Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
* * *
As with all good things, the evening came to an end thank fuck. And it was off to the airstrip to board the plane for our flight to The Seychelles. There was no real difference in this crowd as far as I could tell, other than an overabundance of excitement.
I made sure everyone boarded and was comfortable before excusing myself to go to the restroom. I made the call I’d been dying to make all evening and got the ball rolling.
Now I just have to make sure my wife and friends enjoy the next few days before the shit hits the fan. I knew what I was doing, and what I hoped to gain by what I’d just set in motion.
I could drag this shit out and let it go on until the cops found the crumbs I’ve been leaving them, but now with Sian pregnant, there’s no way I’m letting this shit drag on any longer.
As the plane took off, I was confident that down there somewhere, a life was about to careen out of control. I have no compassion, not an ounce of regret for what I knew was going to happen in the coming days.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” She was fighting sleep and I was doing all I could not to drag her off to the bedroom in back. I knew she wanted to stay up with her friends, and since it was her day, I decided to let her be.
“Nothing baby! I’m just watching you have fun.” She put her head on my shoulder and I lifted my arm to cuddle her. I kissed her hair and looked out at the lights below, letting my mind travel ahead.
* * *
MANDY
* * *
I was still locked in my room days later in a near panic. I haven’t been able to leave my house since that little run-in in the hospital parking lot. I expected the cops to come calling any day now, and with each passing moment my nerves became more and more shot.
I’ve been trying to get ahold of Liz to no avail and Kelly was a lost cause. As angry as I am at them for deserting me when I need them most, I’m too scared to go after them.
Later, when all of this has been cleared up, I’ll deal with them. I knew too many days away from school would result in this. It’s like they couldn’t wait to turn their backs on me, disloyal bitches.
I paced back and forth in my room and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. How long has it been now since I took a shower? I was afraid to be in there alone.
The only place I felt safe anymore was in bed with the covers pulled to my chin. I was worse off now than I was when I was a little girl, afraid of going hungry, of being left alone, of everything.
My phone that I’d been clutching in my hand the last half an hour while thinking of who I could call, rang and scared me half to death. I almost dropped it I was so afraid.
“Hello!” Shit, I forgot to check who was calling.
“Hey, what’re you doing?” Finally, this bitch remembered who was in charge.
“Where have you been?”
“Around, have you heard?”
“Heard what?”
“Turn on your TV.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Just turn it on trust me you’re gonna want to see this.” I searched for the remote, dying for the taste of a cigarette which I actually hate, or a line of coke.
“Listen I’m not in the mood to watch some national disaster or some other claptrap….”
“It’s Jace.”
“Jace? What happened to Jace, what channel?”
“It doesn’t matter any of them would do it’s all over the airwaves.”
She hung up the phone but I wasn’t thinking about her as I turned the TV on and flicked through the channels until I found one I wanted. My tummy was already shaking and I didn’t even know what this was about.
“Heir supreme to the Saunders Group, the usually elusive and very well protected Jace Saunders was married today in a quadruple ceremony with two of his childhood friends, and his new brother in law.”
My knees gave out and I dropped onto the bed, as I felt the life drain out of me. “Married?” I croaked out the word as on the screen flashed a photo of him and her in some grand ballroom, dancing together, smiling.
“After the reception, the heir, his new bride and their friends were seen jetting off to their honeymoon on the family’s private island. Which one you ask? Well that is the one thing about this wedding that has been kept secret.”
My ears began to buzz and it was hard to breathe. I wanted to turn it off, to turn away, but I couldn’t. It was like watching a house burn, or in this case seeing my dreams disintegrate right before my eyes.