Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Then, I began to see a clearing bathed in moonlight and at its heart stood a rustic wooden cabin that looked like it had been planted there ages ago.
O-kay. So. . .a cabin. Why?
We walked toward it and right as we got in front of the cabin, Song and Leo took a sharp right turn.
Alright. So we’re not going to the cabin.
We headed around the structure, going to the back.
That was when I spotted a table with what looked to be tons of guns on it, and things further away that I couldn’t quite make out.
However, there were rows of something.
Leo stopped us right there.
Song went to the side and flipped on a switch.
Floodlights came on. Instantly, the harsh artificial light bathed the area.
Oh.
I checked out the place.
It was definitely a makeshift gun range, Leo’s monks must have set it up.
Massive targets were spread out far in the distance. Huge six feet tall and four feet wide wooden planks. Each one was painted in blue and black with a huge gold point in the center.
The targets varied in distance and were arranged in ten rows, each farther than the last.
The first row was about fifty yards away and the last row looked like it could have been a few hundred yards off.
I went up to the table covered in guns.
Leo got next to me. “Why do you think you’re here?”
I looked at the shotgun on the side. “You want to see how far I can shoot?”
“I already know. I just want you to remind yourself.”
He gestured to the guns. “Four Aces’ main business is guns. We make the majority of them in the East. Then, we export them to not only Paradise City but all around the world. Right now, you are looking at our top models.”
There were so many—different sizes, different styles, all gleaming under the faint moonlight.
Some were massive, designed for brute force.
Others were sleeker, lighter, almost delicate in their design.
And then there were the ones that looked like they were built for speed, their barrels short, their frames streamlined.
“Are you ready to play a game, Monique?”
I stiffened.
Oh, God. What the hell is he talking about now?
Chapter seven
The Grand Master’s Game
Moni
I put my view on Leo. “A game?”
“A very fun one yet educational.”
“Alright. What’s the game?”
“Tonight, you’re going to shoot each of those targets.” Leo pointed to them. “You get three chances per target and you must hit the gold point. When you do, you get ten points. The goal is to get to a hundred points.”
“What do I get if I make it to a hundred?”
“Not if, Monique, when.”
“What will I get when I make it to a hundred?”
“What do you want?”
“To go back to Lei tonight.”
He smiled. “That can’t happen.”
“Then, to call him.”
“You could not tell him that you’re on Mount Utopia.”
“I wouldn’t.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why do you want to call him?”
“I want to make sure he is okay, along with my sisters. I need him to focus on going to sleep and not trying to find me.”
Leo widened his smile. “You could have asked for money or property.”
“You already gave me that.”
“And in the end. . .family is the most treasured thing to you?”
“Yes.”
“My soul just warmed. That doesn’t happen much.” He lowered his arms. “But. . .now I know even more that my wife chose right. I’m just thankful that I was wise enough to finally listen to God and her.”
Song came over. “Her making a phone call to Lei could be risky. They might track the call.”
“They won’t expect it and we’ll make sure she isn’t on long enough to call.”
“Still.” Song frowned. “I don’t like it.”
“Too bad.” Leo shrugged. “This is Moni’s phone call to win or lose.”
Come on, girl. You’ve got this.
I looked back at the targets. “I get three chances to hit each gold point?”
“You do and it will be timed.”
Shit.
I turned to him. “How many minutes for each target?”
“Minutes?” Leo laughed. “You get one minute for each.”
“So you want me to hit ten targets in at least ten minutes?”
“Exactly, we don’t have a lot of time tonight.” Leo checked his watch.
“And. . .you want me to do this game because?”
Leo smiled, that same twisted grin that always seemed to hold a secret. “Because you need to learn. And because I want to see how you handle this.”
“How to handle the game?”
“That too.”
I still don’t get it.
Pausing, I considered his lessons in the helicopter. Even though he’d clearly presented the game, there was much more to all of this.
What am I missing?
I scanned the area and didn’t see anyone but Song, Leo, and me.
There’s something more to this. I just know it.
I put my attention back on the guns.
He hadn’t said which ones to pick but I knew I had to choose wisely. The wrong choice could mean failure.