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)
I can guarantee that.
And Sophia probably guessed that Benny would continue to be blind with rage over my being with Jasmine. He would never let it go, never accept us. He would try his best to solve the problem with violence, and Jasmine, being the compassionate person that she was, would want it all to end. And Sophia knew that I wouldn’t let it end.
So it would be a fight. A war. Benny against me. Jasmine would run off to save us both. And then Benny and I would turn to Sophia for help.
I finished the rest of the liquor and couldn’t wait for the stewardess to bring the coffee. I hadn’t slept yet, and with the high skills of these players, I wouldn’t be getting rest any time soon.
The only question I have now is: who the hell does she want to win, and why?
Chapter 18
Jasmine
Evening came. Dark violet streaks blanketed the night sky. The stars hid from London, and knelt behind gloomy clouds that expanded miles away. A chilly wetness filled the air. More rain would come.
The weather girl must have a boring job. “Today in London, it will rain. Clouds again, people, and yes ... more rain.”
We stayed in the abandoned ballroom. Still, Benny hadn’t returned. Unease kept Troy in a grumpy mood, but at least that didn’t stop him from going forward with our plan. No matter how much we wanted Chase away from Benny, we needed his help, too. He moved on the outside world with loads of resources, and most important, he had Mom and Sherman, two players we hadn’t even known were in this deadly game.
“You know how to get down to the wine cellar, right?” Troy gave me a big flashlight that was cold to the touch.
“I remember.”
Vivian frowned. “We should go with her.”
“No, we’ll do better with watching her back up here. The only person that can hurt her in this house is Benny.” Troy touched his chest. “I’ll smoke a cigarette outside in the front of the house with security. They always let me borrow a few. Vivian, keep watch at the window. I’ll have the fire of my lighter on for a long time.”
A skeptical look replaced Vivian’s frown. “That’s the sign? Why not turn it off and on four times?”
“That might make the guards wonder.”
“Or it would seem like you’re having a problem lighting your cigarette.”
I extended my hand for the phone. “Just flick it on and off three times. Who cares about security? We only need me to rush back upstairs before Benny. How’s Vivian going to signal me that Benny is coming?”
Troy explained, “So there’s one of those stupid wooden servers that connects from the kitchen on our wing all the way down to the cellar—”
I raised my eyebrows. “Stupid servers?”
“He means dumb waiter,” Vivian corrected.
“Wow,” I blurted out.
“Anyway ...” Troy rolled his eyes. “There’s a small lift elevator thing that you move with a pulley. If Benny arrives, Vivian will let the pulley fall to the cellar. It sounds like a big bang.”
“You two have done this before?”
They both nodded.
“Remember,” Troy handed the phone to me, “make the call. Make it quick, and get as much information as possible.”
“I got it.” I stuffed the phone in my pocket.
“This isn’t a freak call.”
“Really, Troy? Really?” I turned and hurried off.
The floor creaked as I rushed down the hallway. Troy and Vivian went off to their respective places. Even with a flashlight, I couldn’t see as much as I’d hoped. Too much darkness behind and on my sides.
I walked in an eerie tunnel, surrounded by molded wood and cracked ivory, a wild jungle of plants and flowers amidst decomposing luxury. Things scurried past me. Each time I flashed my light to the noise, I caught tiny furry legs and jerked away.
Was that a rat? No, it was a squirrel. Say it. A cute little furry squirrel. Not a rat. I don’t like rats and they don’t like me.
Increasing my pace, I followed the path of red buttons Troy had placed on the ground earlier this morning, when he’d first brought me down.
“Where did you get those buttons from?” I’d asked.
He held a large bucket. Buttons filled it to the top. They were all different—small and big, shiny and dull, jeweled or made from the cheapest plastic. “There’s a sewing room near the kitchen in the east wing. It had buckets of these things.”
With every four steps, he set a few buttons on the ground and moved forward.
I followed behind him. “We’re like Hansel and Gretel, putting our bread crumbs in a trail in the forest.”
“Let’s hope there’s no witch offering candy and trying to eat us.”
“Let’s hope. The best part of that story was the food that witch could cook.”
“I feel like you would make a deal with her to get some sweets.”