Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 129571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
“Is she a mother?”
“We kill her next year. Let some time go by.”
Scar stared at the house as if his cock was hard and on fire. “Can I do it?”
“No.”
The kids stayed with me the rest of the month. I gave no reasoning to them, and they didn’t ask. Only Vivian bothered me with questions. “Are you going to adopt them, Daddy?”
“I don’t know, sweetie.”
“Can we please, Daddy? I don’t like them being over there.”
“Me either, sweetie.”
A few more weeks passed. Sophia called and told me to bring them back over. She didn’t even say thank you or apologize. In those silent weeks of my taking care of the twins, Sophia had given me ample time to think about all that she’d done. And frankly by then, the woman scared me.
I’d thought I was the villain until I met Sophia.
She’d placed my kids in danger. She knew Omar liked little girls, brought the man into her home, and waited for him to do something so bad that I couldn’t deny her asking to kill him.
What father would deny that?
She’d almost gotten Jasmine raped for the sake of gaining more power.
That scared me.
I had limits.
Rules.
That was when I finally realized, Sophia had none.
She just had a large web of deception and lies, and like a spider’s home, I lay there stuck to the pattern, unable to break free.
I couldn’t kill her, not my children’s mother, not the love of my life.
I couldn’t kill her.
And that, dear journal, is what made Sophia a very scary person indeed.
Chills ran down my spine.
“Mr. Stone, would you like anything?”
I shut the journal. “Something strong, brown, and on the rocks.”
Sophia’s laughter came from behind me as she walked my way. “Strong, brown, and on the rocks like you love your women, huh?”
I widened my eyes and stared into the eyes of the only person that Benny feared on this earth. She scared the shit out of him. And frankly, that didn’t comfort me at all. Especially, since she now stood right next to me on my own plane, high above the earth.
“What are you reading?” Sophia asked. “More of Benny’s memories?”
“Yes.”
“Be careful with memories. Sometimes they can get you killed.”
More chills ran through me.
Chapter 16
Jasmine
In a decaying mansion, I danced in front of Troy and Vivian.
Outside, rain stormed against the property’s battered wood and crumbling stone. Inside, nature continued to battle with the massive palace. The raindrops’ song served as my rhythm.
“She’s losing it,” Troy whispered to Vivian. They lay next to each other, not touching, but so near that their arms and legs came close to rubbing against the other once or twice.
When we returned from the boring tours of Royal London, we’d smoked all day. It wasn’t like the area didn’t symbolize splendor and history. It was just something about having a serial killer on the trip with us that made everything dull and uninteresting.
All we talked about was ways to hurt Benny. Half the time, Troy discussed possible details as Vivian and I cringed. Once we smoked, all discussion ended and I resorted to dancing away my boredom.
“Yep, she’s lost it,” Troy said.
“Did she ever have it before?” Vivian rolled another joint and licked the ends. “I mean, this is your sister after all.”
“You’re correct.” Troy nodded. “Carry on with your off-rhythm dancing, Jazz. I’m actually the one who’s lost it.”
I bopped my hips. “You both don’t want to see me in a dance contest.”
“Yes!” They both raised their hands.
“I agree with that statement.” Vivian lay the rolled joint next to her to dry. “I do not want to see you in a dance contest.”
“Or dance against me,” I added.
“Hear, hear to that, too.” Vivian laughed.
“This trip isn’t a party, Jazz. Stop dancing.”
“This trip isn’t a trip.” I clapped twice and twirled. “This trip is a psycho’s prison. This trip is bigger than all of us. This trip is insanity.”
“And you’re a trip,” Vivian added.
“And you admitted that he’s a psycho.” Troy beamed.
I groaned and continued my dance of hysteria.
After a long day of tours, crowds, and average food, I’d dragged them back to Bishop’s Avenue. Billionaire’s Row of rotting mansions.
Benny hadn’t returned. That news didn’t calm my fears. Chase searched for me, somewhere out there, and I would’ve rather had Benny close, than him looking for my man.
We’d rolled some joints, took them with us, and smoked on the west wing, where everything was the most neglected. Troy had scouted out the area days ago, in one of his explorations of this massive property. He still kept that secret phone in a large room that was the size of Vivian’s and my old apartment back in the States.
That was where I danced.
“What do you think they used this room for?” Vivian handed me the made joint. “It must’ve been something grand.”
Although an unsettling emptiness touched every wall and inch of muddied floor, the place seemed to breathe. Like the mansion had come alive. When the place inhaled, wind rushed into the broken windows. When it exhaled, birds flew out of cracks in the wall and squirrels scurried off to their burrowed corners.