“Valada must have built a secret bunker under the palace!”“It certainly looks like it,” John agreed, squinting in the direction of the study. ...“The lift shaft starts from a room concealed within the wall cavity.”“Let’s go!” the Maliri archaeologist exclaimed, turning on her heel to rush to the study.John caught her hand and pulled her back. “Hold on a second. I know you’re excited but we need to be careful; Valada might have rigged all sorts of traps to stop anyone from breaking into her secret. “He happens to agree with Dale Earnhardt that second place is just the first loser!”“Everyone in this house is so competitive!” Michelle said, shaking her head.“They’re all my kids!” I grinned. “Why play if you aren’t trying to win?”“Forget it Michelle,” Bethany laughed from behind us, “they play games in this house as a blood sport! I’m sure you’ve seen it!”“I was in the poker tournament last Guys’ Night,” Tom said ruefully. “I THOUGHT I was a good card player. But Steve, Karl, Terry, and. This would make it interesting. I thought it would be more exciting if I can kill her while her boyfriend hears everything on the phone. It would make him feel useless and helpless as his girl dies and gets raped by me. Of course, it would mean that I have to act fast as he would probably call the cops before rushing down. I slowly opened the door and saw that she was standing facing away from me, happily talking to her beloved about their date just now.. I held the belt in my hands and crept. Oh yes.One sugar. Not much milk at all.” "OK. Macchiato, one sugar. Coming up.” She looked around the long narrow room and got a stool.....brought it over to him and said brightly, “ I'd watch you don't lean to one side on that. It's none too steady if you upset its centre of gravity” And she settled herself on a lovely looking chair behind her cheap narrow desk as she waited for the water to run through and fill the two now gleaming mugs. She saw him looking at her leather chair and said, “.