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 held my hand up to my nose to hide from the stench.
The man closed the umbrella. “I find it easier to breathe from my mouth when I’m in this area.”
“It only smells this bad here?”
“Yes. Where we all live, it’s rather nice.”
“The east wing?”
“That’s correct.”
“The guards stay there with us?”
“Yes.”
Footsteps sounded behind me. I glanced over my shoulder.
Benny barreled in with two duffle bags over both arms. “What do you think?”
“So far, London is rain and old things.”
“Some would agree.” He signaled for me to follow. “Walk behind me. Don’t take a step off the path I travel on.”
“Excuse me?”
“There might be a hole or something.” He headed up the stairs. With each step, creaking boomed.
I stayed right where I was.
Benny paused and looked down at me. “Are you coming?”
“Those stairs aren’t safe.”
“Come on, before I carry you up.”
“This place is a housing violation.”
“This place is worth over 65 million pounds. I’m sure the owner will manage.”
“How can it be worth so much?”
“The address is one of the most expensive places to live in the world, ranking right next to places like Rodeo Drive, Fifth Avenue, and Wall Street. Even places like Hong Kong’s Pollack’s Path or Geneva’s Rue Bellot.”
“Besides the American cities, I’ve never heard of the others.”
“Regardless, you should be impressed. Come on.”
I stepped over a small, dead carcass. It was either a bird or something else. There was no fur, just bones. “I am not impressed.”
“You’ll like the east wing.”
I doubt it.
It took us twenty minutes to get to it. We passed more grotesque neglect—a big bathroom with brown gunk in the tub, toilet, and bidet, a tree in the middle of a study and giant pile of wet books, and bedroom after bedroom of spider webs and ghostly presence.
“Can you no longer afford a hotel?” I asked.
“This is one of many places where Chase couldn’t find us.”
“I believe you. I doubt he would guess that we were hiding in an abandoned mansion on Billionaire’s Row.”
And then suddenly, decay transformed into posh living. Boarded windows shifted to shiny glass openings.
“Here’s the east wing.”
“Figures.”
“The windows are bulletproof,” Benny said.
“Thanks, that was a major concern for me, bulletproof windows.”
“Are you going to be a smart ass the whole trip?”
“By trip do you mean the threatening kidnapping venture that you’ve dragged me on, after bullying the man that I love?”
“Yes, I like to say trip to keep it short.”
“Trip does roll off the tongue easier.”
Everything was different on the east wing. Dented floors with holes and mud changed to rich, black carpet that led to double mahogany doors. A spicy aroma rushed by as Benny pushed through the doors. Open space greeted my eyes—high ceilings and milky white walls that had to be freshly painted.
Before I could walk any farther, I paused and stared at the floor. It was carefully fitted pieces of thin wood that formed into images of little flowers. The craftsperson had used a variety of colors and grains, from maple to walnut, ash to mahogany.
Benny pointed to where I gazed. “Those are art mosaic panels.”
“That’s probably the best thing I’ve seen in the entire place.”
“Keep looking.”
I scanned the rest of the wing. Surprisingly, a modern vibe flowed through the space. A kitchen opened up where a tiny woman stirred something luscious in the pot. Steam rose. The red liquid bubbled, and that same spicy aroma filled the air. Bookshelves and a space with couches and chairs sat on my right. On my left, a closed door.
“That’s my bedroom.” Benny pointed. “Yours is the fourth one at the end of the hallway. And those two are—”
Both doors opened. A streak of blonde hair surged out and attacked me.
Vivian.
I almost fell back. “Hey!”
“How the hell did you get here?” She hugged me so tight I thought I’d be unable to use my lungs.
Troy’s voice boomed from behind her. “Hey Jazz.”
“Ehen Triy,” I mumbled.
“Let her go, Viv,” Troy laughed. “She can’t talk.”
Vivian did, but not before planting a kiss on my cheek.
All right. Somebody really missed me.
Troy turned to Benny. “How did Jazz end up on Billionaire’s Row?”
“I thought this would be a good trip for all of us,” Benny replied.
Troy rolled his eyes. “So you threatened her, like you did us?”
“What threats?” I asked.
Troy leaned against the wall, his huge frame taking up most of the space.
We both had the same hazel eyes and pointed nose, but that was where our resemblance ended. When we were kids I’d joked that he not only took up the whole womb with his huge frame, but he’d sucked up the entire gorgeous gene. When he smiled his cheeks lifted with perfection, full lips bloomed, and every woman within a ten foot radius drooled.
Troy flashed flawless teeth and crossed tattooed arms over his chest. “Well, more like he drugged us, and we woke up here, and then when we tried to leave—”