Page 80 of Risky Obsession

“Trust me.”

A little bit of panic crossed her eyes, but she swept it away just as quickly.

“What else does it say?” She indicated to the phone. “Anything about the construction? Or secret back entrances?”

“Ha. Very funny. In the sixteenth century, the last Abenddämmerung heir, a young woman named Elise, vanished without a trace. The mystery behind her disappearance led to the family’s decline and the castle was abandoned for two hundred years.” I whistled. “It’s hard to imagine a building like that being abandoned for so long. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be the first to go into it after all that time?”

“Absolutely.” Her smile lit up her incredible eyes.

I turned my attention back to my phone.

“After that, it says the castle was a military outpost and a hunting lodge . . .” I skimmed the page. “Okay, here we go. In the late twentieth century, a wealthy industrialist named Wilhelm Schmidt purchased the castle and restored it. He started his annual charity gala twenty-three years ago and it gets bigger every year.”

“Any pictures of the entrance to the castle? It would be good to know the terrain.”

“The terrain?”

She waggled her head. “Yeah, you know. Barbed wire. Security guards. Snarling dogs.”

I laughed. “Wow, you have a great imagination.”

After scanning dozens of photos that focused more on the high-society guests and their statement-piece attires, I gave up.

“Let’s head in that direction and see if we can find a vacancy somewhere.” I keyed the castle name into Google Maps and hit go. “Forty minutes away. You can lie back and have a rest if you wish.”

“I’m fine.”

I put the car into gear and pulled back out onto the road. “What shall we talk about then?”

She moaned like I’d asked her to pull her fingernails out, but then she shifted in her seat so she could see me better. “Why doesn’t Aria trust you?”

“What?” I blurted.

“She told me I shouldn’t trust you.”

Her comment was a kick to my gut. “I thought we were together because we both had clues to the same mystery.”

“Yes, but she warned me not to trust you.”

I rammed the car into top gear and stomped on the gas. I’d thought Tory’s wariness about me was because Aria had already told her what I’d done to Indiana. As much as I didn’t want to drag up that stupid theft, it was bound to come out anyway.

“I know why Aria told you not to trust me, but if I tell you, you need to answer some questions for me.”

“What questions?” Her eyes simmered with mistrust.

“I don’t know yet.”

“Well, I can’t answer that question until I know what your other questions will be.”

I checked that I was going in the right direction on the map, then frowned at her. “I’m not the bad guy, you know?”

“I don’t know who you are, Kane.”

“Really? At least I talk about things. You can’t even tell me your father’s name. Like it’s some kind of National Secret.”

“Okay, he’s David.”

I rolled my eyes. “Wow. Thanks for sharing.”