[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]allowed the driver to open the door. Sitting in the back of the sleek car, she tried not to let depression
grab ahold of her. Shira had worked hard and deserved every good thing that came her way.
Take me to the office, please. She didn t need to go back to the Charity Foundation, but she
didn t want to go home and be by herself. Several new cases had arrived at the shelter and she
planned to immerse herself in work until the unwanted feelings of loneliness fled.
Arriving at the foundation s office an hour later, she noticed that everyone seemed to have gone
home for the day. The driver let her out right in front and she used her keys to unlock the door before
heading towards her office not realizing that the door didn t lock behind her once she was inside..
Erin prepared the restraining orders for the new mother who had arrived at the shelter the night
before. It seemed that her husband had lost his job and decided to take his frustration out on his wife
and six-year old daughter. Both had needed medical treatment and were currently being sheltered in a
safe house located across the river in Virginia.
She had just finished electronically filing the necessary paperwork when she heard a noise in the
hallway. Deciding that one of her co-workers must have forgotten something, she rose from behind
her desk and headed towards the foyer.
Rounding the corner, she was alarmed to see a strange man, looking very similar to the
description the newest recipient of the foundation s hospitality had provided of her abusive husband.
Excuse me? We re already closed. The office will be open again tomorrow morning at nine
o clock.
Where is my wife? the strange man growled, menace evident in both his voice and body
language.
Erin took a step back, hoping to put the front counter between her and the man. If she could get to
the phone, she could press the panic button and the local police department would be notified by the
silent alarm system. She couldn t let him get to her office the safe house location was in the file
open on her desk.
Seeing her retreat, the man quickly cut her off, preventing her from reaching the counter. I m
going to ask one more time where is my wife?
I m sorry, sir. I don t believe I know your wife. Why would you think she would be here?
Listen, bitch, I know she came here. I want her home and I want her home now. I want my kid as
well.
Erin was starting to panic when she caught sight of Talib slipping through the front doors. She
struggled to keep from calling to him, seeing that he was sneaking up on her would-be assailant.
In a flash of moves and a few seconds later, the man was lying on the floor, unconscious and she
was speaking with the local 911 dispatcher. Talib was also on the phone, no doubt speaking to Kam
and informing him of the situation.
By the time the police had taken her and Talib s statements, she was so exhausted she headed
straight home. Her phone rang repeatedly, but Erin didn t want to speak with anyone at the moment.
Especially Kam.
The feelings of exhaustion had been getting worse all week long, but she chalked it up to a
stressful workload. Even the excitement of the afternoon hadn t dispelled the tiredness she was
feeling.
Hearing the phone ring once again, she turned it off and headed to bed. Things would look better
in the morning. They sure couldn t get much worse.
Chapter 10
Erin immersed herself in work, ignoring the increasing exhaustion she felt. When Shira had been
gone for three weeks, Erin awoke in the morning, rushing for the bathroom where she promptly
emptied her stomach of its meager contents.
Her appetite had been sadly missing in the previous few days, and now that she was throwing up,
she decided that she must have caught a flu bug. Calling in to work, she then wrapped a robe around
herself and stepped out to inform the driver she was staying home for the day.
She returned to the house and had a cup of tea and a piece of dry toast. When her stomach didn t
immediately rebel, she decided to take a bath and hoped the achiness she had been feeling in her chest
would lessen.
Erin had just finished dressing when someone knocked upon her front door. Wandering over, she
didn t check to see who was on the other side; it was the middle of the morning and daylight outside.
Opening the door, she was surprised to see Talib standing there, holding out the phone for her.
Giving him a narrowed look, she took the phone and placed it to her ear, Kam?
What is wrong? Why did you not go to work today? Kam demanded from the other side of the
world.
I m just a little under the weather, is all. A small flu bug. I m sure I ll feel much better
tomorrow.
You need to see a doctor. Hand the phone back to Talib.
No! I don t need to see a doctor. I ll be fine. Erin hadn t spoken to him for more than a month
and yet he still thought he could order her around.
Habibti, you are not fine.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]zanotowane.pldoc.pisz.plpdf.pisz.plkajaszek.htw.pl
