Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 19570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
I’d hate to have given you something that doesn’t work… especially if you’re ever in real danger. :-)
Bitch…
My blood is still boiling.
I want nothing more to do with her, but I refuse to let her know that I’m aware of what she’s done. That if Ryder wasn’t locked away, I’d have him make her disappear since she loved to bring that power of his up so much.
Yeah, I dropped my purse in the tub and they’re soaked. Just letting them dry out.
Ah! Hate when that happens!
Well, I mailed you a few more, and they should’ve been there by now, so be sure to use them whenever you do leave!
Sure thing! Thank you so much!
Always!
I shake my head.
Before Ryder, I would’ve easily bought into her bullshit reasoning.
I change her name to “Effin Traitor” in my contacts.
As I’m saving it, a call from an unknown number crosses my screen.
My breath catches. Ryder?
I hesitate. For half a second, I think it might be Kylie—another tactic, another lie.
Then I answer.
“Hello?”
“Miss Jane?”
“Adeline...” I let out a sigh of relief. “How are you?”
“I’m really good, Miss Jane!” She beams. “Well, kinda...”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m getting ready for the season opening recital at my new school,” she says. “And I have to practice way longer than usual.”
New school? “Have you talked to your dad?” I can’t help but ask.
“Yeah, I just got off the phone with him.”
“You were able to talk to him on his real cell phone?”
“Yeah…”
“So, he’s at home?”
“He’s on another business trip.” She pauses.
“You’re being really weird, Miss Jane. Are you alright?”
No. “I’m glad to hear your dad’s okay and you’re okay. I need to go.”
“Wait, please. I need a favor. You said I could ask for it anytime after helping you with your gala dress.”
“I did say that.” I nod. “What is it?”
“Can you come to my new school for my recital tomorrow?”
“What?”
“Please,” she says. “I really want you to come.”
“Adeline, that’s…” I hold back a sigh. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m sure your dad—”
“I can’t tell him about this one, and he wouldn’t understand.”
“Why not?”
“It’s the symposium for mothers and daughters,” she says.
“I see…”
“I never participated in them in London—since I’d just fly home to get out of it, but I want to this time… I’ll be the only one there without a mom, and…” Her voice trails off. “Please. You can go right after my solo, but please. I’ll never ask you for anything else.”
“I’m not sure I could even get to you on time if it’s tomorrow,” I say. “I’m not even in Seattle anymore—I’d have to leave tonight.”
“I know.” There’s sadness in her voice.
“You’re back with your parents.”
“Your dad told you that?”
She doesn’t answer.
Her silence is an answer.
Just like that, the dread comes rushing back.
“I bought you a ticket already,” she says, ignoring my question. “I got it with my emergency pre-paid card, and I already arranged a pickup and a hotel for you, too.”
I pause, stunned for a second. She’s only eight years old, but sometimes it’s easy to forget. The way she thinks, plans, handles things… it’s like she was raised to solve problems most adults would still be stumbling through.
“My dad won’t know anything about this,” she says. “I mean, not until two days from now, but… Please, Miss Jane. Pleaseee.”
“What piece are you playing?”
“The Sarabande from Bach’s Partita No. 2.”
“Are you going to do all the vibratos properly?”
“I promise.”
“Okay, Adeline.” I look at all the suitcases that are still packed from Seattle. “I’ll make it to the airport tonight.”
End of Episode 4
Looming Threats
EPISODE 5
Ryder
“My client posted bond within two hours of his arrest, and he has fully complied with your list of demands, Miss Poole.” My lawyer looks as annoyed as I feel.
We’re seated in a sterile government interview room—four concrete walls, one metal table, and a mirror that doesn’t reflect anything back.
There are no blackout curtains here, no flickering bulbs to dramatize the interrogation. Just a quiet, humming tension and the knowledge that behind that glass, men are watching. Men who thought they caught the devil himself, only to realize too late that the fire still burns beneath his skin. They’re not pleased that the big fish is wriggling free.
Not pleased at all…
“You’ll soon see that these charges are baseless,” my lawyer says, “but we’re playing along while you spin your wheels.”
“I’m willing to drop some of the charges if Mr. Rochester confesses to other crimes.”
“What other crimes?”
“The fire.” She clicks her pen. “Can we start there?”
My lawyer shoots me a look, but I don’t blink.
“Mr. Rochester says no.”
“Okay, then…” She flips through her binder. “How about we discuss banking and counterfeit? Have you ever lured private citizens into your web for help with any counterfeit schemes?”
I blink again. “No.”
“Let me press on that one again…” She narrows her eyes, voice too casual. “Do you know who Autumn Jane is?”