Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
Whatever his father had discovered, it sounded as if the threat was ongoing. And according to Nik, bigger and stronger than ever.
Seth froze. His body motionless. Dangerously controlled.
But his mind raced.
Once, he’d had everything—a wife, a son, a future. Then they’d been ripped away in a single fucking night.
And now he had Heavenly. Hudson. Beck. A baby on the way.
He’d be a lying motherfucker if he said he wasn’t terrified of losing them the same way because he knew damn well that digging got people killed. Worse, the danger never came for him. It preyed on the people he loved.
For now, Seth had to shelve this discovery. They had to maintain their careful façade during this brunch—pretend Beck wasn’t a part of his relationship with Heavenly—and not let news about the baby slip. Adding a murder investigation on top of that was too much.
And if his mom found out he’d discovered a warning from his dad, she wouldn’t stand still. She would do something and put herself at risk. A chill slid up his spine. Seth was eternally grateful his mom had never found that envelope. If she had, she likely wouldn’t be here, like his dad.
Still, Seth knew he couldn’t keep this to himself indefinitely. Eventually, he had to come clean with Beck and Heavenly. A secret like this would tear them apart.
But she didn’t need this level of anxiety now. It could be bad for the baby, and he didn’t want to risk them.
So he needed to tell Beck. At some point. If he could get the good doctor alone before he took them to the airport... Of course, Beck would be livid. Seth would have to convince him, swear that he wouldn’t go recklessly chasing the truth again.
Hudson didn’t need to know. The kid had enough on his plate, and Seth refused to drag a sixteen-year-old into shit this dangerous.
Which told Seth how threatened his dad must have felt if he’d been compelled to leave evidence with his teenage son.
Fuck.
Seth let out a shaky breath. Logic told him to walk away. His allegiance was to the future, not the past. He owed the family he was committing to now his protection. He didn’t owe answers to a cold case that had been shoved in a dusty storage unit over a decade ago.
But…whatever his father had stashed could not only explain his loved ones’ deaths, but possibly end the danger for good. The investigation he and his father had tried to dissect had torn their family apart twice. The cost of all he’d lost had haunted him for years.
Could he simply ignore the chance to finally get the answers he ached for?
Wouldn’t that negate everything his father had died for? Everything Autumn and Tristan had died for?
But he owed his new and growing family as much as he owed the ones who’d died on his watch.
Fuck. Seth raked a hand through his hair. He didn’t know what to do.
Suddenly, the shower shut off. Pipes groaned. Heavenly would be back any second.
Cursing, Seth shoved the letter and key into the envelope, his heart hammering.
He had to plan…and he was out of goddamn time.
Downstairs, Seth heard the front door open and close, followed by the murmur of voices—his mother’s light laugh, Carl’s deeper rumble.
They were back—and he was holding a piece of paper that could blow up his entire life.
Seth’s hands shook as he shoved the letter into the drawer of his nightstand and closed it, but he pushed too hard. The drawer jammed in its track.
With a curse, Seth yanked on the handle. At his brute force, the lamp on top rattled. He grimaced.
Fuck. He had to calm down, get himself together.
He sucked in a breath, then let it out as he scanned the room for anything else out of place. Shit. The dresser was still askew.
Seth leapt to his feet and ate up the distance across the floor, lifting the heavy dresser back until it nestled against the wall.
When he finished, his palms were sweating. His heart hammered so hard he could feel it in his throat.
No one could see him like this, or everyone would know something was wrong. They would ask questions, and Seth didn’t have any answers.
For now, he rolled his shoulders and forced his expression into something neutral before yanking open the bedroom door.
At the top of the landing, Seth paused to listen. Mom and Carl were moving through the house, their voices clearer. He could hear the rustle of bags, the clink of dishes as he descended the stairs, his jaw already aching from clenching it.
Showtime.
He just had to get through this morning without anyone—especially his mother—suspecting something was wrong. After all, the secret his dad had left behind had been sitting in that storage unit for sixteen years. A few hours wasn’t going to change anything.