Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
They’re at odds, which I find a bit comical because Faye for me is just like Killian for Caz—overprotective and defiant. She’s only looking out for her friend, just as Killian was only looking out for his cousin. I can’t even imagine Faye and Killian in the same room. They’d have each other in a headlock, I bet.
I take the seat across from Faye, looking her up and down. “Are you two gonna argue the whole time you’re around each other?”
“No,” she quips. “Only when he messes up. If he’s your mate and you’re bound to him or whatever, he needs to make sure he doesn’t do stupid shit like that ever again. If you die because of that hijo de puta, I swear I’ll find a way to that Vakeeli place and strangle him myself. I’m not even kidding. You’re my best friend, and no one is gonna take that from me.” She turns her head, throwing daggers at Caz’s back with her eyes. I look at Caz, and when he glances over his shoulder, I’m surprised to see him smirking. Though annoyed, he also finds her protectiveness amusing.
“This coming from the one who says violence isn’t the answer,” he laughs.
“Whatever. Where is this guy?” Faye sits up in her seat, and as she does, a buzzer goes off and double doors on the opposite side of the room spread apart.
Two men stand there, one in a security uniform and the other dressed in a dingy beige sweatsuit. The man in beige is short with a bald head and wiry glasses on the bridge of his nose. His skin is sable, his lips plump, wrinkles on his forehead from scrunching his face to see us. It’s Phil, though he looks nothing like the video anymore. It seems he’s aged ten years, and the glasses don’t help his case.
He looks at me and Faye, and then at Caz who remains standing by the window.
“Let me know when you’re ready to head back,” the security guard says to Phil, then he leaves the room, shutting the doors and conjuring another loud buzz.
“Now, wait a minute.” The man places his hands on his hips, eyeing all three of us again. “I should’ve known this was a setup. I ain’t ever seen y’all a day in my life.” The man’s voice is slightly high-pitched, and he has a southern accent, just like the videos.
“You must be Phil.” I stand to fully face him.
“That’d be me.” He drops his arms. “And who the hell are you?”
I look around the room at the cameras before putting my focus on him again. “Would you like to sit?”
“I will, when you tell me who you are.”
“You know me.” I laugh, widening my eyes, and he angles his head. Then he glances at the cameras, and his eyes narrow the moment it registers. For a split second, it seems he’s going to call for security with the way he shifts on his feet and tosses me a wary look, but then he nods and points a finger at me.
“Right—you’re the ol’ girl from the theater.” He walks closer to me, and as he does, Caz turns fully, watching his every move.
Noticing the motion, Phil looks back at Caz, twists his lips, then makes his way to the table where Faye is. I pull up an extra chair as he sits. Caz remains standing, keeping an observant eye.
“Tell me who the hell y’all really are and what the hell y’all want from me,” Phil says in a low voice, his elbows on the table. His elbows are ashy, and I have the urge to take the hand lotion out of my bag and squirt some into his hand so he can use it.
“I’m Willow, and this is my best friend, Faye.”
“And that angry man in the corner?” Phil inquires, pointing a thumb back.
“That’s Caz…and he’s the reason we’re here,” I inform him. “We, um…we read about you and your fiancée. About the reason you’re here, in this place.”
Phil straightens in his chair then, his brown eyes turning serious behind his glasses. “If y’all are journalists or these new social media reporters or whatever, you can get the hell out right now. I already told my story, and I ain’t repeating it.”
“No, no, we believe you,” Faye says, raising a hand to calm him.
Phil cocks a brow.
“We drove from North Carolina to come talk to you in person after hearing your story.” Faye glances at me for reassurance, and I bob my head. “We’re hoping you can tell us what you saw that day.”
Phil is quiet as he looks between us. “Why you wanna talk to me about it? Did it happen to you too?”
“Sort of,” I answer with a shrug.
“We read your blog posts. We’re just trying to put the pieces together about all of this portal stuff.” Faye crosses her arms on the table. “Can you tell us what all happened that day?”