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I don’t know what answer I want to hear.
Do I want to know I don’t need to look over my shoulder anymore, or do I want to know a man was killed because of me?
“No. He’s not dead.” Alex lifts my chin to capture my eyes in a stare as he speaks. “But you will never see him again, and Annie will never know him. His life depends on it.”
Hearing the threat come from Alex is unsettling. Alex was always the more rational of the two and if he feels this way, I’m not sure I want to know what is in Shane’s head.
Swallowing a lump in my throat, my eyes drift to meet Shane’s. As if he can read my thoughts, he towers over me, licking his lips and taking me in.
My body betrays the calm composure I’m trying to portray as I shudder with a shiver that runs through me causing Shane’s devious grin to stretch wider.
“I don’t want to talk about him ever again.” Shane lifts me and I wrap my legs around his midsection as he turns to walk us into the house with Alex trailing behind. “There’s something we want to show you.”
Setting me down, Shane spins me and walks me out of the kitchen and into the main hall before pointing at a door. “The stairs to the basement are here, and trust me, Annie is going to love the theater-style room but that’s not all that’s down there.”
There’s that sneaky look again. Do they think I can’t see the smirks they’re exchanging?
I take a step toward the door when Alex reaches for my arm, stopping me.
When I turn to look at them, their sly smiles are gone, replaced with what looks like worry.
“Is something wrong?”
Alex looks the most apprehensive of the two and Shane speaks first.
“There’s something we want to do—for you. Well, it would be for us too, but it is mostly for you.” Shane shifts his attention to Alex. “Let’s just show her. She’ll like it. I know she will.”
I follow Shane’s line of sight to Alex who cautiously takes me in before pinching his lips together and nodding once at us. He turns and heads back toward the kitchen. Shane drops his hand to my lower back, guiding me behind him.
Alex gives me a bit of history on the house. It was built in the early 1900’s and it has been renovated numerous times, but one feature remained. Once at the pantry, Alex opens the door and steps into a large storage room before grinning at us.
I look around and feel bad for a moment. The area is filled with shelves but they are all bare and I hope my smile doesn’t look too forced.
“I—love it?” It sounds more like a question because I’m not sure what they’re trying to show me.
Shane and Alex freeze and turn their attention to me, confusion all over their faces.
They look amused.
“Tell me, Kitten. What do you love?” A slight warble in Shane’s tone sounds like he’s trying to stifle a chuckle.
Alex crosses his arms and waits for my answer.
“Well, um, the storage. You can put a lot in here, and”—I tap one of the shelves—”it’s sturdy.”
We sit in silence for half a minute before they both start laughing.
Alex speaks through his wheezes. “I’ve never seen anyone get excited about a pantry before.”
Shane laughs harder.
“I thought—”
My retort is cut short when Alex spins and slams his fist against the wall, opening a hidden panel and exposing stairs descending downward.
“Oh, ha.” Relief and curiosity mingle in my stomach.
Alex talks over his shoulder as he heads down and I follow with Shane at my back.
