Page 7 of Keeping Caroline

The steam wand I was using to make a latte decided to explode foamy milk across the top of my apron at that very moment. I’d seen enough porn to know exactly what that looked like, and I wasn’t surprised when he and Scarlett both stifled a laugh before Scarlett reached over and handed me a rag.

“Thanks,” I grumbled, doing my best to wipe the milky white substance off my apron but all I did was smear it.

“Grab another apron from the back,” Scarlett said, but I was already moving, tossing my apron down on the edge of the counter and pulling a new one off the hook.

By the time I returned to the front, Tristan was already gone, standing near the back of the store with my brother. His eyes met mine when I looked his way, however, and the side of his lips lifted in the shy sort of smile that sent my heart into a flip. It had been a long time since someone looked at me that way, and I really didn’t know how I felt about it. I smiled back but returned to my task, doing my best to focus on making an espresso for the woman in front of me who appeared less than patient. By the next day, I knew he would return to his home in Atlanta, and I would stay behind in my own little, small-town bubble, just the way I liked it. It wasn’t like I was lonely or anything. At least that was what I told myself.

Chapter 5

The Phantom

The night swallowed the sound of Caroline's car engine as she disappeared around the bend, leaving me alone in the darkened street. I stayed outside the hotel for a moment, breathing in the pine-scented air. It was so much colder in the mountains after dark—lonelier—when there was no one around but the stars. Unlike in the city, the quiet night was eerie, especially with how the mist curled its way around the tree roots and headstones of the cemetery a few blocks away. A shiver raced through me that had nothing to do with the cold, sending me retreating into my hotel room.

Once I was inside, I sat on the edge of the bed, taking off my glasses and rubbing my fingers over my eyes. Caroline's face haunted the shadows of the room—just the thought of how widowhood must press down on her every day, how devastating it must be. Still, there was such resilience in her eyes. Being a widow may have fractured her, but being a mother clearly kept her whole. And Evie… Her snaggle-toothed smile was a reminder of how life persisted amidst the cruel grip of cancer, and just looking at her could make your soul smile. They were both so fucking strong, and it was truly awe-inspiring.

Grief knotted in my chest as I thought of Daniel's untimely departure from the world, leaving Caroline and Evie to navigate their complicated life without him. It was a familiar ache, one that mirrored the emptiness in my own life, although my parents had been gone for a long time. The loss of someone who meant the world to you was not something you could ever truly get over.

Running my hand through my hair, I sighed and slid my glasses back on. The silence was heavy, charged with my obligations to Ethan and his family. His trust was a sacred thing, and I could not let him down. I had promised him that I would help to keep them safe, and now my mind was in complete turmoil about how to do it. My skill set allowed me to hack systems—to lay the secrets of the dark web bare and bring powerful people to their knees—but there was no firewall against the unpredictability of the mob's vengeance. The very idea of guaranteeing anyone's safety against them felt like trying to hold smoke—slippery, elusive, impossible. The Barrilleaux family had become like my own family, their struggles woven with my own existence, but I did not know how to protect them when every shadow could be an enemy.

"Damn it," I muttered into the quiet room as I stood, my breath fogging the cool window as I stepped in front of it. The streetlight changed to green, but there were no cars at the intersection. Everyone had already gone home for the night, already tucked safely into their beds. Life went on for everyone else in the small town, not knowing the dangers that threatened the young family that had just opened the bookshop on Main Street. Until the case was settled, their lives would be clouded by uncertainty. Still, this family knit together by tragedy and a fiercely loyal love was not one to break easily. Their strength was something to be admired. So, even though tendrils of doubt crept through my mind and made my knees buckle, it was Ethan’s devotion to his family that hardened my resolve.

The bell above the door chimed softly as I stepped into the quaint little bookstore. The scent of old paper and ink mingled with the warm aroma of freshly brewed coffee, wrapping around me like a comforting embrace. They did not have places like this in Atlanta—not anywhere near my apartment anyway. My eyes immediately met Caroline’s baby blues from across the room, where she was standing behind the machine used to make lattes. She smiled at me but turned away quickly, a pretty flush staining her cheeks as she returned to the task at hand. Glancing at where Ethan was still helping a customer, I headed toward the cafe counter to where Scarlett and Caroline were working, taking up the place from where the last customer vacated.

“Good morning, Scarlett…Caroline.”

Scarlett looked up at me, the warmth in her smile reflecting in her deep brown eyes. “Morning, Tristan. How’d you sleep?”

“Better than I expected,” I lied. My thoughts from the night before still lingered at the edge of my mind, but I pushed them down for the moment. “What about you?”

“Like a rock,” she said, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she grinned. “I think all that fresh mountain air wore me out.”

“Can’t argue with that.” From the corner of my eye, I stole a glance at Caroline, who was focused intently on her task of creating intricate patterns in the foam atop someone’s coffee. She was about to speak, but as in a twist of fate, a wayward plume of foamed milk erupted from the pitcher Caroline held, splattering across her apron, drawing all three of our attention. Her expression morphed into one of mild exasperation. I tried not to chuckle, but all five-foot-barely-anything of her was fucking adorable, so the smile spread across my face before I could stop it.

Reaching below the counter, Scarlett grabbed a rag and handed it to Caroline, who took it gladly, a flush crawling up her neck and to darken her cheeks as her eyes flicked to me. “Thanks.” With her attempts to clean herself failing, she headed toward the back of the store, untying her apron as she went. I shamelessly watched her walk away, taking in every charming inch of her—every nuance.

“Grab another apron from the back,” Scarlett said, turning her smile back to me, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Here you go. Try not to make any more messes. Are you heading back home today?”

“Hey, that wasn’t my fault!” A playful smirk tugged up the side of my lips as I took the mug of coffee, savoring the rich aroma. When I pulled the coffee away from my lips, I nodded. “Yeah. I need to get back home to my cat, but I’ll be back when the rest of the equipment is in.”

Scarlett smiled at someone behind me, and I turned to look over my shoulder as Ethan approached me from behind. “Well, when you come back next time, maybe you should bring your cat along. Evie would love that.”

“Tristan,” Ethan said, grabbing my attention. “I have something to give you in the office before you head out.”

Taking one more look in the direction Caroline disappeared in, I turned and followed Ethan toward the office at the back of the store. When we got there, he slid a built-in bookshelf to the side, revealing a safe behind it, opened it quickly and pulled out a small object: a thumb drive.

“Everything Scarlett’s father had on Victor’s gang is on here. Everything. I have copies of it as well, so you can take this one. Guard it with your life and do whatever you have to do with this information to keep my family—and yourself—safe.”

I nodded, my chest notably tight as I reached out and took the small black item out of his hand, sliding it into a zipped pocket of my laptop case. “I will start going over everything tonight and will let you know what I find.”

With one more look of understanding between us, we headed back toward the front counter, where Scarlett was still standing by the register, and Caroline had returned, her eyes flicking up to meet mine.

“Your help…it means more than you know,” Scarlett said, stepping around the counter to hug me.

When she finally let me go, I turned to Caroline, who stood a little apart, although her eyes seemed to miss nothing. “And you… keep being the rock star that you are and tell the little Captain that I will see her later, alligator.”

Caroline nodded, a sweet smile gracing her full lips. “Take care of yourself, Tristan. Hope to see you again soon.”

It was midday by the time I stepped back into my downtown Atlanta apartment, but with every shade pulled down behind black curtains, you could have sworn it was night. The click of the lock echoed, a sharp reminder of the solitude that awaited within its walls. But as I stepped further into the room, a sleek black shape unfurled from the corner of the gray sofa, reminding me I wasn’t alone after all.

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