Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 111986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
Tanner opened the carriage door and held out his hand. “I’ll give you a boost, since you’re size-challenged.”
“Hey,” she playfully whined, allowing him to help her into the carriage. She wasn’t at all surprised by the lavish cream-leather interior; Knox always traveled in style.
Knox slid in beside her and arched a brow. “Well?”
“This is pretty awesome,” she told him. “I’ve never been in a horse-drawn carriage before.”
“Really? Good. I like to introduce you to new things.”
“Well, you massively succeeded.” She noticed that the four sentinels flanked the carriage; Levi and Larkin stood on the right while Tanner and Keenan stood on the left. “I’m guessing they’ll be guarding us the entire time.”
“You guessed correctly. I won’t ever take chances with your safety, Harper. The performers are part of our lair, but that doesn’t mean I trust them so close to you. Throughout the parade, some of the performers will precede us; the others will follow. That means that, essentially, we’re boxed in if there’s a threat, which is why the sentinels are here and members of the Force are on patrol.”
She wasn’t the least bit surprised by how tight his security measures were. “Then you’ve done all you can do. Let’s get this done.”
Knox nodded to someone, and then a voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing the beginning of the parade. A big applause rang through the Underground. Then everyone around them began to move.
Harper almost jumped as the marching band roared to life. The drumbeat seemed to vibrate in her chest as the carriage smoothly pulled onto the strip. There was hooting, whistling, shouting, and laughing. Some threw confetti while others threw candy, snapping pictures with their cell phones.
When the carriage neared the studio, Harper beamed as she caught sight of the girls and her family. Hooting and jumping, they waved like crazy people. Jolene did a very regal wave that made Harper’s demon smile.
As the performers and carriage continued down the strip, the members of the Force worked to keep the spectators behind the ropes and ensure that all the performers moved in a timely fashion. All the while, their eyes searched for potential threats.
She leaned into Knox. “Considering I’m nervous, the smells of popcorn, frying onions, and grilled meat shouldn’t be making me feel hungry.” Her words were almost drowned out by the shouting, the marching band, the clip-clop of the horses’ hooves, and the rumble of the Harley engines.
Knox brushed confetti out of her hair. “We’ll eat once this is over.”
Satisfied by that, Harper carried on waving as the parade went on. Her face actually hurt from fixing a smile on it as they passed what seemed like a never-ending row of bars, restaurants, stores, coffeehouses, hotels, and casinos. People waved from their hotel balconies, and some even dangled cotton “congratulations” banners. Harper waved back, which felt totally weird but it would have been rude not to.
With all the noise, the sparkly costumes, and the delicious scents of vender food, it was a sensory overload – her demon was impatient to get it over and done with. Harper suspected that she might collapse in relief when it was over.
She tried to make eye contact with the kids, amused by how excited they looked. One particular child caught her attention, because he wasn’t jumping or waving. Taking a closer look, she realized it was McCauley. He stared right at her, his eyes as blank as always. It gave her the chills, and she shivered.
Knox put his mouth to her ear. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just saw McCauley.”
“Elena must have brought him.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Shaking off her discomfort, Harper went back to waving and smiling at the crowd. It was a further half an hour before the parade was finally over, and she was so happy to be able to lower her aching hand and drop that Barbie smile.
At Knox’s request, the demon steering the horses dropped them off at the Ice Lounge. It was an upscale bar that Harper hadn’t actually been to before. When she entered, she could only gasp. It was like walking into a giant Alaskan cave, only the ice was completely synthetic and the temperature was warm.
The curved-back chairs were the same white leather as the swivel stools lining the bar, but it seemed that they were the only, well, normal furnishings. The dome bar, the tables, the glasses, the sculptures, and even the walls themselves were all made of artificial ice.
The ceiling shimmered with the colors of the Alaskan Northern Lights – it was seriously beautiful to watch. The colors reflected off the walls, making the ice seem tinted at times. Also, there was some kind of light inside each of the tables, making the fake-frosted cubes glow.
In sum… “This place is fucking awesome.” Even her demon was impressed.
“Glad you like it,” said Knox as he led her past the crowded tables to the VIP area, where leather sofas lined the walls. As he’d anticipated, Jolene, Beck, and Harper’s co-workers were already there, drinks in hand. They all rose, grinning.