Eden (Complete)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Amy pulled up to the entrance of a gated community in the large SUV.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"I think we should ram it. That's what we got the SUV for."

"No, I'm not going to ram it. I kind of like having the gate up. It keeps out the riffraff."

"Alright, I'll hop out and see if I can open it."

Amy waited in the truck while Nick got out and checked the gate. From inside the truck, she watched Nick as he banged on the security keypad. Then like a baboon, he began pulling violently on the bars. The whole display was amusing to watch. He looked at the gate inquisitively, scratched his head and then kicked the locking mechanism. Amy couldn't help but laugh. Nick was usually very clever and prone to using finesse over force; however, in this situation, he was stumped.

Amy sat in the air-conditioned vehicle pondering what she would do in this situation if muscle wasn't the answer. She looked around the vehicle for something to use to pick the lock or somehow unhinge the gate. All she found was plush leather, TVs mounted in the headrest, and an expensive stereo system.

Something piqued her curiosity.

Meanwhile, Nick was outside under the baking sun, feeling defeated. If he couldn't convince Amy to ram the gate, he would have to convince her to stay somewhere else. He thought about climbing over the gate and entering one of the houses to look for a code, but figured it would be a waste of time. Besides, he was tired and didn't want the hassle.

Just then, the gate miraculously opened. Nick turned around with a look of amazement. Amy slowly pulled the truck forward with a self-satisfied smile on her face. In her hand was a small device, which looked like a garage door opener.

"Look what I found," she said. "Sometimes it's better to use a little brain over brawn."

"Where did you find that?" Nick asked.

"I figured that the owner of a nice truck like this might live in this neighbourhood."

"Wow, that was pure luck."

"Yeah, we seem to be having a lot of that lately."

The two circled around the neighbourhood. They weren't sure what they were looking for; just something that felt right. Sitting in the passenger seat, Nick riffled through the glove box and pulled out the vehicle's registration.

"Why don't we just go to this guy's house?" he said, reading the address.

"Is that even in English?"

"No, but it doesn't have to be. It has the number and the street name in Serbian, which is fine since all the street signs are in Serbian as well."

"That's smart thinking."

"See, you're not the only one that uses their brain."

The two circled the neighbourhood a few times until they found the correct address. They could have picked any of the houses; however, they already had the keys and the alarm deactivator on the key ring, so it was easier to stay at the SUV owner's home.

They pulled up to the house and were in awe. It was the last house on top of the hill, and by their estimate, it appeared to be the biggest as well.

"Who is this guy, the President of Serbia?" Nick asked.

"Whoever he was, he sure knew how to live."

The perimeter of the property was encompassed by another gate, which promptly opened when Amy touched the magnetic key fob to the sensor. The intricate iron gate slowly retracted and Amy pulled the truck forward onto the winding stone driveway.

As the vehicle crept up to the house, the couple remained in awe. The sheer opulence was impressive. Someone had obviously worked very hard their entire life to be able to afford this level of luxury, and in one serendipitous twist of fate, it was now theirs. Ironically, they wouldn't even keep it. They would use it for a few days, perhaps a week, and then discard it like it was trash. It was hard for them to comprehend that fact because they had never lived lavishly, but they were now the richest people in the world. This was a lifestyle they would have to get used to.

Amy pressed another button on the small device, triggering one of the garage doors to retract. Even though they were in an irregular situation, they wanted to preserve any bit of normality they could.

As the garage door opened, Nick couldn't believe his eyes. "Wow, Amy, look at these cars!" Nick said as he surveyed the massive garage. Along with the SUV there were three other luxury vehicles. Nearest to them was an Audi R8 — black. Next to that was a gunmetal Porsche 911 Turbo. Then at the far end was something that made Nick's heart race.

"Oh my God!" Nick yelled with joy. "Amy, check it out!"

Nick hopped out of the SUV and raced past the Audi and the Porsche as if they were scrap metal and opened the door to a polished white Lamborghini Aventador. When Nick sat in the fine Italian import, he was immediately transformed into an eight-year-old boy, conjuring memories of playing with models of these types of supercars as a kid.

"Nick, come on," Amy said. "I need help with this stuff."

"I'll be right there."

Nick looked for the keys and would have taken it for a spin that very moment had he been able to find them, but he couldn't. He reluctantly stepped out of the car and walked over to help Amy unload their gear.

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