Buried In Deception

as thick w

d whiskey and old books clung to the air, and the fireplace crackled behind Ethan, ca

uncover t

deep in thought. She should have left. She should have turned on her heel, walked b

she squared h

me," s

rd a cabinet against the far wall. With a flick of his wrist, he unlocked it, revealing a collection of old files

as my f

cool against her palms, the spine cracked with age.

17,

ily. Whispers in the hall. I d

ed. "Your

s gaze hardening

handwriting. The further she read, the more the tension in her stomach coile

mber

ens to me, it wa

. She looked up s

was tight. "

pages were blank. She pressed her fingers to them, as if she coul

. "A few months ago, I found this hidden in my father's

. "You're telling me your father predicted his

s is the Sinclair family, Amelia. We don't j

ran down

obert Sinclair had been silenced, then someone in this hous

ted digging, sh

-

clairs'

a grand dining table, surrounded by people w

er expression unreadable. Even in her fifties, she was a woman of s

enace, his presence a silent warning. Next to him was Margot Sinclair, Sebastian'

ingers curled around the stem of a

rved in delicate crystal glasses. But Amelia barely touched her plate. The

th, practiced, the kind of voice that belonged to someo

allowed.

way a predator studies its prey. "And w

a polite smile

so slightly. "Curiosity

he warning, wr

huckle, swirling his wine. "You say

look at him. "

She had played it before-with corrupt politicians, with criminal

g Vivian's gaze head-on. "Then

ossed Vivian's face befor

had won t

-

s in t

Amelia cou

elt thick, suffocating. The shadows along the walls se

ng, her mind spinning. If anything h

covered dozens of hidden truths, but thi

was

lway snapped her o

e sound was soft, almost careful-as i

gainst the cold wooden floor. The air was thick with

ng her fingers against the wood.

lse po

ne outsid

g the door open, would she find nothing but an empty

breath-th

sudd

mped over

in her chest, but before she could react, a fami

It's

ha

to register his warmth behind her. His hand fell away from her

ng at him. "What

h, his thumb brushing against the curve of her h

itched. "Did

s voice quieter now.

n between them. His breath was warm against her cheek, his body lined u

ed hard. She s

di

s gaze dropped to her lips for the briefest second be

nows about the journal," he sai

r skin still burned where he had t

long moment, then rele

etween them

didn't dw

n this house, someo

me, they might

-