Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
“I can’t wait to see,” Willow squealed as she daintily unwrapped the box.
That’s right. Take your sweet time.
She dropped the bow on the table. Jade had hopped to the floor and was rubbing around her ankles as Willow pulled the top from the box.
“Oh, isn’t this adorable!” She took out a plush mermaid with a green lamé tail and a satin seashell bra. Her hair sparkled with ample pet-safe adornments. “Oh, look, Jade! Auntie Ruby brought something for you.”
She leaned down to offer the mermaid toy to the tabby, who took one whiff of the catnip inside and rubbed against it, giving a give-it-to-me-now yowl.
Yes, that will work. Good noisy kitty.
“The mermaid reminds me of this funny story,” I said cheerfully. “I don’t know if Eli told you, Willow, but my nickname used to be Ariel…” I prattled on a bit about how my tour company got its name, and then got to the real story. “So I tell this guy that my name is Ariel because who doesn’t need a bar name, right, Willow? Anyway, he called me that when we met again, and then the next time, and it wasn’t until days later that he realized Ariel wasn’t actually my name…”
Okay, it hadn’t been days later. And Jake had realized it wasn’t my name though he didn’t know my real one. But I had to make the story last for my audience of two. And as I did, I smiled to myself because our story—Jake’s and my meet-cute—had become the cover for his safe-breaking.
As I talked, I sneaked a look at the timer I’d started when I gave Jake the “go” sign. One minute and thirty-two seconds. He should have the safe open soon, if he didn’t already. Just a minute more…
“That is just the most adorable story ever,” Willow gushed. Eli had listened with a smile, and Jade was blissed out on the floor, the mermaid wrapped in her paws. “But we really should be going.”
“True,” said Eli. “We can’t be late to our own event.”
Willow placed her hand on Eli’s arm as if she would let him escort her to the car that way. But her nose twitched with a dainty sniff, and she turned to her fiancé. “Darling. You forgot your aftershave. You never go to an event without it. It’s your signature scent. Go put some on.”
Alarms blared in my head.
My first thought? She must know Jake was upstairs because…go put on your signature scent? I didn’t think they could get any more bougie than “we are throwing a party to help children with our embezzled money.” But Eli thanked her for reminding him and sprinted up the steps.
I clawed the edge of panic to keep it from taking over.
Jake was in the office. Eli was on his way. What had Jake said when I’d worried something would go wrong?
“Then we improvise.”
I had to either somehow lure Eli back down here or warn Jake—or both.
I channeled all my fear, all my terror, that Jake would be discovered, and pointed to the dining room table as if some tentacled Lovecraftian monster was pulling itself into our universe between the chandelier and the mahogany tabletop. With a deep breath, I let out a blood-curdling cry, screaming, “Spider!”
Willow shrieked. Eli doubled back. And I imagined Jake, somewhere upstairs, scrambling for his point of egress while convenient chaos reigned down here. Eli looked high and low for the spider while Willow brushed her hair and shoulders like it was raining arachnids, and then the cat showed up for the excitement, skidding over the floor with her tail bushed out and her eyes like a drug addict.
I dragged my gaze away from this spectacle and turned to make my getaway. As I did, I made a split-second decision and shot my hand out to the marble table like a frog’s tongue nabbing a fly.
“Gotta go or I’ll miss my flight!” I called as I sprinted out the door.
Have a nice life, far away from me.
60
GETAWAY WOMAN
Jake
My woman had some serious lungs on her. I didn’t know why she’d screamed “spider,” and I didn’t stay to find out. I blessed whatever quirk of fate had brought us together and hightailed it out of Eli’s office.
I’d already closed the safe and replaced the books in front of it. Now I just needed to hustle out the bathroom window and onto the roof, without the benefit of the cloak of darkness I’d had last time. I crouched low to stay out of view of neighbors and used the trees to shield me from sight from the street. The plan was to lie flat on the roof and wait until Eli and Willow left. But Ruby’s scream gave me a clue that we weren’t necessarily going to be waiting on them. Seconds later, Ruby tore out of the house at breakneck speed and jumped in her car. With a squeal of tires, she backed up and stopped where we’d planned on a screech. I dropped to the ground while she was still braking, and as soon as I dove into the passenger seat, my getaway driver proceeded to get us the hell away from there.