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Until Darrian put another hitman to watch them.
As soon as they learned about the photos, they went on the hunt. It was a small town. The people banded together when needed. Everyone might be in everyone’s business, but they also knew when to keep silent but their eyes and ears open. They found the man—same hat from the surveillance camera in front of the house—staying a town over. Luckily for them, he had a warrant for his arrest. Not shocking, for murder. Because that’s what hit men did.
So for now, no one was watching over them. Maybe because Eve hadn’t left Darrian’s side, so he didn’t plan to send another one their way. The guy hired to watch them wasn’t talking. Claimed he was there on vacation for some Christmas cheer. When questioned why he shoved a folder under the chief of police’s door, he denied doing so. They knew the truth. So they couldn’t get Darrian on any charges concerning that.
As for Eve being safe, Griffin didn’t see it that way. She lived with a man who had beaten her too many times. One wrong move and he could hit her again.
Every night when he got home, he stared at his phone, wanting to call her. Every night, he went to bed proud of himself for resisting. Yet, he tossed and turned, finding no peace in that decision.
“I didn’t come here to talk about Eve though.”
He rolled his hand for her to get to the point. In the past two weeks, he hadn’t hollered or lost his temper with anyone. He managed to keep the anger boiling inside right there. Inside. But it didn’t mean he wasn’t short and sometimes curt to people. His siblings included. They knew not to test the boundaries with him. Not right now. Not yet.
“I was watching a movie last night. Action thriller. It was intense.” Juliet leaned forward, the glee rising in her gaze as if she were about to invite him over to watch it because it was that good. “Do you want to know the best part of it?”
He didn’t have the energy to guess. By the look he gave her, she knew that.
“When the professor was browsing the books on the shelves, he pulled one and it opened a secret door.”
She was sitting so far on the edge of her seat, Griffin sensed she wanted to jump across the desk to grab his shirt so he could see the excitement in her eyes even closer.
“Grif!” She slammed her hand on his desk, making him flinch. “Put two and two together.”
He had no idea what she was talking about. If it wasn’t about Eve…then what?
She sighed, rolling her eyes. “The tapes that you’ve been looking for. Maybe Mark has a secret room in his house. Which is why you only found one little laptop when we know he has way more than that.”
He slowly sat up, letting the idea bloom inside. “A secret room? Like in an action movie?”
“Yes, like that.” She rolled her eyes again for added measure. “When you set up cameras in that many properties, you’re going to hide the evidence like you’re a damn spy.”
“Well, okay, then.” Griffin stood up, grabbing his jacket from the coat rack in the corner of his office. “Care to help me look?”
Juliet bounced to her feet, rubbing her hands with merriment. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Mark was still sitting in jail on the charges filed against him. The judge had set his bail to one hundred thousand dollars, and while Mindy tried to bail him out, she didn’t have enough money to do so. Griffin found it noble she stood by her brother’s side. Noble but stupid. The man was guilty, and she was only making herself more of an outcast in town. Nobody would talk to her or do business with her.
They made it to Mark’s house in record time. Griffin had called Duke to join them. He pulled up at the same time they did. Mark didn’t have a full library like the one Juliet had seen in the movie, but he had two shelves of books in his office that were prime pickings to be a lever. But when they moved each book, the wall didn’t magically swing open.
Juliet rubbed her chin, then winced. “It should’ve worked. There should be a hidden room.”
“It wasn’t a bad idea,” Duke noted. “But maybe we’re looking at it all wrong. The book thing is common. It’s in so many movies. I bet if Mark did build a room, he’d make it less conspicuous.”
“Let’s get looking.” Then Griffin moved to another room.
After searching the living room, bedroom, and basement, they finally found the room they’d been looking for. The entrance was behind the pantry wall. If they hadn’t been looking specifically for it, they would’ve never found it.
The room wasn’t large, but big enough to hold four computer monitors and the rest of the equipment to do his dirty work.
Of course, his computer was password protected, but as soon as they cracked it and got in, Griffin knew he’d find all the video files that Mark had. The bastard was officially going down. And everyone, himself included, would have peace those videos were safe—and soon to be destroyed.
Duke took over, getting the crime lab to retrieve the equipment. Griffin drove Juliet back to town.
He parked in front of the cafe, planning to go back to Mark’s house to help with everything.
“You know I’m here for you if you need me. We don’t have to talk. We can watch a movie or something.”
Griffin’s hands tightened on the wheel. “I appreciate the support, Juliet. I’m not ready for that.”
