Hidden Michael

by Victoria Pinder

  Hidden Michael

  A Frosted Game of Hearts

  Victoria Pinder

  Hidden Michael

  Copyright©2018

  * * *

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemble to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  Your support of author’s rights is appreciated.

  Published in the United States of America.

  Copyright © 2018 Victoria Pinder Love in a Book

  All rights reserved.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Series information

  Join Victoria Pinder

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Hidden Gabriel Preview

  Also by Victoria Pinder

  About the Author

  Series information

  Please check out the entire Frosted Game of Hearts Series and get caught up.

  A Frosted Game of Hearts

  Hidden Gabriel

  Hidden Raphael

  Hidden Michael

  Hidden Uriel

  And don’t forget to pick up Returning for Valentine’s (FREE if you go to my website)

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  Chapter 1

  Pellets of icy rain bruised Sophie’s forehead as the cold Atlantic Ocean water splashed against her body. Desperate, she’d hired a man with a rowboat to take the four siblings along the coast of Maine toward safety. Sophie had to get her sisters out of this mess of hers—now—because if she was cold, rail-thin six-year-old Abigail must be freezing. Sophie hugged her sister tighter and hoped they made it to Cousin Kimberly’s quickly.

  Another wave rocked the boat.

  Emily, sixteen, screamed her frustration to the howling wind. Part of Sophie understood that, not that she’d tell her.

  Isabella, brave at only ten years old, reached out and shook Sophie’s arm to get her attention. “The waves are coming fast now, Sophie.”

  Their luggage in the back of the small boat bounced underneath its precarious ropes. The front of the wooden craft lifted and dipped. Emily stared straight in front of them and pointed at a hunched figure in an overcoat. “And the captain isn’t moving.”

  She was right. He hadn’t moved since the sun went down.

  Sophie motioned for the next oldest to watch Abby closer and she nodded her agreement. If only their mother hadn’t died months ago, then Sophie wouldn’t have put any of their lives at risk. For now she needed to pretend to be the grown up at twenty-two that she was. She handed the six-year-old over and said, “Be calm. Emily, hold Abigail while I check on him.”

  Emily complied without complaint, which was unusual but timely.

  Sophie inched closer, holding the side of the boat as salt water splashed over the side. She knelt in front of the captain and stared into his open, lifeless eyes. Her heart raced. This wasn’t good. Sophie poked him in the chest and called out his name. “Mr. Smithers?”

  From that one poke he fell backwards, stiff and unmoving. In the fall, he knocked a few of their bags into the ocean. Was that her suitcase?

  No time to fret—the oars in his hands were slipping into the ocean. If they lost those, they were goners for sure. Without thinking of much else, Sophie reached over his dead body in the small boat and grabbed the wooden oars before they disappeared into the churning waves.

  Emily snorted, but covered her sister’s head from the ice storm with her own arm. “I knew he was dead.”

  If they didn’t get off this boat onto land and inside a house, they were truly all going to die from exposure. A tremble raced through Sophie, but then she tried to imitate what their mom would sound like as she handled one crisis or another. “Emily, get Abigail over here and take this oar. We need to row.”

  Emily came to the seat beside her with Abigail. Isabella followed and squished herself between them on the little seat. Sophie wouldn’t want to be alone either, so she didn’t say anything. Instead she handed the oar to Emily and motioned for Abigail to curl back up in her lap while she rowed with the other.

  After the third push, Emily shouted, “We don’t know where we’re going.”

  The ten-year-old tugged on her shoulder. “Are we going to die, Sophie?”

  Emily snorted but continued to steer.

  Good question and Sophie had no answer. Right now, none of them needed morbid thoughts. They had to work together. She pushed the oar toward her sister and said, “No, sweetheart. Isi, help me with this oar.”

  Now they all rowed in unison and dodged a few of the waves that had previously washed into the vessel by going over them.

  Their luggage, tied by ropes in a fragile crate behind them, sounded like it cracked. Hopefully they wouldn’t lose their only possessions to the sea.

  Abigail, the youngest, stayed snug between them away from the wooden edge. “How do we find Kimberly’s house now? Ice is falling on my face.”

  True. The ice and snow formed stinging droplets. If Abigail was being pelted and she was the most protected, they were all in trouble. The hat Sophie wore was so soaked, it offered little protection.

  Sophie wanted to hug her baby sister but couldn’t let go of the oar. Hoping to sound like Mom, she turned her head slightly and said, “An island right up the coast. Smithers knew where it was so we’re heading in the right direction. Right now, we paddle.”

  A huge wave rocked the boat, but Sophie pretended they were fine despite the cold spit of water that brushed against them all.

  Somehow, she had to get her sisters out of here. So she kept pretending they were close.

  “I see land,” Emily said with an excitement in her voice that Sophie hadn’t heard in weeks, if not months.

  This time they worked as a family, which gave Sophie strength to paddle harder in the direction that Emily pointed. Soon giant rocks were all around them, jagged and surrounding this island like a protective gate.

  She didn’t think this was the mainland. Once they found help or at least shelter from the storm, she’d figure out where they were and contact her cousin.

  She pushed the oar off one of the nearby rocks and they went further inland, and out of the wild ocean. Sophie tr
ied again to sound in charge and comforting. “See, I told you. We were close.”

  Emily pushed them away from huge boulder near her side, doing the same, and asked, “Where do we steer to?”

  If she knew, she would have shared with them, Sophie thought to herself. The icy rain pelleted against her hat even worse than before.

  “There.” Isi pointed and shouted, “I think that’s a beach.”

  Sophie’s gaze followed Isabella’s gloved finger and it did seem like a beach. At least they’d get out of this small boat before the ocean knocked them all out and left them for dead.

  “Teamwork.” Sophie nodded, and she and Emily propelled the boat toward the beach. It grew impossible to navigate once the boat was stuck in the sand. Icy rain soaked her skin under her ruined clothes—they’d all need dry things. Without asking for permission, Emily hopped out, the water coming to her waist. She reached for Abigail.

  Sophie handed her over and then carried Isabelle to her chest. “Hang on.”

  Once they were ashore, her wet jeans weighing each step, Sophie shivered with cold. The iciness was inside her limbs and she could hardly breathe. If she were alone, she’d probably fall to her knees and curl her legs to her chest, to use her own body heat, or what was left of it, to stay warm.

  However warmth would require a fire that she didn’t have, and right now they were all soaking from the ocean wind, snow and icy rain that beat down on their heads. None of them were dressed for the cold Atlantic. The jackets they bought were clearly for snow but not water and ice. Isabella and Emily’s straight blonde hair under their hats looked sleek and wet. Abby and she with their straight brown hair weren’t much better. All of their jeans were soaked right through and every one of her sisters must feel the same numbness in their thighs.

  Isabella tugged on her arm. “Now what, Sophie? The ice is even harder now.”

  True. No use wishing for her mom. No one could help them, except for her. She needed to keep the group moving. Off shore she saw evergreens, as well as bare branches of trees that had lost their leaves for winter. The desolate island would probably inspire a horror movie, but right now they needed shelter.

  Sophie took the Abigail’s hand and then Isabella’s while she directed them into the trees. “Kim said it was a huge castle. Let’s head into the forest where at least the trees will shield us from the ice pellets. Everyone hold hands.”

  Emily, such a teenager, sneered as she walked with her hands crossed before her. “We’re not five anymore.”

  Now was not the time for another argument with her sister. Sophie held both Abigail and Isabella’s hands and appealed to Emily for help. “You’re not, Emily. I need you to be on the other end of Abigail, so we don’t lose anyone and we can move faster.”

  Emily relented and smiled at her baby sister. It was a start toward acting like a family as their mom would want. “What about our luggage?”

  “Can we leave it on the beach until the morning, don’t you think?” Sophie asked because right now the little ones needed protection.

  “If you and I work fast, we can save it for sure,” Emily said, directing Isabella to stand with Abigail under a branch.

  Right. Her sister had a point. Without complaint, Sophia pointed the two little ones under a tree and she ran to the boat.

  Emily did the same and grabbed two bags at a time to drag to shore.

  Sophie couldn’t let this be the end. She finished with the bags and dragged them to the tree where the little ones huddled.

  “Leave them here for now.”

  Emily dropped her two bags.

  Sophie wished again that her mother had survived that crash a few months ago. If her sisters had somewhere else to go, Sophie might have run faster on her own and not put her sisters in any danger. Now they were her responsibility and she couldn’t fail them.

  This time the four of them walked, arm-in-arm, into the forest. Sophie’s jeans chafed her skin and she couldn’t wait to get them off her body.

  Isabella slowed down and came closer to her. “This place is dark,” her sister said. Sophie could hear how fast her own heart beat in the shadows of the trees, but she tried to encourage her sister to move.

  Abigail trembled.

  Sophie knelt down beside them, thankful the bare branches kept some of the ice from hitting her face. She hugged both of the little ones. “Remember in your fairy tales, that sometimes the princesses get scared in the forest at night but then they see its beauty.”

  “There is nothing pretty about this place,” Isabella stated when the hug ended.

  True.

  Emily’s foot cracked a twig as she stepped toward Abigail. “I think I see a house over there.”

  The storm let the moonlight shine enough in the distance for them to see a huge mansion in the gilded-age style, with lights on in the windows.

  Sophie’s prayers had been answered.

  Hopefully this was Kimberly and her new husband’s home.

  Isabella tightened her hold and said, “It looks more like a mansion than a castle.”

  For a ten-year-old, her sister Isabella was always the most observant of them all. Sophie knew she was right. Sophie held both little girls tight, but they walked to the front gate. “Maybe our cousin Kim made up the castle. Let’s go in and knock.” If this were a stranger’s home, Sophie could only hope they’d take pity on the four sisters. No dog barked behind the black gate. It opened without question and then they were under the protection of the house and out of the icy pellets. Sophie knocked on the door.

  Her knock echoed.

  The four of them huddled together and waited. It seemed like no one was going to answer. Sophie’s mind raced on what they’d do. Where could they possibly go?

  The locks on the door clicked and Sophie stood straight. A moment later a gray-haired sixty-something old man appeared, his hair slightly too long, his blue eyes piercing. Sophie held out her hand and offered to shake. “Hello.”

  The man’s expression seemed shocked at their appearance out of nowhere but he took one look at the four of them and opened the door wide. “Who are you?”

  No one moved as the three younger siblings looked to her for permission. Sophie hugged Isabelle. “Sir, it’s cold outside and we’re shivering. My sisters and I were on a boat to find my cousin, but the captain died. We were lost in the cold Atlantic in this storm.”

  Lightening cracked behind them and thunder boomed in their ears.

  Sophie trembled. If they didn’t get shelter, they’d freeze to death. “Please.”

  The older gentleman waved them inside the warm house. “Come in.” Once all four of them were in, he closed the door. “Wait here. Let me get the master to see what he wants to do with you.”

  “Master?” Sophie asked as he turned away.

  He motioned to his forehead with his index finger and said, “I just work here, ma’am.”

  His footsteps were silent on the polished floor. Abigail let go of her hand and peeked down the hall.

  Sophie quickly scolded. “Everyone stay together and don’t split up.”

  “I’m shivering,” Isabella said, her teeth chattering.

  Emily rolled her eyes but also had her hands wrapped around her waist, her mouth blue. “Don’t be dramatic, Isi.”

  “This isn’t dramatic,” Isabelle countered and her lip curled.

  Sophie’s skin pebbled with goosebumps, as if someone was watching her. Even her chest tingled with a warm sensation.

  A minute later, a tall, muscular dark-haired man with intense eyes and full lips appeared on the landing above. As he came down the steps, her body felt flutters. Sexy.

  He met her gaze and asked without blinking, “May I help you?”

  Her hand traced her neckline as she caught her breath. She asked through parted lips, “Are you the owner of this home?”

  He crossed his arms and widened his stance. “Yes. Who are you and why are you here?”

  Isabella jumped in front of Sophie and
said, “The captain of our boat died. We had to row ourselves and I found a beach and you’re the first house we saw.”

  He glanced down at Isabella and nodded. “I see.”

  Sophie hugged Isabella closer and kept her hand on her sister’s thin shoulder. “Sorry about my sister, sir. We’re cold, wet and the storm out there is bad. May we have shelter and then use your phone to call my cousin?”

  Mr. Sexy in black pants and a navy blue t-shirt motioned for the stairs. “You can stay for the night. Jack will get you to where you are going once the storm ends.”

  Seriously, if Sophie was carefree, she’d have flirted, but her hand on Isabella’s shoulder reminded her that she now had other responsibilities. Her gaze narrowed. “Who’s Jack?”

  The older man came back and motioned for them to follow him.

  Mr. Sexy at the same time said, “My servant. He’ll show you to some rooms you can use. His wife, Bernadette, will see to the rest of your needs.”

  Sophie let Isabella go and whispered to Emily, “Watch the other two one minute? I need to talk to the owner, but I’ll be right behind you.”

  Emily nodded, took Abigail’s hand, then Isi’s, and followed the older man.

  Sophie folded her arms under her chest and called after Mr. Sexy. “We really appreciate this. It was horribly cold out there, Mr…?”

  He stepped back and avoided her gaze. “The less we know about each other the better, for both our sakes.”

  The dampness of the clothes on her body weighed on her. She shivered, from cold or apprehension, she wasn’t sure, but she stepped toward the man who seemed like he was about to leave. “Why?” Teasing she asked, “Are you on the run and hiding out in mansions in the middle of nowhere?”