Page 88 of Billionaire's Coastal Haven

“The bootlegging one?”

“These prove it was real.”

Landon jabs the end of the chisel under one of the box lids. “Let’s see what’s inside.”

He pries the wood loose. Packed in straw are a dozen wine bottles withSCpressed in wax around the corks.

But the bottles are empty.

I lift one to the light. “That’s weird. Why would you cork an empty bottle?”

“See what else you can find.” He gestures toward the boat while he levers the chisel under the next box lid.

The remnants are in varying states of decay. A canvas satchel under the weatherproof tarp in the dinghy looks like an antique placed here within the last five years, while the wooden crates appear centuries old.

Inside the satchel, I find an old journal with faded, illegible ink and a leather-bound shipping manifest withSCembossed on the cover.

When Landon opens the last crate, we gather our treasures. He found more bottles—some with liquid inside and some without—unlabeled tin cans, and metal boxes filled with rolled gauzy fabric.

I lift one of the rolls. “Bandages?”

“Possibly. It looks like these boxes carried medical supplies, food, and whatever is in the bottles.”

“How has no one discovered this cavern before? With over a hundred years of transferred ownership, squatters, and rumors urging people to look for answers, I would have expected someone to find this before us, but with the way that latch was rusted…”

“All good questions.” Something dark passes across Landon’s face.

“What?”

“Collin and Archer. Do you think they know about this place?”

I shrug. Hidden treasures aren’t something I talk to Collin and Archer about. I slide the journal manifest and two bottles into the canvas satchel. “Let’s see what they have to say before we jump to conclusions.”

Landon

The relics Zoe and I found waited nearly a century to be discovered, hiding their secrets and waiting for the right moment for their story to be told. Zoe is the right person to tell that story. Her passion for the estate and its history is unparalleled, even by the Reeves family themselves.

Zoe sits at the overlook with her face tipped to the sky clutching one of the corked empty bottles to her chest as we wait for Collin and Archer to arrive at the estate.

Neither of us could sleep last night, but exploring her body in the dark wasn’t a hardship.

I snap a quick picture. Backlit by the sunrise, she’s angelic.

The truth of theSiren’s Callpulls at me in ways I can’t explain. It’s the mystery we need to solve, but I don’t know why or how we’ll use the information.

Between the Reeves’s cryptic comments, my resources, and Zoe’s history with Rainwater Bay, we can undo Lucky’s power grab. A hundred-year-old shipwreck that changed the trajectory of a town? What do I do with that? Leaving it alone isn’t an option. The identity of Rainwater Bay is at stake.

Zoe squints at me. “What are you doing?”

“Admiring the view.”

“It is magical.”

“You’re stunning.”

“Sweet talker.” She tugs my lips to hers, and I melt into the affection. Her kiss lights every inch of me on fire. If Collin and Archer weren’t on their way, I’d drag her to the back of my car and have my way with her, like, yesterday. I didn’t forget condoms this time.

Collin’s truck rolls to a stop, and the brothers climb from the cab, waving. “Let’s see what you’ve found.”