Phoenix: The Rising by Bette Maybee

Author:Bette Maybee [Maybee, Bette]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Published: 2013-01-10T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Except for the steady ticking of the grandfather clock, the Mason mansion was a tomb of silence, amplified by the now almost completely barren foyer. Eli had waited patiently behind a stand of Cypress by the main gate until he saw Renatta’s Jag, followed by a yellow moving van, exit the estate. Now it was his turn to comb through its remaining contents.

Eli made his way down the hallway to Mr. Mason’s study. The door stood ajar, and from the condition of the room, it looked as though Renatta had done some pilfering. Had she found the DVR herself? Eli prayed to God that she hadn’t. After a quick look around the room, Eli noticed a power cord and cable running from the floor to a small opening on the bottom of the desk. Was the DVR in there? A nail file jammed into the lock of the main desk drawer was enough proof that Renatta had tried to gain access to its contents. Eli pulled on each drawer. The ones on the right opened with ease, but the main drawer and the larger lower one on the left where the cords were held fast. It had to be in there!

Eli scoured through the objects on top of the desk, hoping to find the key, but he knew he wouldn’t. Mr. Mason would have kept it on himself, especially if he had been collecting evidence on his wife’s indiscretions. He sighed in resignation and grasped the bottom of the lower drawer. He had to do it. Guilt and anticipation, like an alcoholic about to relapse, flooded his thoughts. It had been imperative for him to keep this part of his powers in check throughout most of this lifetime. If he hadn’t, then he could have easily killed Kas with the blow he dealt him the night Kas attacked Julie. After all, it had happened before, and the feeling of killing a human had left him shaken, even when he had to kill to protect someone. Mastering self-control of his strength took decades, and it was just in the twentieth century that it became a natural way of life for him. Until now.

Eli closed his eyes for just a moment. That’s all it took for him to feel the buzz in his arm. He yanked, and the wood splintered as the drawer flew out of the desk.

Sitting on the floor beside his feet was the DVR, its cords still attached. Eli lifted the DVR to his lap and hit the OPEN button.

“It’s empty.”

“What do you mean?” Julie’s voice sounded foggy, as if she had been sleeping.

Eli sighed into the phone. “The DVR is empty. Your father must have taken the disc. Do you have any idea where he would have put it for safekeeping?”

“Safekeeping ... safe …yes! He has a wall safe, hidden behind the paneling next to the portrait of my mother. Just push on the panel, and it should pop open.”

Eli looked around the room. The painting was near a corner, almost hidden from view.

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