Chapter 11

Magnus paced the bedroom, rubbing his forehead. He needed to think.

Juniper had just told him about the secret passages under this resort she’d explored as a child. He was still processing everything and wondering if it was even possible.

How could there be tunnels underneath Danger Bluff that no one knew about? Kingsley hadn’t mentioned anything like that. They certainly weren’t on any of the blueprints or schematics. Not even the old ones he and his teammates had scoured over dozens of times.

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her. She’d obviously spent countless hours playing in the tunnels. Enough time that she assured him she could still make her way off this property without issue from any of a number of rooms on the first floor.

Besides the library, she’d told him of a passage in the laundry room, the back of the kitchen, behind one of the stairwells, and the janitor’s closet.

The story was unbelievable and fascinating.

“I can show you where they all are,” she told him, rising onto her knees on the bed. “When you saw me in the library this morning, I wasn’t really reminiscing about the dollhouse. I was checking to see if the lever was still on the windowsill. It’s painted over, but I think it will still work.”

“The bookshelves are no longer there,” he pointed out.

She shrugged. “I’m sure something is there. Maybe it got sealed over. If we have to, we can just cut a hole in the wall. I can show you exactly where to cut. Should we go look?” She anxiously bounced on her knees.

“Definitely not, Little girl.” He gave her a stern look.

She humphed. “Why not?”

“For one thing, it’s not even daylight yet. It can wait until the sun comes up. But more importantly, it’s not safe. Remember, Edmund’s brother is here, snooping around. I’m betting Eric and Edmund have no idea about the tunnels. If they did, they would have gone straight there.”

Juniper dropped down onto her heels and sighed. “They believe the money is hidden here on the property, but they don’t know where?”

“That’s my bet.”

“But if Edmund was the one who stole the money, who hid it?”

Magnus wasn’t sure, but he was worried her father might have had something to do with that. It would hurt Juniper if she learned something nefarious had happened with her father. It would break her heart.

His own heart ached, pondering the possibility.

As if she read his mind, she asked, “Do you think my father was part of this robbery?” Her bottom lip trembled.

He went to her and pulled her into his arms. “I don’t know, Juni. I suppose it’s possible.” No sense lying to her.

“He was always a good man. I can’t picture him doing something illegal.”

“Well, it’s not likely he hid a bunch of money and then never came back to get it himself. We have to assume Edmund Rivers thought your father knew something. Perhaps when he couldn’t get any information from your father, he had no choice but to…”

Magnus cringed. He’d gotten too blunt. He hadn’t meant to.

Juniper sighed. “It’s okay. I understand. Rivers most likely killed my father.”

“I’m sorry, Little girl.” He rubbed her back.

“When the sun comes up, can we go look?”

“No, Juni. You’re not going anywhere, remember? We’ll have a meeting with the entire team. You can show us on the blueprints exactly where the entrances are and where you think they lead. We’ll handle this.”

She leaned back and pushed out her bottom lip. “That’s no fun.”

He narrowed his gaze at her. “Juniper Hazen, you will not disobey me on this issue. That spanking I gave you last night was the fun kind that makes Little girls squeal from arousal when they finally get to come. You don’t want Daddy to spank you for punishment. Trust me.”

She shuddered. “Daddy…”

“We don’t know what all is down there after all these years. We also need to be careful we aren’t found. My team is composed of trained military experts, Juni. We’ll go in armed and ready.”

“But I want to see the tunnels, too. They were a playground for me and Sammi when we were kids. They’re nostalgic to me. I wish I’d stayed in touch with her. Exchanging letters or calling internationally was much more difficult than it is now. We always just looked forward to seeing each other during my summer vacations. Do you think I could see her when this is all resolved?” she asked, looking at him with pleading eyes.

“When this is over, yes. We’ll get in touch with her. In the meantime, if I decide the tunnels are structurally safe, I’ll take you down there myself, but not until after everyone involved is locked up. Understood?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Good girl. Let me reiterate. You may not leave the secured areas—the fifth floor and the basement. That’s it.”

“Okay, Daddy. You’re right. I wouldn’t want that bad guy to find me. He obviously wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.”

“I suspect Eric is looking for a needle in a haystack. I’ll do some digging this morning, but I’d bet Edmund is not the one who hid the money. He thinks it’s here on this property but doesn’t know where. He apparently thought your father knew, and he thinks you do, too.”

She blew out a long breath. “You’re right.”

He lifted her chin. “I love you, Juni. Maybe it’s too soon to say that, but it’s true. You’re my world. If anything ever happened to you…”

“It won’t, Daddy. I promise. I’ll stay in these two safe locations. No one will see me.”

He pulled her tightly into his arms again. Burying his face in her hair, he inhaled her scent. She was so precious to him. His heart raced at the thought of Eric or any of his henchmen finding her.

“Do you want to go back to sleep?” he asked.

“There’s no way I could do that. My adrenaline is pumping.”

“Mine, too. Let’s get dressed and go down to the basement. We can order some breakfast and a pot of coffee. I’ll fill in the guys, and we’ll make a plan.”

“I’ll study the blueprints and make some notes while everyone is still sleeping. That will help, right?”

“Yes, Juni. That will be the most important part.”

She smiled and then tipped her head to one side. “You know…”

“What do I know?” he teased. He wasn’t sure he was going to like what she said next.

“I’m not just a silly Little girl you found wandering around with a camera. Taking photographs is a hobby. I’m pretty good with computers. I could help you with your work. I heard the guys talking about dividing up the hours so someone is always watching the monitors. I could do that, too.”

Magnus was taken aback by her offer. He didn’t react immediately because he recognized that he needed to choose his words carefully so he didn’t end up insulting her. He didn’t really know what she did for work, and he remembered Kingsley’s weird request not to dig into her past. Fuck, for all I know, she’s just trying to be helpful, or she could even have a PhD in Computer Science. He certainly wouldn’t want to be a jackass about it.

Magnus wasn’t very good at relinquishing control over his domain. It was one thing for someone to sit and watch the monitors. It was another thing entirely for anyone to touch his mouse or use his computers. He could get rather feisty when people got too close to his corner of the basement.

Inhaling slowly, he said, “Sure, Juni. I’d love to have your help. We’ll find something you can do to help Daddy.” He hoped he wasn’t making the biggest mistake of his life. This was his Little girl. He wanted her to be happy, and it sure would be nice to always have her close to him. However, he didn’t think it was reasonable, and he would probably end up snapping at her when she touched things.

She was too smart for him, though. He hadn’t hidden his real thoughts well. She narrowed her eyes and lowered her head. “Daddy, you’re lying. You said I can’t tell lies, so you can’t either.”

He winced. Shit. “It’s just that I’m pretty territorial with my work, Little girl. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. I’m not good about sharing my electronic equipment.”

She shrugged. “Whatever.” And then she slid off the side of the bed and strolled into the bathroom. A moment later, the shower came on.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. He’d definitely hurt her feelings.