Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 124836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 624(@200wpm)___ 499(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 624(@200wpm)___ 499(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
TT wouldn’t let me put the inhaler in her mouth. “B-but why so many d-daggers?”
“TT, look at me,” I said firmly, placing the inhaler in her hand and guiding it to her mouth. “Breathe. In and out. Slowly.”
"T-there’s a lot of them.”
“Breathe.”
TT’s breaths were short and shallow and I could feel her panic rising. “Why s-so many?”
“TT.” I forced her to hold the inhaler up to her mouth and scowled. “Enough on those daggers. Focus on breathing.”
Panting, she leaned her head back and looked at the opened trunk. “B-but why so many daggers? W-what does it mean?”
Chapter twenty-five
The Mystery Team
It took twenty damn minutes to get TT to steady her breathing. Color even returned to her cheeks.
The whole time, I kept my arm around her, feeling her small frame relax just a bit. She was still shaking, but the worst had passed.
Jesus Christ.
Lei knelt down beside us. “I’m sorry. TT, I didn’t mean to overwhelm you.”
TT shook her head, still catching her breath but determined to speak, “Why is it so many daggers?”
He gave her a sad smile. "I don’t know. Maybe, you can help me figure that out. The daggers are now yours.”
“N-no.” Her breaths picked back up and she started hyperventilating again. “M-museum. . .”
“Breathe, TT.” I gave her a firm look. “Just like we practiced.”
I could tell she was pissed with me and would have rather gotten more answers than breathed. But thankfully, she nodded and after a few more controlled breaths and a suck of her inhaler, she seemed to calm down enough to let go of the terror that had gripped her.
“Thank you.” I could feel the tension in my own body begin to release as well.
She was okay and that was all that mattered right now.
Above us, the noise of the helicopters was beginning to fade as Lei’s men had taken away the massive container.
Additionally, Duck and Thandi had left with Jo and Chloe to test out the new car in the parking lot behind Lotus Blossom, but I knew Jo better than that. She surely wasn’t just going to drive it a few feet and park it. She would convince them to take a detour, probably go for a quick cruise around the East in her new toy.
And Duck being Duck would be totally down for a quick adventure.
I just hoped Thandi would keep everyone in line.
Poor Thandi. Welcome to my sisters.
Anyway, we were just a small group now.
Rose was nearby with the little white cat curled in her arms, its eyes lazily observing the scene.
Lei, Chen, and Dima stood around TT and the trunk full of daggers.
I put my view on them.
But. . .I do get where TT is going with this. . .why are there so many of them?
Each wooden dagger was unique, almost as if they had been crafted by different hands or for different purposes.
Now calm and breathing steady, TT left me and went over to the trunk.
Suddenly, without asking, she just began pulling them out one by one and laying them on the ground.
I stood. “What are you doing, TT?”
She didn’t even respond. She just kept laying each one on the ground.
Fuck. Here we go. I’ll never get her to the cookout now. Or even to eat.
There, she was hyper focused as if she couldn’t see anything else, hear others, sense anything but the daggers.
I tensed, yet. . .I got why she was so intrigued.
As she pulled the daggers out and laid them on the ground, it became clear that these were no ordinary weapons.
The wood was worn and smooth in some places, rough and splintered in others, suggesting they had seen a great deal of time and perhaps even use.
But what struck me most was the sheer variety in their shapes and designs.
Some of the daggers were long and slender, tapering to a sharp point that looked like it could pierce through anything.
Others were short and thick, with broad, flat blades that seemed more suited for smashing than slicing.
Each dagger had a distinct personality, an individuality that set it apart from the rest.
Some of the blades were oddly shaped, with curves that defied logic, as if the wood had been twisted in ways that should have been impossible.
One dagger had a blade that zig-zagged from hilt to tip, each angle sharp and sudden, creating a jagged edge that looked almost dangerous despite being made of wood.
Another was curved in a way that mimicked a crescent moon, its surface smooth and polished, yet somehow menacing in its elegance.
I don’t understand.
TT spoke without looking at anyone. “Did you tell anyone else about these, Lei?”
He rose from the kneeling position and came closer. “Only a few of my men knew about the trunk of daggers.”
“Did the Bandit tell you to keep it a secret?”
“No.” He shook his head. “My mind just wasn’t focused on them.”