Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
My main problem was, I needed to pee. I stared through the darkness toward the bucket, as if it were a creature meant to suck me into the underworld. I did not want to pee in that thing. But I also did not want to pee on myself.
Where was Perry? Why wasn’t he here yet? Oz couldn’t have taken me that far. I mean, I had no way to google it, but I was sure that the stuff I’d inhaled hadn’t kept me out for enough hours to leave the state.
My car would stand out. The canary yellow wasn’t easy to miss. The fact that it’d sat in a parking lot all night would be a red flag. Right? But maybe it was still night. I had no idea of knowing. My body felt like it was morning, but then maybe it was my bladder and the sleeping conditions that had woken me up.
Moving the chair back, I stood slowly, stretching my body. The sound of my stomach rumbling was followed by hunger pains. I wasn’t sure if I wanted food, water, or a toilet more. My bladder hurt so bad that I had to cross my legs as I debated on how long I could hold it.
Perry, please get here before I have to poop. Just gross.
Bending down, I turned on the lantern that I had cut off last night, wanting to conserve the battery.
Giving in, I took the light with me, and I headed to that dang bucket. I should probably save the one napkin that was in the bag in case I did have to visit this thing for something much worse. I tore off some of the bag and did my business with my ears solely focused on sounds of footsteps. I did not want Oz walking down here and seeing my bare bum over this stupid thing. Who was going to empty it anyway? Him?
A groan of relief escaped me, and I finished up. Used what I needed to in order to dry myself, then scowled down into the bucket. I wished there were something to cover it with. I moved it farther away from me, then went back to the chair and sat in it with my sole source of light beside me.
If only I knew what time it was.
I let my thoughts go over all that Oz had accused Perry of and wondered why he thought my brother was involved in this. And was there really a Mafia in Mississippi? That was so bizarre. I had a hard time believing it. Not a real mob, organized-crime kinda thing at least.
Footsteps perked me up, and I stood quickly, waiting. He had a flashlight this time. I watched as it moved while the sound of a key and metal from the prison door opened.
Who had a jail under their house? The Mafia…they would. Maybe. I mean, could this be that kind of Mafia? And if so, why had Perry chosen them to place bets with? Weren’t there legit websites for that?
Once he came and got me, I had a load of questions that he was going to answer.
The light moved closer, as did the footsteps.
That man’s utter perfection didn’t hit any less hard than it had the first time. Which made me mad. At myself. For noticing. He’d left me down here, in a basement, to sleep on the concrete floor, thirsty, starving, and I’d had to pee in a bucket. There was my fury, demolishing how his godlike appearance affected me. No more attraction. Just anger…mostly.
He tossed me another small bottle of water. That was it. Nothing else. There wasn’t a bag in his hand with food he planned to eat in front of me.
“Are you going to starve me to death?” I asked.
“Are you going to tell me where Perry is?” he replied.
“I can give you his address. Is that what you want?”
He had state-of-the-art security on his apartment. They’d never get to him.
He smirked and rubbed his jaw. “I have the address to his apartment and office building. Those were the first places we went. But they had all been wiped clean. No sign of him. Nothing. Not even a trace of his DNA left behind, and that is fucking impressive.”
My hand gripped the lid of the water bottle, but I didn’t turn it. I stood there, frozen. What did he mean, there was no trace of Perry? That wasn’t possible. He wouldn’t leave like that. Disappear.
I shook my head. “Yeah, that’s not Perry. Whoever you are looking for is not my brother. Perry—”
“Is a fucking criminal, darlin’. The smart kind. The high-IQ kind that can erase himself so that he can’t be found. The kind we hire to do shit for us, like, well, this. What you think you know about him, you don’t. Either that or you are a fantastic liar. But what we do know is, Perry only cares for one person. You. And you are our leverage to getting him and our four million dollars. It’s time you start telling me every detail you know about Perry and what he owns, things that might not be known or could possibly be under the radar. Something.”