Risky Obsession (Wolf Security #3)

12. Lacey/Tory

CHAPTER 12

Lacey/Tory

K ane turned his attention back to the shopkeeper, offering his hand to shake. “Yes, and I’m Lacey’s older brother, Ken. And you are?”

“I’m Gunter.”

“You have a lovely shop, Gunter. The nicest one we’ve been in all day.” Kane gave me a curious expression that tied my brain into knots.

Gunter’s lips formed a tiny smile. “ Dankesch?n . Thanks.”

“Do you mind if my sister and I ask you a few questions?” Kane said.

Relief swept through me, just about rendering my legs useless.

Gunter ran his fingers over his mustache. “You can ask . . . whether I have answers is the real question.”

As Kane chuckled, I pointed at the red line on the map. “Is this a train line?”

Gunter leaned in. “Yes.”

“Do you know if it’s still there?” Kane asked.

“The map is nearly eighty years old.” Gunter stroked his mustache again. “As I mentioned, the war forced many changes in this region. That’s why pre-war maps have become collector’s items.”

“Do you have more maps of this area?” Excitement laced Kane’s voice.

“I have many maps.” Gunter gestured to a pile of scrolls high up on a timber shelf.

Kane’s eyes lit up .

“But this is the one that gets the most attention. That’s why I put it on display.” His gaze swept to the map. “But I must warn you, this map is not very accurate today.”

“Oh, that’s okay. We are more interested in understanding the region from when our great-grandfather lived here.” I nodded at Kane.

Gunter frowned. “Where did he live?”

Oh, shit. I scrambled for a reply. “Well, that’s the hard part. We?—”

“Do you know Carinhall?” Kane interrupted.

Gunter’s brows thumped together. “Yes.”

“Oh good,” Kane said with a surprisingly upbeat tone. “We went there yesterday. Not much left now, thank goodness. That place gave us the creeps, didn’t it, sis?”

I shuddered. “I’ll say.”

“Anyway,” Kane said, “we have a map that we found in Pops things, and Carinhall is one of the few markers on the map that we were able to find. Could I trouble you to take a look at the map?”

“Please?” Grinning, I pressed my hands together, begging.

Gunter’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Okay. Bring it in and I will try to?—”

“I have it here.” Kane reached into his jacket and removed the yellow envelope.

“Oh. Follow me.” Gunter strolled deeper into his shop.

Kane winked at me. “After you, sis.”

Clenching my lips so I didn’t giggle, I followed Gunter’s path through a row of shelves to his desk where he was busy clearing away paperwork.

“Don’t go to too much trouble,” I said, as Gunter placed a stack of red journals onto the cluttered desk behind him.

“It’s okay. I have everything in this shop except space.”

Kane pulled his hand-drawn map from the envelope and spread it across the glass counter. “We’re hoping you can help us decipher some of the places on here.”

Gunter leaned over and squinted at the map, and his mustache twitched like an anxious caterpillar.

“So . . . here’s Carinhall.” Kane pointed at the word beneath the castle on the map. “But these train tracks are gone.” He ran his finger along the parallel lines.

“Yes . . . interesting.” Gunter’s eyes lingered on a spot on the map and his lips parted like he was about to say something .

My heart pounded in my chest. He recognizes something.

His pale blue eyes met mine. “You say you got this map from your great-grandfather? What was his name?”

I shot my gaze to Kane, hoping he’d answer.

“Yes. Our pops. Why?” Kane smiled. “Is there a problem?”

“ Nein, nein , no problem,” he stammered, stepping back from the counter. “It’s just that this map . . . is very old. And some of these places and symbols . . .”

His voice trailed off, and he looked toward the front door as if searching for an exit.

“Is there anything that looks familiar?” I asked, trying to simmer the excitement coursing through me.

“I am sorry.” Gunter shook his head fast.

He’s lying.

Gunter straightened his shoulders and clenched his jaw like he was desperate not to utter another word.

“Oh, that’s a shame,” I said. “We’re only here for a few days. It would be very helpful if you could just?—”

“I’m sorry. I wish I could be more help.”

“What about the buildings on the map? Like this one.” Kane pointed at one of the dozens of churches drawn in great detail.

Gunter looked at his watch. “I am sorry. But I?—”

“It’s okay.” Kane folded up the map. “You have been very helpful. We will buy that map at the back please.”

“Oh yes. Good.” Gunter scurried out from behind the counter and dashed away like his ass was on fire.

I glared at Kane.

He motioned for me to keep calm then he marched in the direction Gunter had gone. I turned my attention to the abundance of paperwork on the desk behind the counter. A corkboard on the wall was covered in business cards, posters, and receipts. None of it was written in English.

Gunter returned from the back of the shop with Kane behind him, carrying the framed map. The map seemed much smaller in Kane’s arms.

“How much is it?” I asked, swiveling my bag around to the front to find Aria’s credit card.

“We can pay cash,” Kane said, giving me a tiny head shake.

His suggestion to use cash confirmed he was as suspect of Gunter as I was.

Gunter slipped around the counter and hoisted up his trousers. “Yes. Cash is good. It is six hundred euro.” He seemed embarrassed by the price.

Kane placed the map down on the floor and leaned the back of it against the counter. “That is very high.”

Gunter dragged his fingers over his mustache. “The map is a work of art. And as I said, it is very rare to have such a map of this region.”

“How about four hundred, cash?” Kane said.

“I do not need to sell you the map. Another buyer will come.” Gunter gave a slight grin, then busied himself, returning the items he’d removed from the back table to the glass counter.

Kane fetched six hundred euro from his wallet and slid the notes across the counter. “Thank you for your time.”

Gunter slipped the money into his pocket and nodded. “Good luck on your search.”

We left the shop, and I waited until we were away from Gunter’s windows before I said, “That was weird.”

“Agreed.” Kane adjusted the framed map beneath his elbow, and we stepped out onto the cobblestone street.

The damp air clung to my skin and the setting sun cast an eerie sepia glow over the antique fair streets.

“What time does the fair finish?” I asked.

“Eight o’clock tonight.”

I checked my watch. Still four hours to go.

We joined a crowd that bottlenecked at the exit to an alleyway, and delicious aromas drifted up from a cup in the gloved hand of the woman beside me.

We merged onto a wider street. People were still everywhere, but it seemed everyone was carrying a drink or had food in their hands.

“What’s that drink everyone has?” I asked, easing closer to Kane’s side.

His brows shot up his forehead. “What? Don’t tell me you’ve never had mulled wine?”

I shrugged.

“Well, sis , we need to fix that.”

I burst out laughing. “Sorry about that. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“It was brilliant. Over there.” He nodded toward an outdoor area where high stools were set up around giant wine barrels.

We found an empty table, and as I slid onto the stool and positioned the framed map against the barrel, so it didn’t fall over, Kane went to the bar.

He returned with two steaming copper steins and a paper bag. He tore open the bag to reveal two piping hot pretzels, and the scent of warm dough caused my stomach to rumble.

“Try it.” He nudged one of the steins toward me. “It’s hot though, so be careful.”

I took a sip of the mulled wine, letting the spicy warmth spread through me. “Wow. That’s amazing,” I murmured, my eyes meeting his.

“You are amazing.” His pale eyes sparkled in the festoon lights draped overhead. “That story you made up about us being siblings following our ancestry was brilliant. I wouldn’t have thought of that.”

“Thanks.” I raised my beer stein. “ Prost .”

He grinned. “ Prost .”

We thumped our mugs together.

As we nibbled on the pretzels and sipped the mulled wine, the hustle and bustle of the old German town faded into the background as we shared this simple moment together. I allowed myself to enjoy his company, feeling a sense of ease that was foreign to me.

“At least now I know my sis is a good liar.” Kane laughed.

I froze, and my chest squeezed so tight I could barely breathe.

“I’m joking. Jeez. Have you always been so serious?”

I shook my head, dying on the inside.

He tore off a chunk of pretzel. “One of the things I like about you, Tory, is your brutal honesty.”

“Oh.” A wave of heat burned up my neck.

“Yeah. You wouldn’t believe the lies women tell me.”

I tried to swallow down my guilt. “Why would women do that?”

“To sleep with me.”

I laughed. “Really? And you’re complaining about that?”

His gaze pierced mine. “I am, actually.”

My laughing grew louder. “Oh, that’s priceless.”

His jaw clenched.

I’d hit a nerve. “I’ve never met a man who didn’t want sex. ”

“I never said I didn’t want sex.” He rolled his lips like he was trying to piece his words together carefully.

“Sorry,” I said, “but if this is your way of changing our sleeping arrangement tonight, then you’re way off base.”

“That’s not what I’m saying.” He released a soft breath. “I didn’t ask to inherit Pops’ antique shop. I’m not saying that I’m not grateful that he left it to me, especially knowing what my family would have done with his things.” He shook his head like he was shaking his memory free. “But people change when they know you have money. It’s hard to know who to trust. Especially women. I’ve met many women who went to great lengths to meet me or pretended to be someone they’re not, just to be with me, but all they want is my wealth.”

He clenched his hands around his beer stein. “It’s nice to meet a woman who is brutally honest. I feel like I can really relax around you.”

Oh God. I have done nothing but lie to him.

“There’s an honesty about you that is so rare in my world, Tory. It’s refreshing.”

I struggled to maintain eye contact with him as swirling emotions churned inside me: guilt, shame, dread. Kane’s honesty about his struggles with trust and the superficial relationships he faced made me feel so sick, I wanted to vomit.

How could I continue this cruel facade when all I wanted was to bare my soul to him?