My Life In Ruins

22. I Can Give You A Clue...A Fake One, That Is

Chapter 22

I Can Give You A Clue…A Fake One, That Is

I was too comfortable.  Too comfortable after being knocked out by Edmund and his men just a little while ago.  Well, I had no idea how long I’d been out, so it could have been hours…

Days, even.

That really wouldn’t have been good.

I stretched slightly, trying to figure out just where I was, and felt silky sheets under my fingers.  When I rolled over onto my side, pain shot through me and I gasped.  That must have been where the guy punched me.  I knew I probably had one nasty bruise.

Sitting up slowly, I noticed that I was still in my dress from dinner.  It was torn in a few places and there were stains along the bottom.  It was basically ruined.

When I looked up, it looked like I was in some posh hotel room.  Everything seemed to have gold in it, from the doorknobs to the curtain rods, the color on the walls to the pillows on the bed that I was currently in.  It was overdone way too many times.  

The curtains were closed, but sunlight was still peeking though the slit in the center.  It was definitely day.

There was a stack of clothes sitting on one of the plushy chairs in the corner of the room.  I got up and walked over to them, holding up the plain white t-shirt that was on top.  It looked a little big, but at least I would be out of my ruined dress. 

I changed quickly and then walked over to the window.  Grasping the curtains in my hands, I pulled them open. 

And gasped when I saw New York City stretched out before me. 

“It’s good to see you’re finally up,” a voice said from behind me.

Edmund.

I whirled around, ready to go at him, but then he pushed one side of his suit jacket back from his side. 

Revealing a gun in a holster on his waist. 

I immediately took a step back.

Edmund chuckled darkly.  “That’s what I thought,” he said, moving more into the room.  “Now, are you going to be a good girl, or are we going to have to knock you out again?”

“What do you want from me?” I asked, stepping away from him as he moved toward the open window.

He stood there, looking out, before turning toward me with a grin.  “It’s got nothing to do with you.  You’re just what I needed to have to coax the next clue out of your father.”

Clue.  That’s what he wanted. 

“This is about the treasure,” I said. 

Edmund rolled his eyes.  “Of course, this is about the treasure.  It has always been about the treasure!”  He was yelling now, the vein in his forehead pulsing.  “Your family keeps taking them away from me, finding them before I can!  You’ve ruined my reputation in the academic community, but I’m going to get it back by finding Blackbeard’s treasure before you.  And the real kicker is that you’re going to be the one to get me to it!”

He took a step toward me then, getting right in front of my face.  I tried to take a step back, but his hands shot out to clasp my upper arms, holding me there, his face just inches away from mine. 

“Don’t think you can get away from me anytime soon,” he said.  “You’re not leaving until I get what I want.”

I swallowed hard.  “And you want the treasure,” I said.  “But we don’t even know where the next clue is.  That’s what…”