Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
“Okay, got it.”
“This is a huge deal, Honey, because Jessica’s grandmother was Arnette Turner, who was the governor’s daughter at the Times but has since passed away. Jessica’s abduction stayed in the news for months, and after a few years, people pretty much thought she was dead. Cold case.”
“What’s the address of the police station she’s at?”
“Hold on… it’s… okay, got it. It’s 1805 33rd Street.”
“Okay. I’ll call you back if I run into any problems or have questions.” She disconnected the call and turned to Archer who wore a blank expression. “Can I … go?”
He threw her a fleeting glance then returned his focus on the road.
“Don’t you think it’s a little too late to ask that?”
“Well, I—”
“Isn’t this about a bitch!” He cackled. “I’ve got you in my possession, under duress, and now you want me to drive you to a fucking police station, of all places.”
Her face heated. “I know you’re going to think I’m playing dumb, but I hadn’t even thought about that, Archer. I was just so excited to hear about this! This is the type of photojournalism I love! This is an amazing story. The happy ending. So many times children who are abducted are murdered or never found again. This outcome is rare. To actually be so close to the scene and be able to take photos before the rest of the local press gets there is like a dream come true.”
“…So you can exploit her. Get rich off her pain.” He grimaced, looking straight out of the window.
“No. NO. Not at all. Don’t you understand? Sometimes, in cases like this, because the child, or now woman in this instance, has been so isolated and hurt, she is eager to talk to someone—ANYONE. She wants people to know what happened. Silver wouldn’t have called me if she wasn’t aware that people wanted to speak to her, too. I’m not springing up on her. It doesn’t work that way.”
“You don’t know that, and you want me to sit here and help you destroy this girl even more. You will stop at nothing, will you? You called me a monster the first time you met me. Look in the mirror.”
“You have this all wrong. I don’t know where you’ve gotten these twisted ideas about all broadcasting and media professionals, but what you’re saying is not true, Archer.”
He swerved the car over to the side of the road, almost giving her whiplash.
“I hate you fucking people!” He glared at her, as if some horrible, painful memory kept replaying in his mind. His temper had exploded and the hot lava was dripping all over the place, burning the place up. “You press! You media folks! You journalists! You ruin lives!”
“…I don’t ruin lives. I help people, James.” He scoffed at that. “Please believe me. Look at me!” she pleaded. He slowly turned in her direction. “You have this uncanny ability to tell when I’m lying and when I’m not. It’s eerie, but useful. It shows that you read people well. Very well. Even those of us that are good actresses. You can look at me and see that I’m telling the truth right now. Admit it!”
“You’re only coming across as credible because you believe your own lies.”
“I’m not like everyone else, and there are more journalists like me who care, Archer. I am not telling you that all of us are wonderful people because you’re right. But in all professions, there are some bad apples. I have a moral compass. A code of ethics. What you’re accusing me of isn’t fair.” He turned away as if he wasn’t listening. “My track record proves you wrong and you know it, but you’re too stubborn to admit it because it doesn’t fit what you want to believe. We’re not all the same!”
He pulled off the side of the road and started to drive. They were quiet for some time. His jaw clenched, and he gripped the steering wheel hard.
“You need to go, so I’m taking you,” he said in a low tone.
Then he turned the music back up, and before she knew it, he was speeding down the street and jumping onto the highway.
She remained silent the entire ride, her heart thumping out of her chest. So much was happening, so quickly. She had another chance to potentially get away from this situation, from a man who was keeping her hostage to use as a bullet in his gun of revenge against his worst enemy. On another hand, he’d considered her wishes regarding Billy. And then he showed up at her bedroom door that morning, dressed and ready, letting her know that he would be her escort for the day. There was no way he had time for such things, but somehow, some way, he’d made it happen. Yes, he was a monster. A stone-cold killer. But now, she saw he was also human. There was a soul inside of that dark shell of a man. She’d been chipping away at the exterior with a bit of truth here, a bit of truth there, all tied to a man and his pride. Control. He didn’t like not being in control, and his emotions had been hard to showcase, until now.