Read Online Truth or Dare by Reshonda Tate Billingsley - Free Book Online Page A

for Shay to get off the elevator when the doors opened on her floor. “We’ll go to your room and wait on the call.”
    Sheridan looked like she wanted to protest, but she followed anyway. Inside, Shay’s room was eerily quiet as we waited for the phone to ring.
    After about fifty minutes, Shay stood. “We got ten minutes. I’m gonna use the restroom real quick.”
    None of us said a word as she dashed off. I just wanted this all to be over.
    Not two minutes after the bathroom door closed, her cell phone rang.
    â€œShay!” I yelled.
    â€œI’m coming! Answer it!” I heard the toilet flush.
    I pressed the button for the speaker phone.
    â€œHello,” I said.
    â€œAre these the rich girl’s friends?” the voice said.
    â€œYes,” I replied, willing Shay to hurry up and get her butt out here. I felt a sigh of relief as the door opened and Shay came running out.
    â€œI’m gonna need five hundred thousand dollars if you wanna see your girl alive again,” the raspy voice said.
    Five hundred thousand dollars? Was he crazy? I didn’t need to see Evian alive again.
    â€œHere, it’s for you,” I told Shay as I handed her the phone. She looked confused as she held the phone.
    â€œYeah,” Shay began.
    â€œDid you hear what I said?” the man repeated.
    â€œYeah, but um, where are we supposed to get that kind of money from?”
    Sheridan stood and watched in shock. Me, I was easing toward the door.
    â€œFind a way,” the man said. “Or find your friend’s body. I’ll be in touch in twenty-four hours.”
    The line went dead with Shay standing there, holding the phone. Finally, she looked at me and Sheridan and said, “We have to come up with five hundred thousand dollars.”
    â€œ We don’t have to do anything,” I said.
    â€œYou know what? I’m tired of doing this with you,” Shay said. She picked up the hotel phone, pressed zero, and then said, “Yes, I’d like to place a collect call to Miami, Florida.”
    â€œWho are you calling?” I asked.
    â€œI’m calling Evian’s brother,” Shay said. “What’s his name? Clinton? I’m sure him and his mafia friends can get over here and help us.”
    Sheridan raced over to the phone, then put her hand on the button to hang the phone up. “But I thought you said they were going to blame us,” she said, panicked.
    â€œThey’re not going to blame us,” Shay replied, motioning between her and Sheridan. “They’re going to blame her. ” She pointed at me. “She’s the one that dared Evian to go with that guy. She’s the one that introduced everyone to Carson.”
    â€œFine,” I huffed. This was wrong on so many levels. But I knew that Shay was right. “So, we’re just supposed to give these people five hundred thousand dollars? Where are we supposed to get five hundred thousand dollars from?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Shay replied. “Call your dad.”
    â€œYou call your dad,” I said. Shay might not have been as rich as me, but they were still loaded. Her father probably wore five hundred thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry around his neck.
    â€œBetween us, we’re going to have to come up with the money,” Shay said.
    â€œLet’s not and say we did,” I replied. “Let’s just call the cops and when it’s time to give them the money, the police can bust the crooks, we get Evian back, and we take our happy behinds home.”
    â€œYeah, if only it was that easy,” Shay replied.
    â€œAll I know is that I didn’t sign up for all of this,” I snapped.
    â€œAnd you think I did?” Shay said. “You think Evian did?”
    I exchanged glances with Sheridan before saying, “Okay, fine. Let me go back to my room and make some calls and see how much I can come up with. You do the