Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 16396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 82(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 82(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
I’m nearly tripping all over myself as I run down the steps to the truck. I don’t know what I’m more excited about; the fact that my mom’s here or that Magnus returned safe and sound without injury.
“Momma!” I cry out, throwing my arms around her in a massive hug. I can tell she’s not in her right mind, and I have Vincent to thank for that, but she does still recognize me, and Magnus and I will get her right soon enough.
“Oh, honey,” she says sweetly, hugging me back. “How…are you? This…this nice man…he came and…he brought me here.”
“This is Magnus, Momma.” I smile. “He’s my…well, I guess you could call him my boyfriend.”
I turn and smile at Magnus, who winks back at me.
“Boyfriend?” Momma gasps. “Well, ain’t that something. He’s a looker, Josie!”
My mom’s legs sort of sway from underneath her. Magnus notices immediately and comes over to take her by the arm. “Why don’t we get you inside, Debbie?”
“Is there…televi…vision inside?” Momma asks.
It’s going to be a process getting her right, but the important part is that there can be a process now. Now that we have her in our care and out of Vincent’s clutches. That’s all that matters.
I have to stop myself from crying tears of joy as Magnus and I begin to lead her up the stairs and into the house. But just as we begin to get her inside, I hear the sound of tires coming down the drive toward the house and a pang in my chest like the blade of a knife causes nearly all the breath in my lungs to disappear.
“Quickly!” Magnus hisses, hands on my back. “Inside.”
We pick up the pace and are helping Momma onto the couch when a commanding black truck pulls up out front. My blood turns to ice when I see it, and my feet stop midstride. Vincent steps out of the truck, smiling like he owns the place. I turn to Magnus.
“I thought nobody else knew about this place!” He doesn’t answer. He simply draws a pistol from his waist and moves for the door. “Magnus, wait!”
“Stay here,” he replies calmly as he steps outside onto the porch.
Oh God…
I’m trembling as I watch another one of Vincent’s men step out of the truck behind him…and then another. Now there’s three of them and only one of Magnus. What is he going to do? They all have guns too.
Vincent looks up at Magnus and chuckles.
“Good job, partner.”
A jolt runs through me—the kind of jolt you feel when you get jump-scared in a horror movie.
Partner?
“Great job leading us back here. She’s been missing long enough.”
“Vincent—” Magnus starts to speak, but Vincent laughs and waves his hands in the air.
“I told you that you could take her for a day and have your fun with her. My treat to you for being my most prized head of security. But boy did you put on a good show to win her over!”
Wait…what’s happening? Put on a show? Win me over? The pang in my chest grows, turning into a gripping pain that expands throughout my entire torso.
“Don’t listen to him, Josie,” Magnus says over his shoulder back to me.
“Wow,” Vincent remarks. “You really fell for her, huh? But you can’t change the plan up at the last minute, buddy.”
I’m sweating. Trembling. The perfect moment we had among us no less than five minutes ago has shattered like a pane of glass.
“You pretend to rescue her from me, I let you, she puts out for you, but then I come back and get her after you lead me to her. You knew how this was going to end, pal. Only our plan had you looking innocent in the whole thing—”
“That’s not how it went, Vincent,” Magnus growls. “Don’t believe him, Josie.”
I’m feeling sick.
“No?” Vincent laughs. “How’d I find this place then, Mag? Have I ever been here before?”
“I don’t know, Vincent. But it sure wasn’t me.”
“And why was it you that just happened to come upon me and Josie having an argument? You just lucked out? Or did you and I set that up beforehand?”
My heart is in my throat as I reach out and brace myself against a pillar of the porch. Blur coats the edges of my vision.
Vincent is right; how could he have found this place without Magnus leading him to it? Magnus isn’t dumb enough to let himself get followed.
Is it possible that Magnus played me? That they both…played me?
I don’t want to believe that. There’s nothing in the world I want to believe less.
“Magnus!” I scream. “Magnus, you—”
Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder and look back to see my mom standing behind me, eyes fixed on Vincent. I can see the hatred there and am instantly reminded of what she’s been through over the last few months that he’s been holding her.