Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Ten minutes later, Lyra was set up under the giant old tree near the resort entrance. A huge grassy area surrounded it, and curious guests had started gathering even before Lyra had the cello out of the case.
Someone brought her a chair, and in no time, she was tuning her instrument. When she was ready to start playing, she glanced up and gasped. Dozens of guests had gathered. Most of them were seated and awaiting the impromptu concert. Their faces were eager. Most of them must have heard her play last night.
Sadie stood nearby with a wide grin.
Lyra started playing, letting herself get lost in the music as she switched from one piece to another, including classical and modern music. She had no idea how much time had passed before she took a break to flex her fingers.
The crowd had grown, and she noticed three of the Daddies—Magnus, Hawking, and Rocco—were positioned around the perimeter. She wondered where Phoenix was.
“Keep smiling, Little one.” The voice came from behind her, and it belonged to Phoenix.
The realization that he’d been nearby after all calmed her and warmed her heart. His tone, however, made the hair stand up on the back of her neck.
“Good girl. Play another song, okay?”
“What’s wrong?” she whispered without turning her head. She could sense that he was squatting behind her.
“Maybe nothing. I’m being cautious.”
She lifted her bow and smiled at the audience before launching into another long piece, one that she could play in her sleep. She knew if she chose this one, she could easily keep playing while focusing on her surroundings better at the same time.
Without moving her head much, she scanned the audience. Rocco was holding something to his mouth, talking into it. Hawking was standing on a chair, his gaze wandering the area. Magnus was pressing his fingers against what she assumed was an earpiece.
Her heart rate picked up. What was happening?
Caesar suddenly approached at a jog. When Kestrel joined from the other side of the crowd, she knew something serious was about to go down. What was happening? Surely, Boyd wouldn’t return and cause more trouble after being escorted off the premises.
Another thought came to her. Her Daddy was not going to be pleased with her decision to arrange this impromptu concert outside in the open.
The audience was oblivious. They were all smiling and swaying to the music. There were even several children in attendance, including Jeremiah, who sat near the front with his parents.
Lyra couldn’t sense Phoenix any longer, so she assumed he had backed away. Where was he? She kept playing, forcing herself to smile and pretend nothing was wrong. The last thing she wanted was to cause a commotion at Danger Bluff. It wouldn’t be good for business if Boyd approached her and caused a scene in front of so many guests. She felt horrible for even creating this possibility.
Suddenly, there was an odd hissing noise right before the sprinklers came on all over the edge of the lawn. The guests watching the concert jumped up, grabbed the blankets as a shield against the spray of water, and hurried to get to the sidewalk.
Lyra stopped playing and stood also, scared out of her mind. If her cello got wet… She quickly realized there was no chance of that. The sprinklers were too far from her. They caused everyone to scramble to get away from the water, but she was in no danger of getting wet.
In the middle of the mad dash for drier ground, she watched in horror as Phoenix tackled a man to the grass a few feet to her left. The man fought, kicking and groaning, but he lay face-first in the grass and was significantly smaller than Phoenix.
Seconds later, Rocco and Hawking were flanking the man. As Phoenix rose off his back, the other two grabbed his biceps and led him quickly around the corner and out of sight. It didn’t appear that anyone even noticed the altercation.
Lyra was panting, shocked at how fast everything had happened.
Phoenix jogged over and kneeled in front of her. “Look at me, Crash.”
She jerked her gaze to his, knowing her eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed. She was shaking so badly that she nearly dropped her bow.
“You’re safe, Little one. Focus on Daddy.”
She held his gaze, nodding even though she was panicking. “Who was that?” she murmured.
“Not sure yet, Crash, but we’ll find out. Let Caesar take your cello, Lyra.” He nodded to the man approaching with her case.
Trembling, she released the cello and watched as Caesar carefully secured it in its case.
“So, you didn’t recognize the man, Little one?” Phoenix asked.
She shook her head as she rubbed her hands on her thighs. She was afraid to stand. Her legs might be too wobbly to hold her up. “No. I’ve never seen him before.”