Total pages in book: 196
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
I answered the phone when it rang. “We found her.”
“You, you’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Of course not. We don’t have her as yet. It should be any day now.”
“Did she really just give Elena that information?”
“Yes, but she has no idea that Shelly is your sister. She’s just one of the many that had been taken this way, and surprisingly, the only one we couldn’t locate when we found the others.”
“Where is she? Who took her?”
“I can’t tell you that. There would be no point. Just know that we’re doing everything to bring her home. Wait for my call.”
“Wait, what do you want me to do with her?” I know you say she didn’t know, but she knew something, enough to try to use it against her ex. How did you know she was going to do that, by the way?” I hadn’t thought to ask before, but this kid, and she sounds like a kid, has some very strange ways.
“It was just a hunch.” Somehow, I didn’t believe that, but she’d already hung up, so it didn’t matter. And she didn’t tell me what to do with the half-dead woman in the next room.
Chapter 100
*Elena*
It wasn’t hard getting the time off that I needed. I just had to double up on some scenes, which my costars were only too happy to do once they learned the reasons why. I didn’t tell them the whole truth, of course, just that Ryder and I had decided to do an impromptu tour to pacify our fans.
I didn’t know, no scratch that; I was surprised at just how many people were invested in Ryder and me, including everyone on the set. Over the last couple of years that I’d been working here, no one had ever mentioned our breakup to me, not even a hint.
It was something I greatly appreciated though I never kidded myself that they didn’t know the whole sordid story. That’s only one of the reasons I liked working there so much; it was one of the only places I could escape to where I was sure not to be hounded for details or have my failure thrown in my face at every turn.
But now I see how happy they are and they have a million questions suddenly and a whole lot of advice, most of which I intend to adhere to because it was sound and came from a good place. My costars especially were very supportive. There were no warnings of doom, which, in hindsight, I appreciate. It tells me that they trust me to know what I’m doing, which is all I can ask.
Aside from that, the last few days have been hectic, to say the least. Not just with the preparations for the tour, the Sanders group has been better than anyone I’d ever worked with when it came to that, so there was really nothing for me to do there.
But every day, it seemed like there was something new in the media that would stir up a shit storm. I’d all but forgotten Mary Hudson and her kids’ existence until they were being dragged through the mud. Someone and I had a pretty good guess who, has been releasing hidden secrets about that family that go way back, and some of the things they’re being accused of shouldn’t be spoken of in polite company.
I shiver each time I remember any time I spent in their presence, rare as it was. But knowing that I came that close to pure evil still gives me the shivers. There was a lot of debate among the public as to whether or not the reports were true, with most people coming down on the side of yes.
I, for one, had no doubts that it was all true. Not only because I’ve seen their character up close and personal but because, in the last few weeks, I’d come to trust who I believe to be the source without question. But I have to admit, as much as I dislike that family and their machinations, I never in my wildest dreams could’ve imagined what they were up to. I always thought they were money-hungry scavengers, fame-chasing hags, and all that, but this, this is on a whole other level that I have no experience with.
There were accusations of sex trafficking, domestic slavery, money laundering, and a whole host of things that you would never associate with them. On top of that, Janie’s dad was looking at some serious jail time for the murder of Mary Hudson, but only time would tell because it was going to be a while before the case went to trial.
That didn’t stop the whispers and speculation, which only led to more being revealed about their dealings, and the fact that it was he and Mary who were the masterminds behind everything that had happened between Ryder and I, which turned everyone’s attention back to Ryder and Janie’s relationship, which had now been exposed as a scam pulled together by that sham of a church, it’s leader, who was nowhere to be found, Ryder’s now dead manager, and Mary.