Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 83430 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83430 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“We still need a distraction,” I say bitterly, accepting my fate.
Tallie considers, tapping a finger to her lips before grinning. “Stay right here. I’ll be back.”
I watch my wife stride off and consider ditching her. It wouldn’t be hard. I could slip into the tangle of bushes and vines, make my way to a side entrance, and lean on luck to get to my destination.
Instead, I keep waiting until I hear music start up. It’s a piano ballad, the first notes echoing over the crowd, followed by a voice.
A familiar voice.
“Let’s go,” Tallie says, taking my arm.
I hesitate, frowning into the crowd. “Is that Annie?”
“I told her she could sing. She didn’t even hesitate.”
“Are you kidding? She’s putting on a show?”
“My sister is a living, breathing distraction. And she’s got a great voice. Now, come on.”
Tallie’s right, Annie sounds incredible. She doesn’t drop a single note like she’s been practicing for weeks. I catch a glimpse of Annie gesturing expansively over the crowd, every eye locked on her as she belts out like she’s standing on stage at a packed concert. Crazy fucking woman. The music follows us toward the house, and I doubt anyone’s looking in our direction as Tallie nudges me into a door that spits up straight into the kitchen.
“Don’t mind us,” she says, steering me past a few overworked cooks. None of them react in the slightest. I don’t love that we were spotted coming through here, but I doubt any of them will talk, much less remember us. Still, it’s a loose end.
I think of Davit lying on the ground, unconscious, struggling to breathe.
“We’re in.” Tallie sounds triumphant when we’re alone in a dark, quiet hallway. Her enormous smile melts away. “What do we do now?”
“You go back to the party.” I gently nudge her toward the kitchen. “And I do my thing.”
“No way! I set up your distraction. You’re not just sending me back.”
“Tallie, for the love of—“ I take a breath to steady myself. Losing my patience with her won’t help anything, but my god, this woman isn’t thinking clearly. “Do you know what’ll happen if your cousins catch us snooping?”
Her frown deepens. “They won’t be happy.”
“And what do your cousins do when they’re not happy?”
“Bad things?”
“Very fucking bad things.” I pull her close to me and lower my voice. “If we’re lucky, they’ll take us out back and give us the dignity of a quick murder.”
“And if we’re not?”
“Let’s hope we don’t find out. Now please, go back to the party.”
Her determination wavers. I’m tempted to spell out all the nasty torturous bullshit her crazy ass family might put us through if they catch us going through their private space, but I hold off.
She’s scared enough already. Coming this far is impressive, but I don’t need to be cruel. She knows what her notoriously private cousins are like, and she’s smart enough to know she doesn’t want any part of it.
“I’m coming with you.” She pushes me back. “Now stop arguing and let’s get moving before someone asks what we’re doing.”
I groan and look at the ceiling.
Never mind. Turns out, she’s infuriating and doesn’t have a lick of common sense.
This won’t go well for me if I keep trying to push her away. Eventually someone really will walk through here and I won’t have a good answer for why we’re lurking around and having a fight. Better to keep her close and to make sure she doesn’t get herself in any more trouble, even if that means dragging her to the brink of painful murder.
“Come on. Stay quiet. Don’t ask questions.”
She mimes zipping her lips. “Which way are we going?” I give her a look and she bursts out in a huge smile. “Kidding. Lead the way.”
I set out down the hall toward the back of the building.
The Sarkissian Mansion is massive. It’s one of those senseless structures that’ve been added on to dozens of times over the years, each new wing not quite lining up with all the others. There aren’t any blueprints or anything to work from, so I’m going on memory and the few people who worked here that I managed to track down. None were very forthcoming about their former employers, shockingly enough.
I pick a wing at random and end up surrounded by guest rooms. I head straight into the first I find and shut the door behind me. Tallie looks around, frowning at the frilly curtains, and sits down at the end of the bed. She bounces like she’s testing the mattress.
“Did you bring me in here for an afternoon sex session?”
“No.” I head to the closet. “Stop talking.”
“Because I’m not really in the mood.” She lounges on her side and watches me. “You know, on account of my husband doing weird shit?”
I pay her no mind as my fingers explore the edges of the wood paneling around the door. I kneel and knock on the walls, exploring every inch, every seam, but don’t find anything. I try the fireplace next, getting some old soot on my pants as I crawl in and prod at the bricks.