Slow Burn (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Ripley Proserpina

Author:Ripley Proserpina [Proserpina, Ripley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kindle Worlds
Published: 2017-05-09T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11: Daisy

Detective Anthony slowed as a muscled, uniformed man held out a hand, approaching the car slowly.

"This is where you live?" he asked, glancing back at Daisy.

"Yes." She took in the high stone walls made to look both beautiful and forbidding. Along the walls, or situated in various hidden spaces, cameras would be angled toward the car and surrounding area. Her father's dedication to self-protection was as exhaustive as his funds were unlimited. While this guard was the one who was visible right now, Daisy knew there were more people out of sight, but fully armed.

"Detective Anthony," he told the man who had one hand resting on a weapon when he came to the window.

"Identification?" he asked, voice deep and commanding.

Daisy scooted forward on the seat. "Hi, Dave," she greeted.

The man merely flicked his gaze on her before focusing on the detective. "Miss Zoffler."

Catching her stare in the rearview mirror, Anthony raised an eyebrow but showed the guard his ID.

"Stay to the right," Dave directed. A metal grinding of gears drowned out his voice as the gate opened.

Anthony nodded and put the car into gear. Even for Texas, where everything was bigger, her parents' property was over-the-top. It was hard to believe they were even in America as the landscaping was designed to emulate European manors. The grass was watered multiple times a day and the trees and shrubs monitored meticulously to make sure they were coping with the heat. Anything designated subpar was removed and disposed of.

From the gates to the house it was a mile. Plenty of time and distance for unwelcome guests to be caught and unceremoniously ejected from the grounds or for invited guests to be overwhelmed.

As the car got closer, she heard Anthony draw in a breath. The house, a Georgian reproduction monstrosity with palatial columns and white marble, glimmered in the sunlight. Daisy struggled with the urge to explain things to the man—to assure him that as beautiful as this place appeared, it was the last place anyone with a shred of humanity would want to stay.

"To the doors?" he asked. The drive went right to the front doors, a nod to the era when carriages brought lords and ladies to houses where they were greeted by servants.

Daisy didn't trust her parents not to embarrass the poor detective in some way she couldn't fathom. In order to save him from them, she told him, "No. Stop here, and I'll walk up. Follow the roundabout, and head back the way we came."

Pulling to a stop, the detective handed her a card. "Here's my contact information. I'll be in touch."

"Thank you," she replied, waiting for him to get out to open her door.

He drove away much faster than he'd arrived, and she jealously watched him go. Lucky bastard.

"Miss Zoffler?"

"Good morning, William," she greeted her father's butler as she walked toward the house.

He scanned her. "No luggage?"

Stopping in the shade of the house, she smiled. This man had been more a father figure to her than her own parents.

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