WILD RIDE (Rafe Cameron x OC) *COMPLETE*

Chapter Thirty (Alana)

CHAPTER THIRTY

Alana

Tannyhill

Working for Rose Cameron has been one of my favorite jobs that I've had so far. Firstly, she gives me more and more tasks with each passing day because of how much she trusts me to do a job and get it done. I've upgraded from just being her coffee girl or making copies on the printer for her.

The house has been quiet without the boys here and with Wheezie back in school during the day it's nice to sit down in the kitchen at the island with a view of the pool and the channels outside to watch the boats while I work.

Today's task is about a property that is up for sale. Rose wants me to research it and see if it's worth the asking price so that when she goes to meet with the seller about it she'll know if it's worth it. It's a property that she thinks Ward will want to flip then resell. Which could get them a whole lot more money but only if they aren't dumping more into it than it's worth.

The current owners of the estate have let it fall to shit from the photos I've seen. Paint chipping from the walls that brings a concern to me about lead paint. Floor boards that clearly are missing most of the stain if there even had been any at all on them. And doors that hardly fit in the crooked frames.

"Junk." I mutter to myself as I flip through all the photos. Until I make it to the photos of the rest of the property. A long dirt road that does sometimes flood with the rising of the tides, flood warning and gator warning signs every ten feet along the road until it reaches an open field where a rundown church is located. All part of that property.

The photos inside the church make me cough just looking at it. Broken seating and wasp nests in the structure that's very clearly ready to collapse if someone even sneezes while looking at it.

I write down in my notebook to the side of me those little notes about the church. It would be a complete tear down unless they truly want to make it a functioning church. But the hazard it is to get to that part of the property? Would it truly be worth it?

I decide to look up the full list of previous owners on the property and to my surprise it isn't a long list of people who lived there, just some hands it passed through where the estate itself was used as a bed and breakfast for a while for tourists until some patrons and even workers complained of feeling sick while there.

Lead paint poisoning. Calling it now.

I jot that down quickly as well, mainly for myself so I don't get brain fog and forget to stop at Heyward's to pick up some lead testing kits. My mind has been in a fucking haze lately and especially with the way it's been wrapping around itself since Rafe has been in Nassau.

Once I get to the bottom of the list to the first ever owner of the property my jaw drops. Denmark Tanny... Denmark Tanny who hid the gold from the Royal Merchant and is the reason why Rafe is in Nassau right now and the reason...

The reason my Dad is dead.

The reason Sarah is dead.

The reason my brother is dead...

And now that I'm sitting here and start to think of it... Probably the reason my mom left my dad when she did. I thought on it a lot during my lonely nights here without Sarah and certainly with Rafe being gone. I don't like being in his bed without him so I've gone back to sleeping in the guest room.

Denmark Tanny had that property but documents say he never lived in that estate. He lived here at Tannyhill but the entire island was called Tannyhill Plantation, although this specific house that the Camerons live in is the house he also lived in. Freaky.. His ghost is probably pissed that his gold now belongs to these people too.

I yawn and reach for my hot cocoa. I don't make it as good as Rose does but it certainly hits the spot and I find myself comforted by it. Taking a sip then placing it back down I look at some of the online files in regard to that estate.

Denmark used to allow freed slaves to live there until they got back on their feet. Paying them to work real jobs and treating them with the humanity they deserved and even hosted dinner parties for them. The church was also built by him and that was where he'd preach to them and they'd all pray together and thank God for their freedom. Some older photos of when they church was in it's prime come up. Someone had scanned them onto the history site that I'm reading about it from and wow...

I wish I could see it all in it's glory because it was certainly beautiful. And to have been built and crafted by one man's own two hands.. The church slowly began to fall apart after most of his descendants moved on in life and newer churches had been built. More jobs became available and more homes were built and for sale all along the island.

My phone rings and it's Rose.

"Hey Alana, just checking in. How's that property? Worth it?" Rose asks. She's in the office today and doing showings for a different estate which is why I'm doing the research for this one. I like it though.

I sigh. "It's... It's something. I mean the church could be fixed up but that would be a completely out of pocket job. The home itself I'd like to check out and see in person because photos might make it look worse than it is. Unless the photos make it look better... Which could be frightening."

Rose clicks her tongue. "Alright... Well I think tomorrow you can head over and do that for me if you'd like. Take photos for me and see if there's also anything they might have left out. I know there's a chimney but the didn't put any photos of it which worries me. And only one photo of the yard and then like three of that dirt road that leads to the church and field. Think you can handle all that?"

I laugh and smirk even though she can't see it. "I don't know," I say teasingly. "Seems like a really important job."

"Then maybe I should wait and have Rafe take care of it." She can't even hold in her laughter as she says that. "I'm going to be home later than expected. There's some cash in the desk drawer in Ward's office in an envelope. I always leave a stash for Wheezie but since it's two of you now grab it and get some dinner for you and her, alright?"

"You don't have to do that." I tell her softly. "But thank you."

"Wheezie should be almost home from school so you and her can talk about dinner when she gets home. And don't thank me, I should be the one thanking you. You're taking such a load off my shoulders with all this help and I don't just mean about the properties. You've been helping Wheezie a lot too. She comes out of her room now and I heard her laughing last night with you. She doesn't do that often and she completely ignores Rafe even though she doesn't know what happened."

"She doesn't need to know." I reply quickly. "It's between the adults- well.. Almost adults."

"Your birthday is coming up quickly... Less than seven more months." Rose adds. "Yet you're far more mature than Ward and Rafe combined. I'm shocked I haven't gotten a phone call from him yet about how he can't find something in his luggage because he packed for himself-"

"And then you'll look on top of the dresser and it's sitting right there? Yeah. Already happened to me with Rafe. He forgot his watch and then got mad that I didn't remind him to pack it... When he should have just been wearing it."

"Ah, damn it." She sighs. "Speak of the devil. Ward is calling me. Listen thank you again for everything. I'll see you later."

We hang up and I get an idea into my head. Rose wants me to check out that property in person tomorrow. Get a real deep look into it... If that property belonged to Denmark Tanny then maybe he's got more treasures lying around there. Maybe there's more to the story of the Royal Merchant hiding away in plain sight.

I pick my phone back up and call Kie. Our friendship isn't what it once was but when it comes to things like this she knows to pick up the phone. She answers after the first ring, which is shocking.

"Kie... I think I've got something big." I tell her. "Another estate of Denmark Tanny's. Rose wants me to check it out tomorrow and do a thorough investigation on it... You down?"

I can feel the warmth of her smiling through the phone. But it isn't her who replies. It's Pope. "You just made my entire day." He says. "Send the address and we'll meet you there in the morning."