Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
So you killed them, Wendy?
Everything pointed to Wendy with some possible direction coming from Dawn. Wendy had to be the buddy on the phone that the three dead girls called when Dawn pissed them off. And while she buddied up to them, she figured out the best ways to kill them. Even the night Jasmine was shot, I couldn’t see Dawn pulling the trigger. It wasn’t her style, but she would’ve given the gun to Wendy for safekeeping and maybe even re-mention that Jasmine and I was at Lan, that evening.
My bedroom door opened. Jasmine came out, freshly showered, and dressed. Something metal stuck up from her pockets. I reached for it. “What’s this?”
“A pocket knife. Just in case I have to stab one of them.” She looked from side to side. “What’s going on? I see Lucy had a breakdown.”
“She’s better,” I said.
“And Benny is in a great mood. I could hear him singing while I showered.” Jasmine stopped smiling when Troy flinched. “What’s going on?”
Jasmine can’t be out here, not until Wendy has been dealt with.
“Do me a favor, tesoro. Could you pack some things for you and me? We’re leaving tonight.”
“You have a staff for that. I’m not packing anything. So what’s really going on?” She came out into the hallway.
“Nothing is going on,” I said.
She wagged her finger. “You asked me to pack because you’re trying to get rid of me, so let me ask you again. What’s going on?”
Damn you, tesoro. Now is not the time to challenge me.
A little bit of rage built in my chest. I was on edge, scared for Jasmine, me, and everyone else. Too many things would occur within the next hour. Someone would die. Others would run. Benny would need to be dealt with later. Hamburger meat? He was even crazier than I thought. I knew Jasmine loved him, but I couldn’t let an enemy like that walk around this earth. Benny is going to have to be taken care of. I had to remain calm, not let anyone see me tremble.
“We’ll talk about this later.” I refused to let myself get mad with everything that had been going on. I needed her out of the hallway and away from whatever would be going down.
“Why later?” She sucked her teeth and turned to Troy. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t look at me.” Troy checked Dawn’s bedroom door. “Talk to your man.”
She got ready to turn back to me, but stopped once a whistling Benny came out into the hallway. Troy inched back, which I think set Jasmine off guard. Since knowing her brother, I’d never truly seen him back down. In fact, I’d begun to idolize him. He’d been strong the whole time he stayed with us, and extremely resourceful. If it hadn’t been for Troy, I probably would’ve never realized Wendy and Dawn were the guilty parties.
She exchanged glances with me and lowered her voice. “What’s wrong with Troy?”
Benny paused in front of us. “Lots of whispering out here.” He scanned the area as if someone was hiding in a corner. “What are we planning?”
Hamburger meat. You smash a woman into an unidentifiable pulp in my house and then turn around and ask why I’m whispering in my own hallway.
“Don’t worry about what we’re planning. When are you leaving?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“After I’m done dealing with your problem.”
“You’re done now.”
He tilted my way. “Chase, my boy. I’ve only just begun.”
Jasmine got between us. “What did you begin, Benny?”
He simply whistled. Hot bile rose in my throat. I had to focus hard not to swallow or vomit. How long the whistling lasted, I had no idea. He belted a tune with his lips. A haunting one. Too low for whistling. Too slow to be taken humorously. Jasmine stood in front of him with an open mouth as Benny shifted his whistling to humming and took his time looking at each of our faces. My heart no longer beat. I had no idea how I remained alive. Benny had already unnerved me, now after what he’d done to Dawn and how insane he appeared in the hallway, I just needed to get distance between us.
“Benny?” Jasmine said in between his humming. “Benny?”
This is ridiculous. We have to get her out of here.
I touched Jasmine’s arm to guide her back to our bedroom. Staring at Benny, she shrugged away from me. “Benny, are you okay?”
His whistling transformed into laughter. “I’m better than I’ve been in a very long time.”
Second by second, Jasmine’s chest rose and fell at a faster pace than when she’d first came into the hallway. “Why are you acting so weird?”
“Am I?” All of his laughter stopped. He cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. “I’m just a bit unsteady after I’ve solved a situation.”
“What situation did you solve?” she asked.