Page 183 of Adored
* * * Poe & Gamble * * *
Two Hours Later
Eight P.M.
Gamble slowly came awake, and he could hear voices all around him. Someone was talking on the phone, or to another person.
Instead of moving, he surveyed his situation.
What he knew was he was hanging from something. His arms were above his head, and something was cutting into his wrists.
Shackles?
That could be a possibility.
It was also musty wherever he was. So did that mean he had to be in a basement?
Did the estate have one of those?
Well, it had been a castle at one point, so likely. Now, he just hoped there wasn’t a moat and a dragon, so this got even worse for him.
As he listened, he was able to hear most of the conversation that the man was having while on the phone.
“Don’t worry, Boss. We have him locked in the dungeon. The doctor is at the grave. We think it’s buried with the brother. There is absolutely no footlocker here. Hemmingway had to take it with him.”
There were some murmurs, and then more talking.
“Oh, don’t worry. No one will find the Duke’s body. His reign here was short lived. We’ll bury him with his twin in the same casket.”
Well, fuck.
He had to get out of there.
NOW.
Gamble slowly opened his eyes, keeping his head down, so he could see where the man was without him realizing he was awake.
After that, he tried to get some feeling back in his hands because he was going to need them. Not far away, his sword was leaning against the wall.
He needed a weapon, unconventional or not.
The man began talking again.
“The Duke of Norfolk got his money, and he’ll not say a word. Okay, I’ll let you know.”
Gamble had news for the Duke of Norfolk. He was a dead man at some point. It was only a matter of time.
When the man hung up, Gamble played possum.
The guy watching him yelled up to someone.
“Bring some knives, a torch, and anything else you can find. Von wants him tortured to make sure he doesn’t know where it is, and then killed. We’re to leave him in the basement.”
“Okay!” someone yelled back.
When the guy moved closer to Gamble, he flicked at the medals on his chest.
“I bet you blew everyone to get those medals,” he said. “Fucking fag.”
