Within two minutes he was up the drive and inside the house. As he closed the door behind, he froze. He had just landed in humongous trouble. This almighty problem hadn’t been mentioned in the Google article.

“Shit!”

He didn’t like swearing, but, “Shit. Shit.”

A shrill tone emitted from a wall panel, setting his heart racing and his mouth spewing vulgarities. Of course, she would have a security system.

He paused, his shoulders raised like a cat, a surprised cat ready to run.

Despite the noise, no tick-tick-tick of an alarm counting down sounded. He checked the panel, and though he was no expert on security, there appeared to be no green light glowing below the words Alarm On.

In her haste Orelia must have neglected to set it.

“Luck, you magnificent wonder,” he said blowing a kiss to the air.

He relaxed but he felt like an alien in someone else’s skin. This was not something he’d imagined he would ever do. The thick silence of the house folded in on him, condemning his invasion. He didn’t belong here, that’s what it whispered to him.

He told himself though, her claim on this lifestyle was questionable. An eye for an eye. A crime for a crime. If he must visit the dark side to end this battle, that’s what he’d do. She had used another-world power against him. So if he had to break into her house, hey, that was ingenuity as far as he was concerned.

He checked his watch and noted the time. Four twenty-three. Thirty minutes is all he’d given himself as safe. If he didn’t find the book by then, he had no choice but to leave and find another way.

He scanned the entry. To his left lay an enormous living room. He’d try that first. As he walked around, surveying the grandeur, a stab of envy bit him. Wow! This place was something. The house that books built. She certainly possessed sublime taste, or the person she’d hired to create the interior did.

The cream marble floor incorporated a black cross-diamond pattern and shouted expensive. A luxurious honey-toned rug broke the coolness of the stone. From the glamorous white lounges, the matching Queen-Anne dining chairs, to the crystal lamps, the artwork, everything combined to convey this person has money.

It was stunning, transported from the pages of House Beautiful magazine. The effect was elegant and peaceful. Considering his pumping over-excited heart, just standing here made him feel calmer, more relaxed. Quite a feat, considering the circumstance.

Time though did not allow him to play tourist. He had a book to find and a ticking clock hung over his head. In such an enormous building, locating it would prove difficult. The green cover should stand out though against the pale honey and white decor.

For some silly reason, or maybe thanks to wishful thinking, he felt as if luck walked with him in every step he’d taken these past few days. A quiet confidence imbued every move he made as he walked around the home. He was going to find that book because he was on the side of right. How he’d gotten to this side, after everything he’d done, he didn’t know, but luck favored the brave and the good, and that’s what he carried inside him.