you kidding me?”

There wasn’t even a sofa for one of us to sleep on.

Kane chuckled, clearly enjoying the situation.

I strode to the window, tugged aside the weary lace curtain, and tried to push up the casement to let in some fresh air. When it wouldn’t budge, I yanked off my jacket, attempting to hold back the wave of heat coursing through my body.

“Hey, we’ll make it work.” Kane was way too chirpy. “It’s just one night.”

I tossed my jacket onto a rickety chair next to a tiny table beneath the window and bit back my frustration. But my mind raced with unsettling thoughts, and the weight of my lies pressed down on me like a concrete blanket.

This was going to be a test of my undercover skills.

“Okay then.” I strode to the bed and sat. The mattress was much softer than it looked. “I’ll take this side.”

“So you can run out the door quicker?”

“Something like that.”

“Cool. FYI, I sleep in the nude.”

“Not tonight you don’t, buddy. Unless you want to lose your twinkie.”

He roared with laughter and sprawled across the sagging mattress with a grin, arms folded behind his head. “Got any preferences for sleeping arrangements? We could sleep head-to-toe, like kids at a slumber party? ”

“Very funny.” I tried to scowl but couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips. His teasing was cute, and way too attractive.

Those piercing blue eyes seemed to analyze me.

“We could spoon? It’ll be warmer.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

I just about swallowed my tongue. “Just keep on your own side, and I’ll stay on mine. Trust me, you touch me once and you’ll regret it.”

My voice betrayed my seriousness.

“What if I touch you by accident? I mean, look at this tiny bed?”

I raised my finger. “No touching.”

He burst out laughing.

It was difficult to maintain the facade of Tory, the innocent treasure hunter, when my cop instincts were blaring at me that sharing this bed was a bad idea.

“Suit yourself,” Kane replied with a shrug. “Don’t blame me if your tits are freezing at three a.m.”

“My tits will be just fine.”

“I can see that.” He lowered his gaze to my chest.

I followed his gaze and just about died. My damn nipples were sticking out of my T-shirt like a pair of frozen cherries.

Shit!

I marched to my jacket and pulled it back on.

“I don’t suppose you’re hungry?” he said.

“Sure, and I need a drink.” I yanked my jacket zipper up so fast it was a wonder the thing didn’t snap off.

“Cool.” He grabbed his phone and opened the door. “After you, Miss Treasure Hunter.”

His stunning smile made my knees buckle.

Attempting to return the smile, I squeezed past him.

I had a feeling this undercover job was going to be much harder than taking down the asshole who ruined my life.