Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22327 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22327 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
The door makes a loud squeaking sound straight out of a horror movie. Instead of being scared and running the other way, I hurry down the stairs to close the door behind me so that I'm not busted before I can get a peek around.
I’m not sure what I thought was going to be in the basement, but what I wasn't expecting is how freaking big it is. This house never ends. Part of me worries about getting lost as I explore, but there’s a security in knowing if I do, my husband will find me. I might be in trouble, but I will be found.
While the space is big, there isn't much going on, so I’m not sure why it needs to be locked up all the time. I notice lots of crates with boxes on them, and I’m guessing it has to do with Salvador’s work. He said he works in imports and exports, whatever that means. I'm tempted to look inside them, but I want to keep peeking around before someone catches me.
At the end of one of the corridors is an enormous, heavy-looking door. I try to open it, but it doesn't budge, and then I spot a keypad.
"Holy crap," I whisper, my curiosity piqued more than ever.
I stare at the keypad, but nothing happens. Okay, clearly I’m not a hacker that can open any sort of lock. Still, I need to find a way to get in there. I'm dying to know what’s kept behind it. It looks like a safe, so I hope it’s something cool like gold bars. My mind starts coming up with lots of ideas that are each more ridiculous than the one before.
There’s a sound in the distance, and then I hear footsteps coming my way. They don’t sound as heavy as my husband’s, but I don’t want to get caught snooping where I was told not to go. I glance around to find somewhere to hide and see a stack of wooden boxes nearby. It’s the best I’ve got, so I duck behind them and wait.
When the steps draw closer, I peek through one of the small cracks and see Edward with a tray of food and a bag. I watch as he punches in the code on the keypad, and I memorize it.
When the door opens, I hear a loud groan come from inside. Edward enters and closes the door behind him, and I stand there wondering if I really heard a groan. It could have been the door, and after a second, I convince myself that’s what it had to be.
Why was Edward bringing food down here? Does he have to sneak all the way to the basement to enjoy a meal in peace? I freeze when the door opens again, quicker than I expected it to. I watch Edward step out and notice that the bag he has over his shoulder appears lighter and the tray of food is gone. There’s no freaking way he ate all of it that quickly. There’s a person inside that room.
I wait for Edward to lock the door and leave and then wait a few minutes longer before I slip out from behind the boxes. My heart hammers against my chest, and the darkness that lingers is now a heavy blanket over me. I have to look. I have to know for sure what’s inside.
No, I don't, I tell myself. Ignorance is bliss. Isn't that what people say? As much as I wish I could walk away, I won't be able to. Curiosity has gotten the best of me, and I don’t know when I’ll get another chance to be down here. It could be weeks, and I can’t wait that long. What if there are women in there and it’s some kind of trafficking?
Okay, calm down, Jema. My sweet Salvador would never. Maybe it’s an exotic pet that has a special diet. I can see wealthy people feeding animals human food. Maybe it's a puppy that he’s saving for my birthday. That has to be it. Wait, when is my birthday?
Shaking off the distracting thoughts, I punch in the code. If it’s a puppy, I’ll give it a few ear scratches and leave. When the lock clicks over, I slowly pull the door open and see a dimly lit room.
Wine bottles fill the surrounding shelves, and I see that it’s nothing but a boring wine cellar. The farther I walk in, the less sinister it seems, but the tray of food Edward was carrying is still bugging me. As I go deeper into the vault, my eyes adjust, and that’s when I see what Edward was feeding.
"Jema." The man on the floor croaks out my name and blinks at me a few times. “Jema, thank fuck, you have to get me out of here."