Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 173(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 173(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
“Did you need this?” Mrs. Lou is standing there with my backpack in hand. I’m not sure where I’d dropped it during everything that happened, but it had slipped my mind until now.
“Thank you.” I rush over and take it from her.
“Did you enjoy the dinner?” she asks with a smile. Is she trying to slow me down or is she only being nice? Either way I can’t help but answer her. Unlike my kidnapper, I have manners.
“Best thing I’ve ever eaten.” I tell her the truth.
“Do you have any favorites so I know for the future?”
I slip my backpack on. I give her a puzzled look. Doesn’t she see what’s happening here? “I’m escaping.”
I know I should’ve probably kept that little morsel of information to myself, but I can’t bear to lie to her. She reminds me of someone's sweet little grandma.
“Right.” Her smile only grows bigger. “That’s the front entrance.” She motions toward a massive door that I’m guessing was made in another country. It looks very expensive. People have stone sent over from places all over the world to build their homes.
“Thanks,” I say again.
She turns, leaving me standing there all alone. What the heck? Why isn’t she trying to stop me? Or better yet, why hasn’t she sounded the alarm? Something is fishy here.
I glance around and spot a few small items on a table. One is a pretty box and another is some jeweled egg on a stand. I grab them both and drop them into my backpack before I’m out the front door. I’m not leaving this place empty-handed.
“The hell,” I mutter as I open it. It’s so heavy. When I pull it shut behind me, I realize Heirloom slipped out with me. “In!” I crack the door back open. He doesn’t move.
“Fine.” My kidnapper seemed to think it was okay for the cat to roam the estate, so it must be all right for Heirloom to be out. I jog down the driveway, not being subtle this time. I had to hike through the backwoods to get into this place. The front of the estate, however, is gated with a giant stone wall that stretches around it. The gate will be an easier exit than making the long hike back through the woods that creeped the hell out of me.
I scale the gate easily enough. Once again, being small comes in handy. When my feet hit the ground, I take off again. I don’t look back. My lungs burn and my knee aches, but I know this is my only chance to get away from my kidnapper. He was going to call my father on me! As messed up as this sounds, I actually think my father would enjoy the idea of tossing me into a jail cell. Growing up, he did try and keep me locked in the house as much as he could. The day I turned eighteen, I was out that door.
When I get far enough away, I slow to a fast walk. I pull my backpack around to find my Jeep keys in the front zipper. She’s an old girl, but I got her for a steal, and she’s never let me down. I let out a breath when I finally see her in the distance. She’s right where I left her, waiting for me.
I open the door and let out a small scream when a cat jumps in before I can try to get in myself. Heirloom's collar sparkles from the moon shining in through the windshield. Oh crap. This is not good.
“What are you doing?” He jumps over to the passenger seat, clearly ready for a ride. I climb in, placing my backpack on the floorboard. “What did you do? Slip through the gate?” He stares at me. “Fine.” I start my Jeep. She rumbles to life. “You can come with me. But I’m telling you right now that my place is nowhere near as fancy as your current one. And I can’t take you back once I pull away from here. So, this is your last chance to hop out.” I lean over and open the door for him, but he doesn’t jump down. “All right.” I shut the door and open my glove box to grab my cell phone. I have a bunch of missed calls from Mr. Hoover.
I don’t bother calling him back. Instead, I decide to drive straight over to his house. Something tells me if I went home, he’d show up there or have someone watching me. Does he think I’m going to take off with a stupid flower?
The drive isn’t too far, taking me about twenty minutes to get there. I pull up his long driveway. I barely get the Jeep into park and he’s rushing out the front door. He moves quickly for an older man.