Sacrifice (Ritual Sins #2)

15. Rose

15

Rose

“Are you scared?” Sebastian looked at me, brows knitted with concern.

“Honestly?” I took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes. Terrified.”

After a lengthy, much-needed rest in our hotel room, we’d come up with a plan to get into Sebastian’s father’s brownstone house in order to search for the long-lost laptop. Now, it was eight o’clock in the morning the following day, and it was very nearly go-time.

I said we’d come up with the plan, but it was largely my idea—Sebastian thought it was too risky. However, I was determined to help him, as per my promise, and I was sure I could pull it off.

“We can find another way to get in there, Rose. You don’t have to do this.” He squeezed my hand. “You know I don’t even want you to do this. I still think we should hire someone.”

“No.” I shook my head and sat up straight. “It should be me. If we hire someone else to do it, they might mess it up or not take it as seriously as they should because they don’t know exactly what’s at stake here.”

“True, but…” Sebastian trailed off and sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “I hate the thought of you being alone in there. It should be me.”

“It can’t be you. Besides, I’ll have you with me. Sort of,” I replied, gesturing to the small decorative pin on my shirt, followed by the tiny nude-colored earbud tucked in my left ear. With my hair down, it was completely covered, and even if I tied my hair up, it was barely noticeable.

This was Sebastian’s contribution to the plan—the technical side of things. I wasn’t quite sure how the tiny items worked, but he had told me they were wirelessly connected to his phone. Anything I saw or heard, he could also see or hear via the tiny camera on the decorative pin, and when he talked, I could hear him through the earbud, even if he was several miles away.

“It’s not the same.” He leaned over and squeezed my hand. “I know he probably won’t be there. But it drives me fucking crazy that he could be.”

“He has no idea who I am. I’ll be fine.” I forced a smile despite my hammering heart, psyching myself up to leave the car. “I won’t be in any real danger.”

“Do you remember the script we came up with if he’s there?” Sebastian asked, forehead wrinkling with worry.

“Yes. Every word.”

He nodded, inhaling deeply. “All right. It’s almost time. Do you remember the way?”

“Yes. Go around the corner, then take the next right. Then it’s the third house down.”

He nodded again. “If you start to feel unsafe, or even get a slightly weird feeling, get out of there. Okay?”

“I will.”

“Promise me, Rose.” He gave me a hard look. “Even the slightest whiff of trouble, you make an excuse and run.”

“I promise.” I glanced at the clock again. “I should go now.”

He gave me a long, hard kiss before reaching over to open the door for me. I grabbed my new bag, and then I gave him a reassuring smile and a wave before turning the corner and making my way toward the address he’d given me.

The plan we’d come up with was fairly simple in the end. Low risk, too.

While we were discussing various options to get into Adam Thorne’s home without being noticed, Sebastian had mentioned that his father employed multiple cleaners from a certain company on a rotating basis. The only permanent staff member he employed was his housekeeper, a woman named Caroline.

Because of the frequent staff rotations with the cleaning company, it was normal for them to send different people every week, so we figured it wouldn’t seem strange to either Adam or Caroline if a totally new person showed up this morning. Me. Sebastian had doctored up some fake identifying documents for me along with a badge from the cleaning company, in case his father or Caroline wanted to see it before I began my shift.

To ensure the company didn’t send a real cleaner today, which would obviously mess up the plan, Sebastian had contacted them pretending to be Adam and informed them that they wouldn’t be needing anyone for the rest of the week due to an impromptu vacation. Because he was Adam’s son, he knew all the relevant details, like Adam’s email address, phone number, and house address, so the person he spoke with at the cleaning company didn’t question the call at all. She simply thanked him for calling and said she’d make a note in his file to not send anyone until the following Monday.

If all went well, I would have several hours to search the three-story home from top to bottom. I just had to pray that Sebastian was right and his father had actually kept Miranda’s old laptop when he took it all those years ago.

I stepped up to the front door, took a deep breath, and double-checked the transmitter on my shirt. “Is this still working?” I mumbled.

Sebastian’s voice crackled in my earbud a second later. “Yes. Perfectly. You’ve got this, baby,” he said. “See that button in front of you? That’s the doorbell. Just press it once and wait.”

I took another deep breath and pressed the button, praying the housekeeper would answer. The door opened a couple of minutes later, and I found myself face-to-face with Adam Thorne himself.

Oh, no.

He looked just like Sebastian, only older. Handsome with mesmerizing green eyes and dark hair tinged with gray. My heart leapt into my throat, and for a second, I couldn’t breathe at all.

Get it together, Rose. I forced a smile and spoke up. “Hello. Are you Mr. Thorne?”

“Yes.” Adam returned my smile. It was exactly the same as Sebastian’s; disarmingly charming. It was hard to believe he was a cold-blooded murderer underneath it all. “Guilty as charged.”

I gestured to my badge. “I’m Mina, from Mess Addressed. I’m here for my trial shift. My supervisor spoke about it with, er… Caroline Quinlan? I think that was her name.” I gave him another more apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m very new. I’m a bit nervous.”

“No need to be nervous. I don’t bite.” Adam stepped aside and ushered me in. “Caroline isn’t here yet, but she should be arriving any minute. She’ll be able to show you where everything is.”

“Thank you, sir.” I swallowed thickly and stepped into the foyer.

Adam glanced at the grandfather clock that stood against one wall. “I don’t need to leave just yet,” he said. “How about I make us both a coffee while we wait for Caroline?”

My heart jumped right back into my throat. I wasn’t anticipating something like this at all. Sebastian told me that his father usually left by 8:15 at the latest to get to the hospital by 8:30, and it was already 8:12 when I rang the bell, so I thought I would only have to speak to him for a couple of minutes if he happened to be home.

I forced another smile. “That sounds lovely. Thank you.”

“Follow me to the kitchen,” he said, beckoning me with one hand. “By the way, what sort of accent is that? It sounds very familiar, but I can’t figure out why.”

“Um… I’m from Montreal originally,” I said. “Well, a small town near there, anyway. I just moved here a few weeks ago.”

Lord, Rose, stop babbling, I commanded myself, instantly shutting my mouth. If I talked too much, I’d start to seem suspicious.

“Ah.” Adam nodded slowly as he reached into a cupboard to collect two mugs. “I was just in Montreal for business recently. That explains the familiarity, I suppose. Anyway, do you take cream? Or sugar?”

“Both, please.”

He smiled faintly as he turned to the coffee machine. “I like a young woman who isn’t afraid of sugar. It’s rare these days,” he said. “Anyway, what brings you to New York?”

“I, er…” I gulped, scrambling for a reason. Yesterday’s department store visit instantly rushed back to me. “I’m an actress.”

“I see. This is certainly the right place for that,” he said, watching the machine as it whirred and sputtered to life, filling the air with the rich, earthy scent of freshly brewed coffee. “Got any projects yet?”

I smiled and nodded. “I have a job on a historical drama. It’s a Little House on the Prairie type of thing,” I said, recalling Sebastian’s words. “They still haven’t given the show an official name yet, though. The focus groups are still testing a few different ones.”

“Good girl,” Sebastian muttered in my ear through the bud. “You’re doing so well.”

Adam nodded as he stirred some cream and sugar into both mugs. “That sounds interesting,” he said, turning to hand one of the coffees to me. “And you’re working this cleaning job part-time around that gig, I presume?”

“Yes. It’s an expensive city, and acting doesn’t pay much. Not when you’re brand new to it, anyway.”

“I can imagine.” He took a sip of his coffee before going on. “I think it’s quite admirable that you’re working this job as well as focusing on your acting career. So many young people in this city try to be actors, and they do nothing but live off their trust funds in the process. I hear about it all the damn time.”

“Oh. Yes, I… I’ve heard the same thing,” I said, voice coming out in a painfully high squeak. Adam was staring right into my eyes, and for a few seconds that felt like an eternity, I was certain he knew something. Certain I’d inadvertently given something away.

Heavy footsteps appeared in the hall, and he snapped his gaze to the kitchen entryway. “Ah, there she is,” he said as a gray-haired woman stepped inside. “Caroline, this is Mina from the cleaning company. You spoke with her supervisor the other day. Something about a trial shift?”

The older woman stared at me, her sparse brows knitted in a mystified expression. I was sure the jig was up, but then she waved a hand. “Sorry, that completely slipped my mind,” she said, shaking her head. “The perils of getting old!”

Adam chuckled. “You’re not old. That would mean I’m old,” he replied. He glanced at his watch. “Anyway, I better head out. Have a nice day, ladies.”

I breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he set his cup on the counter and strode out of the kitchen. Caroline picked it up and took it over to the sink, looking at me over her shoulder. “So, you’re the new girl, huh?”

“Yes.” I gestured to the backpack hanging off my shoulder. “I brought a few of my own cleaning supplies, but my supervisor said most of the equipment is provided.”

“It is. I’ll show you the storage cupboard in a minute,” she said as she rinsed the cup. “How much experience do you have?”

“Not much. But I’m a hard worker.”

She smiled. “That’s what I like to hear,” she said. She clicked her fingers to show me through another doorway leading out of the kitchen. “Everything you need is this way.”

After she’d shown me the spacious cleaning cupboard, complete with neatly organized supplies, an array of mops and brooms, and various electronic equipment that I was sure Sebastian would explain to me soon, she clapped her hands together and straightened her shoulders. “Right,” she said in a brisk tone. “I’ll let you get on with it. Let me know if there’s anything you need.”

“Thank you,” I replied. “Do you want me to start anywhere in particular?”

“Anywhere is fine, except for the kitchen for the next hour or so,” she said. “I’m making blueberry muffins and ginger cookies. Mr. Thorne adores them.”

“Okay. I’ll get started now,” I said, eyeing the closest hall.

Once she was gone, Sebastian explained how something called a vacuum cleaner worked. I listened carefully before lugging it down the hall, along with various other items.

“Sorry that you’re stuck doing so much work,” he said. “I wish I could help.”

“It’s fine,” I whispered, stooping to plug the cleaner into the closest electrical outlet. “I have to do it.”

After I vacuumed the hall, I moved into a cavernous living room and dusted the accent tables, shelves, and cabinets that lined the walls. As I did so, I rummaged through the drawers on the furniture, along with any large files and folders that happened to be lying around. I kept glancing over my shoulder as I peeked through everything, just in case, but Caroline never came to check on me. Clearly, she was a very trusting woman.

“It’s definitely not in here,” I finally whispered. “Next?”

“Yup,” Sebastian replied. “My father’s study is just down the hall. Next door on the right. It could be in there.”

I spent the next twenty minutes cleaning the study and going through everything, but there was no laptop to be found. Just a bigger computer on the desk that belonged to Adam.

After I’d repeated the process throughout the entirety of the first floor, apart from the kitchen, Sebastian let out a heavy sigh. “Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he destroyed it after all,” he said. “Fuck, I wish I could just come in and look myself.”

“It’s too dangerous,” I whispered back to him. “Your dad has probably told Caroline to let him know if you show up.”

“I know. I just hate that you have to do this all alone.”

“I’m fine,” I insisted. “You know I’d do anything to help you.”

“Yeah. I know.” His voice had gone slightly husky. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” I whispered. “Where do you think I should try next?”

“His bedroom. It’s on the second floor. Turn left at the top of the stairs. It’s the door at the end.”

I followed his directions, hauling the cleaning equipment behind me. Once everything in the hall was vacuumed, dusted, and wiped down, I headed into the master bedroom.

“Wow,” I murmured breathlessly as I stepped inside.

The room was even nicer than the luxurious hotel room Sebastian had booked for us, with a soaring ceiling and large windows framed with heavy velvet drapes. A grand four-poster bed was the centerpiece, made up with bedding in tones of deep burgundy and gold.

Beside the bed was a leather armchair and matching ottoman, slightly worn from years of use, and on the opposite wall was a fireplace with a mantel that held a collection of photos. One of them featured Sebastian as a child, grinning as someone handed him a gift. The other person in the image was mostly obscured by the edge of another framed photo. When I pushed it aside, I saw that it was Miranda handing over the gift.

Of course.

Adam probably kept the photo around because people might find it odd for him to have no photos of his deceased wife in his room, given that he’d always painted himself as a still-grieving widower. At the same time, he probably didn’t want to see Miranda’s face staring back at him from the fireplace as he sat in his armchair—not after what he’d done to her—so he’d pushed the other photo in front of it.

“Asshole,” Sebastian muttered, clearly having the same thought as me.

“He certainly is,” I murmured, spinning around to look at the other wall. A wide door there led to a spacious walk-in closet. “I’ll check in there first.”

Unfortunately, the closet held nothing but the expected items—tailored suits, silk ties, an array of leather shoes, and drawers filled with neatly folded shirts, pants, underwear, and socks.

“The laptop isn’t here either,” I said with a heavy sigh. “Maybe you were right. He destroyed it after all. Or maybe he hid it somewhere else, instead of this house.”

“Shit,” Sebastian muttered. I heard a sudden intake of breath, and then he spoke up again. “Oh, no way. He wouldn’t. He fucking wouldn’t. ”

“Wouldn’t what?”

He went silent for a moment.

“When I still lived there, my room was the one down the opposite end of the hall,” he finally said. “But it wasn’t always that one. Before my mom died, it was the room just two doors down from the master bedroom. I changed rooms after she was gone, because… well, it’s hard to explain. I was so young when it happened, and I wasn’t really thinking straight. It felt like so many good memories of her were still in that room, and I worried I’d somehow disturb them if I stayed. It sounds ridiculous now that I’m older.”

“No, I understand. You were a grieving child,” I said, brows furrowing as I wondered where he was going with this.

“My father always knew that I never, ever wanted to go back in that room. It’s basically been a mausoleum of my early childhood for the last twenty years.”

I nodded slowly as his point dawned on me. “You think he could’ve hidden the laptop in there?”

“It’s possible. It’s the one room he knew would be totally safe from me,” he said. “The only people that would ever go in there now are the cleaners, and they only wipe down the surfaces and vacuum the floor. They would never look through any of the drawers or cupboards.”

“All right.” I took a deep breath. “I’ll have a look now.”

I headed down the hall and quietly opened Sebastian’s childhood bedroom door. It was just as he’d described, totally frozen in time. A wood-framed bed, made up with a red and blue quilt featuring a cartoon character, sat against the far wall, flanked by shelves filled with toys and books. On the opposite wall was a door leading into a walk-in closet.

I headed into the closet first and checked every drawer, followed by the cupboards. Nothing.

“Try the drawers under the bedside tables,” Sebastian suggested. I did as he said and came up empty—the drawers only contained scattered drawings, more toys, and a sizable rock collection.

“Shit.” Sebastian sighed again. I could tell he was on the verge of giving up the search.

I wasn’t deterred yet, though. There was something in this room. I could practically feel it—a strange tension lingering in the air, as if the walls themselves were holding onto a secret. Or perhaps I just had a vivid imagination.

I scanned the room again, eyes darting from corner to corner in search of other possible hiding places. There didn’t appear to be anything else, but I kept feeling as if I’d missed something. Then it hit me. The quilt was draped over the edge of the bed, concealing most of it, but just beneath the fabric, I glimpsed what might be more wooden drawers.

I padded over, knelt down, and lifted the quilt. I was right. There were two flat drawers built into the bed frame, presumably for extra storage.

“Shit, I forgot all about those,” Sebastian said. “Good catch.”

Holding my breath, I slid open the first drawer, revealing a bulky black and gray rectangular object nestled inside. “Is this it?” I whispered, carefully lifting it up.

“Holy fuck. Yes! That’s it!”

“It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be.”

“Computers used to be a lot bigger and clunkier. Trust me, that was a top-of-the-line laptop back in the day.”

“It’s okay. It’ll still fit in the backpack,” I said, glancing over at my bag.

“Hide it under the bottles just in case. Then get the hell out of there as fast as you can,” Sebastian said in an urgent tone. “You did good, baby. So fucking good.”

“I can’t leave just yet. I didn’t actually clean any of these upstairs rooms.”

“Fake an emergency or something. Tell Caroline you have to leave immediately.”

I caught my bottom lip between my teeth as I considered the idea. Then I shook my head. “No, that might make her suspicious. Then she might say something to your father, and then he might realize what we were up to.”

“Shit,” he muttered. “You’re right.”

“I’ll do the rest of the shift. It won’t take that long, anyway. Everything in this house is already quite clean,” I said. “Probably because half the rooms are never used.”

“Okay. I’ll be right here waiting for you. Stay safe.”

“I won’t let the bag out of my sight. I promise,” I said. With that, I returned to my new ‘job’, heart racing with anticipation the entire time.

When I was finally finished with the guest bathrooms on the third floor, I trudged downstairs, returned the equipment to the storage cupboard, and headed to the kitchen. Caroline was still in there, frowning down at an open recipe book.

“Mrs. Quinlan?” I said, softly rapping on the doorframe. “I’m finished with the rest of the house. Would you like me to clean in here now?”

She glanced up at me. “Oh, no. I’m still not done in here yet, so I’ll just do it myself later,” she said, wiping her hands on her apron. “Let me quickly check everything before you head out. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but it’s your first shift, and I’m sure the company would like some feedback.”

“Of course.” I smiled sweetly, praying she wouldn’t ask to check my bag as well.

She brushed past me and disappeared down the hall. When she finally returned, I let out the breath I’d been holding for the last several seconds, grateful to see a smile on her face.

“Everything looks good, dear,” she said. “You even remembered to dust the picture frames. So many people forget that. And they call themselves professionals!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Quinlan.”

“Please, call me Caroline.” She waved a hand. “I’ll see you again on Wednesday, I suppose?”

“Yes. See you then.” I smiled again and turned to leave, heart pounding with a mixture of relief and nerves.

Once I’d exited the building and turned onto the sidewalk, I practically sprinted down the street and around the corner. Sebastian was waiting for me by the car, lips cracked in a broad grin.

“You did it, baby,” he said, rushing over to engulf me in a bearhug. “You fucking did it!”

When he finally put me down again, I placed his hand over my chest so he could feel my rapid heartbeat. “My pulse was like this the whole time,” I said. “I can’t believe I actually got away with all of that.”

“You’re amazing. Seriously.” Sebastian planted a firm kiss on my lips. “The absolute fucking best.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, glowing with embarrassment from his praise. “I’m so glad I found it.”

“Me too,” he said, eyeing the backpack. “Now… let’s just hope the damn thing still works…”