Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 129571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Troy left a peck on her check and then backed away. “I have no idea. Benny being gone made it a bit easy.”
For all Troy and I knew, Benny had already discovered that we’d called Chase hours ago.
Earlier, Troy had grabbed the phone from his secret hiding place in the mansion, a torn up master suite on the west wing. We’d tiptoed downstairs. Way downstairs. Even deeper than the first floor. We had lowered ourselves to the bottom of the house, until finally stopping at the wine cellar.
Where else could we call him? Outside of that decrepit mansion, the guards made sure we held no phones and talked to no one.
When Troy closed the cellar door, he maintained a low tone. “I don’t think Benny figured we’d be down here. The phone barely gets a connection. I’ve used it three times down here and he’s said nothing, so I’m thinking that’s a good sign.”
“Let’s hope so.”
“It’s encrypted calling. Got the phone from one of Chase’s guys last year. The stuff is supposed to even block out NSA.”
“I doubt that.”
“Doesn’t matter. This is the only choice we have.” He gave the phone to me. “Be quick.”
In the wine cellar, I’d dialed Chase’s number.
Excitement fluttered in my chest and then traveled up to my fingertips. I craved his voice. His touch. Those moments when he’d made me fall to the ground, double over, and laugh. I missed the way he moaned. Hadn’t been able to touch myself since he’d been gone. My body ached for him. My fingers didn’t satisfy like his.
And then he answered, whispered my name, and sounded so broken, I couldn’t deal with it.
“Are you okay, Jazz?” Troy’s voice brought me back to the Abbey.
“Yeah. I’m just anxious about everything.”
He pressed his index finger against his forehead. “Let that shit make you stronger and keep your mind on the goal.”
“I will.” I signaled for them to come with me. “We might as well check out the rest of this big place.”
Troy chuckled to himself. “Why? Are there more famous dead people under our feet?”
“Hopefully.”
Vivian held Troy’s hands for a few seconds, let them go, and then dragged herself to my side. “So the plan is to call Chase, whenever we can?”
“That’s the plan.” Troy centered his gaze on her. “I’m not happy about it, but what else are we going to do? We deal with Benny. Protect each other’s necks and stay cool, then wait it out.”
“Do we tell Chase where we’re at?” I asked, too scared to hear the answer, but understanding that the question had to be floating secretly around us.
“I don’t want to tell him. That motherfucker’s crazy for you. He’s liable to run the streets, butt naked, screaming out your name.
“That’s not exactly a bad thing.” I walked away from Poet’s Corner.
“You two are going to get us killed.” He laughed.
But, I stopped.
No. Not killed.
I ceased my walking. Of course he’d been joking, but I couldn’t breathe enough to even laugh. My lungs constricted. My soul ached. People had already died due to us being together. Regardless of why or who did what, women and men had been killed, when Chase and I decided to love each other.
How selfish were we going to be? Would Chase and I really get us or my loved ones killed?
Chapter 15
Chase
I never discovered the path to sleep that flight. Benny’s life was too interesting. I read more and more about him. He was a sick man who’d twisted my life into sadistic knots of pain and heartbreak. Static filled the pages. Illogical thoughts that mingled between pure logic. On one line madness flowed, on the other complete nonsense.
And then suddenly, Benny began to make sense.
Sophia.
She is why I walk this earth.
Her mind and spirit, they keep me safe in this dark road.
She is the light at the end of this cold tunnel.
She wraps me within her warmth
And I am a kid again, folded beneath the warm, softness of my blankets, smelling the scent of apple tarts in the kitchen, hearing the sweet lullaby of my mother as she whispered it to my younger brother.
That had never been my life, but it was what I dreamed it would be. A mother that loved. A younger brother that idolized me. My whole family soft, warm, and smelling good.
And that was Sophia.
And I did my best to consume her as much as possible.
Scar monitored her anytime I flew off out of the country for business. When I returned, I spent all of my free time with her. I took Sophia out on elaborate dates, the sort a black girl from South End would never experience in her lifetime. She had three boys. Bad and whiny in every way, but I kept my mouth closed. Did my best to show them what men looked like. She would need them to be there for her.