Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 89840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“Crap,” she whispered. She put the car in reverse and drove until she saw a large dirt patch next to a bush. She bet this spot was used for police to park and surveil the neighborhood. She hoped none would come while she staked out.
About twenty minutes went by and not a soul had come in or out of the neighborhood. Fair enough when you’re rich during the summer. If you are home and not spending thousands of dollars on vacation, everything you need can be delivered to you and there’s really no need to leave home unless you want to leave. Fortunately, Brynn’s Green Dot hadn’t moved.
To her luck, a FedEx truck drove along the back road. It stopped at the gate and a man stepped out of the truck, reading something from his phone before pushing one of the buttons on the security box. The box beeped and the gates spread apart for him.
Shavonne sat up straight, starting the engine of her car and driving behind the FedEx truck. She hoped the gate was the delayed type. When the driver rolled in, she made sure to stick close behind him. Cameras were pitched atop two poles on either side of the gate, but she kept her head down and was glad she wore her hoodie. When she was past the gates, relief sunk in. She pulled to the side of the road after the distance of the Green Dot lessened. The app was now telling her that Brynn was less than two minutes away by foot.
She climbed out of the car, taking a thorough look around. No one was out. Not even a person walking their dog. Shavonne walked along the sidewalk, following the app as Brynn’s Green Dot glowed. When the app told her she was less than a minute away, she hustled forward. She threw her hood over her head and stood in front of a gate to one of the houses.
This house was the last one on the end of the street, swallowed up in trees and holly shrubs. From the end of the drive, she couldn’t see much, just the tips of the house and a square chimney. She checked for cameras. There was one, but it was pointed down at the ground instead of near the front of the gate, which she found odd. That camera would only catch someone’s feet as they passed by—if the lens was wide enough.
Shavonne’s gaze swung left and there was a brick column attached to the gate. In the brick column was a built-in mailbox. She opened the mailbox, lifted a foot, and stepped on it. It gave her enough leverage to swing her other leg over the brick wall and hop down. When she landed, she rushed forward, and that’s when she noticed the luxury sedan parked in front the house. Someone was around. But Brynn’s car wasn’t.
She hid behind a tree trunk, checking Brynn’s location again. The Green Dot was now telling her she was on top of Brynn’s dot. That meant her best friend was somewhere around this house. Or inside it.
Panic rose in Shavonne’s throat as she contemplated what to do next. She could’ve just knocked on the door and asked if Brynn was there. But what if this person lied? What if they’d done something to Brynn? Shavonne was all about instinct and trusting her gut, and something about this did not sit well in hers. Brynn wasn’t the type to risk it all for a one-night stand. She had priorities and she often kept to them.
Instead, Shavonne crept along a grassy path to the right of the house until she approached a window. The window revealed a kitchen. It was vacant but in pristine condition, all chrome and white marble. She went to another window. The living room. No one was there. Her heart raced a bit faster as she rounded the back of the house, expecting to hear people gathered and chatting, or Brynn with this random ex of hers, but as she popped her head around the corner, no one was in the back. All the outdoor furniture was covered up with gray weatherproof fabric, pollen, and fallen leaves. It was almost like this house wasn’t used much at all.
She spotted a trellis clad with ivy attached to the house. It was tall and white, leading up to the second level. She rushed for it, climbing it carefully, thankful there was nothing behind or next to her but trees and sky.
There was a window to the left, at the top of the trellis. She stopped when she was high enough, gripping one of the slats with one hand and leaning over a bit. The trellis creaked beneath her weight, and she prayed it would hold her hundred and fifty-six pounds.