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“Good girl.” His praise makes me flush, and I vow to be brave as I follow him from the water’s edge to the cabin.
He opens the door and steps back to allow me in first. My jaw drops.
The cabin is cosy and warm, a real log fire burning in the grate and lamps casting a soft glow around the small lounge area. Beyond the lounge is a small kitchen, and to the left, there’s a corridor with three doors. There’s a hide rug on the floor and woollen blankets draped over the soft brown leather sofas. I blink in surprise.
“Were you expecting a dungeon or torture chamber or something?” Baxter asks, walking in behind me and smirking when he sees my expression.
“Well...yeah,” I say, confused. Maybe I got this wrong and he has brought me here for a romantic night of stabby sex.
“It’s downstairs,” he deadpans back. I laugh.
“Bedroom, bathroom, stairs to dungeon.” He points to each of the three doors in turn before dropping his bag on the floor in the corner of the room with a loud thunk. “Don’t get them confused or you could end up in trouble.”
I take a seat on the sofa and watch the fire crackle and pop.
“How come the fire’s already on when it’s taken us so long to get here?”
“I had a friend pop in and start it for us. Dinner should be ready in five minutes too.”
“You have friends?” I tease.
“An associate,” he corrects. “I’ll dish up. It’s just pasta but I know it’ll be good, and I have some wine that’ll go nicely with it.”
“How do you know it’ll be good?”
“Because my associate knows I’d kill him if it wasn’t.”
I’m pretty sure he’s joking but with Baxter I never truly know. He heads into the small kitchen area to sort dinner, so I take the opportunity to freshen up in the bathroom. It’s rustically opulent and inviting, all wood panels, lush plants and slate tiles. I stick my head into the bedroom and take in the giant wooden bed that dominates the space with little else in the room beside two side tables with lamps, another hide rug on the wooden floor, and a small log burner in the corner which is emitting a soft glow.
Then I hesitate at the final door, my hand resting on the knob. I shake my head at how silly I’m being. It’s probably just a closet or something. A log store maybe…Even if it does lead to a basement, it’s probably just used for storage.
I decide to leave it be and head back to the sitting area to enjoy my time with Baxter.
Ace: Big problem. Need help. Family. Not know who to asking.
Baxter: Tell me.
Ace: Forwarded message.
Baxter: Ace, how long have you been dealing with this?
Ace: Always. Whole life. Bad family. Bad men. Before uncle, father.
Baxter: Tell him he has a deal. Leave the rest with me. I will have your entire family out of there and safe by morning.
Ace: No good. Run before. Uncle powerful. Find. Spies everywhere.
Baxter: Your uncle will be dead before he even knows they’re gone. Send me a list of every rotten apple in your family tree. It’s time to clean house.
