Page 115 of All You Want
It’s actually true. I only drink coffee. Tea parties and spiders give me the creeps.
“But you must have some of my delicious tea,” Mooma says. “See? Cara’s drinking it, and you used to like tea parties so much.”
“That was before the accident.” I set the cup on the table and wipe the sweat from my nose. “I’m sorry, Mooma, but I’m not feeling well.”
Justin glances at his watch and says, “Can we get on with the wedding? I want to be married to my bride before midnight.”
“She must drink her tea. She has to know how I felt when she poisoned me,” Mooma says.
“If you poison me, how can I marry Justin?” My eyes dart between mother and son. They’re both crazy.
“I wouldn’t kill you,” Mooma says. “But you have to be punished. You’re such a bad girl.”
“I’m sorry.” I hang my head down and turn my nose away from Justin’s direction. “I’m feeling sick already.”
“It’s medicinal,” Cara enunciates each syllable the way young children do when they’re learning a big word. “Have some of mine.”
“I’m sorry, but tea makes me throw up.” I push myself away from both mother and daughter and wave my hand in front of the red light on Jason’s video device. “Please, make them understand. I don’t want to puke and make a big mess.”
The mixture of sickening perfume, Earl Grey tea, and Justin is enough to heave my guts. I must look like I’m about to hurl, because Justin turns off the video recording. “Cut the tea. I don’t want my beautiful bride sick on her wedding night.”
Loud knocks pound on the parlor door, and a rough voice says, “Can we get on with the ransom video?”
Justin opens the door to his two uncles. “I got enough, but you’ll have to drive down the hill to text it to them. Meanwhile, I’m getting married.”
The black-bearded uncle glances at the white-mustachioed one, passing a silent message. He takes the cell phone Justin was using to record the video—it’s probably mine. I hope it is, so when they get a signal, Todd can triangulate my position.
“Well, that’s out of the way.” Justin turns to me with a grin and holds out his arm. Holding my breath, I reach for him and walk out of the parlor, glad to get away from the macabre tea party.
“Not so fast. No one’s having fun until we get the money.” Bruce throws a rope around my neck, yanking me back, and Justin is knocked off his feet.
Cara screams, dropping her teacup onto the parquet floor.
My hands grab at the rope lasso, but it tightens and is cutting into my throat.
“What are you doing?” Justin screams. “Leave her alone. Don’t hurt her.”
“You’re a fool,” Bruce says. “You were supposed to get the police report from Viola, but instead, what did you do? Come to us with this kidnapping scheme.”
“I couldn’t get it, because someone killed Viola,” Justin says. “You all agreed to plan B.”
“Plan B means Tami has to be in real danger.” Doug knees Justin in the back and handcuffs him. “You’re not marrying Tami until we get the money. Then you can do whatever you want with her.”
“We should try and find where Viola put Bill’s papers,” Mooma says. “She has a friend who lives not far from here. Maybe Cara and I should pay her a visit.”
“I thought you two searched her place already,” Bruce says.
“We did, but she came home and almost caught us,” Mooma says. “She’s friends with Viola, and maybe Viola told her something.”
“Then we’ll drive you and Cara over to visit her,” Doug says.
“Let’s go.” Bruce drags me, sputtering and choking, down a steep flight of stairs. “You and lover boy can spend your honeymoon down here.”
He throws me onto a musty mattress and rearranges the rope around my wrists, tying me to an iron bedframe.
Doug deposits Justin next to me. He hits his head against the basement wall and flops on my lap, groaning and sputtering from both ends of his digestive tract.
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