Page 30 of Ribbons and Roses
“You should go be with Delphine and Sasha. They’ve got the kids?—”
“I’m coming with you two to find out what’s happened. Have you forgotten I was once the man of my household?”
I concede his point, giving a nod.
It’s true. While Ernest and I have not always seen eye to eye, the man always protected his family. His overprotectiveness over Delphine was part of what initially caused friction between us. She wasn’t even allowed to see me. Be around me anywhere, even at school.
When it’s counted most, Ernest has done what he needed to. Delphine told me all about the time he tried to help her escape Lucius and the Neptune Society’s clutches—he’d been shot in the chest, which allowed her to make her escape.
He’s been nothing but an amazing grandfather to Dominic, Serena, and Dante.
The three of us descend the staircase onto the ground floor. Stitches covers me like he usually does whenever we’re in potentially dangerous situations.
It’s entirely possible that the lights went out because of some fluke reason. It could be weather or even the location being shoddy (we are up in the mountains).
Or it could be a more nefarious reason we’ve been plunged into darkness.
I dial my security on shift. They’re posted at the doors as well as around the perimeter of the property.
“Not sure what’s going on, boss,” says Lev. “It seems like the whole place’s been cut off. All the other houses in the area too.”
“Find out for sure.”
We hang up with no more clarity than when I called him.
“He says it could be an area-wide thing,” I say.
Ernest steps past me. “There should be flashlights in the utility closet. We could be stuck like this for a while.”
“Good thing it’s past the kid’s bedtime. They’ll fall right back to sleep,” says Stitches.
But I’m barely paying attention to what he’s said. I’ve moved over to one of the windows in the entrance hall, peering out at the dark snowy landscape that surrounds us. Some would say the environment is serene and calming with nothing but trees and snow for what feels like miles.
For a guy like me, who detests the dark and errs on the paranoid side, not so much.
We check out the rest of the ground floor as a unit. Ernest carries the flashlight while Stitches has his Glock out and ready in case we encounter any surprises.
I’m at the helm, scoping out every room to confirm nothing’s up.
“So it really is just a power outage,” says Ernest with a deep breath. “Sounds like we need to return to our rooms and make use of some good ol’ fashioned candlelight.”
“I can think of a couple other things Sasha and I will be doing.” Stitches waggles his brows with a wide grin plastered on his face.
We return upstairs. Ernest retreats to his room while Stitches and I go check in on everyone else. The kids are all knocked out as Stitches predicted. He and Sasha take Bryce with them to tuck him into his bed.
Our three little ones are spread out on our king-sized bed, dozing away without a care in the world.
Delphine stops at my side. “Should we move them?”
“They’ve made themselves comfy. I’m not getting any sleep tonight. You climb in bed with them. There’s enough room for you.”
“Then I’ll stay up too,” she says. “You can tell me what you think is going on.”
“Phi… I told you. Power outage.”
“Your reaction was much more than that.”
We glance over at the bed to make sure the kids are still out. Dominic’s releasing little snores that sound like a cub in hibernation. Dante’s sucking on his thumb as he sleeps, a habit of his we’ve been trying to ween him away from. Serena’s nestled between pillows, my princess clutching her favorite stuffed bunny.