Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 47758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
She kept on screaming but he needed some air, some space.
After leaving the room, he flicked the lock into place and went outside. He didn’t go far, just leaned over the railing near the garden.
“Do you want me to cook her something to feed her?” Jade asked.
He turned toward her. His hands shook.
“She is really getting to you, isn’t she?”
“She’s not supposed to exist.”
“She does exist. What’s all of this about?”
He hadn’t told Jade everything about his life. About Sarah. He didn’t know what the fuck any of this meant.
Running fingers through his hair, he knew he had to call his uncle and brothers. It was the only way to clear this mess up. He couldn’t make contact with Sarah’s parents. They were still grieving and with all the shit he’d caused, there was no way he could go to them, not now.
“Fuck!”
“Do you want me to feed her or not?” Jade asked.
“Go. Cook some food. I’ll feed her but we’re not letting her go. We’re going to have to move to another secure location.”
“She’s not going to cause us to get captured, is she?”
“Not if I can help it. You’ve got to learn to trust me.”
“You know I trust you, Landon. I just hope you know whatever the hell it is you’re doing.”
He didn’t know but he wasn’t about to tell her that. His life was already fucked up enough as it was. Tapping his foot, he tried to figure some shit out, but he was drawing a blank, again. This was a nightmare.
Bringing out his cell phone, he knew he needed to make the call, but he couldn’t make it inside the house. As he walked out the front door, he grabbed the baseball cap and then made his way thirty minutes away from his actual location to a small collection of shops that were mostly cafes and takeout places. He didn’t stand out in the crowd, and there were multiple people using cell phones.
There, he dialed his home phone. It was the first time he’d done this in years.
The shaking in his hands diminished, but all the questions remained the same. All of them directed at Tulip. The girl he’d chained up. The girl he wanted more than anything but knew, deep down, he could never have. Not really.
Or could he?
No. Sarah.
With every passing day, Sarah was becoming nothing more than a mere thought. He didn’t know if he liked the feeling, and it was certainly upsetting.
“Hello,” Rick said.
With the years Rick had been in England, his voice had picked up a twang of the accent.
“Hello, Uncle,” he said.
“Landon, I figured I would hear from you.”
“Did you get the girl to go through extensive plastic surgery?”
“Such a striking resemblance, isn’t it? I couldn’t believe it myself but the moment I saw her, I had to wonder.”
“So you brought her right back here.”
“Of course. I don’t want you to be all alone now.”
“I’m not coming back.”
“Landon, it’s not safe for you.”
“I’ve survived this long.”
“Blind luck. All the tricks I gave you are going to run out. People are hunting you.”
“And I’ll kill every last one of them, but I didn’t make this a call about me. Who is she? Sarah never had a sister.”
“You feel it, don’t you? I was right. Sarah was just a connection to Tulip. With her, you were never completely whole, but your need to make Tulip yours is strong. You will give your life to protect her, won’t you?”
“I’m not coming back.”
“To protect her, you will. As long as she is with you, she’s in danger, Landon. You know how this works.”
“I’ve made it work before. I know you’re a thorough bastard. The moment you saw her, you would have someone on it. Did the Smiths give up one daughter and keep the other?”
There was a long pause. Landon knew he was doing it on purpose.
“Yes.”
“Fuck.” He hung up the cell phone. For some strange reason, he was even more furious with the Smiths than he cared to be.
Pocketing his cell phone, he walked back toward the house, taking the longest route possible. He had a gun on his inside jacket and two knives strapped to his ankles. Years of training had paid off. Being under his uncle’s wing was where he truly learned to be himself, a killer.
Arriving back at the house, the smells of tomato and garlic were heavy in the air. He entered the kitchen to find Jade stirring a large pot.
“What is it today?”
“I think it’s lasagna soup. I could be wrong. Really wrong.” She nibbled her lip. “I don’t know what I’ve got.” Her brow furrowed and she looked confused.
“I’m sure it’s going to be fine.”
“I hope so. I don’t know why some days I seem to cook the most amazing food, like ever. And now, this. Look, I’m not trying to kill her, I promise.”