Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
“Yes, Mr. Wilde?”
“Thank you for dinner. It’s good…” He glanced down at his plate, then raised his gaze to her again. “You can leave early. I’ve got it from here.”
“Certainly. Have a good day, sir, and ma’am.” The woman offered another gentle nod in her direction, turned away, and walked swiftly out of the dining room.
Archer grabbed his phone and began messing with it. Moments later, she heard the front door open and close, no doubt Carmen leaving the dwelling. After a few minutes of quiet, he set his phone down and cleared his throat.
“You’re not ready to go to Bannon’s just yet.” He broke the stillness as he sliced into his meat with a fork and knife. “I need to teach you some more things, first. I hope though that we can get this settled soon. Your presence is interruptin’ my work.” He jammed the food in his mouth, chewed and swallowed. “I have to adjust my schedule around you, and I don’t like you in my house for hours at a time when I have to leave, regardless of you being locked inside and me being able to watch you from wherever I am. Wasn’t long ago that I found out that you’d gnaw your own fucking arm off to try and get away.” He sucked his teeth as if reliving the irritation of her fight with the pair of handcuffs that left her raw and wounded. She glanced at her bandaged wrist and took a sip of her wine. The flavor was impeccable. “How is it?”
She set her glass down. “The wine? It’s good.”
“No.” His lip twitched with the hint of a smile. “Your wrist… better?”
She looked at it once more, then nodded. “Yeah.”
They said nothing further, and she’d eaten the majority of her food. Her wine was half gone but refused to drink more as she had to keep all of her faculties. She asked to excuse herself, wishing to take a nap. He obliged and walked her to her room. They walked in unison, their steps aligned. Once she was inside, he exited with a goodbye. She heard the familiar locking of the door, and noticed her camera equipment sitting in the room. She’d thought Billy left it in the foyer after they returned, but the maid must’ve brought it in while they were eating.
Putting her equipment aside, she sat on the edge of the bed and sank into dark, smoky thoughts. This was beyond being a nightmare. Where was the lesson to be learned? On one hand, the events of the day seemed so… normal. On the other hand, they were surreal. Cruel. A terrible torture.
She got up and crossed the room. Standing by the door, she rang the buzzer. Archer had explained that if she needed something, she simply had to ring it and it would send a notification to his phone.
“What?” he asked curtly after about ten seconds.
She could hear male voices speaking around him. Perhaps he was in a meeting of some sort.
“I… I need to upload those photos and—”
“I got it. Be there in twenty minutes.” The line went dead.
She toed out of her socks and sneakers, her clothing soon to follow. Making her way into the bathroom en suite, she checked the window one more time. It had become a ritual. An obsession. She’d checked it a million times before. Pushing and pulling, trying to chip away at the plaster and paint with her fingernail, but it was no use. It was sealed shut, the glass painted over.
She turned on the shower, stepped inside, and let the warm water saturate every strand of hair on her head. She bathed from head to toe with a soft loofah, and daydreamed of being back home… When she was all finished, she dried off and slipped on a pair of green satin pajama pants with a matching spaghetti strap shirt. She crawled onto the bed and twisted her hair in a loose bun. As she was finishing up, there was a tap at the door. She cocked her head to the side and waited. Who was that knocking? Wouldn’t he just come in? Her heart thumped faster and faster. Perhaps it was the maid sensing something was awry, and she’d returned?!
“Yes? Who is it?” She called out, trying to quell her desperation and hope.
“It’s me. Archer.”
So it is him. He’s never knocked before. He’d just barge in.
He unlocked the door and came in holding a briefcase, then began quickly setting up a computer at the small corner desk. After he was finished, he motioned her over. She sat down at the desk.
“Type in, LKLV23122178b*.” He said the letters slowly and she did as asked. “That’s a one-time passcode. Now, log in. You can send him the files.” He then pulled out her own laptop from the briefcase and plugged it in as well, setting it beside the other PC.