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)
The young lady stared at her in surprise. Then a smile creased her face, and she nodded in agreement.
Honey slung her camera over her shoulder, approached her, and waited until the woman stepped from behind the podium, came down two short steps, and walked into her arms. Honey closed her eyes and held her tight. The young woman was warm and shaking like a leaf.
“We’ve seen your face. Heard your story. You’re saving other little girls and boys by just being here. Thank you for your bravery! You’re safe now,” Honey whispered in her ear.
She kissed her cheek and stepped back. The woman nodded, offered a sad smile, and swiped at a tear welling in her eye. When she turned back to the crowd, Archer was standing there, staring into her very soul. She didn’t know what to make of his expression, but if he kept looking at her like that, she feared he’d sweat his mustache off. Courtesy of Maybelline.
She took a few more photos while Jessica was led back inside the precinct, then they walked the short distance to his parked car.
Archer appeared tense. He offered no words. No anger. No nothing. He turned on the radio. Phendste’s, ‘I’d find You’ flowed from the speakers. There was a stillness between them, and yet, the tension somehow made her feel closer to him. When she chanced a glance at him, his jaw was rigid, tight, as if he were biting his own tongue. He slowly slipped the scarf from his head, then removed the reading glasses and handed them to her. She took them without words. He reached for a tissue, looked in his mirror and removed the mustache, slowly but surely. It wasn’t long before he was driving away. She didn’t ask where they were going.
She assumed his home, where she’d be locked away. Caged, but safe. She realized that as long as she was in his world, she felt safer with him than without him. He knew too many bad people, did too many bad things, and she’d much rather be with the chief than the citizens of his land. His phone rang several times and he’d check to see who it was, but never answered.
She fought sleep, suddenly realizing how tired she’d become. As soon as she almost fell into slumber, he pulled into his driveway. She waited as the six-car garage door opened, and he pulled inside. He parked his vehicle next to his other cars and a motorcycle, then parked the Lamborghini. Opening her door, he helped her out, then gathered her camera equipment. His silence was driving her crazy now. She fought the urge to say something. To break it. She’d learned better. Let him feel it. Whatever it was.
Don’t manipulate. Don’t speak. Don’t try anything. Stay married to only the truth. The dark house immediately flooded with purple light as the motion detectors came on. He quickly pressed his finger against a panel and the alarm cut off. He set her equipment down in the kitchen, washed his hands, and poured himself a tall glass of water. He gulped it so fast, it was a miracle he didn’t choke. He then grabbed another glass and poured water to the rim.
“Sit down, please.” She did as requested and took a seat at the breakfast bar.
“…Thank you.” She took the water from him, and sipped.
“Is that what you typically do?” he finally stated, his tone angry. Terse.
“Typically do what?”
“You talk to the people you photograph.”
“More times than not, yes.”
“This time, did you do it because I was with you? Talk with her? Ask for that hug?”
“No. In fact, I hesitated in doing it at all because I didn’t want you to think I was up to something, like telling her I’d been kidnapped, too.”
He turned away, filled his glass again, and gulped it, just as quickly as the first time. He studied her for a long while, leaned against the counter, then ran his hands together.
“It’s time. I want to explain myself to you, Honey. I never do that, but I think you deserve to know the truth. I’m not going to beat around the bush, and I have a lot to say. After that, this’ll be done.”
“Please tell me whatever it is you want me to know.”
“I wanted Bannon dead. My intentions, until fairly recently, were to kill him. The reason why I wanted that man dead is not because he tried to run me out of town and destroy my business out of envy, though that definitely doesn’t help his case. I wanted him dead, Honey, because he killed a very good colleague of mine. Joshua Young. A distributor who refused to do business with him because he didn’t like him. This hurt my business, and it upset me. This man didn’t deserve that. He just wanted to sell his alcohol to people like me, but Bannon was having his guys cut the cake.”