Read Online Victory of Coins (The Judas Chronicles, #7) by Aiden James - Free Book Online Page B

Roderick and Beatrice laughing in the parlor across the way from where I presently struggled to my feet. I looked for my cell phone and found it lying on the floor beside the chair I had apparently not moved from after embracing the latest coin ride to my regrettable past.
    “Shit... it’s going on seven-thirty? Why didn’t anyone come wake me?” I didn’t immediately realize the harshness in my tone.
    “You were asleep out here?” Amy sounded shocked, and her brother looked just as surprised.
    “William?” Beatrice sounded worried, as she slowly made her way to the porch. She looked back at Roderick who quickly came up behind her. “He’s here, Rod—you were right. He must’ve fallen asleep outside.”
    She moved over to me, and before I could respond, my wife wrapped her arms lovingly around my waist.
    “Are you okay? I was worried sick—and I damned near called the police when you didn’t answer your phone....” She sniffed.
    Despite my complete disorientation, I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close while whispering apologies, and hoping no one saw me thrust the coin into my jeans’ front pocket. I mouthed another apology to Amy and Jeremy for my initial response to them, and said hello to Roderick, who eyed me suspiciously.
    “You didn’t hear us call for you half an hour ago?” he asked. “We stood on the veranda above, and I guess we should’ve checked here, too.... You must’ve been out cold.”
    I nodded in response, eerily acting as I had behaved as the mute Roman officer seemingly just an hour earlier... although obviously it could’ve happened around midnight and just felt recent.
    What about Kaslow? Was any of this real, or was it just a bad dream sequence and I never actually made it to Jerusalem this time?
    “You don’t look so good, hon’,” said Beatrice. “Let me take you upstairs, and you can rest for a while. I’ll be happy to bring you a Danish from the dining room, or maybe they can whip up an omelet for you to eat in our room.”
    “I’ll be fine, babe... just let me take a shower and I’ll be ready to join you for breakfast.... Or have you all eaten already?”
    “We wouldn’t think of enjoying a meal until we knew you were okay,” said Roderick, eyeing me in a way that I could’ve placed a safe wager on him gleaning from my thoughts most of what had happened since I reclaimed my coin from his possession last night. “We can wait for you.”
    “Actually, it will work out perfectly, William,” said Beatrice, smiling as if a great idea had just occurred to her. “Jeremy spoke to the owner of the antique store a short while ago, and they are ready at any time for us to come and pick up the secretary. So, why don’t Amy, Jeremy, and I go on over right now to pick it up? Then by the time we get back, you’ll be ready to join us in the dining room.”
    It sounded like a great idea... provided Roderick didn’t pester me for details on what had happened—or worse, demanded an explanation for why I had betrayed his trust by not waiting to deal with my coin until someone else could be present to keep me from getting into trouble, as ended up happening.
    “Sure,” I said, though suddenly feeling out of sorts again... like this wasn’t real. I felt dismayed that I was just as lost as I had been before my coin experience. I had failed to figure out the cure for the uneasiness that continued to haunt me . Fat good all of last night’s nonsense did! “Just be careful, my love.”
    I bent to kiss her, and we lingered a moment longer than was modest, prompting an ‘ah-hem!’ from Roderick.
    “We will,” she assured me. “It’s just a few blocks away, and Jeremy’s driving, so you won’t have to worry about the baby kicking my back and causing a wreck.”
    Beatrice brought a smile to my face, as well as my heart, pushing my worries away. To my surprise, Roderick didn’t follow me upstairs; apparently he was content to wait for us all to reconvene in the