Henri Beck & the Hidden Library | 📖

16

While Henri and the others had decided to venture to London before jetting off to Cairo, they failed to realize international plane tickets cost money. Two tickets to London Heathrow in England's capital weren't cheap. The Beck siblings weren't loaded with cash at the moment either. They might've been millionaires, but it was their parents who held the keys to the family wealth.

As it turned out, Thea didn't have enough money on her phone to purchase tickets for the next flight to London. Asking Malik or his mother was out of the question; they'd received enough help from the Jacksons as it was. Though, something told Henri they wouldn't be able to help even if they wanted to.

So, after breakfast, they spent the rest of the morning developing a scheme to get them on a plane.

"What if we call one of Mom and Dad's rich friends?" Henri stroked his chin. "Surely one of them owes us a favor."

"I think all those donations to the Beck Foundation was them paying their dues to Mom and Dad."

Henri sunk into his seat on the couch in the living room. Who else could they call?

Thea continued to scroll through her contacts. Her eyes lit up as she stopped on a name. "We could ask Jeffrey."

He shot up from his seat. "Jeff! How did we forget about him? If he's heard the news about our parents and seen the house, he probably thinks we're dead right now." He hadn't heard from his family's assistant/chauffeur since the man dropped him off at The Smithsonian. "He hasn't called you, has he?"

"I don't think so," Thea said.

"Give him a ring," Henri told her.

"You think he'll help us buy the tickets?"

"I don't see why not."

Malik sat down on the couch. His tree trunk of a thigh brushed against Henri's. "Who's Jeffrey?"

"He's our family's personal assistant," Henri answered quickly. He gestured at Thea to make the call. She dialed the man's number and waited for him to pick up.

"Jeez, you guys have a butler?"

"We don't like to use that term," Thea said.

Malik shrugged. "Sounds like that's what he is."

She ignored him. Her phone rang three times without a response.

A bit of worry bubbled inside Henri. They hadn't spoken to the man since the museum fiasco. Granted, Henri's cellphone had been reduced to cinder and spare parts, but Thea's had been on the entire time. The man didn't call her a single time. Was he alright?

"Looks like he's not gonna—" Thea cut herself off as the line picked up on the fourth ring. She hastily cleared her throat before speaking. "Er, Jeffrey? Are you there?"

"Thea?!" The man's palpable concern could be felt through the phone's crackly speaker. "Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me. Henri's here too."

Henri moved over to her and waved at the phone. "Hey, Jeffrey! We're okay!"

"He can't see you, genius."

"Oh, thank goodness you two are alright!" Jeffrey exclaimed. "I started to fear the worst after I heard what happened to the house."

Thea was squinting at her phone now. "You didn't think to call?"

He didn't go see the house? was the question on Henri's mind. While it might've belonged to the Becks, Jeffrey lived there too.

"Thea," Jeffrey began, his voice low, "no one could've survived a fire like that."