Page 112 of Bliss with a Billionaire

“Umm, no. We’re going to go inside, and then we’re going to lord it over the two cops that we’re better sleuths than they are,” Sierra said with a shake of her head. “If you want to wait here, you can.”

“I’m with Sierra. What was the point in coming if we’re not going to go into the creepy passage?”

Sierra flung a hand at Kyle. “Exactly. Even Kyle thinks so.”

He snapped his gaze to her sister. “That’s sort of passive-aggressive, sis. ‘Even Kyle thinks so’ is vaguely reminiscent of ‘Even Kyle thinks so and he’s crazy.’”

“I didn’t say crazy,” Sierra said, “but fine. Kyle thinks so, and he’s an ultra-smart doctor.”

Kyle nodded at her. “Yes, that’s an improvement, thanks.”

“No,” Grant said with a shake of his head. “I don’t care if he’s a doctor or crazy. The answer is no.”

“Well, we’re two votes, and you are one. Let’s ask Julia. Julia, what do you think about the creepy passage?” Sierra asked.

Julia glanced at him, an apologetic expression floating in her eyes as she winced. “I want to go in the creepy passage.”

He flung his hands in the air with a sigh. “Ugh.”

“Ha! Outvoted!” Sierra said as she poked a finger at him. “Come on, Daddy. Toggle on that flashlight, and let’s go!”

Sierra spun back toward the passage and inched inside.

With a hesitant sigh, Grant fished out his cell phone, its screen a lone beacon in the enveloping darkness. He flicked on the flashlight, a feeble ray of light piercing the oppressive blackness, its beam trembling slightly in his grip–a silenttestament to the unease that gripped him. “I can’t believe you voted against me.”

“I didn’t vote against you, Grant,” she said as she held her cell phone up, flashlight shining. “I voted to explore.”

“Against me who didn’t want to explore,” he said as they entered the passage. “We should have at least told someone where we’re going.”

“I think it’ll be obvious when they see the bookcase open.”

“Oh, will it?” he asked. “Really? Now, I’m going to question who has and has not read a mystery novel.”

She stopped flicking him a wrinkled-nose glance. “Seriously? You do recall that I write mystery novels, right?”

“I do. And I cannot believe you don’t know that you don’t go into the creepy passage without telling anyone because the bad guy will close you in and trap you.”

She chuckled at him as she continued down the dark corridor. “There are no bad guys lurking, Grant. It’ll be fine. The only other people here are James, Ally, and Ethan.”

“And one of them could be the bad guy in a twist we never saw coming. Are you sure you’re a mystery writer?”

“I was, but then a random man asked me to marry him and told me I could spend all my time writing, but really, I spent all my time solving mysteries. At least the pay wasn’t bad.” She offered him an amused glance.

“Oh, really?” He slowed to a stop, offering her a coy smile as he wrapped his arms around her. “I didn’t think you were in it for the money.”

“I wasn’t,” she answered as she pressed closer to him.

He closed his eyes as he leaned in to kiss her when Sierra’s voice cut through the silence. “Where are you? We found something!”

He let his eyes slide to the ceiling as he sighed. “They have the worst timing.”

She grinned at him before she gave him a peck on the lips and grabbed his hand to pull him further down the dark hall.

As they navigated the dim corridor, Sierra’s light danced ahead, casting long shadows that seemed to play with the tension between them. The sounds of their bickering, a familiar soundtrack to their adventures, added a new layer to their family dynamics. Sierra’s relentless determination clashed with Kyle’s cautious skepticism.

“Just open it, Kyle.”

“We should wait, Sierra. We have no idea what’s behind that door.”