Author: Chloe Lang
Category: Young Adult
Go to read content：https://readnovelfree.com/p/40558_3
What were the attorneys at Two Black Knights Enterprises thinking?
Her husband, hopefully soon-to-be ex-husband, had been a longtime employee at TBK. They should be going after him, not her, though getting through the government’s red tape had proven impossible.
The special agent had been wrong that she would be told Kip’s whereabouts. Was Brown just trying to appease her during his arrest? Probably.
After all these years, Kip’s classification had never changed from the highest threat level. To the United States government, he was a terrorist. Clearly they weren’t interested in telling her a damn thing. So she’d been unable to keep track of Kip in the system.
Sure, she’d gotten his letters filled with crazy ramblings and serious threats, but none of them had any return addresses on them to help her locate his prison. Even with the postmarks indicating the cities of origin on every envelope, they only led to dead ends. None of the towns had prisons.
Seeing Red - VampireCheck out the best interactive novels on Whispers: Interactive stories.
She came up to the blinking red light strung from two poles on opposite corners of the intersection. There wasn’t another vehicle in sight, so she found it odd to see a traffic signal out here in the middle of nowhere. On one of the corners of the intersection was a large, elk-shaped wooden sign. Painted on it were three arrows, each with directions. The arrow pointing ahead read “The Double L Ranch.” The sign that led drivers right had the words “Stone Ranch.”
But where she needed to go was left.
Its arrow had an ominous word that filled her with anxiety. “Destiny.” Seven letters. Most might find the word to be hopeful. Not her. Not after everything that had happened.
Fate had been ugly to Megan. More than ugly. Before marrying Kip, she believed in possibilities, much like her mother had before she’d died. No more. She flipped on her blinker out of habit more than anything and turned on the road to Destiny. Life had been cruel, but she knew it could turn even darker.
Coming to the bridge that crossed a wash, she peered at the sign that marked the limits of the town’s border. “Welcome to Destiny, the best-kept secret in Colorado.”
The first building she drove by was three stories tall with two balconies. The arched windows on the two upper floors, with their wide, white molding, were impressive. The name of the building on the sign that hung from the lower balcony puzzled her. What could Phase Four be?
It didn’t matter.
She was due in the Swanson County Courthouse. It was on East Street. She looked at the time on her cell.
Eleven twenty-nine. Her hearing was set for eleven thirty. One minute later and she would be in contempt of court.
Her heart sank.
She turned right onto South Street and saw the park in the center of the city’s square on her left.
The dragon statues on the square’s corners looked out of place but impressive. The courthouse, now within her view, appeared terrifying and ominous. Like most buildings of its ilk, it was made of stone. A statue of a man holding up a torch, much like the Statue of Liberty, stood before the entrance. Where was Justice with its blindfold and scales? Did the Destiny judicial system have its own way of doing things? She hoped so. Her past dealings with other entities of the law like the FBI and Homeland Security had been less about right and wrong and more about screwing her over and keeping her in the dark.
Turning left on East Street, she parked her car in one of the spots in front of the courthouse. After she removed the key from the ignition, Granny Gremlin sputtered and coughed for a couple of seconds before finally turning off.
Taking a deep breath, she turned the rearview mirror so she could get a better look at herself. No time for a redo. After a quick couple of strokes of the brush through her hair, she got out of the car. Across the park, she could see the local inn—the Dream Hotel. It reminded her of a gingerbread house more than anything else. God, how she wished her credit cards still worked. A bath and a bed would be heaven right now. Not happening. Her motel for tonight would be the rest area she’d passed near the Wyoming-Colorado border. Her bed? Granny Gremlin.
She grabbed the files and headed up the steps past the doomful marble columns. What difference did this hearing make now? Except for her mother’s home and Granny Gremlin, she didn’t have anything. Everything else was gone—even her mother’s diary.
* * * *
Eric Knight leaned against the mahogany half wall dividing the courtroom in two. He wasn’t surprised to see so many friends and neighbors in the public gallery. One thing about his hometown, everyone flocked to each other’s sides to help…and to gawk, especially when there was a possible scandal.
“Looks like all of Destiny is here this afternoon,” Scott said.
Like Eric, his brother’s cowboy clothes were gone, replaced by a dark gray suit and red tie. The only sign that ranching was in his brother’s DNA were the boots sticking out from the bottom of his pants. Damn. Eric wished he’d thought of that. Instead, he was wearing loafers. At least they were leather and black, appropriate Dom material and color.
Nodding, he looked over at Scott. “Quite the turnout.”
“Look over there.” His brother pointed to the Stone brothers and Amber, their new woman. “The playboys of Destiny have been tamed.”
Eric feigned a mocking frown and hit Scott in the upper arm. “What the fuck do you mean by that? We’re the reigning playboys. Always have been. Not the Stones.”
He watched Emmett, the eldest of the three, smile and wave.
“Shit.” Eric waved back. He lowered his voice. “It’s been so long since I’ve been in here I forgot how good the acoustics are.”
“Best to use that to our advantage then, bro.” Scott upped his volume. “I’m thinking we go to Phase Four tonight, Eric.” His brother winked and looked at every unattached woman in the room. “We might need company. What do you think?”